"Getting rid of everything that doesn’t matter allows you to remember who you are. Simplicity doesn’t change who you are, it brings you back to who you are."

Sunday, March 9, 2014

It Ain't The Taj Mahal

I'm rarely motivated to start projects around the house during the dark days. 

I need light to get me going.  Once the sunshine hits, I'm off and running.  Inside and out.

On the weekends lately, SM and I usually have had HGTV or DIY on as background noise first thing in the morning.  I'm usually doing housework since it's still frosty outside and SM is usually sipping coffee trying to his own engine started. 

It's easy to get distracted by these remodeling shows.  We know it's a "sales job" for this new item or that but it's fun to see what people decide to do with their homes.  Most of the time we're horrified with how much they actually spend. 

Either that or we're just freaken cheap! 

Lately, we've been getting sucked into some of these "Crasher" type shows that they have on.  Yard, bathroom, kitchen...it's a quick "hit and run" type of remodel.  Most of the time it's not a good remodel either but we treat them like they're a sporting event.  SM and I cheer the good decisions and Boo the bad ones.

They had on a kitchen "crash" a few weeks ago.  They ripped out some of the upper cabinets of this gal's kitchen and tiled the wall up to the ceiling with that "mosaic" tile that's so popular now.  Kinda like this stuff...





Then they installed some "open" shelving because "everyone likes the feeling of openness and you can display stuff in your kitchen." 





OK...I mean this looks nice but I can't imagine trying to keep it organized and looking this way. 

My dishes are a wild eclectic assortment of whatever we liked at the time and I've got a mad disarray of food stuffs that I really want to hide behind my cabinet doors.  Don't even get me started on the pile of crap SM has on "his" counter let alone the pile of bills and papers I've got wodged on another.

And of course they tossed in new stainless steel appliances.  Ya gotta have that.  Then everyone stands back and oo's and ah's about it.

The thing is, it's all subjective.  It's really easy to say I want an "open concept" home or "I have to have granite counters."  But until you live in it day after day how do you know that it was a smart decision or that you just ended up following the latest trend?

I can't imagine how tough it would be to sell your home these days without all the latest hot buttons. 

"Hey...there's a reason why my kitchen looks so 80's.  It's because that's when it was built!"  (I guess this is why we won't be moving anytime soon.)

All I could think of when I saw those mosaic tiles going up is that someday soon you are going to hate the look of them and then what?  You're gonna have to rip them all out again.  What a mess!

I suppose that's one reason why I don't have a tile backsplash.  Hey, paint is cheap.  My kitchen used to be green.  Now I'm loving the yellow.  Who knows what might be next?

It's easy to look around and start to dislike something about your home. There's always something that needs improving.  But why be negative?

What do I love about my kitchen? 





I happen to love the color.  The curtains.  The rug.  Even the 1980's oak cabinets.  Somehow, over the years, it all just came together.




I love this sink and faucet.  I love the Hobby Lobby wall décor above it.  I love the Formica countertop that I don't have to worry about when I cut something on it or spill cherry Jello and stain it.




I don't love the stove but it'll do for now.  I do love my All Clad griddle that SM bought me around ten years ago.  That puppy sit there and acts as a shelf for hot pots and pans when I'm finished cooking or baking.  Maybe I'll flip it over and make some quesadilla's later.




I especially love The Nook. 

My plants and books and laptop.  And my view. 


Especially my view. 

Maybe I'll do this kind of post with other parts of my house. 

Goodness knows it ain't the Taj Mahal but there must be a reason why I love it so.

6 comments:

  1. You have a beautiful kitchen, Tami. No remodelling necessary there. Love the nook too :)

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  2. Your kitchen is very nice...love the colors...and the rug! We re-did our kitchen 20 years ago...it was a nightmare!

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  3. Kitchen "re-dos" are just as bad as the newest clothing fashion trends. No one seems to be happy with what they HAD because they see something else "new", which was probably "old" but came back into style. If you like your home decor, why rip it out if it's functional and eye appealing? Seems like a waste of money to me, and just another way to get you to be a dutiful consumer by making you think your kitchen is "outdated". I like getting ideas from magazines & the internet on different styles, but have never been like "Oh, those cabinets just HAVE to go!". But then again, maybe it has something to do with the fact that we don't have money coming out of our ears. :)

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  4. It's wonderful and I LOVE the rug in there. I would have never thought about that in a kitchen. But now I am! :-)

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  5. Your kitchen and eating nook are BEAUTIFUL! Do I really care what's "in style?" No thanks, I'd rather have (any part of) my house be something *I* like and feel comfortable in. I do like the tour you gave us. Other parts of your house would be welcomed!

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  6. We redid the kitchen two years ago because it had some serious problems. It was a gut job. We moved appliances and everything. I now can get my pots in and out of the cabinets without a major swearing event, things don't fall out of the refrigerator when I open the door after shopping, and I can roast a chicken without having the house smell like a chicken for three days (thanks to a outdoor vented hood). You're right about the cost. It was horrendous. I even cut some stuff out of the project (like the tile backsplash) to cut costs. Now I need to do something about that backsplash because I'm a little wild with the water in the sink - those wonderful sink sprayers work but my control is a bit off and now the paint is bubbling a little. I think going to the ceiling would be too big of a "statement" so I'm looking for something simple like maybe subway tiles? BTW, the other drawback about those open concept shelves is the dust and shmutz that you will be constantly cleaning off the dishes. Too much work. I like your kitchen - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

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