Kitchen/Dining Room Decor

So I have a new obsession. Okay maybe more like a couple of new obsessions but one thing at a time, shall we?

Now that its too fricking hot outside for me to work in the yard at all (tho don't think I've given up plotting projects for the fall) I'm forced to stay indoors and stare at my ugly off white walls (don't forget the hideous peach accents). And so I stare and plot what I want to do to my house. And the biggest thing that has held me up so far (besides the cash) is not knowing EXACTLY what it is I want to do.

Well, thanks to a friend I made the mistake of discovering my new favorite blog (yes I am fickle). Sherry and John are my new Gurus (check them out at http://www.younghouselove.com/). And while I don't always love everything they do, I do REALLY like their DIY attitude and ideas.

And I'm really grateful for their advice on how to figure out WHAT you want to do. Namely: go hunt down pictures of what you do like. Then take a look at the pictures to see what the elements are that do it for you and figure out what those pictures have in common (assuming you can't find a pic that is EXACTLY what you've always wanted).

And so I have. I have been STALKING the fricking internet trying to find the things that speak to me. And I've learned a few things, some I already knew (I am SO in love with bright white clean classy trim), and some I didn't. For example: I knew I didn't like plain white walls, but I've discovered I really prefer to keep the wall colors in the creamy dreamy, but still definitely a color, range. I might have over done my wall colors if not for that discovery. I think if I had higher ceilings and more/bigger windows that might be a different story, but here in my 8 foot ceiling - keep the windows as little as possible- house I'm thinking the colors I was contemplating would feel a bit dark. And I LOVE light, airy, open spaces.

So the ideas I'm running with for the kitchen/dining room (its all one big room in my house) look something like this:

(Picture is courtesy of iVillage.com) I LOVE that soft beautiful blue. Theres no way in hell I'm going to do white leather chairs with my 3 cats (I can see them stretching their claws from here) but I'm loving the wood floors (yeah thats WAYYYY in the distance), sisal rug, soft blue walls with white trim, and mocha wood table. LOVE love love. I wouldn't do that light fixture (even tho it is cool) b/c I'm all about my ceiling fans (what I'm a hot woman!) and I'm thinking more like one of those square counter height tables than this thing (tho its beautiful). 

This next pictures (also courtesy of iVillage.com) what we're really looking at is the cabinets. For those who have seen my cabinets you know that they're ugly (I'll get a picture up here someday). Not only are they peach *shudder* but the doors are just flat plain rectangles. While I'd love all new doors thats SOOOOO not in the budget right now. But I *THINK* I can DIY this to them! I think it might just be reasonably affordable and make for a DRAMATIC improvement in the appearance of my kitchen. I'm DEFINITELY going white with the cabinets and the faux granite counters will have to stay for now (not loving the black counters here tho). 

But if I could do those style cabinets with the hard wood floors from the first picture?? *happy sigh* What can I say? it would ROCK.

So I'm thinking I'm gonna have to take this one step at a time, and that the cabinet doors might have to wait until its cooler outside (me no likey the heat. And I'm not a big fan of saw dust in the kitchen...) but I can definitely get started with painting the walls! I'm plottin and plannin baby!