Living Beauty Full in the Burbs
Living Beauty Full in the Burbs
Tips, tricks, ideas, and projects
Oh boy, ya know how satisfied you feel when your list gets shorter and stuff is getting crossed off?? GLOWING AND GIDDY, that’s how ya feel. The kitchen desk is finally in its place. It’s been a long project due to unforeseen “stuff”….you know…. life stuff that happens whenever you have a plan of your own…. but it’s done now. That ugly builder’s built-in desk is finally gone, replaced with a desk that fits my style. I’d had the idea for quite awhile that I wanted a replica of the primitive desk in my office for the kitchen. I bought that desk in the 80’s in a shop in Sisters, Oregon.
It was love at first sight. The little desk had started life as the check-in desk in the town’s first hotel. Then it was the desk in the old grange hall and then it languished for many years in the back of a storage room close by the original hotel. Until renovations were being made to most of the buildings in town and the desk ended up in the shop. I paid waay more than I had to spend. I remember telling my son, Trevor, that we would be eating beans for a week or two. He thought I was kidding. I wasn’t.
Few things have me spending money designated for food, I mean, come on……I love to eat. But this desk grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. I bought it and never regretted it. It’s simple style and old worn finish spoke to my heart. It moved with me. Many times. It was one of the few things that I never sold, nor even thought about selling in order to move to a new place. It had to stay with me.
As luck and the stars aligned, I met Mr B and the desk became part of our home together. Then we decided to move into a new house. Imagine my horror when we went to place the desk in its designated spot and it was two inches too large. TWO INCHES!!!! The builders got it wrong. Geesh! and other bad words. So the desk went to live in the family room until I could decide what to do with it. And I got a built-in from the builder. Eeeegad. I hated that thing. Eventually my desk ended up in the 3rd bedroom, aka my office, where it still sits today. It’s home to my computer and several piles of papers. I love it as much as I did when I ate beans for two weeks. Altho I’m never again going to eat beans for two weeks. I have my bean eating limits.
I knew I wanted a replica of my desk for the kitchen. Mr B spent a couple of days eyeballing and measuring, and then built a sweet little desk for me, almost like the original. The drawer in the new one is bigger (we have lots of junk supplies to store in it) and of course it’s sized to fit the space. But otherwise it’s a petite version of my desk. When he finished the building part he turned it over to me for the finishing part. I am also responsible for all the patching, texturing and painting in the house. We make a good team. Division of labor and all that. Besides, building things involves math. I’m allergic to math. I get hives when faced with a problem that requires any knowledge beyond ¼,½, ¾ or an inch. Those I have mastered. Beyond that I plead ignorance. Hives are not fun. Just sayin.
I am in the process of lightening the look in the house, and if you’ve been following me for awhile, you know I love modern farmhouse style and painted furniture. I decided to paint my new desk. Our kitchen has stained cabinets and there are lots of them. I wanted needed something to lighten the look which is why I went with creamy subway tile and light granite. But I wanted needed more white. I stained the desk first so a bit of wood would show as the desk aged and got dinged up. I did a few dings just for fun and then painted it.
I used my go to color from Lowes, Valspar”Honey Vanilla,” in flat (previously known as “Hotel Churchill Vanilla”). It’s a creamy ivory, very soft, and blends well with my other favorite white paint, Rustoleum’s “Shell White,” (in a spray) that I use when I want a hard finish (it’s oil based so dries hard). Valspar also offers Honey Vanilla in a spray in both a flat finish and gloss. A nice change for painted furniture without the brush strokes.
Can I say how much I love this little desk??? I have LARGE LOVE, it gives me the feels and heart eyes. I would love to find a vintage look phone that is wired for Caller ID and voice mail and all the modern technology we need today. But for now the ugly cordless stays…. marring what would be a perfect vignette. But as I told someone earlier today, we actually live in our house, I don’t hide the TV or the stainless appliances. We’re all about function here in the Brown house. OH, THAT’S A BIG FAT LIE. There’s no WE, only one of us is all about function. The other one is all about form. If I told you I was the one all about function would you believe me?
Now that I have two desks will I be any neater??? Um, probably not, OK…..nope. Oh, the new desk is staged and looks so cute. But wait a couple of weeks and it will be covered in coupons, torn out sheets of magazines and unopened mail reminding me that my subscriptions are due for those magazines that I enjoy ripping apart. Junk mail that lies there for days because I hate touching junk mail, I detest having to rip out the little cellophane windows and going through the contents to remove what can’t be recycled. GAH! For now it’s too cute to junk up with papers and bits…..so maybe because I love it I will keep it neat. Pray for me…..and World Peace.
For now the vintage stapler has pride of place. And the old silver goblets for supplies… Who would want to cover those up with junk mail??? It’s always the details that get me. Today I am a happy woman with at least one neat desk….. Someday when we change up my office I want to get a desk for the computer so that I can keep my antique desk just for writing, as in hand writing notes to friends, in cursive. Yeah….someday.
Create the home you see in your heart. Create a sanctuary no matter where you live.
Ever wonder what “style” you are? Many people do. It’s one of the topics discussed frequently in decorating groups on Facebook. You join a group of a certain style, only to find out that’s not the style you thought it was. Facebook groups can be confusing. For instance, let’s take “Farmhouse Style,” it sounds simple and straight forward, but it is NOT. There are sub-categories of farmhouse style. There’s Industrial Farmhouse, Cottage Farmhouse, Romantic Farmhouse, Prairie Farmhouse, Shabby Farmhouse…..whatever descriptive word placed in front of “Farmhouse” can be a style. Ditto for the “Cottage” look. There are as many sub-categories for cottage as there are for farmhouse. And the creator of your chosen group may have a specific version of your style in mind.
Recognize that some styles are straight forward, Mid Century Modern, Primitive (or Prim as it’s known) have a very distinct look. So do Colonial and Art Deco. Other styles seem to blend and morph into one another. And trust me, people have strong opinions on what is, or isn’t a “style.” Fair warning: This is a photo and text heavy post.
So, how do you know where you fit in the style you think you like? Or are you even the style you think you are??? How do you figure it out? There are some things you can do to help identify what style you love. Or what mix of styles. I’m not a purist and don’t fit into a neat category anymore. I’ve always loved country style. And I’ve gone through many phases over the decades. But I know I’m a blend of Country (Farmhouse) with a little Cottage thrown in. So that’s where I started. But what if you don’t know? Don’t have any idea?
What if you are tired of your current look (or non-look if you are still living with cast offs from in-laws)? You’ll have to do your homework. But it’s so worth it in the end. Trust me.
Begin by taking inventory in your own home. What do you love? A vintage chair inherited from a Great Aunt? A modern ghost chair you bought at a high end furniture store? Do you love your sofa? Your bed? The trim around your doors? Take notes, make a list. What do you dislike? This is just as important as what you do like. Make a separate “dislike” list.
Visit some model homes in your area. Take pictures of features you like. (ask permission.) Do you like a certain color on the wall? Ask what color it is and the brand. Do you like the curtains and draperies? The accessories? The furniture? Is there anything you don’t like? Take photos and notes.
Look through decorating books. Your local library will have a well stocked section of design and architecture. Check out books on the specific styles you think you like. Use your cell phone to take photos of pages that appeal to you. Browse through magazines. That’s where I started many years ago, long before Facebook and Pinterest, I was a magazine addict subscriber. I ripped out pages of rooms I liked and put together a notebook of tear sheets. I still have it and I still browse through it, looking for ideas to incorporate. Every couple of years I remove pages that no longer appeal to me and add some that I’m now interested in.
I still subscribe to lots of magazines, old addictions habits die hard it seems. If you don’t subscribe, go to your local thrift stores. Many of them have bins of old decorating magazines and books. Antique stores often offer bundles of past issues of decorating magazines. Buy those and use them for your tear sheets. Make notes on the pages of things that you like. Don’t leaf through a magazine quickly and think an image has nothing to offer. You may not like the color or the sofa of the room pictured, but how is it styled? Do you love the collection on the shelves? Like the panels at the windows? Perhaps the trim around the windows catches your eye. Make notes, for these are all clues.
This is the digital age and most people don’t want to bother with tear sheets, if that’s you, head to Pinterest…. if you are one of the three people in the world that haven’t already. Create “boards” for things you like. You can create as many boards as you want. I have well over twenty. (Is this a lot?) You may want one for paint colors, lighting, furniture, individual rooms, whatever keeps you organized. Or you can make ones for specific styles, American Farmhouse, Cottage, Mid Century Modern, BoHo….whatever. Then start pinning images you love.
You’ll soon notice that you are drawn to one or two styles. Then you can start researching those. Google the style(s) you like for more information. Subscribe to blogs. There are dozens of blogs, maybe hundreds. There is a blog dedicated to every style ever thought of. As you get closer to identifying what you love, start to unsubscribe to those blogs that don’t pertain to the style(s) that you are drawn to, delete the images from your Pinterest boards that don’t really support the look you want. It will become obvious what style or combination of styles you like.
And don’t worry if you love elements of several styles. Many of them play nice together and can live harmoniously in the same room. Right now you just want to identify the style or styles that seem to call your name.
Why should you go to all this trouble with lists and research???
It will help prevent investing money in things that don’t really reflect who you are. Buying furniture and accessories can get expensive. Transitioning to a new style and buying all new things because you think you like it, and two months later you’re wondering what you were thinking….. can be a financial nightmare, not to mention all that time wasted. If you know ahead of time that you are drawn to colonial style you won’t be tempted to buy that cute cottage style table. OK, you’ll be tempted, but you won’t actually purchase it. And for sure you won’t get caught up in the latest decorating trend. Refining your style and integrating it into your home is for another post. For now, enjoy the process of finding out who you are.
Loving your surroundings, feeling comfortable in your rooms is imperative in creating a sanctuary. And you deserve to live in a sanctuary, no matter the size of your home, where it’s located, or the money available to design and decorate your space, the key is to be YOU and then find those things that speak to your heart.
Create the home you see in your heart. Create your sanctuary, one room at a time.
I realized this afternoon that I’d made no plans for our dinner table. What?? Easter is tomorrow! I need to wow and impress Mr B with my clever centerpiece. Um, well, no I don’t. He likes to sit down to a nicely appointed table as much as the next man. (Read here what you will.) But I don’t need to impress him. He loves me, he really doesn’t care if I dress his plate with cute sheep, ferns and an off the cuff place card. He knows exactly where his place is. The same place he sits for every meal at that table, next to me. Still, it is a holiday and a special day so I threw some bits and bobs together.
I put this table together in about 5 minutes, 7 if you count the time getting the tablecloth out of the closet. I grabbed some things from around the house. Spent no money and the table is dressed with our normal everyday thrift store dishes, thrift store glasses and our everyday stainless. A couple of pots of greenery in a lidless tureen, with the addition of last year’s Dollar Store eggs and some candles and we’re good to go. Nothing fancy. Those little sheep have been hanging out in the dining room….they came to the breakfast table without much effort. And for fun, I ripped up an Easter note card and wrote in sharpie, “You” and “Me”…..you know, just in case one of forgets where to sit.
You don’t have to spend lots of money, or any money to set a “fancy” table. You don’t have to go over the top…..unless that’s your thing. The most important decoration at any table is the people around it. Sharing a meal with those you care most about. That’s what’s important. There isn’t enough fancy in the world to top that.
I hope that tomorrow and every day, you share your table with those you care about. Take time to savor the food, the friendship, the love. Celebrate renewal and hope.
Happy Easter from me and Mr B. We’ll be here at My Suburban Sanctuary, stop by, there’s always room at our table.
Create the home you see in your heart. Love the home you’re in no matter where it is.
I’m sooooo excited. We are finally getting started with a couple of projects to “charm up” the kitchen. I like my kitchen. It has a lot going for it. High ceilings. Lots of cabinets, a walk-in pantry, counter space. Plus wood floors, a hand made looking subway tile and granite. But it’s still lacking in charm for me. The cabinets are plain, no crown, no varying heights, just a long row of brown. I want to warm them up a bit by adding some reclaimed wood.
The problem is, we are of a “certain age,” the age where you know your time in a house is limited. We’ll be making the decision to move within the next few years. To a maintenance free home, condo or villa…. when the time is right. We’ll want to sell this home, and will have to be sensitive to the sales market in our area. That means paying attention to classic finishes. Not over renovating for our neighborhood, and going easy on trends. Beadboard, subway tile, shiplap, board and batten….. I have to weigh my desire for charm against what our market will bear. So there’s that.
But…..here’s why I’m so excited today! The country border is gone! GONE!! Oh yes, it has departed. I am thrilled. Well….. sort of. I have to do some patching and sanding before the painting is finished, I painted up to the bottom of the border last year thinking that would satisfy me (it didn’t) and I’ll have to sand the line between the new paint and the old, but the hard part is done, thanks to Mr B. So I am thrilled, albeit temporarily. I still must contend with the buzz killing, “Oh crap, I still have to do the other stuff” part. I’ll be thrilled again when it’s all done!
Removing that border was a project put off for quite some time. Mr B was reluctant to tackle it. He put the border up at my insistence, years ago, with extra glue so it would stick. He was meticulous in matching seams and going around corners. There were no visible seams at all. That border was great and I loved it…..until I didn’t.
And now I’m asking him to forget all the hard work he did to put it up…..and do even more work to take it down. Is that fair? Why yes….yes it is. It no longer compliments my style. Reason enough for it to be removed in my mind. (What’s in Mr B’s mind is altogether different).
But I digress. In recent years as I’ve been defining my style, that border became an eyesore. It was too busy. It was a remnant of my classic country days. Don’t get me wrong, it was a cute border, I searched for a good long time to find it. I collected blue graniteware at the time, and this border was the compliment. It’s lived happily up there for years. The blue graniteware is gone, packed up for someone else to enjoy. The border served its purpose.
I dislike it so much now that I hate whatever I put on top of the cabinets. Even my prized stoneware bottles and vintage crocks look a bit…off. That.border.has.to.go. Mr B wasn’t enthusiastic so I began a search for a handyman. As it turns out I didn’t need to hire a handyman, I have the handiest man of them all, annnd he works for free! Well, almost free, he does like his snickerdoodle cookies. But that’s almost free, right??
One morning last week I awoke to a most wonderful sight! Mr B on a ladder, with a bucket, sponge and assorted border removing supplies. My beloved, coming to my rescue. Again. Of course I had to assume the duty of micro-managing. Um….. I attempted it. One major stink eye later and I was safely in my chair, reading …… pretending not to watch.
So the border is gone. And the charm may begin. We’ll be adding reclaimed wood to the vent surround, the front of the breakfast bar and removing the two cabinet doors over the fridge to add glass, or open shelves backed with the same wood to tie it all together. The paint will have to be extended up to the ceiling line. The ugly builder grade formica covered landing spot for junk desk will be removed. Replaced with a replica of the vintage desk in my office (and built by Mr B.) I’m excited. I hope you follow along to see the changes.
It doesn’t take much to add charm to a kitchen. Sometimes it’s as simple as changing the hardware, or changing light fixtures…. or adding a classic backsplash. Subway tile isn’t the only option, consider beadboard, thin brick veneer, tin, (either salvaged or new), decoupaged and sealed recipes, or pallet wood strips, sealed with a matte sealer.
Removing outdated decor is simple and mostly free. Paint is your friend. Paint your cabinets. Or paint your island a different color. Add some artwork. Rework collections to curate them for a simpler look. Or begin collecting vintage kitchen items.
Consider how long you will be in your home, and what the market is if you aren’t staying long, but in the end, do what makes you smile when you walk into your kitchen.
Create the home you see in your heart. Love the home you’re in, you deserve a sanctuary no matter where you live.
I have no walls for art in my kitchen. And only some very narrow areas in the breakfast nook. I have room for a sign or a piece of arch sal above the breakfast nook window and as soon as the wallpaper border is removed and the walls painted, I’ll hang a sign I have stored.
The kitchen itself is all cabinets, yes! I know I’m lucky, I have more cabinet space than I need, plus a walk-in pantry. And a small area for a desk with a tiny bulletin board above it. No complaints. Our kitchen isn’t huge but it has plenty of space for our life and the things we need.
I do like art and feel it’s a great way to add personality to any room. While thinking about art in my kitchen I quickly came to the conclusion there was no space. I won’t drill into my subway tile backsplash to hang something, I could use command strips, but I love my subway tile and don’t want to cover it up. I have a couple of feet above my cabinets (tall ceilings) that could take some long narrow art pieces, but I want to keep that to a minimum in order to show off a collection I have planned for there. There really isn’t a place to hang art of any significance. So I stopped thinking about it.
There is a belief in our house that countertops are for function and should be kept clear. Um…..that is not necessarily my belief, but it is someone’s. And in the spirit of compromise and a good marriage, I agree with that belief……up to a point. We’re a weird couple. I don’t like functional things displayed because most of them are ugly. My beloved doesn’t like non-functional things out…. because, well…they don’t function.
We compromise and keep most of the functional pieces under or in the cabinets. (Except for that blasted coffee pot, I lost that battle. Sigh.) And I keep most of the counters free for the cooking part. But I’ve claimed certain areas for me. I have planted my flag and designated areas for cute stuff! Yes! Because while the kitchen is used to prepare food, I get that……and I do enjoy eating, I still want it to be pretty.
I see all the photos with farmhouse signs, cows, chickens and all manner of farmhouse critters on Pinterest, in blogs and in my Facebook groups. But I’m not interested in those, as cute as they may be……and there’s the no wall space thing to contend with…. so I’ve not been on the hunt for anything for the kitchen. My mason jars and some scales and other vintage finds live on the counters and I’ve stopped thinking about framed art.
While out on one of my junking trips last year I stopped at my local Goodwill. I wasn’t looking for anything specific, just browsing, when I noticed a small matted and framed print of an old tractor thrown in with the other orphan frames. It looked hand drawn, not mass produced. I picked it up and put it down, picked it up and put it down again, then went on my way to the furniture area. That little print kept calling me. Of course I went back and got it, thinking I could use it in the guest room. And there it’s lived for a year or so, although it’s never seemed at home. I hung it up, took it down, hung it on another wall and took it down again. Then I leaned it up against the mirror on the dresser and called it a day.
Last week while moving some things around in the guest room I looked at that little tractor and decided on a whim it must go in the kitchen. I leaned it up against the backsplash in my corner just to see and it suddenly found its place. I like the way it draws your eye to that area but doesn’t overwhelm the space. I could hang it on the subway tile with command picture hanging strips, but I like it leaning….for now. Mr B has not complained…but that’s my corner and the little print can’t possibly interfere with cooking….. right?? That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
You never know where something may end up, at least in my house. Things purchased for a specific area sometimes don’t want to live there. And I like to change things up. I already notice I need to re-arrange a couple of things in this photo. That’s the way of it in the Sanctuary. Look around your home for something you may have intended for one space and try it somewhere else, you may be happily surprised.
And…..if you love art but have a tiny kitchen, or one like mine with no wall space, don’t despair. Try leaning something against the backsplash, use a small easel, or command strips to hang it. Or hang it on the ends of upper cabinets. If you have space above the cabinets, hang a long, narrow print. No window over your sink? Hang a painting or enlarge a favorite photo of somewhere you love, the mountains, the beach, a field……
And if you have lots of wall space, well….I hate you. But with love.
Create the home you see in your heart. Create a sanctuary no matter where you live.
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