Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Open House is Over...

But boy, did I see a lot of great stuff and get a lot of great ideas about decorating. The biggest thing that stood out to me was kitchen cabinets painted a color *other* than white- gasp! I hadn't really thought about it before but I saw 3 kitchens that stood out because the cabinets were so amazingly not white. And I'm going to share them with you.

This first kitchen is so beautiful that it makes me want to copy it exactly. I'd have to paint the walls beige but that blue cabinetry seems so worth it. Granted my cabinets don't look anything like that *but* I started to think outside the box. You can find this beautiful kitchen at Restyled Home and it belongs to an actual, real person with actual, real kids. Go figure.
I'm really, really loving this blue- and the blue dishes. I really like blue.
But apparently I like aqua too. I found this at Random Acts of Home Decor. She was touring her new (imaginary) home and these cabinets really stood out to me. Actually the whole house did. It is a beautiful spanish colonial style in Glendale, CA. I showed it to Trav and he really likes it too.
And this one from Delightful Home is beautiful too.
OK, so all the kitchens here are several steps above mine and I don't really expect them to be completely transformed simply because I've painted the cabinets but I think *I* will feel better if I paint them. I haven't wanted to do it at all because it's such a big job and quite frankly, it's taken me over two months to recover from the big wall project. I didn't want to do a thing after that but I think I'm ready to tackle something now. The cabinets are dirty and gross and a fresh coat of paint will make them feel clean if nothing else. So, here are my current paint choices. I've only been to Lowe's though so I may add some. But I think that Trav and I are leaning toward the aqua color. Of course that will mean that it will feel like summer in here all.year.long. So I'm really considering that. I love to use pumpkin and red in the fall and winter, but what the heck, it's my kitchen, I probably will no matter what color the cabinets are. Do you ever get to the point when you want to just say "screw it" and do whatever you want to because it's your house and you don't care about resale value? Well, I'm there. I want to walk in my kitchen and feel happy.

So what do you think?

9 comments:

Mary said...

I think it's a great idea and once the cabinets are painted at all the hard part is done. When you get to that point of trying to sell you can paint over it without the sanding and primer that the first time consists of.

I love blue also and have always loved it with yellow so I'm all in the "go for it" category.

K said...

I just wanted to tell you thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment! I was so honored! Your blog is beautiful by the way!

Sincerest wishes,
Kait
http://simplyelegant-k.blogspot.com

Christy said...

Oh my goodness! I really love the blue kitchen! I think that painted cabinets are...well....a lot of work. But they're a great way to add personality to your space without adding clutter.
I think I would lean more toward the aqua with you as well. Aqua, in some of its incarnations, can actually look great with pumpkin orange and brown for the fall, while still looking fresh with beige or white in the summer. As for the red? Eh. You might be surprised. Look at old tablecloth linens and their mixes of colors!

Amy Button said...

Yeah, I'm really trying to think outside the box here. I'm starting to get a little chicken-y (like that word?) but Travis is totally sold on it, so we'll see. I'm starting soon though.

Ms. Tee said...

I love those kitchens, too! It's true, it would limit your seasonal decorating choices. But I did notice in the second picture that there was something orange hanging on the cabinet, and I thought it looked nice. I think it would be ok! :)

Amy Button said...

Thanks, ms. tee. I didn't even notice that orange thing until you pointed it out and it looked good too. It might push me over the edge...

Anonymous said...

I like the orange! Be bold! Be different!

Julia @ Hooked on Houses said...

I was going to say the same thing Ms. Tee did! I think the cabinets could look really interesting with oranges in fall and reds in winter.

These were three kitchens that I loved on the tour, too. They're beautiful. If you take the leap and paint yours, you'll have to show us the before and after pics. Maybe you'll inspire some more of us to take a chance like that with ours. Mine are just plain-ol' white. -Julia

Amy Button said...

Well, I haven't blogged about it yet but I have chosen a shade of aqua for the cabinets. It's very much like the second photo. I plan on starting in the next couple of weeks and I'll make sure to post photos.