Beautiful Kitchens for Spring

I was recently contacted by the lovely people over at Arcadian Lighting to see if they could write a guest post for for us.  I love the idea of showcasing beautiful kitchens {and ways to light them!} so this seemed like a great fit.  Get ready for some yummy inspiration!  :)

Hi everyone! I'm Jessica, a writer for Arcadian Lighting. Every day I get to search for the latest

interior design ideas and then share them with lovely bloggers, like Natasha. Today, I'd like to share a

collection of beautiful kitchens that evoke the feeling of Spring. Brilliant pastel colors, fresh bouquets

of flowers and bright, cheery lighting fixtures will transform any run-of-the-mill kitchen into a colorful,

invigorating space. Enjoy!

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The bright green color may not be an obvious choice for the kitchen, but this color is perfect for a jolt

of energy just in time for Spring. I love the alphabet used on the cupboard doors.

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Fresh flowers should always have a place in the kitchen, no matter what season. But the rustic wooden

drawers and polished metal bins add a lovely farmer's market feel to this kitchen.

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A burst of yellow from the tiled back splash absolutely illuminates this kitchen and makes it feel like a

sunny, Spring day. The trio of modern pendant lights are a great choice.

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Sky blue is always a great color for any room, but when paired with white in the kitchen, the effect is

brilliant. A slightly lighter shade of sky blue counter tops help keep the room bright and airy.

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A dusty blue wall color and blue floral prints give this kitchen a chic, feminine atmosphere. I love the

bold blue glassware scattered throughout the room, as well.

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A few splashes of color will quickly transform an all-white kitchen into a celebration of Spring. The

modern chandelier really adds a unique twist to this traditional kitchen.

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Mixing a few pastel seat cushions and accents take this minimal kitchen from simple to fun. The

turquoise lining on the curtains help elongate the room, as well.

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Pale pastel décor is perfect for a more shabby chic feel. I love that each of the chairs is painted a

different color.


I have to say...the green kitchen stole my heart...along with the modern chandy in the third to last kitchen.  Thanks to Jessica for this awesome post!

xo natasha

P.S. I feel it necessary to let you know that I was in no way compensated for this post...just a fun thing I thought you would all enjoy!  :)

2012 Honey Do List

With a new year, comes a new list of things to do around the house!  Actually, in our case, these are mostly old things, but we're finally re-energized to get to work again since we completed our remodel nearly two years ago!  Plus I think a little nesting will be fun before the baby arrives!  :)

So in no particular order...here are the items on our agenda:

1. Paint doors and trim.

Our doors only have primer on them...it was actually a miracle we got them installed in the first place given our dwindling budget at the time.  A nice paint of coat will really make a difference.  Same goes for our trim which needs to get some caulk and paint as well.

2. Install hallway closet doors.

We only have two of them: one to the hallway closet and the other to our laundry closet but they are very visible to guests and quite unsightly!  We've talked about installing barn doors.

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We're thinking about bolting two standard doors together and buying the barn door hardware.  Have any of you done something like this?

3. Buy stainless steel fridge.

All of our appliances are stainless steel except for the refrigerator.  Hubby and I decided our Christmas gift to each other would be a new fridge...so I am sure we'll get this checked off the list!  I love the bottom drawer freezers.  Here's the one I have in mind:

Our appliances are all Kenmore, so this one would fit in nicely.

4. Install light can inserts.

Definitely a honey do item...'nough said!

5. New Front Door

While I love our red door, it needs to be updated.

I'm thinking something more craftsman.

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Only...in red.  Or blue...here we go again!

6. Update living room pillows

I've loved the red, but want to incorporate something more fresh.

I found this inspiration photo:

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Isn't the zebra divine?!

7. Buy {or make} dining room drapes

They're noticeably missing and instead of buying matching bamboo shades, I thought stripes would be nice!

{A Thoughtful Place}

Courtney's drapes are dreamy...I want them!

8. Find a new piece of furniture for the TV.

This is a tough one...anyone have a piece they love?

9. Complete master bedroom decor.

I know...I know...I need to jump on this!  I've gotten new lamps and solicited your advice on pillows.  I also want to add a headboard, but that might be too ambitious for now!

10. The nursery!!!

Yay!!!  I am most excited about this transformation this year.  We'll wait to find out the gender before we get started, but I have been pinning away and daydreaming ever since we found out we're expecting!

 I did get this adorable sock garland from my dad and step-mom for Christmas...maybe a fun starting point? 

For more nursery ideas, visit Alexa and Kirby's blog today to see what I have in mind!

What's on your honey-do list this year?  How many of these things do you think I'll actually get done!!  Only time will tell!!

xo natasha

The Hutch::Newly Styled

First, I have to confess my utmost respect for anyone who knows how to properly use a camera.  I, unfortunately, am not one of them.  But I try and appreciate all of you who are so kind {and those that have given my tips...extra thanks!} about my photos skills.  I've learned a lot and hope to learn more!

With that in mind...I wanted to show your our "styled" kitchen hutch.  When you last saw it here, it was rushed and not put together.  I've finally gotten my groove on with the styling and hope I got the right light to give it justice.

I decided to stick with a black, gray/silver, and white theme.  I think it's worked out well!

The white plate we received for our wedding really pops with the gray wallpaper, don't you think?

 Here is the white cake stand I found at a local antique store...I also had fun incorporating the mercury glass.

I love my polka dot Kate Spade vase and of course my Gwyn Cookbook!

And here you can see how the hutch picks up the black and gray specks in the granite.

Just as a reminder...one more before & after.

Some of you have asked where we got the wallpaper...how we painted...what paint we used, etc.  Here are some answers for you:

Wallpaper: Allen + Roth Spanish Tile from Lowes found here.

Paint: Valspar Semi-Gloss Black {available at Lowes}

We followed Just a Girl's tutorial.  It's amazing and the best part?  NO SANDING!  That's right baby...a huge time saver!  The foam rollers are also a genius idea.

It took us about 2 weekends total.  We cleaned and primed the first weekend and the hit it with the black the second weekend.  I highly recommend light brush strokes...that may have been the only place we went wrong.  It takes time and patience.  If you do see areas that have excessive paint that has dried...simply sand it down and repaint.

Thanks again for all your support during this project!  I'm really happy with how it turned out and hope this post does it justice!  :)

xo natasha

P.S. Be sure to check out my guest post on what I'm Lovin' right now...it involves sequins and clog inspired boots!  {click below}

Black or White?

A while ago, I showcased our kitchen {post found here} and as part of that post, I included pictures of our kitchen hutch.

Now, since our cabinets are real cedar, we are not planning to paint them {which would be a sin according to my husband}.  Our kitchen hutch, on the other hand, is definitely not real wood so I can paint it to my heart's content.  The question is...what color?

I initially thought that black would be a good color.  The accent furniture in the adjacent living and dining room is black, so it would tie it together.

But white is so fresh!  I think it would open up the room.

But black is a great pop!

But white would fulfill my need for white cabinets!

Of course, there is always gray...

Or light blue...

Or of course white!  :)

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What do you think?  Black...white...or other?

xo natasha

The Family Room

Otherwise known as the hub of our little abode.  This is actually the room I most proud of...when we have house guests...they love spending time in this room and feel like they're "home" which is the biggest compliment they can give me!  It's the center of our living area...the kitchen and dining room are directly off this room...and even though there are things left to do {can we say "project" anyone!?}, I still love the space we've created.  

Let's start from the beginning shall we?

 We pretty much ripped everything down to the studs out here.  Oh and we built a new fireplace.  You can read about the fireplace transformation here.

 You've heard this before, but I am kicking myself for not taking more before pictures.  The space to the right of the column use to have a pony wall...or in other words, was the window before they added on.  It looked SUPER out of place...so we knocked out the wall and made sure the beam across the top was better supported.

Here she is all cleaned up!  :)

Interestingly enough...the room to the right of the column is now our little office nook and we transformed the add-on to be our dinning room.  More pictures to come on that...I promise!

And now for the decorated space...

Yes, we purchased a HUGE sectional as a wedding gift to ourselves!  I LOVE it!  The microsuede is perfect for pets or any stains that happen...like red wine perhaps?  Yes, this puppy is a little miracle worker...and so so comfy!

A little peak into the office space....and I love these pears and apples...from Pier 1.

 How much wicker can you spy?

I swear the photos don't look this disproportionate in real life...guess you'll have to come over and see for yourself!

The side table features all our favorite pictures...and Mr. Whiskers loves this area...

Case in point!

Here's a shot of the fireplace again.  It's centered on this wall...there is a sitting chair to the left...

I actually like the craftsman feel of this chair, though it will be nice to upgrade to something else down the road.

And the horror to the right of the fireplace is...

Oy...it's not easy being married to a guy who works in the audio video world...though I can't complain...this flat screen was compliments of the shop and I know we can eventually mount the TV to the wall and find a fun console in the meantime...any ideas?

The last portion of the living room, worth mentioning is it's proximity to the kitchen...

 It's great to entertain because we can be cooking in the kitchen and our guests can saddle up at the island or kick back on the couch.

A close-up...we hope to eventually upgrade the fridge to match the rest of the stainless steel and I want to paint this cabinet following Michelle's tip here!  Can't wait!

Sooooo...what do you think?!?  Do you get the "at home" vibe when you see these photos?  Hope so!

xo natasha