If you've been following along here for a while you may remember this
kitchen post and this image I was using as my inspiration.
Well, a feeeew things have changed.....I know! Shock horror, pick your jaw up off of the ground, a lady changed her mind. Ok, it hasn't changed massively because I adore the look of this space, but it's a pretty noticeable one....we are no longer doing bricks behind the kitchen. Pause for sighs' of disappointment, don't worry, I plan to win you over before this post is done.
So this was more a practical change over an aesthetic one originally. The bricks we're doing on the chimney all have to be found, cleaned, and then cut down to a thin veneer before we can adhere them to the wall. Quite a big job, very timely and we are time poor. So, naturally I went back to my trusty subway tile. Used it before, loved it, still love it. But arrrghhh it's my new house I want to look at something a little different and I don't know how I feel about the real brick being so close to the subway tile...too close but not close enough... If you know what I mean?! So it was back to the drawing board (Pinterest) for all of 2 minutes (how freaking great is Pinterest!) and then I found it.
SQUARE SUBWAY TILE!!! Woohooooo the trumpets were sounding and I was doing a jig and thinking about how hip it is to be square. I love squares (hello, instagram photos!) and this totally solved my problem with the too many rectangle brick shapes competing against each other. Here are a couple more pics that really got me going...
I know what you're thinking...Katrina, is your kitchen really going to be full of gluttonous amounts of artisan breads and pastries? Well, yes. I would like to hope so, and I will try my very best.
If you follow me on instagram, you would have seen these beautiful lightshades I picked up at a vintage store. IN LOVE. But for those that haven't....Ta Daaaaa! Three of these big berthas will be hanging over the kitchen island. If you live in Christchurch and have been to Morrell&Co in Addington, they also have them there! When I bought them the shop owner told me he had just sold most of them to a new bar opening up... A friend saw them in there and let me know. Snap, Morrel&Co. Nice choice.
Oh and I'm still have the reclaimed wood shelves like my initial kitchinspiration photo.....hopefully you're getting a bit of an image forming in your head...hopefully not long now until it becomes a reality!
The other great thing about this decision being made was the flow through of it.... I had been really struggling with what to do about a dining table. I love those big long trestle tables or chunky reclaimed wood rectangle dining tables but they are just not for this space. The kitchen and dining are open plan and our kitchen island is a 3 metre long reclaimed-wooden-benched job, so fitting a table into the dining space was on my mind, you could do it, I just don't think I'd like it....just in case you don't remember the space
The answer was found in the shape of my new tiles, SQUARE! As much as I do love those long tables I can also loathe them.....ever been at a dinner party or wedding and been stuck directly opposite Sally Sad-Pants who just broke up with her "musician" boyfriend and is drinking ALL the wine, wine you wanted to drink! Well, she becomes your problem, because you are directly opposite her, if you were at a round or square table, it would be a group responsibility (and other bottles of wine are then within reach). Square it is, it fits in our space, it compliments the shape of the tiles and it's socially responsible. Winning. Look! here's one....
As much as I am a massive white lover, I have decided that my table will be black and painted in blackboard paint. Because, one of the things I picked up from The School with Megan Morton is that food in particular looks great on black. And when it's not a sit down dinner but more of a drink and nibbles kinda night (my personal favourite), I can do this...
except it won't be so neat and it will be flat on the table.... You'll have to use your imagination....I haven't actually done it yet, you see.
I'm going to hopefully build (or have Guy build, ahem) some bench seats in an Lshape in that dining corner, then I'll just have a mix match of whatever chairs I find in my travels around the other side. And I've even bought a table runner for this yet to be built table..... Phoar! organised!!
This fella will be hanging above the dining table, I originally bought 3 for the entrance but they just didn't look right in that space, so, happy birthday dining area, have a hand me down that your cousin didn't want. It actually looks great in that spot, the other 2 are being moved to the master and guest bedrooms.
Wowza, if you all could see me right now, I am red faced from strenuous typing and house excitement.... I'm sorry if none of it makes sense, I'm sure the pictures will help, no?! I would proofread but I don't have time right now, so maybe later....or not.
links for images not my own
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