Kitchen -- Take 2

Well, we had a small snafu with the C&B order. Apparently when I placed the phone order it went through as the Belmont Kitchen Island -not the High Dining Table. Only after schlepping 45 minutes to the warehouse today to pick it up, and watching Todd lug a 175 pound box through the door, open and unwrap all the pieces, and pull out the island top - did I realize that something had gone awry.

However both pieces are the same price and though the dimensions are different, I was not about to have Todd re-wrap the entire thing. So he went ahead and assembled it.

I'm happy with it. And the room was plenty big for it. I think it ends up working a bit better with the space given that its rectangular. Not sure what to do about the rug -- or if I even need it. The good thing is I have more storage with this island than I would have with the table.

As you can see I also went out and picked up two saddle stools. The same ones you sent, and I got them at Target for 49. Oh and Josh has already fallen off once. :) I'm sacrificing decor for child safety. (I hope no one from child services ends up finding this blog.)

Fireplace

I'm not sure how much you can actually see it in this picture, but the paint peeled (8 years ago) on the fireplace and Todd "fixed it" with some random can of paint in the garage. Sigh.

Last week Josh took the circular saw from his HD tool set and went to work on the same area. How bad is it when your 3 year old notices that your house is falling apart?

All in all, I'm not a fan of the black slate/gold trim. Would love to find an affordable solution to reskin the entire fireplace and mantle.

Kitchen

Ok, so here's the first hole that needs filling. As I mentioned, I've gone ahead and ordered the Belmont High Dining Table from C&B -- we're actually picking it up on Saturday. But I feel like the space will still need an area rug and bar stools. I'm hesitant to pick up the stools until I get the table in and can actually see/experience the height.

Though Todd disagrees the kitchen needs a table, I'm desperate to get Josh away from the TV (and off the couch!) during meals. My mother would cry if she knew we have become a TV-tray family.

Now I'm just hoping that once we get it in the kitchen I'm happy with the selection. We shall see!

Left to do:

Stools (2)

Rug

Stencil Project

The wall under my bar, which is open to the living room, is painted builder's beige (like the rest of my condo right now). They used what seems to be the flattest of flat paints, so every time something even brushes against it, it leaves a mark. Not good for the bar wall, which is obviously in frequent contact with shoes.  Here's how it looked when I moved in:

I have CB2 Diego bar stools, and the adjoining living room area palette is a mix of chocolate, wheat, and cream, with pops of lime green and fuschia. As a quick and easy way to fix what is now a completely scuffed wall under the bar, I planned to paint it chocolate brown. But that seemed kind of boring, so I started thinking about other possibilities, namely introducing more color/pattern/texture. First idea was to stick with the plan of painting the background a rich brown (or black?) but stencil a large medallion pattern on top, in a white or tan shade. Something like one of these:

But today, I fortuitously came across this gorgeous project at the aptly named Hello Gorgeous (found via Elements of Style):

Wouldn't that look amazing under my bar? The Imperial Trellis pattern is a classic yet modern favorite, and the metallic paint takes it to a whole new level. I hope a deep brown/pearly silver combo will look just as stunning, creating a visual feature rather than a forgotten space. It's a fairly labor intensive project, but I only need to cover about 7' x 4'. Thoughts? Can I get it done before my party in a few weeks?

#1

I love blogs and I love all things design and decorating, so it's only fitting that I have a place to share and save inspiration. I don't think Jess knows what she's getting herself into, but I'm looking forward to the collaboration!