Thursday, October 20, 2011

To continue the story of my family room/kitchen makeover.....
Here's how the view looked into the kitchen when I bought my condo.....
Isn't it lovely!!!!
Nothing makes me want to create exciting recipes like a dark light-less room. What a good idea the original builders had to use black cabinets in a space with NO windows!!!!! Black Formica!! YUM!!
So I made a few minor changes. (OK, OK, "minor changes" is not an expression in my design toolbox. How about "spent way too much money, so I had to learn how to cook to justify the expense of this room?")

I raised the beam up into the ceiling that separated the family room from the kitchen, thus opening the inner space up to the extra light of the family room. Then I added some detailing to the side wing walls to make them look like wooden columns.

I designed wooden cabinets and had my cabinet builder build them to my drawings. I am a snob when it comes to cabinet doors, and am only happy if the bottom rail (the wooden piece across the bottom of the door frame) is wider than the top rail of the door. I chose a green color paint that did not exactly match the green of the wallpaper because when things match too perfectly, it looks too "set" to me. The wallpaper is my FAVORITE of all time, and has been DISCONTINUED!!!  by Lee Jofa. I don't know what it is with you kids today, but how come no one seems to like the old fashioned floral stuff anymore???????
I originally thought I would install a rod over the stove in order to hang pots or utensils, but decided I wanted something more decorative and found this wonderful tole tray on ebay.



This is how it looked without the tray.....


This is with the tray...


Even after all the years I've been decorating, I still get a thrill out of how one item can change the whole feel of a space.

I'll show more on my next posting, but I've been sitting long enough at this infernal machine and I need to go outside and get some fresh air.
Till next time.......

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

OMG you are flipping amazing. I think I am your age and I LOVE Lee Jofa. I have been following your work for years. What you have done here is just perfect! Love your blog . It really makes me laugh and smile! Martha I

Amy Chalmers said...

Oh I am smiling and laughing too Anon. Betsy you are just so damn funny, you should have been blogging long ago. I loved your green cabinets and floral wallpaper and tole tray! Hey everybody, I got to see them in person, and it looked fantastic, just like an expert designer did it...I remember you telling me when you saw my tray over my stove that you had one too~oh well, great minds think alike. I just wish I had your pocketbook!

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

You definitely brightened it up, Betsy! Yes, the tole tray was just the ticket there. I am amazed as well at how something so simple can change the look and feel of a space. I definitely need more lighting in our condo kitchen. We have an angled ceiling in there and four lights, which need to be redirected, but I'd like to get some under cabinet lighting going on, too.

Crystal Rose Cottage said...

What an amazing transformation! I am partial to greens and it is so great how you turned this dark space into something so light and bright and cheerful! The tole tray is the crown jewel over the stove! How did you hang it on that tile?~Patti

Donna D said...

OMG - fabulous! I love it all!

cathy said...

How did you hang the tole tray on the tile? It's beautiful!

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