The Kitchen

Today I’m sharing the last room on the first floor, the kitchen. (The second floor bedrooms and office will be along come spring when I can get around to doing some more decorating.) We’re also going from my favorite room to the one I fight with most often. The kitchen has more “fast fixes” in it than any other part of the house, at least that I’ve found so far. If you look at the doorway floor above you’ll see that the floor of the entire room has been built up about an inch, and both doors into it require you to physically step up. It’s been missed by many a person, many a time.

So here we are, and that’s alotta tile. Someone must’ve scored a serious deal because half of the kitchen is covered in the stuff. The plan is to tear it down in a year or so – when those painted 1950s cabinets gets replaced – and instead do a half wall of white subway tile.

One of my favorite parts of the room is the Tetra Pendant from Lamps.com that I put in about a month after moving it. With all of the spaces quirks and problems I feel like this pulled a lot of things together and gave it at least a touch of my sensibilities. It’s the first thing that everyone sees when they walk (or trip) into a room that really needed a focal point.

The kitchen in my last house had about twice as much cabinet space, it was the room that sold me the house when it came down to it. Here I had to downgrade to a standard fridge from a double-door as well as bring in some additional open shelving. There’s also a small closet/pantry next to the back door that I plan on adding shelves to after the new year.

My biggest pet peeve might be that there’s no stove, only a separate oven and cooktop. An old cooktop. That someone spray painted black. There actually wasn’t even an oven when the place went on the market, it was a contingency I added during negotiations. The exhaust hood is equally ancient and I can’t stand that the microwave has to be where it is. But at least the oven is brand new and white.

I really like being able to have my cookbooks at arm’s reach, and because there’s not much wall space for art the covers act as just that. I’m also able to display my little vase collection and the ridiculous amount of tea that I rotate through.

There’s definitely a ways to go with this room before I’m satisfied, but I’m also happy with what I’ve been able to do with it on the budget I’ve allowed myself while saving up for bigger renovations.

Tetra Pendant c/o Lamps.com // Whitewashed Wood + Metal Shelves c/o West Elm // Edith Bar Chairs – Lulu & Georgia // Le Creuset Red Tea Kettle // The Humble Egg c/o Minted // white sweater knit vase – Target, no longer available

Photos: Quelcy Kogel

The Dining Room

You’ve seen the living room, now it’s time to get a little more formal.

But first you’ll have to excuse me while I go absolutely ape over my dining room. I love this room more than any other space in any place I’ve ever called home. Everything about it. The huge windows, the stunning light, the floor to ceiling built-in… I could go on.

There are pocket doors between the living and dining rooms (seen here), but they’re blocked off for some unknown reason. I’ve done some investigating (and removing of pieces of frame), but can’t figure out where the problem lies. Looks like it’s a job for the professionals.

I’ve never had a dining room before, and I’ve longed to be the kind of girl who had dinner parties and holiday get togethers at her house without the room to do so. The dining room turned out to be more than I could have hoped for with a mix of old vintage pieces that have followed me around a bit and some new.

I was worried the built-in was too busy with my treasures, but a friend reassured me it was a-okay since I stuck to black and white. In the cabinet underneath I store about half of what I refer to as my “entertaining ware” – or the things that only come out a few times a year. I’m thinking I’d maybe someday like to paint the back of the built-in a color like deep turquoise or goldenrod to add a pop, but I’m fantastic as is for the time being.

In my last house this vintage mid-century credenza was in my living room, holding my television, records, DVDs, etc. Here it’s serving its rightful purpose as a buffet and hiding the other half of that “entertaining ware.” (Fist pump.) I’m bound and determined to cover it from edge to edge in plants to take full advantage of all that glorious light I mentioned. In fact I’ve added an aloe plant and a Christmas cactus since these photos were snapped a few weeks ago.

Another piece that’s followed me a few times is this Depression-era kitchen cabinet that I use as my bar. It’s been one of my favorite possessions for a long time now and it feels so right in this house that’s full of character since it has plenty as well.

The original bath (the first of two) is off of the dining room, which is definitely strange. But it’s been renovated and now features a killer glass bowl sink and vanity that you can just see in this shot. I can’t really imagine making overnight guests use it as theirs, so for the time being I mainly use it to bathe the dogs. Since I plan on staying here for some time I can see maybe eventually tearing out the tub and making the pantry that butts up against it on the kitchen side larger. Time will tell.

That floor rug just makes the space, don’t you think? I love how it adds a hit of pattern to my otherwise minimal dining room. The mid-century table and chairs set the tone for many dinners to come and the light fixture might as well be a piece of art in itself. (A huge, massive thank you to West Elm for reaching out for a collaboration!) I gave it all a test run last weekend for a birthday party and people gravitated towards the room like a magnet, I don’t think I’ve ever received so many compliments on decorating before. Like I said, OBSESSED.

Parker Expandable Dining Table c/o West Elm // Splat Dining Chairs in pecan c/o West Elm // Torres Wool Kilim Rug c/o West Elm // Mobile Chandelier c/o West Elm // credenza (vintage) // bar cabinet (vintage) // large green bowl – handmade // large glass vessel – Pier 1, no longer available // aqua bamboo bowl – Target, no longer available // Sonneman Level Table Lamp – Lamps.com // Male and Female Socialites Busts – immLiving // silver trunk vase – Target, no longer available // Grass with Seeds – Minted

Photos: Quelcy Kogel