Friday, December 28, 2012

{Coloring in my Kitchen?}


i don't know if it's the fact that it's gotten so cold outside
(which means i'm spending more time inside)
 or that we just renewed our lease
(which means we'll be here for at least another year)
but lately i've been itching to make some changes to the apartment.

 i can't keep our home looking the same for too long before i'm ready to change it up again.

what i'm pondering right now is what to do to spruce up our "typical" renters kitchen.

here's what it looks like now:
(excuse the photo quality, just snapped these on my phone really quickly)




(nothin' too special, but it works)

i'm really debating between two different inspiration photos right now.

#1: i LOVE the chalkboard wall combined
with the white cabinetry and bronzey gold pendant in this first look
Chalkboard Wall
{via}
i've been drooling over the dark chalkboard wall+white cabinetry+great hardware combo
 for quite a while now.
not only do i love the look of the chalkboard wall,
but my mommy self is thinking it could account
for hours of fun for the little one once she's old enough.

now, our cabinets go to the ceiling, so i won't be able to add the decor up top
(total bummer :( i like how that looks)
and our counter tops are a lighter speckled granite,
so we won't have the same effect as the dark counters do here.

i'd love to add a hanging pendant too if we could figure out a way.
our ceilings are concrete and we aren't allowed to drill into them,
so anything hung from the ceiling has to be done in a creative way..
if you have any advice on this issue, i'd love to hear it!!
(none of our bedrooms/living room have overhead lights,
so this problem is pretty annoying!)
i'm also not sure if i'd paint just the far wall and leave the rest white,
 or go all out and paint them all...


#2: i love the personal, inviting feel this homemade photo wall creates
{via}
(as you can see from my kitchen pictures above,
 i already threw a few photos up the other day that i had lying around)


this second inspiration comes from natalie
 and her cute lil nyc apartment over on natthefatrat.
(sidenote: i love her blog!)
i love the idea of creating a one-of-a-kind
personalized "wallpaper" out of our photos.
i don't think i'd add the animal head being that we
already have a purple moose head hanging in viv's nursery.
(definitely don't wanna go all "hunter's lodge" vibe)
(although i guess a most hunter's lodges probably don't have a purple moose head!)

ok, so this is where i'm a little hung up regarding this look:
i hate clutter...
like despise it with a passion...
so as much as i loveee the whole 'photo wallpaper'
i'm just not sure if it's going to make me feel like it is just visually cluttered,
especially being that our kitchen is pretty small to begin with.

but on the flip side, because i don't like clutter (i might be borderline ocd about clutter)
i don't ever keep picture frames around with photos,
 so to have a designated area that i could have all my pictures up
(especially ones of the family to help viv learn all her family members names)
(and to put pics up of my precious lil one, but that's just a given)
would be simply wonderful.

i have thought that i could possibly do the chalkboard walls in
 the kitchen and then create a photo frame such as this one:

photo board
{via}

 or this one:

love this idea
{via}


 to put up next to the desk for all the prints i want to have on display...
decisions, decisions...
oy..

i also would like to switch out the hardware on the
cabinets and drawers to help freshen up the space as best we can.
the hardware would depend on which look we go with.

i need your help!!!
 what do you think i should do??
chalkboard paint?
 if so, just the main wall or all of them?
no paint and make a photo wall??
sheesh, this is such a tough decision for me for some reason..


your feedback is much appreciated!

xoxo


5 comments:

  1. My vote is... do one chalkboard wall and then a big collage picture frame like your first example on a different wall. Two visually interesting things that coordinate but don't overwhelm the room. Plus your collage can be busy without feeling cluttered.

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  2. Chalkboard! If you are OCD I think the photo wall will drive you bananas!
    Make photo flash cards for your little to learn names. :) You can laminate and stick them in a drawer.

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  3. Paint all of the walls and go to cuppulls.net for super cheap hardware. If thats not the right website then I have it pinned somewhere on my upstyled pinterest. WWW.pinterest.com/upstyled ....I'm the same with pictures. I dont have them anywhere.

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  4. Hey Hannah...it has been forever! Your baby girl is precious. I do not blog much, but I just looked at mine and realized you have been updating frequently. I like the chalkboard wall, but what about doing your backsplash in black and white photos? I think black and white would give it a more uniform look and less clutter.

    Whatever you decide to do will be awesome. You have great style.

    ~Staci Perrin

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  5. Thanks gals! i tried responding to each of you individually but for some reason they wouldn't publish.. boo..

    i appreciate all your input!

    carly-thanks so much for the hardware site, that helps a lot!

    stacy-it's so great to hear from you! that is a wonderful idea about the photo backsplash! i love it! hope all is well with you!

    franzes- loveeee the flash card concept! that's a definite DIY for the future!

    hannah- i love the idea of adding the collage on a different wall, i thought about that earlier but we don't have another wall in the kitchen substantial enough for a large frame...or better yet,even a small frame! ha! the joys of nyc living.. ;)

    you guys have got the heels in my head a turnin'...

    ReplyDelete