Monday, January 24, 2011

Redecorating My Kitchen

My hubby and I spent Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend repainting our kitchen and hallway.  It's a small space but required a lot of prep work.  We pulled a chair rail off the wall, sanded the walls and trim so the paint would adhere better, washed the walls, spackled holes, sanded and cleaned the spackle and then painted 2 coats of paint.

You can understand why this is NOT a Family Fun Friday post!

Here's a before picture:

This is our kitchen AND dining room.

And after:

Notice the two electric outlets on the "large" wall.



You'll notice that things aren't decorated in these pictures. I have 3 plans for the room:  replace the vinyl flooring with a more modern looking vinyl, then order this table set from Walmart, and purchase Americana themed curtains and decorations for the wall.

I have a pretty good idea of what I want for the curtains - red checks- and throw rugs - oval braided rugs - but the decorations for the walls have me a little stumped.  I'm great for the big picture stuff but the details are hard for me.

The hardest part is that "large" wall with the two outlets in the middle.  I'm not sure how to work around those or cover them up.  I'm afraid one really big item (like a barn star) might look odd but a several small items might make that wall too busy.

I want to go with an Americana theme, with the country colors rather than bold.  If I have red curtains then I'm thinking green and blue for everything else. 

A few ideas I've had - plate holder, small chalk board, wooden American flag, a sign with a saying, wicker baskets hanging on the wall.

Do you have any suggestions?  Do you know of any websites or catalogs where I can order Americana items?

PS.  We are planning to put our house on the market to sell this spring so I want the kitchen to look cute and inviting but not overly "match-y" so that buyers won't notice how small the room is.

9 comments:

Carrie said...

Y'all did an awesome job! That's a lot of work.

As for where to buy Americana items - seems like you are in the right area of the country for it. I'm not sure where I'd look online. I LOVE browsing around thrift stores though. Which doesn't help you very much in terms of your question I suspect!

Stephanie Kay said...

Thanks, Carrie. I'm not a big thrift store person. I like getting good deals but I don't like going into stores and coming out empty handed. Especially when I have to take 4 little people with me who love to touch everything in sight! I used to enjoy shopping. Now it just makes me stressed. I much prefer to shop on my computer these days.

Amy said...

Been thinking today...huh...

I never remember the double outlets but love the room without the chair rail! What a change!

A big barn star might be good...if your curtains are checked that adds some simple color and pattern. If you put anything on your table then I would keep the walls really simple. Even a worded sign above a barn star? The sign might cover that top outlet (can't tell how high it is)? I'd think simple and uncluttered...

C-tree Shops often has Americana.

Can't wait to see what you decide and find! :)

Jenn said...

That looks great! Love your ideas. I have a magazine that gives me inspiration and I love browsing countrystylehome.com.
I love the idea of the barn star & a plaque above it. Dayspring may have something on clearance or reasonably priced.
Look on etsy too. Might find some nice rugs.
Oh- if you search the "live, laugh, love" that seems to be a popular country theme.
Can't wait to see the finished product!

Stephanie Kay said...

Amy, I'm not surprised your decorating wheels are turning. You never steer me wrong! :)

Ann & Hope has red checkered curtains for a good price. I'm thinking of doing pairs and NOT putting shades up. The kitchen gets a lot of sunlight so I want to take advantage of that.

With red curtains sort of flanking the barn star, would you do a red star or blue? The base of the table and chairs will be black so I don't think a black star is a good idea. And the soft white window trim kind of frames that wall space so I don't think a creamy white would work. But I'm afraid red (with red curtains) would be too much.

Ha! Ha! If men only knew how much thinking went into decorating, they'd run screaming for the hills. :)

Stephanie Kay said...

Jenn, thanks! I'll check Dayspring. That's where I bought my Malachi sign. I've looked a little on etsy and there's some cute stuff but not a lot of wall hanging. I hadn't thought about rugs from Etsy.

Maria Mundy said...

Stephanie.. if we go to joanns and pick a fabric i can make you simple curtains if that's cheaper. I did it for my bedroom and dining room bc we have 9 windows in just those 2 room. And if you need Americana decor im your girl, my mother in laws house was all Americana/country. Let me know if i can help at all!.

Wherever HE Leads We'll Go said...

The kitchen looks great! Amazing what a difference it makes to take out the chair rail. As for decorating, I know you will do a great job. I am not going to offer you any of my bad decorating advice. : )

Stephanie Kay said...

Thanks! It is amazing the difference taking out the chair rail and turning the table has made.

As for decorating, I don't really know what to do. I just looked for Americana stuff and asked "what would Amy do?" :)

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