We got a house! A place to call home… For now
“I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.”
I believe that whether you are a cook or an eater or both, the kitchen is the place that brings joy to your everyday. I spend most of the time in the kitchen, sipping “milk-coffee”, tea, cooking, eating, hanging with my daughter and furry boys, working, dreaming…
Let me share the story of when we were house hunting for our first home with Jeff. A white kitchen with lots of light, modern but cozy, was on top of my wants. But living in Southern California, the wants didn’t match what we could afford. We settled for a 1990s home with great bones! and embarked on an adventure, renovating it to make it work for our lifestyle, wants, and needs.
Since my teenage years, I’ve been a fan of Vincent Van Gogh. Read about his life and his art. I even traveled to his homeland: The Netherlands, to admire his masterpieces. During the time I lived in Perugia, Italy. I jumped on a train to a city 2 hours away to see an exposition of his early art. I love the texture, the thoughtfulness of the colors, and how his art brightens my soul. It was a no-brainer to pick his “Almond blossoms” as the inspiration and centerpiece for this renovation.
Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, February 1890
oil on canvas, 73.3 cm x 92.4 cm
Credits (obliged to state): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
I’m such an organizer freak, that every single item needs to be storaged in a certain way, and also I’m very particular about functionality. So I took the time to design the kitchen to determine the best flow, lifestyle needs, and obviously how to “house” every utensil needed.
The original floorplan of the kitchen didn’t work for me, so we had to extend the water and gas lines to the new location for the stove and fridge.
We’ve been in the Specialty Coffee industry for the past 12 years, so coffee and tea are the backbone of our lifestyle. We’re quite snobby about our coffee and tea, but we also love sharing them with friends and family.
Functionality-wise, we needed a separate space for our “coffee corner”, so we wouldn’t be in each other’s way when brewing and cooking. But at the same time needed to be where we would gather with our loved ones, while on the cooking & brewing show.
When I told my Husband I was going to wallpaper our breakfast nook wall, he disagreed big time with me. The word wallpaper was such a “Ratatouille moment” to him, taking him back to his childhood, tearing-off the old, hideous wallpaper off the walls of the newly bought home that became his family’s DIY project.
I had a vision and nothing nor no one would discourage me from doing it. Once he saw our wallpapered wall, he was in awe. Let’s face it, wallpaper prints are so cool nowadays, and Van Gogh’s Almond Blossoms wallpaper… Such a statement! Believe me when I say it became the conversation starter with guests and Zoom calls!!
Luckily, Jeff and I are into blue and gray tones. There were no disagreements on the color palette, but either way, you know how it always goes, we wives are always right. So my preference on color - if it would’ve differed- would’ve been the right one.
I wanted the white cabinets with brass hardware and a peek of gray. Having 2 huskies at home, and functionality/cleanliness-wise, white toe-kicks would’ve turned dirty pretty soon, so I picked a gray color for them.
The tiny island had to go, as much as I wanted an island, there was no space to house it. Instead, I went for a peninsula that worked perfectly for our needs. It also gave plenty of room for a cook, a brewer, and 2 husky sous chefs.
“London fog” colored glass tiles from counter to ceiling gave this calm ambiance, mind-grounding to such a bustled space. White quartz countertops with sparkles that would shine with the natural light rays coming through the windows.
A retro patterned tile was laid on as a “runner rug” in the wet/husky zone of the kitchen.
Throughout the kitchen, drawers were put in instead of shelving cabinets. Drawers let you organize better all your utensils and have a view of every single item, without having to crouch searching for something.
Even our husky’s necessities were also considered in the space. A large drawer in the peninsula housed two bins of kibbles, their plates, and a secret compartment would hide the spare kibble bag. Feeding them every day became such a breeze!
This kitchen reno was such a fun project! Would’ve I done something different, perhaps one or two. But the experience of cooking, working, hanging, hosting in this space made our lives joyful!
So many memories and tales those walls could tell…
