Hi Girls! What an August! And here we go again. This time it’s a Kitchen Makeover instead of a party! Thank goodness I have you, my girlfriends, with me; so much more fun when there’s public lamenting! Ahhh, soothing musica!
Here’s what our kitchen looks like this morning! Notice anything missing? The floor man is coming today to sand down and refinish our poor old floor! Which means there will be sawdust everywhere! Joe says the workmen will cover the dish hutch with plastic … so we don’t have to move all the dishes out right now, thank goodness.
But we had to remove everything else in the kitchen; everything off the walls, off the shelves. For the next week there will be no cooking, no making tea, no getting to that fridge or the sink! The only downstairs bathroom in the house is off the pantry in the back, which would have given us a downstairs sink, plus our other fridge is out there too . . . but the only way to get there, once they start working, is to go out a side door and cross through the garden, and come in the back door of the pantry. Which would be good, but not that great at 4 am, which is when I get up, when it’s dark and skunks and maniacs are roaming the neighborhood.
Once the floor is dry, we are repainting everything!!! It’s going to be so clean! I guess this isn’t much of a “makeover…” Nothing is going to change all that much. I’m even kind of leaning toward keeping it this color; it’s cheerful, I’ve always liked it, and it goes with everything. But my girlfriend Elizabeth is here . . . we picked her and her husband Chris up at the ferry yesterday; she’s a decorator and thinks it might look good in light brown. What do you think?
Right now the dining room is filled with everything from the kitchen, my cookbooks, teacups, wine glasses, wooden spoons and cutting boards; all in the dining room now. Kitties have to eat in the dining room too. I don’t know how I’ll be handling that since I can’t get to the sink! Like camping; soon I’ll be outside washing dishes in a tub with the hose!
We knew we’d never remember where everything went, so we took photos of the kitchen before we took it apart so we’ll know how to put it all back together in a couple of weeks when it’s all done.
Joe put an ice chest in the living room, for the seltzer water and lemonade and ice which we drink all day, plus it has the cream for the coffee and all the tea things. My studio is in the very next room, so it’s handy. I’ll just have to fill the kettle from the upstairs bathroom!
We’re lucky to be doing this on just the most gorgeous (dry) summer day! All the doors and windows are open; the floor should dry very quickly. I got all our laundry done too since it will be hard to get to the washer and dryer this next week . . . we are ready, and when it’s done I get to decorate it for September! Oh Boy!
Besides periodic trips to fill the bird bath and visit the garden, I am painting every day, painting and writing, and making a beautiful book! I think you are going to love it! So I’m still in England, basically (in my book-writing imagination), and I promise, I will be taking you back there again very soon! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend, happy Monday! ♥
Hi Susan!
Nothing like losing your kitchen to remodeling, a real pain in the toshy. On the up side, it sure makes you appreciate it that much more when you get it back. 🙂 I love the color you have right now on your walls, if it were me, I’d keep it. It even looks like it matches your counter tops, beautiful! Can’t wait to see the after pictures with the refinished floors, newly painted walls and September decor! ♥
Me either! 🙂 Thanks Marie!
Hi Susan,
I think a light sage green would look lovely in your kitchen; it would match your garden–your gladiolas are beautiful by the way!
HI Susan,
Can’t wait for your new book, I have all the others. Big job going on with your kitchen, but how nice when its all done. I know when we did our kitchen a few years ago it was pretty tricky getting thnigs done. Kind of like camping. I don’t like camping! But I was a good girl and didn’t fuss because I was getting a new kitchen. Looking forward to see yours when its all done.
NancyJo
I have no complaints, at least we’re not removing any walls!
I love the color it is especially in a very old house. I was thinking – with all that white – a red wall could look very nice too. I’m sure it will look fabulous with your creative artist’s mind tick-tick-ticking. Can’t wait to see it! I LOVE your kitchen/house.
I almost like it empty!!!
I’m not a big on the light brown idea. I too, like the color that your kitchen is now (or something equally as cheerful). Susan, I’m so glad that I found your blog. I have been a fan of your books (and have many of them) for years. I look forward to reading about what you are “up to” every day or so. Thanks for sharing your life!
Nice to see you here Laurie!
Hi Dearest Susan!!
Well, I just love your kitchen. I know it is bare bones but it is just lovely and so big!! How exciting to “freshen up” your kitchen!! It will be so wonderful when it is done. Yes, it will be a pain for a week or so but think of it afterwards!!! It will seem brand new!! Thank you for the beautiful flowers too…it is raining here in Indiana today. It is very gloomy and dark so your picture brightened my day!!! 🙂 Have a wonderful day!! Love and Hugs, Tricia B. XOXOXO
Thank you Tricia, and YOU brightened mine!
BTW- Keep the color of the delicate blue..it is wonderful. I would also LOVE LOVE LOVE to see your pantry…when you get a chance. You are the bestest!!! 🙂 XOXO GOD Bless!!
Love and Hugs, Tricia B. 🙂
Can’t wait to see your kitchen all spruced up. I love the color you have now and the vintage feel of your kitchen is great. Sometimes people get crazy and think they have to tear a whole kitchen apart and replace everything. I’m not a big fan of that, your kitchen is full of charm, I’m glad you’re not changing much. I would love to see pictures of your pantry, it looks so cute with that black and white floor and the little white table.
As always, I love your blog and look forward to your new posts.
Thanks Gail . . . once we get everything back together, I should do a tour of the pantry . . . amazing old room they put on this place!
Oh, do! We’d love to see it. We turned a walk-in coat closet in our townhouse into a pantry as there are just not enough cupboards in the tiny kitchen…I love pantries in old houses, one very important room that got eliminated in “modern days” that is a real loss…
I don’t know what I’d do without our pantry, and yet, I never had one until we moved here! All the good junk is in it!
I would love to see your pantry as well, Susan! We’ve sort of have one in our victorian home and it’s full to ‘stuff’! More like a broom closet. Don’t know what I’d do without it. My husband made 3 pull-out selves under the stairs in the kitchen for all our food. I thought that was a clever idea and very workable.
Carol M
Hi~
We live in my husband’s grandparents house ~ now ours~ ( his mom was born in our living room!) and back in the day our bathroom was the pantry~ I would love to have that still a pantry~ especially as big as it must have been! ~ But then that would have meant no indoor bathroom so I guess they made the right decision!?
Thank goodness they were plumbers because when they did further remodeling they put a bathroom upstairs and a toilet and shower in the basement~ and when they remodeled the main floor bathroom ( in the 50’s) they put in a $ 900.00 toilet!! I was told this by the plumber when we had to replace the seat~ He said “You got the Cadillacs of toilets there!” So we have a $900.00 pink Cadillac~ in the bathroom~
Good luck with the floor project. We did that a few years ago when we took out our dining and living room carpets. We were so surprised ~ and lucky~ to find the original 100 plus year old wood floors in almost perfect condition! I vote keep the original color or maybe change it only a shade or two before something so different~ I guess I’m not much of a risk taker!
Happy Monday~
Lynn
Don’t old houses come with wonderful stories!?
In my Grandma’s home there was a “back pantry” right off the kitchen, and I can remember every Fall, coming into the house through the pantry…..into the kitchen. Sitting here today, I can still see/remember the bushels of fresh picked apples sitting on the farm table……and smell that inredible smell of fresh apples that filled that pantry. What a great memory…….haven’t thought about that in years!
I’m sure that is what we had too. They also put a laundry room in the extra space from the pantry~2 rooms for the price of one!~ I love having a laundry room~ saves me many trips to the basement! I love the stories that come with old houses~ maybe another book…………..?
I’d keep the same color. Mid winter, you’re gonna want it cheery!!
That’s what I told Elizabeth . . . what about winter!?
Noooooo! Don’t paint it light brown. All your pretty accessories go beautifully with the white and blue. It’s so island-ish, if you know what I mean. If you want to change it to something else, go with a bluey-gray. But that’s just my opinion. You do what your heart desires. It will look beautiful regardless because you’ll put your own personal stamp on it.
Looking forward to seeing it all freshened up! It must be the season, because I’m getting ready to scrub cabinets and rearrange things, too.
I agree, it’s really a little bit bluey gray now, and I do like it. My cabinets needed scrubbing sooooo bad!
My kitchen is yellow now. No brown for me! Take some advice…get some painter’s plastic and tape it over your stove! Not fun to clean after that sanding! I had dust everywhere and wish I had covered everything with plastic or taped it up! Good luck!
Cheery wave from
Bev
The stove is completely under plastic. In fact everything is! We can’t even get there from the back stairs, that’s plasticked-off too!
Just what I was going to say, Bev. I always like kitchens in a cheery sunny yellow!
Hi Susan! It’s always nice to tear it all down-clean it up -and put it back all spotless! I really like your current paint color-go with your heart, i listened to everyone tell me to change my coca-cola basement to a taupe color instead of the pale blue I wanted. HATED IT! Repainting it pale blue-follow your heart!
OK! That’s it, we are unanimous so far, I’m keeping the blue!
YEA!
Hi Susan!
We’ve had rains down here in Philly this morning, but now the sun is shining and the day is starting to look glorious!
Please, keep that lovely shade of BLUE. It is like being outside, and what is better than that in the dead of winter?
I have been lamenting painting all my woodwork “Tate Olive” and it’s so dark it will be hard to go back to a lighter shade. I wish I had kept the woodwork lighter. I find that as I get older (and my vision gets poorer) I need more lightness and brightness in my home… and that blue is just so beautiful!
I so agree, I love light too . . .
Hello, Am reading Polyanna these days. Think what she would have said, just be glad when the kitchen is all fresh! Love the blue! Hope you keep it that way! Thanks for all the lovely flowers too! Happy day to you!
Oh yes she would! Just the best way of thinking; I love Pollyanna!
My BFF Sandy and I have been playing the “Glad game” for years with each other…really a good thing to be able to pull out of the back pocket of your brain in necessary times… 🙂
It’s true!
Keep the wall color….. My house was a light tan, but changed it to a cool light gray blue…. so soothing and fresh and light. I cannot wait to see the finished project.
SO excited to have a clean kitchen again … my cupboards were like something the cat dragged in (not my kitties, of course; what someone else’s kitty might do!).
Wow, can’t wait to see it finished. We are about to do similiar except our cabinets are going to be replaced. They are too old inside to just paint. That means, new floor (which we really need) new counters and new backsplash. I really am kinda dreading it but will love added drawers and everything clean and new. I’m already planning how to set up a mini kitchen in the dining room because I have a feeling I will be without kitchen for about one month as my hubby will be doing all the work on the weekends and evenings. Ugh!
Really looking forward to your book about England, think it will be wonderful.
Happy kitchen decorating girlfriend. The fun part is getting to decorate the freshened up space. Love it!
Oh and your garden looks beautiful. ♥♥♥
If you can get your fridge out of the kitchen and into the dining room, that would be good. Our door was too narrow, so we couldn’t. Just think how wonderful Fall will be with your new kitchen Sandy . . . it’s very exciting!
you have such a great kitchen, its very much like mione and my mum’s before me and my grandma’s, funny how some people gravitate to what the know and love and rarely change things, I have kept mine the smae for years , things just belong in certain places and thats that.I can just see you washing dishes in the garden with the hose, it will be lovely when finished and talking about finished i’m eagerly waiting for your next book, you are surely tempting us with your description today, wow, sound s wonderful! Have a wonderful week, and I shall pray to rain gods to keep the damp weather far away from your house!!!!
Thank you Laurie, that would be a huge help!
Hi Susan,
My mom was the one who introduced me to your blog about 6 months ago. I have become an avid follower ever since! I grew up with my mom reading your books and following articles about you in magazines and now that I’m 24 I have a whole new appreciation for your wonderful talents!
Both of my parents are lovers of antiques and gradens. I was lucky enough to grow up in the country on a farm, in a very small town, with a big backyard full of gardens!! You are our idol!
I just had to comment on this post because this last weekend I went to home with my boyfriend to his small hometown in Blue Earth, MN. His grandmother recently moved to an assited living place and with my interest in antiques she wanted us to go through her house and take whatever we could find. While there, I sent a picture to my da of her oven/stove because I absolutely fell in love with it!! Unfortunately, I do not have the space for it currently but I thought I could maybe convince my dad into it as well because it was so cool! Now after reading your post this morning I noticed you have the EXACT same stove!!! One more reason to love it!! 🙂 I am trying to convince my dad to take it for me and store it until I have a home of my own someday 🙂 🙂 How cool is that!?!?
UPDATE FOR TARA … I got an email from her mom this morning, she and Tara’s dad are going to go get the stove and put it into storage!!! Isn’t that wonderful!!? Hooray for Tara!
HOORAY!!!! you will love that stove, congrats Tara!!!!
Yaaayy!! Just talked to my mom this morning and she told me they figured out somewhere where they can store the stove for me…. then I saw this post! Thank goodness for large machinery sheds on farms – perfect for stove storage! Also, I apologize for the duplicate posts! The first time I sent this message on Monday it said awaiting moderation so I sent it for a second time! Can’t wait to see how your kitchen turns out! Thank you for making my WEEK Susan!!
I was so happy to hear from your Mom . . . I told Joe about it out on our walk this morning, and he’s happy too! You have a gorgeous stove! Be sure to wrap something around it if rust could be a problem!
I love change this time of year. You get to fall in love with your house all over again!!
I know, so little for so much!
Oh, I agree with everyone else! Do not paint your kitchen brown, even light brown, please!! Brown does not suit your kitchen, it’s not cheery enough! I know your kitchen will be even more beautiful when it’s finished! (Whatever you choose, but I hope you stick with the blue!)I’m thinking of painting one or two walls of my kitchen jadite green!
I’m going to keep it blue!!
good morning, oh boy kitchen redecorating, we had our wood floors replaced, the clown who did the remodel job on our kitchen installed the dishwasher wrong and it was leaking underneath, ruined the floor. so we had the wood floor in the kitchen, dining room and living room replaced by professionals. the clown that did the original job was reported to contractor’s licensing board and what we found out didn’t surprise me one bit. the guy’s original license was suspended, and he was operating at the time under his son’s license which has since been suspended as well and they are both being sued by folks around the area for the sloppy jobs that they do. we just had the floor resanded and touched up with new polish and a more honey-golden tone to the wood, makes the rooms just glow and i love it. keep the blue paint in the kitchen, its so pretty, hubby tried to talk me into repainting the kitchen but in a color my MIL liked and i hated, so repainting kitchen was out unless i got the color i wanted, not what my MIL wanted. never listen to anyone about what color to repaint a room with, listen to your own heart and trust your instinct and tastes. have fun with the new flooring, you’ll love it when its all finished and done and sparkling new. have a wonderful day everyone. hugs……. 🙂
Terrible story Pat!!! Makes me want to go check our guy’s license! Except Joe knows him, so I think we’re OK!
we have been slowly fixing things around the house that this guy did, but we don’t have the money to fix everything. you’re lucky that Joe knows the guy, i wish someone had warned us about this guy.
Hi~
Sounds like you needed Mike Holmes from Holmes on Homes from HGTV~ I wouldn’t want to mess with him~ Glad it all worked out in the end!
Have a good day~
Lynn
wonder where he was when we needed him!!! the remodel was done by the guy before we bought the house, we had no idea what he did until we moved in, oe what he had used. found out he had used untreated green wood and never bothered to seal it. trust me we have major headaches here, i’m just glad some people are taking this guy out of business.
Hi Susan,
My mom was the one who introduced me to your blog about 6 months ago. I have become an avid follower ever since! I grew up with my mom reading your books and following articles about you in magazines and now that I’m 24 I have a whole new appreciation for your wonderful talents!
Both of my parents are lovers of antiques and gradens. I was lucky enough to grow up in the country on a farm, in a very small town, with a big backyard full of gardens!! You are our idol!
I just had to comment on this post because this last weekend I went to home with my boyfriend to his small hometown in Blue Earth, MN. His grandmother recently moved to an assited living place and with my interest in antiques she wanted us to go through her house and take whatever we could find. While there, I sent a picture to my da of her oven/stove because I absolutely fell in love with it!! Unfortunately, I do not have the space for it currently but I thought I could maybe convince my dad into it as well because it was so cool! Now after reading your post this morning I noticed you have the EXACT same stove!!! One more reason to love it!! I am trying to convince my dad to take it for me and store it until I have a home of my own someday How cool is that!?!?
I hope this is a gremlin-inspired double to your first comment, because I think I answered it . . . but if not, my advice is to beg your dad until he just can’t take it anymore to go get that stove for you! Tell him it’s really worth quite a lot, people love those stoves, it will be the perfect thing for your hope chest!!! SO excited for you that you found one, you will love it all your life!
That floor is going to look great when it is done. How are you going to keep those kitty’s from staying out of that room? I would see what the shade of light brown looks like from the different light angles that are in your kitchen.
Paint color looks different certain times of day.
By the way, Emily says to tell Jack Happy Birthday! She wants to send him a birthday card, but don’t tell him that. She want’s it to be a surprise. Since he can put out an post from the computer, she wonder’s if he can read. Silly girl, that Emily is.
Well, let us know what paint you choose, and we look forward to seeing the kitchen all done. I am sure you are also.
There’s plastic taped all over the walls. Hopefully they won’t find a way to sneak through it, but I don’t think they’ll even try. They don’t like it. Yes, Jack is gearing up for his birthday day after tomorrow!
What fun it will be when it is all done! I don’t envy all the prep work you had to do, though!
So, are you keeping your cute checked curtains? I have the same ones in my kitchen and great room but they’re cranberry checks. I love them and although we’ve had them forever, I don’t want to change them. My pup has been eating wallpaper in my kitchen and I keep thinking maybe it is time to take it down and paint instead, but what color? I say keep the color you have if you still love it! Looking forward to seeing your makeover! Oh, and the garden flowers are picture perfect…how do you do that??
Hope your remodel goes smoothly and quickly. I am so looking forward to the new book.
My dear girl – I’m so impressed that you can keep on workin’, what with sanding & all. But, you know we’re waiting, waiting, waiting for your English Diary! Glad to hear plastic is wrapped around EVERYTHING, that sawdust is so fine (not as in good)! After refinishing floors here, I had to vac & wash walls & everything everywhere, even in the far away rooms…oops, sorry, I probably shouldn’t have told you that! Your garden is beautiful, a lovely respite for you & Joe. Umm, I love your blue, and I know beigie tones are everywhere right now, but my house is pale yellow, white, pale green, pale blue – gotta have light everywhere. Clean is fabulous isn’t it? You’ll love it when it’s all done!!! xoxoxxo
It’s OK, we’re going to paint it all anyway!!
Gosh,that’s a tough one.I guess we’d have to see the color of the light brown.I really love the blue you have,its happy and it reminds me of the water.We had our kitchen gutted and remodeled two years ago,did not have a working kitchen for a month!We painted the walls green,not pea green,but a taupe with cream colored cabinets and granite counters.I love it,especially because we went so long with an UGLY outdated kitchen.I know what ever you choose will be perfect,because your house is so warm and inviting.Thanks for sharing,can”t wait to see it when its done…..really,really looking forward to the book!!!! xoxo,Ruthie
Ohhh…this is a big undertaking. Hope it is finished on schedule…would be the first ever for a kitchen remodel. But you are so organized, and I can’t wait to see the finished product. AND I can’t wait for your English diary; so looking forward to it. May I ask…do you think it will be ready for Christmas present time…or is that asking a bit much? Probably so…it is coming up fast. Have a great day.
Oh Susan dear ~ It can be a real pain in the pantry to unload the kitchen in preparation for a do-over….but once back in place and spanking fresh, it will feel
like a just-showered-powdered-and-pristine self ready to go. Hope the weather
holds for you. Continued vigilance in the Tome of England dept. Your public is
grateful and excited…You are such a sparkly, up-beat soul….neutral beige would
never register in your environment…. but you are a soft blue like the sky, so why
not continue to surround yourself with that inspiration? Bless you for the gift of
beautiful flowers…..made my morning. P.S. We keep one of those dorm refrigerators on hand for just such intrusions on our domestic routine….handy..
Loving and praying you through the week.
Mary
A dorm fridge would have come in quite handy!
Concerned . . exactly how does one cope with “no making tea this week”? I can’t cope for less than an hour without making tea of some sort . . except first thing when it is kwah~fee . .
No making tea in the KITCHEN…definitely making tea in the living room! 🙂
🙂
How exciting! I know how you love touches of red so my suggestion is Buttery Yellow for the walls. I have red and white wallpaper with cobalt blue and white checkered curtains in my kitchen with sunflowers and red geraniums and red roosters and chickens and ivy. With the yellow you can add any accent color you wish–including the black and white checks you have now in your valance and the adjoining pantry floor. Smashing!
We had our entire one-story house’s wood floors done years ago when our 3 boys were still at home. We lived in the unfinished walk-out basement for the week and it WAS like camping. No bathroom down there. It was winter. We survived. But I can’t believe you’re doing this with guests? Are they staying at your house?!
How fun for you to have your floors all spruced up. We had hardwood installed in our LR, Hall & dining room a few years ago. We left for a few days, smell was so strong, we forgot about a goldfish in bowl, it killed it.:( We since put it in all the bedrooms, love hardwood. I like the color of your kitchen now, I painted mine a few years ago a very soft Lt. green, called soft basil, I have lots of old kitchen type tools in there. It has worked well, think I will paint it the same next time. I have a room where I have a recliner, small TV & computer it is Bridal Blue, very pale, so soothing, love being in that room. I have my L Room, hall bath & Bedroom a taupe, love it, but would NOT want that in my kitchen, so I say go with what feels right to you. I have most of your books & am looking forward to the England trip book. I was blessed to get to go there in 2006, for me that was a chance in a lifetime. take care with your camping out & outside dish washing, I am thinking you will just make a party of it.
Dear Susan,
We went through a kitchen reno several years ago….I still think I am recovering from it but in the end it was worth it…Love the blue in your kitchen ….I think I would find the brown /tan a little depressing after a short time…..How about a pale yellow with an accent wall of red…believe it or not these colors work very well together….Good luck…..P.S. What …not able to cook ??? You shall be forced to eat out !!! No such a bad thing !!! Love KJ
I know, I’m secretly LOVING the eating out. . . we can walk into town from here, it’s as good as it gets.
Oh Susan……….please don’t paint your kitchen any shade of brown. The colour you have now is perfect. Your house isn’t a brown house! I know you will feel inspired when the kitchen is “refreshed”. Hope the week isn’t too upsetting for you & the kitties!
winnie*
>^..^<
Oh, how much fun!!! Now you will have a “clean slate” to start out with! Yes, it is a big job but periodically needs to be done. You are lucky to have good dry weather. It has been so humid here all this summer, it would never work! 🙂 Okay, you asked my opinion so I will give it: No light brown! I’d keep the present color or go with a pale yellow–at least that is what I would do. That said, you will be the one living there so YOU choose. (That is why, with a degree in Design, I’m not working as a designer because I overall believe that the person living there should choose what they like, not have to learn to like someone else’s choice…do you know what I mean?) 🙂 Incidentally, your gladiolas look beautiful!!! Do you have a couple of rocking chairs out on the kitchen porch? What a nice place to sit and have morning coffee or tea! Well, have fun with your visiting friends…
I have a bench in the garden, and rocking chairs on the back porch!
I have to agree ..not a fan of the brown idea… just love all the clear colors in your work and home… I love the current color but I think a green is wonderful in the kitchen as well or a butter yellow 🙂
I love yellow too, so cheerful. My living room is a really pale milky limey green.
I have a very, very pale green in my kitchen. I love the green. It’s light like your blue Susan and it looks great as a background color at Christmas, Easter, Fall, and Summer. It’s full of light. We repainted everything last year and we went with the same color as well. Well, it matched so well that our painter couldn’t tell where he stopped or left off. Turns out painting like that isn’t so easy and I thought it would make it easier!
Having lived thru a complete kitchen over-haul, I can totally relate to what you will be dealing with, mess-wise. We set up a camp kitchen on the back patio and ate off of disposable plates for 7 months! Every inconvenience, every cloud of flour-fine dust will be totally worth it in the end! You must have a ribbon cutting when you are through!
As for the kitchen color….the one thing I wanted to be sure of was that there was enough natural light during the day. We went with seagull grey with white trim and cupboards. The grey is neutral enough to accomodate any seasonal theme and color changes …. from towels and mitts to holiday decorations. Our floor is a light oak which helps reflect light. If I commited to a color, I was concerned I would be limited in the accessorizing. After all, my Kitchen Aid mixer is tangerine orange!
So glad you thought of taking photos…..I did that, too. Especially the before, during and then, after! Keep us posted, dear Sue. You will be back in the kitchen before you know it! xo peg
Oh I know what you went though Peg! That was amazing, but you have a beautiful kitchen now! It helps to live in California for backyard camping! I do what you do, I paint my kitchen while thinking about how it will look during the holidays!
Susan — I can truly sympathize! We have an open plan — hardwood floors in the kitchen, dining, living room, and down the hall to bedrooms & bath. About 10 years ago we had to have the floors redone, just like you. We went from a dark
brown to a medium brown and I’m still loving it. HOWEVER, as you say, there is no using the kitchen. We had to move all our dining and living room furniture into our garage and we lived there until the floors were done!! To get to our bedroom and bathroom, we had to build a scaffold underneath our bedroom window in the rear of the house. So we lived (watched TV, cooked on our camp stove and kept a thermal cooler) in the garage and come bedtime or potty breaks, we had to go around to the back of the house and climb in through the window!! Actually, the memory makes us smile now!.
Hope all goes well for you…a word of caution: make sure your dishwasher has a solid bottom or has a fail-safe to shut off in the event of trouble. Right after we redid our floors, our dishwasher sprung a leak and buckled a portion of our newly refinished floorboards from the kitchen into the dining room.
The cupping eventually went down but, a word to the wise!
JoAnne, loving this cooler weather in NJ
Oh my, I guess I should be glad that wood floor stops at the kitchen door! 🙂 Our fridge did the same thing, broke and buckled the floor, years ago, and this is us, finally getting around to doing something about it!!!
Yes, I agree with everyone else, I like the colour you already have. We had a nightmare with our kitchen. Bought some wall tiles which were supposed to be cream, when they were up on the wall they looked khaki, we tried so many match pots to try and find a colour to go with them and couldn’t find anything. Your kitchen is lovely and light and I love the Georgian style windows. It’s going to look great when it’s done.
One time I was building a house with my ex husband. I ordered the tile. It was darling, it had flowers on it. But once they started to put it up, it looked like one of those bullet carriers that banditos wear across their chests. It was AWFUL. You just never know. I had to beg and cry for two days before he would agree to not put it up.
Oh Susan, I’m so glad that you don’t plan to paint your kitchen light blue. Excuse me for saying so, but light brown is kind of somnambulistic, but you are much too cheery to go sleepwalking into autumn!
We’ve got the Maniacs here too … Rattlesnakes, instead of Skunks*~*
Looks like everbody likes your Kitchen colors as they Are… me Too!
Color change can be nice…but it necessitates adjustment of arrangements so things don’t clash..a project in itself.
We’re getting ready to do floors and walls as soon as the heat comes down a little. The “Easy bake oven” needs a make-over; we’ll have to move out to the Arizona room 🙂
i must say “GoodBye” to the goofy day-glo green kitchen…it was funny for a bit.. made me laugh.. laughter IS truely good medicine. i needed that seriously… but , it’s time to tone it down.
Yah … guess i’ve been a Maniac.. too much color. hehe.
Love your wood floor! It’ll Love you for the grooming! We groomed the wood floors of our last home and it Was SO NICE!! i miss them.
Happy Day!
OOOOPS! Make that I’m so glad you DO plan to repaint your kitchen light blue. I’m the one who is sleepwalking! Sorry for the mistake.
I got it! 🙂
Love your kitchen. It is going to look beautiful with the floors refinished. I love the blue color also and wouldn’t change that if I were you. The blue suits you.
Looking forward to your English diary and I forget, is your Breakfast book put on hold for the time being or will both books be out soon?
The breakfast book will be as quick as I can after the Diary . . . it’s more than half done already! I put it on hold to go to England.
Well, I must agree, I would keep it the color it is. It’s “your” color and it looks perfect with your house! Even though I am not usually a blue fan, I LOVE it in your kitchen. The only other color I could possibly suggest (since you asked :)) would be a light yellow (butter yellow). Either are cheerful and lovely!
A couple of comments: 1. You will survive this week and be happy you did all the refinishing and painting! 2. I love the color on your walls right now, but if you want to change it I’m currently in an Irish Creme mood from Sherwin Williams. We painted our bedroom that color last year and just a few weeks ago used it when we redid our big linen closet. Now I am going to repaint the living room and hallways in that color as well. 3. Can you fill your teakettle from an outside tap? Don’t know if you have one outside your door. 4. I love your kitchen and can’t wait to see the refreshed pictures.
We have a hose, but it’s outside the kitchen door, which is taped off . . . but we can get to it from another door. It’s all OK, we are so lucky!!! Big deal, 5 days!
Susan your color is just perfect for your kitchen–pale blue. I myself have bold colors throughout our home but the kitchen is white. A white kitchen is what my Mama had and so do I! I’m really not into all those shiny appliances–though they do look nice in my friend’s kitchens, just not for old fashioned me. Can’t wait to see your lovely floors all bright and beautiful! I love hardwood floors in the kitchen. Enjoy your day! xoxo ♥
Phew!!!! I thought you were going to change your kitchen! I love your kitchen just the way it is….please keep the blue!!! But it will be even prettier with refinished floors! I am happy you have priorities straight….coffee pot and tea kettle at the ready 🙂 Can’t wait to see the after pictures!! xoxo Debbie
We’ve lived here for 20 years and we have never changed the kitchen except to take the cupboard doors off the one big cupboard, and to put in the wood floor. Everything else is like it was in the 1950’s. It just feels like home, and plus it’s what the house wants.
I vote a big and loud “No” on the brown.
I am really liking Pratt & Lambert’s Argent 1322 …..like a blue/gray shade. Very New England. Lovely. Check it out.
We did our floors once…it wasn’t too bad. But our dog ran in before it was dry and we had a few paw marks. We thought they were charming. I wonder if the new owners ever noticed 🙂
I love animal prints in my paint . . . My cats walked across a porch once in white trim paint, I just loved it!
Oh, I do agree with you and everyone who has commented that keeping the blue color will be wonderful! It is so fresh and such a nice background for all your “bits and pieces”! Anything you choose will surely be divine, given your incredible artistic sense! I am eagerly awaiting the “after”, because I am sure that I am going to love it! I must admit my prejudice, as my kitchen is blue and white [only a darker blue] and I have carried that combo to all the kitchens I have had since I first chose it [I have moved way too many times]. Whatever you decide, I hope you enjoy the newness of it when you finish and the “oldness” of it that continues to give you comfort! Felicitations….
I’m going with the blue, so good to have backup so you get to hear that what you think is pretty much what everyone’s thinking! Safety in numbers!
I love your kitchen, but I think that your friend is right. Maybe you should paint it a light brown. I think it will be a nice change especially since fall is right around the corner!
PS–I love your house and yard, too!
Ooops spoke too soon . . . I know, I think it would be beautiful in brown too, but I think I’m leaning toward the blue!
Hi Susan,
How exciting for you to have a “new” kitchen just in time for Fall! I definitely would keep the blue or similiar light color with the decor of your house. I always like the kitchen to be light and airy, especially since that is the room we all spend the most time in! Can’t wait to see your pantry, from the peek we are getting it looks huge and one all of us would love to have. Good luck with your renovations…..how fun!!
Carla
Thanks Carla! Love it that everyone seems to agree!
Hi Susan,
I am having a rotten Monday and was so happy to see a new message! Your flower garden is beautiful! I agree with everyone and keep the blue. Color is much nicer than the ‘taupe’ colors that are so popular right now. Thanks for brightening my day….I REALLY needed it! 🙂
Hope it continues to lighten up for you Vicki!!
Thank you Susan! 🙂
While I do have light brown (assuming she means a taupe or light tan) in some of the rooms in my house, I don’t live at the ocean where I WOULD have light blue!! I LOVE that color in your kitchen. Or, as someone else mentioned a light, sunny yellow (which I DO have in one of my bathrooms and it’s so cheery!).
I love that one picture where you have the 3 different size hearts on the wall above a plate, as if to say “I love, love, LOVE this plate!” Great idea! Have a fun renovating time. I am jealous of the hardwood floor. One day I will replace our slate tile floor with hardwood. Had it in our previous house and it was perfect!
Only, truly, It’s I love, love, LOVE this Beatrix Potter plate! 🙂 Yes, wood is quiet . . . that’s why I like it. And warm.
Just saw your recipe for the coleslaw with jicama–thanks! Here’s our favorite chicken salad recipe: 🙂
CHICKEN SALAD
3 C. cooked brown rice
2 C. cooked chicken, diced
2 C. pineapple tidbits or chunks, drained well
1 can sliced waterchestnuts, drained well
1 C. celery sliced
Dressing: 2 C. mayonnaise, 1 jar Earl Grey mango chutney, 1 tsp curry powder, 1/4 tsp. white pepper, 1/4 tsp ground ginger. Mix all together, cover and chill for several hours or overnight before serving.
Yum, looks good Pat!
Question for Pat – do you mean Major Grey’s mango chutney? Thanks for clarifying – this recipe looks delicious!
Barb–YES–thanks!!! It is “Major Grey’s mango chutney”–I thought that didn’t sound right when I typed it! LOL! 🙂
Thanks Pat! I immediately wrote down the recipe to try asap.
Temporary inconvenience for a beautifully clean and “new” finished product! Yea! I don’t like it when everything is at “sixes and sevens”. (I read that phrase in an old book–it means everything is out of place–but I bet you already knew that.) But I love when I can put everything back in order.
I was cleaning my kitchen and living room today. Ahh! I feel so good with everything shiny and in place again.
Now on to the question of color (I LOVE talking “decorating”. This is so much fun!!): with my current “House Beautiful” color issue handy, I will share some results of a survey they took (for what it’s worth). According to bloggers brown is a color that is “so over”. “Life is too short to live in a world of brown,” says one blogger. Yellow and white are two preferred colors for kitchens. My feeling is–if you like the blue/gray; you are satisfied–keep it! Or at least paint a section of a wall a color your friend might suggest so you can test it out. You love your kitchen and you spend a lot of time in it so you don’t want it to be a color you are not happy with.
P.S. America’s favorite paint color (according to the HB survey) is BLUE! “Blue is fresh and makes you want to take a deep breath.” So there you go!!
Hmmm, never thought about that, but it’s true!
I sets the tone for the whole day . . . first room I go to in the morning!
I am just finishing a similar project in my sewing room. It required moving all the furniture out (it’s in every room of our house) and that included a huge modular wall unit where I store my quilting fabric. We ripped out the carpet and padding (really disgusting) and installed a laminate floor (it’s beautiful) and replaced all the casing and trim. Also installed new closet doors and painted the walls. It’s taken 5 weeks because we had to wait for the flooring to come in. I am now ready to paint the new casing and baseboard. I haven’t been able to sew at all!!!! It’s been horrible because that’s my therapy. I just keep taking deep breaths and telling myself it will be so worth it! Good luck to you on your project!
It’s going to be GORGEOUS. Just a few more days . . .!
I would keep the color you like. We recently built an addition and covered the entire house with new vinyl siding. Everyone was surprised I went with the same gray that it was for the first 30 years we lived here. I like the gray! I will admit my sweet hubby brought home tons of samples for me to dream about, to match shutters with, to think of flowers that would it would look nice with . . . but I stayed with my ole favorite and am happy with my decision!
Sometimes it’s already perfect!
I love your kitchen, Susan and even without all of your delightful decorations it is still so charming! 🙂 I agree with the others…thumbs down to brown. I love the blue that you have!! If I were to choose another color though, I would pick a soft, buttery yellow. Have a great week, can’t wait to see your new book! Happy painting!! (Of walls AND book!) ♥
I keep debating over a color called wooden spoon or lighter, or the soft buttery yellow. I think with wood floors the buttery yellow would be better. Or even an acorn squash.
Hi Susan…..How exciting to get your kitchen painted. I do like your light blue walls also. But, I’ll add my 2 cents worth in. When we moved into our present home, it was tan, tan, tan (actually sort of a dull taupe color. We’ve always liked light tan, but this was quite depressing especially in the dreary late fall and then winter! Since I’d always admired buttery yellow colors, I wanted that, but hubby couldn’t visualize that in this room (kitchen/great room). I haunted the hardware for various yellow/tan paint chip and found one that we both could live with….called cornsilk. Hubby loves it and I do too! This color never appears dreary and isn’t so bright to appear a real yellow. I think of it as a neutral yellow with “lights”.
Well, this is your choice, not mine but thought I’d give you another idea.
Once your room is finished, I’m sure it will glow….the floors will be gorgeous once again!
Your flowers, as always, are beautiful and I thank you for the glimpse.
Hugs, Karen
I’m going to check out all the colors the girlfriends have been giving me! Thanks Karen1
Hi Susan…a kitchen reno is always so exciting. Always causes complications, but so worth it in the end. My daughter is an interior designer and she has a couple of rooms painted similar to your kitchen color; although her colors are a wee bit warmer, probably more of an aqua blue (which would be very nice in your kitchen as well). Her kitchen has a lot of white in it ( although yours has more), and the same amount of window light. Their house is about 85 years old. She has her walls painted a Benjamin Moore color cc-140 (barely beige). It shows up in the room as a nice warm tone, like Karen said above “a nice neutral yellow with lights,” kind of a cornsilk color. It would paint your room “cozy” and I hear that so often these days from different sources, that they want cozy. That’s what I would do if I had your kitchen to decorate. I also would stain the wood floors a bit darker. You do have a lot of white in that room and I think the room can handle it. But, your blue is nice too-definitely an island color. I like my kitchen “warm” so I would warm up the blue a bit or use a neutral yellow. I think you are a warm and cozy person who needs a warm and cozy kitchen where you spend a lot time. Whatever you choose will be beautiful because it can’t hold a candle to the “glow” you bring to the room! Happy decorating!! xo
No matter what, I sure am gathering a good list of pretty paint colors from everyone! Thank you Rhonda!
Hey Sue,
Don’t believe a word about the plastic! That fine dust gets in EVERYTHING! If it were me, I’d move the dishes. I’ve been through this twice before. your color is pretty. Mine is painted the color of butter and it compliments all the dishes beautifully. Such a colorexpert as you will b able to figure it out! I can’t wait to are what you do! Good luck!
Well, we already do have to move them anyway so Joe can paint the cupboards, and I would be washing them all anyway to put them back, so bottom line is, we thought why go to all the trouble now, when they are at least stacked in a nice place on those shelves. I just want my kitchen to be Beatrix Potter friendly for my BP People and the light blue is perfect for that.
I see your point! I love the blue for your figurines then, too. I know mybutter color goes with my Classic Winnie the Pooh, etc! I have yourblue in my laundry room and just love it!
Good luck, Barbara
Hummmmm, light brown. Since we’re all throwing in our two cents worth (maybe a nickles worth, what with inflation and all) I vote with keeping your kitchen very close to the lovely blue it is now. I agree with Vicki–the taupe colors don’t do a lot for me, either. Love creams and pastels, and one brightly colored wall in a room can be gorgeous, but the colors in your kitchen are perfect 🙂
Yup, I think you’re right.
Your kitchen looks beautiful empty! Of course, it looks beautiful with every nook and cranny filled too 😉 I’m glad you don’t need to empty the hutch! Pictures are the way to go. Oh what did we ever do without instant pictures!!!
I LOVE the blue. Tan is nice… but blue… ah, blue… Blue Skies Smiling at Me… nothing but Blue skies… I love Blue 😉 The blue will look wonderful all spruced up.
So glad you have a beautiful day to get this started. You are so well prepared.
Everything will be all in back in place before you know it. I’m thinking you are amazed looking at all your wonderful treasures spread out in the dining room… Now, just how did these things get here 😉 Then your heart starts singing… aren’t they all just wonderful!!!
Can’t wait to see the finished project!
Georgie in NJ
Hi Susan~I feel your pain of making paint choices. I’ve always had a blue & white kitchen, with white walls. I love it, but I’ve been yearning for a SLIGHT change for many months. I finally decided on a light gray. My selection is down to 3. My floor is Brazilian cherry. I hope this input helps. My friend did a light browny taupe (that lasted only 3 mos.) and not even a bowl of lemons looked happy in their new home. My cousin recently renovated her kitchen and used a Martha Stewart caulky cream color and it looks fab! Soooo, it all depends. Susan, I love the b&w flooring in your pantry. If I didn’t have hardwood, I definitely would put cobalt blue and white check flooring in my kitchen. Looking forward to seeing your “after” photos. I know whatever you decide it will have Susan Branch written all over it and…you can’t beat that.
Bliss!
Marie xo
Ohhh, thank you Marie!
Good afternoon ladies! Wow, a kitchen re-do, you are brave. I vote NO for the brown! The color it is now is very nice, but I’d do white before doing brown. Maybe a just a bit more robin’s egg blue, but not too dark? When we did a redo, I finally chose a warm lightish gray, for the accent paint wall, because I have a wall of Fiesta dishes displayed there. The gray absorbs a bit of the intense color, and hints of the mid-century gray that was so popular then. I wasn’t too sure at first, but I love it now.
If it were my kitchen, in such a lovely old home, I’d stick with the traditional. Just enough color to contrast with your white woodwork and dishes. Such decisions!! It’s making me a bit nuts thinking about it, and it’s YOUR kitchen! haha I’m glad mine is finished! I don’t envy you with the “making do” part. Good luck!
I know how you feel, LOL, I’m a little nuts too!
I love the way it looks now, but I’m no decorator. I’ll be interested to see what you come up with because we have a little lakeside cabin which desperately needs a kitchen makeover and new floors.
I spied a Carlton Walking Ware cup on your shelf! Don’t you love it?! I have a modest collection of walking ware (including two dinner plates) which I bought when I was in London in the late 70s. I love it! Makes me laugh every time I look at it. I broke (or lost) my teapot lid so I’m on the lookout for a replacement.
Good luck!
Pam, in Montreal
Is that the cup with the feet?
Yup. The china pieces with feet are called Carlton Walking Ware. It’s discontinued now, but you can still find it on eBay and other places. I have a cream and sugar, teapot (minus the lid), some cups (one Royal one with a bended knee) and some egg cups. I find them charming. <3 Pam
I just have the cups, but they are so darling! I never really knew anything about them except how cute they are. Thank you Pam!
So I’m just going to further endorse everyone’s leanings towards the blue. I can’t quite imagine seeing future pics on your blog with brown walls, no matter the shade/hue. I wonder if the wee little Potter people on your window sill wouldn’t feel a bit “blue” by all the brown, just sayin’. And can I delicately say, sometimes various shades of brown look like something the cat may have hacked up? (Going for bit of levity there, hope it was received that way) LOVE the light, lift me up and pat me on the back blue!
I was just thinking light brown, with the white trim. . . then the pink plates, and then perhaps a flowered bark cloth valance across the windows . . . I’m not talking myself into it, but that’s what I was thinking . . .
Well of course it would be all in good taste at the hands of one Ms. Susan Branch, the doyenne of inspiration and creativity in the home! In fact, after five years of my sister and I not being ready to sort my beloved mother’s china hutch, we did so this weekend and I thought of you as we did it. She had various and sundry fostoria pieces, milk glass, china, teacups/saucers, et al. Mom was able to go thru the entire hutch and tell us who gave her what, for what occasion and then tell us about the person who gave it to her. It was like a scrapbook of memories. And, she used these dishes for all the family gatherings, of which there were so many. She, too, laid a beautiful table. Her grandchildren have beautiful, deep and abiding memories of those loving home cooked meals and their grandmother and speak of it often. And the dishes were ALWAYS used. I was being a bit cheek earlier with the color analogy, mea culpa ; )
Hi Susan,
My mom was the one who introduced me to your blog about 6 months ago. I have become an avid follower ever since! I grew up with my mom reading your books and following articles about you in magazines and now that I’m 24 I have a whole new appreciation for your wonderful talents!
Both of my parents are lovers of antiques and gardens. I was lucky enough to grow up in the country on a farm, in a very small town, with a big backyard full of gardens!! You are our idol!
I just had to comment on this post because this last weekend I went to home with my boyfriend to his small hometown in Blue Earth, MN. His grandmother recently moved to an assited living place and with my interest in antiques she wanted us to go through her house and take whatever we could find. While there, I sent a picture to my da of her oven/stove because I absolutely fell in love with it!! Unfortunately, I do not have the space for it currently but I thought I could maybe sucker my dad into because it was so cool! Now after reading your post this morning I noticed you have the EXACT same stove!!! One more reason to love it!! I am trying to convince my dad to take it for me and store it until I have a home of my own someday How cool is that!?!?
I can’t tell you how much I love my stove. Your dad has to do this for you. They are harder to find all the time, and really quite valuable!!! It has a little shelf, Tara!!! It’s a total toy and makes the perfect Thanksgiving dinners! I’m happy for you! Say hi to your mom for me, and your dad, tell him I made little begging noises for you!
tara i do hope you get that stove, i have wished ever since my mom moved to Arroyo Grande that i thought to get her old stove and put it in storage until i could get myself a house, too late now. but have your dad get the stove and hold on to it for you, you will love that stove, and it will work way better than some of these modern ones. i wish had my mom’s old stove with me now.
Oh dear, I so hope your Dad can store that stove for you. My brother-in-law’s VERY old aunt died when I was in high school and I could have had her cream and green gas stove…how I wanted it, and my mother refused to let me keep it in her basement until I had my own place. It’s been nearly 40 years, and I still feel sad about not being able to have that. Thank the stars for my “big sis”, who gifted me her blue and white Acorn stove when she moved two years ago. It’s only for display, but we love it. So…promise Dad years of brownies and pies, and just maybe…! Good luck!!
queenmum
A touch of RED on a wall WOULD be nice………..of course, I’m partial to VIVID colors myself!!!!!!!!!! As my son-in-law would say “I’LL DO WHAT I WANT!!!!!!” Gotta love that guy!!!!!!!!!!! Go with your gut, Susan…..you’ll be HAPPY!
Hi, Susan~
Aren’t projects fun? I love to completely empty out a room and reassess the space and the light. I think you should keep the blue color but I wonder if you’d consider a slightly deeper shade of blue…closer to denim. I think it would really accentuate the white cupboards and woodwork as well as the lighter color floor.
I can’t wait to see the “after” pictures. Whatever you decide, I know it will be beautiful because you listened to your heart.
xoxo Debbie
I think whether blue or brown, I would like it to be light colored . . . because of winter!
I don’t see you in light brown! Love the colors you have now.
Oh Susan – can totally relate! I wish we were down to only 5 days here! Things are moving very s-l-o-w-l-y here even with our wonderful contractor back on the job! So tired of the kitchen divided between the dining and living rooms! Can’t wait to see your “refreshed” kitchen – it will give me hope that ours will be done someday!
Glad to hear that lots of girlfriends were refreshing & updating their homes this summer too!
Happy week to all! 😉
Dearest Susan,
Hang in there–there is life after construction! A short while ago we had a small addition project that was supposed to take 3 months and wound up taking 17!!! I thought I’d lose my mind–but here I am, with most of it still operational. And I absolutely LOVE THE RESULT.
I’m glad you’re sticking with the blue. If your home is like most of ours (with all the fading and o.k., some grime) the new paint job will look like a different color anyway!
Keep smiling, my dear, as capable as you are you can do this with one hand tied behind your back. Besides, you have Jack to help!
Ah, so nice to get my mind off of the Hurricane prep/watch….and happy to see a new post. Looking at your kitchen “makeover in progress,” just the ticket.
We are very lucky here; (I am with my Mom about an hour South of Tampa), and after all the storm tracking models showed Florida in the path, ole Issac went a bit West, out into the Gulf. So, far, we have just had wind and rain here…..so we are now sending prayers up to the northern Gulf Coast, especially New Orleans! Girlfriends in that region batten down the hatches and stay safe!
Back to the kitchen, here is another thought about color. I know the general consensus has been blue/grey…..and with the white cabinets and appliances that looks great. I also loved it when those were my kitchen colors.
When I re-painted ….I warmed it up a bit, still very welcoming, sunny, just different, and I now love the new color. With the white bead board, cabinets and appliances……I painted the walls a soft, pale yellow color, and it goes with everything, light, warm and cozy. So, just another option to think about!
Also….your pantry looks so inviting, the checkerboard floors, the farm table, the preserves on the shelf……..looks amazing…..would love to have a “pantry tour” someday.
Susan, when you wrote…”4 am, which is when I get up, when it’s dark and skunks and maniacs are roaming the neighborhood.”…… what a hoot, that really made me laugh…….. because really, who knows what/who lurks in the dark outside before sunrise? Yikes!
Stay safe girlfriends, and have a good week everyone!
Hi Susan ~ I love your kitchen! Did not realize it was as large as it seems to be in the pictures. Old homes do have wonderful kitchens and the sizes are great. Old farm houses used to have the kitchen large enough to put a good sized table for eating in it. Almost looks as though you could do the same.
I love the color blue that you have now. I think you would be a bit unhappy with the brown. It would have to be so light that it would almost be a off white color. No, you would be happier with the same blue as you now have. I’m in agreement, you have to think how it will look in the winter. Looking forward to seeing the ‘after’ pictures. You’ll really appreciate your kitchen after all is said and done.
Carol M
Oh, the possibilities! Nothing like a clean slate to work with. As for me and mine here on the Gulf coast just two weeks, we’re busy rearranging things, too: battening down the hatches and storing away potential outdoor ‘projectiles’ in anticipation of TS/Hurricane Isaac’s official ‘Welcome to Alabama!’ Hoping to keep power, but if not, eagerly looking forward to being back online … <3
OH dear, be safe Sharon. I know how it is to put away the projectiles!
Dear Susan,
I love the blue…so pale and calming…wouldn’t change it. I am so sorry (truly) that you won’t be able to cook this week. I was thinking about you this morning as I was making your tomato dressing …the heirloom tomatoes (yellow and purple) we grew are finally ripe and ready so I used a mess of them, along with delicious red cherry tomatoes. The herbs and garlic came from our garden as well…next year I hope my farmer husband can grow some shallots for me. : ) Tonight I will use the tomato dressing for bread salad, to go along with lobster cakes with remoulade, and fresh corn. The heat has given us the BEST sweet corn ever, and we’ve been eating it since early July…I never remember a corn season this long! Anyhow, happy days to you, Joe, and the furry ones.
xoxo,
queenmum
Hi Susan: I would keep your kitchen the same color or something similar. I’m not a fan of the light brown. Can’t wait to see it when it’s all done!!
Seeing your glads makes me feel glad. Like everything that would be good to do, these chores make such a physical mess and they “mess” up the way we live in our homes. Even so, it will be worth all the challenges. Light brown? Hmmm…wonder which way you’ll go.
keep it in the blue/grey tones you have, its beautiful. my MIL did her kitchen in 2 tones of brown and it looks like something my cats threw up. she did one wall with a chocolate brown, and the rest with a light tan brown color…its not a very good color combo and she tried to convince me to paint my kitchen the same way…nope ivory walls with a little sunny yellow in them. i like brown, in sweaters, pants, shirts, quilts, table linens and so on but not on walls!!! it really looks awful.
and considering she tore out the living carpet which was a beautiful beige color and instead went dark navy blue with dark colored furniture in the front room and in the family room, cranberry colored chairs with an ivory couch… her solor sense needs some help.
oops meant color not solor!!
LOL!
susan its true, when she moved into their current home she had a perfectly new carpet ripped up and thrown out and replaced with that ugly dark navy blue carpet. she says the dirt won’t show up on it, well i hate to tell her but you can see the dirt, she has cockatiels and parakeets and they fly all around the room leaving their lil bombs everywhere and trying to get that out of the carpet is a nightmare and a half. i refuse to sit in the family room or the front living room, as she does not keep up with her housework and clean off the furniture as she should be doing especially with the birds flying loose in the house.
Yikes!
When we redid our kitchen paint a few years ago a went with the same gluey green we had! I still like it so why change? I like your blue gray too Susan, and how nice to have it all freshened up for the short days to come.
And I have so love dht party posts, thank you for sharing. I felt like an honored guest for sure.
I just painted all my cupboards white. I have wood floors in all my rooms but the kitchen. I put a nice linoleum in the kitchen with a beautiful wide base boards painted white also. I put a rich blue/gray on the walls and it looks great. The white just pops and looks really clean. Love it. My house was built in 1952.
Kathy, your kitchen sounds so cute! I’m not too far from you in a 1956 ranch!
Good to have someone close in the Susan Branch fan club.
Well I have to agree with most everyone, nix the brown. I love your kitchen, reminds me so of my grandparents summer place in NH. That one has been painted a pale yellow with white woodwork, built in hutch and appliances since the early 50’s. May have been earlier too but we didnt own it then so dont know. Still has the big farmhouse sink and old stove and really old wood stove that was original. Base of the house was built in 1790’s or so and added on in traditional new england fashion. Love that kitchen…
Sounds wonderful!
I know only too well what its like to have a kitchen out of action. We were in the same position a few years ago. Everything from our farm house kitchen and pantry had to go in the dining room. We mainly survived on barbecues, George Foreman grills and the electric steamer. We also had to go outside, through the garden and back into our scullery for running water. Both colours sound great – do you have Farrow and Ball paints in the States ? They have some great shades which are suited to old houses. Good luck with it all. Can’t wait to see the results!
No Brown! Either keep as is or go creamy pale yellow. Good luck with the sanding, etc. I will tell you from personal experience, unless the plastic sheeting is hermetically sealed around the hutch, you’ll be watching those dishes in a few days! Happy finishing.
Hi Susan. May I make a suggestion regarding painting your kitchen? When it came time to paint the interior of our house, I took pictures of each room and input them to the computer so I could print out several copies. Then, I got several paint samples in different colors and shades and painted the walls on the pictures. Not perfect, but it gave me a pretty good idea of what the finished product would look like. I like your blue, but thought maybe you’d want to just see what other colors might look like.
It has to be blue. Blue because you are near the sea. Blue because in summer it makes you feel cool. Blue because in the long gray of winter it puts in you in the best part of spring. Blue because it goes with all the things you love. Blue because you make it cheerful. And the best reason of all, blue because YOU like it! (after all, you are the one who is going to live there, not the decorators, magazine editors, real estate people, etc.)
Now if only I could follow my own advice. LOL
PS It’s nice to know even a talented artist suffers from the same angst as the rest of us :-)))
Hi Susan,
No! No! No! NO BROWN! Besides, it will show dust1 🙁 Love your kitchen colors just like they are, but sometimes change is good. Follow your heart! 🙂 I like pale yellow walls, too. Just enough yellow not to be ivory. Does that make sense? It’s always so cheery on dull or wintery days. Can’t wait to see everything all clean, polished and put back – – all ready for Fall and the Holiday Season. Hugs for your darling kitties and Joe! 🙂 and much love to you from Minnesota,
Ruthie
Please don’t paint it light brown. The blue you have now looks just right. Or you could go with a pale butter yellow (like mine) which would look great with the cabinets and the countertops. Can’t wait to see the finished kitchen, and also the pantry. I have serious pantry envy which I know will be 10times worse after seeing yours.
I agree with you on the paint color. The blue looks very cool and crisp against your white trim and cabinets. I know how you feel though that this would be the time to make a change. I have been thinking about changing my kitchen color as well, but am like you in that I have always liked the color I currently have, so should I really change? It will definitely have to wait until later this fall though, as my daughter is getting married in less than three weeks, and we must get through that first.
I’m with the majority here and I don’t think light brown is colourful enough. I do love a blue and white kitchen. Maybe a different shade of blue would give you a nice change. Another colour that I love is a soft buttery yellow. You didn’t say if you plan to stain the floors in a different shade, but I think a darker stain would be nice. I see your kitchen stairs bannister is darker.
I have to agree with the other girlfriends . . . I like the pale ocean blue color you have now. There are so many variations, you could actually change the color a bit without changing the feeling. I am not much for brown tones. I have several different “whites” throughout my house, ranging from gray to almost cream. My kitchen is dove white, white beadboard cabinets with windowpane doors (lots of blue and white dishes peeking through and lots of pink roses too), wooden floors. Off the kitchen, my hallway is wallpapered in black and white toile. I think I will have that forever! Good luck. Whatever you do will be delightful. You have such an “eye” for design — you just can’t get it wrong!
Good Afternoon Sweet Sue! ♥ ツ ♥ I was Twirling around In Twitterville…This Crazy Storm “Isaac” is Just about Gone form Here! Yay! Lots of Rain & Wind & Now Things are Calming Down…(Whew! We are Lucky & Blessed) Ok a New Kitchen…It’s lots of Work but When Finished it Will Be Absolutely Gorgeous & Perfect Timing for Welcoming in The Autumn & All The Holidays! Yay! & I Love The Blue…for Your Kitchen…It’s Peaceful…& Beachy…& Beautiful…Our Guest Room/My Little Den/ is Painted Far~Away Blue…WE Call it Anna Maria Island~Blue(Name of Our Favorite Beach) it’s a Light Magical Blue..& Every Time Taylor walks into this Room… Even when she was Only 2 (Now 8) She Always Stops… Looks… & Takes a Deep Breath & Says….”Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…I Love this Room Grand Ma”… 😉 So I Vote for Blue Too… 😉 as For The Next 5 Days..There’s always “Take~Out” Going Out…& Grilling Outside…to Survive…The Cooler is an Excellent Idea Too! Have a Blast with Your Friends…You Have Perfect Summer Weather for Picnics too…& Hooray for Paper Plates & Cups No Dishes! ♥ ツ ♥ sending Drying Out Pixie~Dust from Soaked Florida…( My Wings are Beyond Wet!) lol Happy to Be Safe & Sound Sweetest Sue! Love & “Fairylicious~Kisses” xoxo Poof! ♥ ツ ♥ P.S. We Have Blue Kitchen Counter~Tops…& in Our Living~Room Two of The walls are Painted a “Sambago~Blue” a Tropical Medium Shade of Blue…Very Pretty! Gee I really Love BLUE! 🙂 lol Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! ♥ ツ ♥
P.S. Hey when I Typed Taylor’s Age Now 8 (Eight) Look the Little Face is wearing Sun~Glasses! How Funny & Cute!♥ ツ ♥ xoxo
Cute Angie, like you!
♥ ツ ♥ xoxo ( & I am Beyond Excited about Your English~Diary) Cheerio! Oh One More Thing…I Just Finished The Very Last Page of Your Summer~Book…I Savored Every Word & Every Glorious Piece of Your Art~Work Sweet Sue…Now On September 1st I Begin to (Re~Read) Your Autumn~Book….Scrumptious! ♥ ツ ♥
Perfect timing Angie! And glad the storm has passed you by!
I vote for keeping the blue kitchen! I painted my living room a pumpkin color about three years ago. Needless to say, it is back to eggshell white. Glad September is almost here too. I can’t wait to put the fall decorations out. Kisses to the Kitties! XO
Yes those dramatic colors are wonderful for magazines, but then living with them is another story!
Love your kitchen…..keep the blue and I’d love to see your pantry!!
Susan,
Your line “but not that great at 4 am, which is when I get up, when it’s dark and skunks and maniacs are roaming the neighborhood.” had me laughing so hard I almost fell off my chair. I can believe the dark and the skunks but the “maniacs” bit made the whole sentence so much fun! I can’t help with colors; I’m terrible at them for walls. I like all my walls white; and then I fill them with artwork. And need colorful linens in the bedrooms. So, wish I could help up front. Now, at the “after”, if you need a critic, I can volunteer for that job! 😉 Just kidding …
Priscilla
I feel perfectly safe at all times, except, outside in the dark at 4 am, while Joe is upstairs asleep; then my conjuring system goes into full tilt and I see maniacs!
susan come on around here, at 4 am in the morning, we have skunks, raccoons, possums, deer, cats ( of all sizes) and bear roaming around. mostly just skunks and coons. but since i’m up at 4 am anyway, you can wander over here for tea. 🙂
I am thankful we have no bears. In California there are coyotes near where we live, and they try to get my kitties, very upsetting!
we have coyotes here, getting very good with my BB rifle lately!!! we also have snakes and field mice that get into the house…i should know one made dinner out of my toilet paper and chewed into my makeup bag…the lil varmint!!!
Kitties are good for that!
xoxo ♥ ツ ♥ (You See Maniacs) ♥ ツ ♥
I seem to recall from one of my vintage housekeeping books or other that blue is the “proper” colour for a kitchen as flies are repelled by the colour! (For what it’s worth!)
Being as I have absolutely no idea about these things, may I ask about the likely time it takes to get your books from your desk through all the middleman steps and into our eager hands? Are we looking at Christmas time, or would it be Christmas 2013? Or is that an impossible question? 🙂
I’m just hurrying as fast as I can, but it’s going to take a while, I guess, I wish I could just wiggle my nose … in my mind it’s all done! But the writing by hand takes time! So when? I’m not sure, but to be honest, I think… hate to say this, maybe, March?
So I should strike it off this year’s Christmas list then! 😉
I am sure you are really enjoying making this book. I am off to England in a couple of weeks and planning to meet up with my girlfriends in Bath, Hurrah!
Bawth. Love it!
GREAT! I’ll put it in for a birthday request on my birthday!!! LOL! 🙂
Hello Susan, I couldn’t agree more about abandoning the light brown idea. Remember when you “had your colors done?”…….no light brown, right? You know you want to look good in your kitchen!
My kitchen has been white walls and trim for years because I love red dishes, enamel pots and pans, etc. But, I just changed it to match a jug give to us by my husband’s wonderful mother, our dear Nanny, who died 3 years ago. She used the jug for milk for a zillion years. When the painter came back with the matching paint it’s name is Cornmeal……so perfect because Nanny made cornbread almost every day of her life, and one of her favorite suppers was cornbread crumbled into a glass of buttermilk. So, it’s really our hearts that should choose paint colors, don’t you think? BTW, my red things look lovely with Cornmeal.
I’m weary of all this heat and humidity. I’m getting itchy to bring out my Fall things. I yearn for a cool breeze, a sweater and a pork roast in the oven with applesauce simmering on the stove. Can’t wait to see your freshened kitchen newly decorated for Fall.
Happy painting! (…..to Joe, also) It must be wonderful knowing you can’t go wrong with your work because we love it, love it, love it if it’s created by you, Sweet Susan. As always, DonnaRay
How exciting, Susan! I <3 your kitchen, the space is so bright and cheerful. The floors are going to look so nice. Are you planning to change the color of the stain? As for painting…I would stick with the pretty grey blue (if you don't mind my opinion!), it seems to be very you and go with your things so well. Any shade of brown/tan is just too neutral and blah (especially in the wintertime), at least I think so anyway! If you really feel like you need a change, maybe a cheerful buttercream would do the trick?!
I noticed your Cuisinart coffee maker. I'm shopping for a coffee maker and just can't seem to find one that will make a good (not watery!) cup of coffee. We had a Keurig for a while but I wasn't content with it. How is your Cuisinart? Would you recommend it? Maybe some of the girlfriends can chime in here…what would you girls recommend?
Well, your kitchen will be done before you know it. I sure can't wait to see it when it is finished and all decked out for Autumn!
With Love,
Christy in Orange County, CA
PS…Your glads are so pretty Susan! The colors are so cheerful. We just put up a picket fence for my chickens (my six lovely, new friends!) over the weekend. They love their new yard and I LOVE my picket fence. I’ll plant some glads next year for sure! 🙂
Picket fences and glads are perfect together. You’ll love it!
I’ve read everyone’s comments….as for the light tan…with popping white cupboards.. I think it could be pretty..if it’s the right color tan. Remember, by the time you get your ‘stuff’ in it, it will look great! For me, I seem to always paint my kitchen’s and most of my house a cream…so my ‘stuff’ stands out. And I can change anything I want, accents. We just painted the outside of our 1898 farm house and every panel of the garage door was a different color. I wanted it to be a very soft green, no blue in it. Could I find the color I wanted????? HECK NO!! Our garage doors looked like a patch-work quilt and one day a walker said…”which one are you going for?” So we finally picked Pratt and Lambert ‘Waxen Yellow’. I just love it…sometimes you look at it in one light and it’s a very palish yellow, and then it’s a wonderful yellowish green, very light. It’s a very weird color that when you look at it you say…”What color IS that??” I love it. (I’m an artist as well but can I pick paint colors?? HECK no.) So good luck! One small comment….your kitchen is the ‘heart of the home’….your heart. So follow it.
Oh, Susan, how I love your blog and your wonderful sense of humor. I just got caught by my boss at work (while eating soup for lunch at my desk) laughing at your blog. He said, “Well, you’re laughing about something!” I love that you get up at 4:00 a.m. “when it’s dark and skunks and maniacs are roaming the neighborhood.” I, too, wake up between 3:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. almost every morning because my body decides that is when I should wake up. I do things around the house before I go to work. Sometimes I am taking the trash out front at 4:00 a.m. in the morning because they will come pick it up as early as 5:00 a.m. Haven’t seen any skunks or maniacs yet (unless I’m considered a maniac!), but I have seen joggers out that early. Thanks for my lunchtime laugh.
Now you have to try not to think about it the next time you take the trash out! LOL!
I am voting with everyone else and please do not paint anything brown!!!!! In looking at the pictures of the china hutch and your cup shelf– the main color in all your dishes & cups is a pink. I would paint the walls a pale pink (think baby ballerina pink tutu) — actually a white with a pink undertone. Accent that with the palest of blue ceiling, and white on the cabinets and moldings. But pleeeease no brown or taupe.