Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Let's Talk Kitchens: New and Old

As promised, I intend to focus on something other than my troubles. Life with both the good and the bad is going on, so the blog's focus is on something lighter ---although trust me...real life is going on. (think: doctor visit yesterday with mother for a severe sinus infection followed by me falling asleep on the couch VERY early last night)

Now about kitchens.

I have not been so excited about kitchen pictures in magazines in a very long time. Let me preface this with I think EVERYONE should be entitled to their opinions of what they like and I have NEVER been a fan of cookie cutter anything. I love PERSONAL style.

This is not a post about dissing white kitchens.

Lately though, there has been no variety in the kitchen department. I mean variety is the spice of life😊 or so it is said.

All kitchens are white these days. My mother painted hers white before she moved down here a few years ago and was so happy. Her biggest disappointment in her new home was that it didn't have white cabinets. She loved everything about it but that.

I can appreciate white cabinets. One of my favorite kitchens period, white or not, is Jenny Steffins Hobick's. Below you will see her kitchen. I think what makes me love the white here is it is warmed up by the wood floor.



We are home shopping for a second home in our college Alma Mater's town. In fact we made an offer last night. More about that on another day. OF course, the kitchen is white.

Looking at all these homes made me decide to take a stroll down memory lane to what I love in a kitchen.

Does anyone else make a folder of ideas? I started my folders in college and still have many pictures from magazines from the early 80's and forward. I still love to hold the magazine in my hand, so it is one of my weaknesses although I have really curbed it lately.



I now have a folder on my computer for the things I see on blogs and Instagram.


Warning: as we stroll through my memories and magazine clippings... the photos you are about to see are all just from my stash of clippings taken with my phone.
No special touches here...

I adored this kitchen and it was the guide for our kitchen when we built a home back in 1986. I just swapped out green for my very favorite color of all time...NAVY BLUE. This is the home we lived in from 1986 until 2003 when we moved to our present home.

This began my love of wood grain. 
I wish I had lots of earlier pictures of my navy blue kitchen before it hit the early 90's and became a cluttered mess. What were we thinking with all that country stuff everywhere?!!!



I remember when we were building it and I told people I was going to have navy blue counters people questioned it. It turned out perfect and I LOVED it. Afterwards, it received lots of compliments. I also am probably still the only woman in America who loves those honey oak cabinets, but I do. It is all about the coordinating colors with them.

Here are more of that navy loveliness and the clutter.



Here is one pre kids with a little less clutter. The dog is my first child, Sally.


There was also a cool pantry and the kitchen area opened to my dining area with beautiful glass pocket doors.

Lindsay stayed in the pantry. She unloaded it almost daily and taught her little brother to do the same. 


Now, let's see some more clippings that inspired my kitchen. The next three were a Southern Living magazine kitchen that I loved. You can see it heavily inspired me.


Can't you see how I loved the wallpaper and kitchen cabinet choice?


I also adored the hutch and the brick wall. I had a brick floor in my kitchen and so loved it.


Here is another kitchen that inspired my clutter days. I simply couldn't live in that now. That is one time I should not have followed trends although I can look at it and like it from afar. This kitchen was clipped from A Country Woman magazine.


Shortly before we moved in 2003, I had taken the wallpaper down, and painted the kitchen. I took no pictures of it which really saddens me because it was some of my best work ever. Life was going on though at that time too... we lost Jeff's mother right after I did all of that and moved into our current home. It helped sell it I think.

When we moved into our present home in 2003, I was still inspired by the love of country, so this clipping captured my thoughts.


My current cabinets were custom built and are the most beautiful solid oak with lots of wood grain. I wasn't too crazy about the white counters until I saw this picture. I thought ok..

I adore my cabinets although they are 34 years old and on the drawers and a couple of the doors they are showing age. My husband has been slowly retaining and refinishing the messy drawers and doors. He is doing a phenomenal job, so I am excited for him to finish them.

Here you can see what I am talking about...the top drawer he has redone, the next one is in need of it.


I hope you enjoyed the stroll through 80's and 90's kitchens. I have tons more clippings old and new:)

I know I have certainly toned down the clutter, but I still love all of the wood grain in all of those old clippings.

Off to get started on a very busy day,
Sandy









19 comments:

  1. Sandy, I really liked your first kitchen with all the wood grain and the navy countertops. Your hutch is gorgeous. Good for your husband on refinishing the doors and drawers.

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    1. Thanks Robin. It is a testament that if you really like something it stands the test of time for you. We need to be ourselves. I was so happy when Jeff did the first drawer.

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  2. Like you, white kitchens are not my cup of tea. We have white cabinets and they are so hard to keep clean. ( Maybe we are just messy!) I love the pictures you shared and those kitchens would have appealed to me as well. One of our first kitchens has orange, avocado and lemon yellow plaid wall paper with avocado appliances. I loved it then.lol I am in the de clutter mode myself. Trying to get rid of things I do not use. Face it, big entertaining is just not my style. I love to go to Lanier's house because she is into nice china, serving ware etc. She gives a lot of parties. I did get out my nice china last week just for me and Marvin and I use the napkins you made for me quite often. I just don't do big parties as I have no room here for that. Cant wait to see your new house!!

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    1. I simply must get busy. I have already had so many interruptions this morning. I can't wait to share about the house hunt. It took a few unexpected turns...isn't that always the case. I am not sharing anything on the blog until it is all really and truly decided. We just made an offer. Maybe I will text you later, but I
      simply must clean house for now.

      I do love my dishes and stuff, but I am really trying to pare things down as well. That is a story in and of itself:)

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  3. Your not alone, I love oak, my bedroom furniture is an old set of oak. I have to redo my kitchen and although I love white kitchens I'm worried about a messy husband in them. My stainless frige is a nightmare to keep clean with him. I love your early kitchen....and looking forward to seeing the kitchen in your new home. I'm into the less is more frame of mind lately too. I feel like I spent a lifetime accumulating things and now trying to get rid of them!

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    1. I am feeling a definite less is more feeling too. When and if we get the home in Auburn it will definitely be a minimalist approach to it as it will be just a getaway even though it may larger than our original plans. I don't want a lot of upkeep there. I have been paring things down here for several years. It has been a process of cleaning out and then going back to do more later. I have to slowly give it all up:)

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  4. I absolutely think you should have what you love in your own kitchen. Heavens knows we spend so much time there plus it's often visible to everyone. That space should reflect you! A white kitchen has always been my thing and I'm happy to have it. I do love every other kind too...except the real modern ones. ;)

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    1. We spend a bunch of time in there. I think it is the most important room in the house to like. Yours is one of my favorites too. I have to say that the house we are looking at is one I like. If we get it I will have to share what they did to it. It had older cabinets in it and they painted and knocked some out. It was a definite improvement.
      I think if I were building I would go with stained wood and surprising even myself a white counter top with less above cabinets.

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  5. I love your 80's and 90's kitchen pictures. And I agree that the white kitchen of Jenny's looks good because it has the wood floor to warm it up. I love white cabinets, but I don't like all white kitchens. I like to add some touches to it that give the room a little color.

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    1. Agreed. Hope your thyroid issues are doing well.

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  6. Yes...I have a file folder too! And I love personality in all of our decor and each room. I don't think the same style needs to go throughout a home either! Hope your day is good!

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    1. I am glad someone still has a file folder. I have held onto some pretty old pictures in those:)

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  7. I love kitchens as well. Mine is not big and I have cream colored cabinets that work well in the room but are a challenge to keep clean. I've always dreamed of a farmhouse style free standing kitchen but a. the room is not big enough and b. I think they had a lot less stuff in those farmhouses :-)
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. I am quite sure they had less stuff. I think we are feeling the less is more these days too. I love your idea of a dream kitchen.

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  8. Sandy: First I want to say I hope your Mothers infection goes away fast super fast.
    I love wood, it is such a beautiful product, I am totally in love with the blue counters, I love the wood ceiling in the kitchen, I am going to ask Mike to do the same in ours.
    I am old enough to remember the orange and green counter tops that matched the appliances back in the 70s, oh my, I am glad I did not go that route.
    We will be re-facing our cabinets next fall-spring, I am looking forward to that event, we have wood floors through the main floor of the house which I love.
    I have found lots of beautiful photos on Pinterest on the subject of kitchens.
    I had to post as anonymous because of blogger.
    I am I love To Stitch

    Catherine

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    1. Thank you Catherine. This blogger commenting thing is so aggravating. I love wood ceilings. They add so much. Good luck.

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  9. I enjoyed this post. My biggest issue with kitchen design these days is the open look with the sink in the island, open for the family room to see the dish drainer on the counter, etc. I prefer a raised area behind the sink so that stuff is more hidden from the rest of the house. Got that with this house we bought a year ago.

    I had a white kitchen years ago and did not like it. I have also had solid black cabinets. Did not like that; would rather have the white!! Now I have a medium wood stain and love it.

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    1. I agree about the open kitchen. While I know a ton of life happens in the kitchen I like a separate room even to retire to. I would never ever be able to relax while looking at the dish drainer from my easy chair. I have a medium stained oak in our house as well and I love it. The home that we are looking as a getaway (second home) will have white though. I won't mind it as much as it is my primary home.

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  10. I have had a white kitchen with dark hardwood floors for the past 22 years and still love it. I've never tired of the look and the white cabinets are always so fresh and clean looking to me :)

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I am so glad you stopped by my little blog. Drop in again anytime.
Sincerely,
Sandy