A New Fridge, An Overhead Light, and a Mood Board

Seth and I have continued to make some progress in the kitchen.  Our new stainless steel fridge is in place and I couldn't be happier.

It's amazing how an ice maker can turn your life around.  Okay.  That may be an exaggeration, but I'm loving the fact that I no longer have to grab freezing cold ice out of a bag with my bare hands when I want a cool drink.  To be fair, our old fridge did have an ice maker, but it produced weird tasting ice.  There is nothing worse than having your favorite beverage tainted by bad ice.

We have also retired our beloved brita pitcher (you may have noticed it sitting on top of the fridge in the first photo) since we now have filtered water in the door as well.  I will admit that I miss the brita.  The filtered water from the fridge doesn't taste as good as my brita water did.  Oh, well. Maybe we'll bring the brita back at some point.  It will be like Justin Timberlake bringing sexy back. Brita water is that good.

We also installed a new overhead light.  We inherited a large "boob light" when we purchased the house, which I somehow never managed to get a picture of.  It was like this but in oil-rubbed bronze. I found our replacement light on sale at Lamps Plus for $99 with free shipping.  Not too bad.

I like the modern aesthetic of the new light.  And I think it blends well with our other two light choices in the room.  

The kitchen is slowly but surely taking shape.  Seth and I ordered a new cooktop, new countertops, and a new faucet last week.  We are also trying to save up for a new wall oven.  The trim will be painted white (finally!) within the next few weeks.  I decided to attempt my first mood board to show you guys an overall picture of the direction that we're heading with the kitchen makeover. Some of the things below are already in place, some we have purchased and have yet to install, and some are on our my wish list.  I'll go into more detail below.

Side note: I can't figure out how to get numbers above 10 in polyvore so that is why the numbering started over with a different set after 10.  I apologize.  If anyone knows how to get higher numbers, please let me know.

1.  Our new overhead light from Lamps Plus (I snagged it on sale for $99)  /  2.  LG HiMacs Solid Surface Countertops in Cotton Dust (awaiting arrival)  /  3.  White subway tile with gray grout (on the wish list)  /  4.  The pendant over our kitchen sink (in place)  /  5.  Our new Ruvati faucet (to be installed when our new countertops come in)  /  6.  Our kitchen wall color - Valspar's Clean White from the Waverly collection (done)  /  7.  Our chalkboard wall (done)  /  8.  Our ceiling color - Benjamin Moore's Sesame (done)  /  9.  We ordered a sink similar to this for the kitchen (I'll talk more about why we chose a single basin over a double basin in a later post)  /  10.  Our curtain fabric - Braemore's Gazebo pattern in the cloud color way (done)  /  

1.  Possible color for our cabinets (my plan is to use a lighter gray if we decide to paint all the cabinets the same color)  /  2.  Other cabinet color options (if we decide to do two tone cabinets like this, this, or this)  /  3.  Ikea's Metrik handle (to be used on our drawers)  /  4.  Anthropologie's Feather Imprint Knob (in the running for our cabinet knobs)  /  5.  CB2's Vapor Chair (my vision for the eat-in area)  /  6.  West Elm's globe pendant light (in place over our eat in area)  /  7.  CB2's Twist Bistro Table (on the wish list for the eat-in area)

I also recently found this rug that I'm considering for the sink area.  If you look closely at the curtain fabric, you can see a similar turquoise color.  The countertops and sink are supposed to be installed in the next 4-6 weeks (gosh, that seems like an eternity at this point).  After that, we can install the new cooktop and faucet.  Then, when we work up the energy and mentally prepare ourselves, we will tackle the cabinets and the floor.  I'm so excited to get rid of all that cream.  Here is a reminder of how far we've come.

I still have some small projects for the laundry area up my sleeve.  I'm thinking a shelf with some baskets for storing clean socks and unmentionables that can be grabbed when full for transport back to the bedroom.  Also, a small piece of art may be in order.

I hope you'll stick with me through the next few months as we chip away at the to do list and inch closer to the reveal of our fresh, modern kitchen!

For the Love of Chalkboard Paint

I know it's been around for a while now and it's not the new, hip thing anymore, but I just love chalkboard paint.  There are so many possible ways to use it and it seems to me that it can only add fun and function to a space.  Check out these images showcasing creative ways that people have incorporated it into their spaces (all images from Houzz.com).

This is perfect for forgetful people like me!

Loving the contrast between the black chalkboard wall and the white cabinets.

Assigned seats!

You always need a place to jot down notes at your workstation.

Fun for the kids

Just cover with a tablecloth when you don't want to see it.

Can you guess which picture inspired us to bust out the chalkboard paint in our house?  

If you guessed the second pic, you are correct.  Seth and I decided to paint the entire far wall of our kitchen (the one shared with our office) with chalkboard paint.   (We have also decided on our wall color but I'm going to keep you in suspense.  The cabinet color is still mostly up in the air.)

After three coats, here is how it turned out.

I can't wait to start using it to jot notes for myself like "need more eggs" or "give Amos a bath".  I think it will also be fun to write up an inspirational quote or two.  Maybe our artistic friends will even draw something on it for us when they come and visit.  :)

What do you think?  Have you guys used chalkboard paint to add some fun and function to your space?  What do you write on your chalkboard - lists, quotes, notes to your spouse?