Shut the front door!

This was the front door when we moved in. Eventually Id like to see it replaced with something with a window, but for now a quick fix. I have a real aversion to Burgandy! Maybe because it was my school uniform color? who knows? Its just not in my color wheel house.

Because having the walls skim coated throughout the entire house took about a week, my projects had come to a stand still. (read about walls HERE)  It was time to breathe new life into the front door. I chose Sherwin Williams (SW) Naval pictured below.

I framed the door with (BM) White dove, my go to white, its bright and creamy!

I changed out the hardware, added a door mat and voila! I love the contrast of the white trim and I liked the way the navy complimented my brick work so much I used it on my upper shutters too!

I love this little sign. I found it at The Black Goose Design years ago. I use through most seasons. It looks great against the navy blue and sums up how I want my guests to feel.

Stairs

When you walk into my home you immediately encounter a huge staircase, there it is staring right back at you. Not my favorite feature but not something I could easily change.

 I had decided to do Carpet and I wanted a commercial grade that was tough and hard wearing, but didn't look like an office or church building. My Friend, Carmelle, inspired me. She had recently replaced her stair carpet with a patterned broad loom and it looked amazing!

 So that's what I began to search for.   

these were the patterns I was drawn to.

Ultimately I chose this one! It has been great! Its dark and tough and provides visual interest to an otherwise undesirable view.  

Kitchen Vol 2

So here is where I had left the kitchen updates. I had mapped out "fantasy Island" and had been waiting (not so patiently) for it to arrive.  That day finally came!  I was so excited to see that big truck and sweaty men ready to make my fantasy a reality.(not so much the sweaty men but the island)

Seeing it mapped out on the floor was quite different to seeing it in 3D. and I was pretty anxious about the fit. It measured 42"w by 108" long. (For my metric friends 1.06m w by 2.75 long)

So this baby was huge and I was just hoping I hadn't made it too big.

Because we had sprayed our existing cabinets and I couldn't get a perfect match on the whites, I opted for this mid-toned grey, and I was glad to have a color that would conceal dirty kick marks once we added counter stools.

View of backside

Finally done!

To my delight the fit was perfect! It filled the space exactly how I had imagined and I am pleasantly surprised by how much space I still have as I walk around and open the fridge, oven and dishwasher.

I have more than 3 ft all the way around the island.

So this was how we lived for a couple of weeks until my granite came. I had selected it before the island was finished and to my husband's surprise I had made a pretty quick decision, so quick that he wanted me to go back to the granite yard and just make sure I still liked it. So I humored him.

This is how you see the slabs, many were like pieces of art and it was hard not to get caught up in seeing it as one piece rather than chopped up as a counter top.

This was my final pick. I wanted it light and as white as I could get it (with in my budget).

And YES it was the same one I had liked weeks before. But that is always a good sign when you keep coming back to the same thing over and over again

Once my husband was done running electrical to the island the old Formica counter tops were removed and the granite was installed!

 

They look amazing! Of course removing the old tops meant that it exposed an area of old texture, that dreaded orange peel!! No big deal, the back splash tile will cover that anyway. 

I had already decided on lighting over the island. I'd had my eye on these charming little hand blown pendants for a while and just love how they turned out. I also knew that I wanted a natural toned counter stool. I found these at World Market and they have been great, easy to wipe off and sturdy.

So here are a few pics that are up to date on how everything came together. The Back splash will be coming soon. (as soon as I can make up my mind)

Stay tuned for kitchen Vol 3.