Kitchen: Inspiration

It’s finally happening. I have a game plan on how we are going to update our kitchen and my goal is to keep it within a $2000 budget. After contemplating all different kinds of options, I decided we are working with what we have as much as we can and doing a little DIY action. I have to finalize the paint colors, but I am thinking black cabinets, white paneled backsplash, and butcher block countertops.

Here is what I have in mind:

from here

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Run to this estate sale!

If you live in Atlanta, go to this estate sale tomorrow! Check out these pictures...I want everything!

Because it's almost Friday...

and I just watched Sunday's Mad Men last night.

This is amazing.

I seriously cannot believe the series is almost over.

Pretty in Pink

I have been obsessed with tracking down blue and white ginger jars lately and after I hit the jackpot on a complete blue willow china set two weeks ago, I decided it was time to cease the obsessesive blue and white buying and redirect my focus.

We need artwork badly and I am really loving florals right now. I am not sure my husband with be thrilled about flowers, but I think I can sneak at least one of these into our house.

Here are some of my favorites from Etsy:

Jennifer Ou

Caroline Mint

Susan Magdangal

Stephanie Ryan

Yao Cheng

Met Gala

Ah, Vogue Prom. Tricky theme this year..."China: Through the Looking Glass" 

My top picks (images from here) : Keri Russell, Bee Shaffer, and Alexa Chung

 

Island Alternatives

I have found myself obsessing over kitchens that have tables in them instead of built-in islands. I am striving to never have a casual kitchen table and only using our dining room table for every meal. Part of it might be that we do not have room in our kitchen for a table. One issue with this is that Joe and I still eat appetizers in the kitchen while cooking and the same goes for when we have friends over.

I love how Bailey used this table in her kitchen. (Serious faux pas using this picture again, I know!)

Also, here Steven Gambrel uses an amazing reclaimed wood table as an island.

I love this tonal gray kitchen that belongs to Jimmy Stanton from Stanton Home Furnishings in good ole ATL...I am hoping to accomplish something like this in our kitchen one of these days.

Unfortunately I saved this picture to my phone one day and I don’t know where it came from, but I do like the use of an island and dining table in this open kitchen.