B*tchin' Kitchen

Welcome to my kitchen!

Just an FYI, this may be my longest post...EVER! In order to truly appreciate what has happened, I must accurately document all of our kitchen to show you the good, the bad and the ugly. Except, in this instance it would be the ugly, the bad and then the great!

Join me on this trip down memory lane...

Move in condition at its finest!

A LOT of chaos happening here.

Underneath all of that stuff was this beauty, a counter/table. Perhaps it's a 'co-able'??

Then I came to my senses and realized that we needed a table and the tacky counter/table had to be removed. And they lived happily ever after.

Just kidding, we kept going!

It was a messy job, but the purple tile backsplash was removed along with the white and blue flooring and light blue counter tops. The cupboards were custom made for the kitchen and were real quality so they stayed. When we were in the inital planning stages of this reno, I thought that the cupboards were enemy number 1. But my Mom suggested that once the other dated items were removed, they could become my best friend. She was right.

Our new countertops installed! The curtains were sewn by my Mom.

We installed the backsplash ourselves, it was a very rewarding DIY project.

And now, for the finished project (drum roll please)...

I wanted to add an element of impact around our window. I purchased peel and stick stainless steel tiles from a big box store and cut to size. In the right lighting, you'll know what I'm talking about.

The walls were painted with Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter.

I absolutely adore this colour. It is an all time favourite of mine!

And there you have it, Our B*tchin' Kitchen!

Things I would do again to make this happen: live with all of my appliances in the living room for a week while the floors were being installed, agonize over counter top and flooring samples for an undeterminded amount of days, live without counter tops for several weeks while custom ones were being made and last but not least, dust!

It was 100% worth all of the time and effort.

Fun with Frosted Glass!

Hi Everybody! I'm back! Although, I never actually went anywhere. Things have been busy and time seems to slip away on me.
Moving along... It's Summertime! Yes, that's right folks, with the arrival of the Summer Solstice we can officially pull out the flip-flops and embrace the outdoors.
I was looking for a really simple and easy way to bring the beautiful colours from the outdoors, indoors.
I had several clear glass items that I wanted to kick up a notch. I was thinking of spray painting the items but I couldn't find the right colour of aqua that I had in mind.
While roaming the neighbourhood bix box hardware store, I found this:

Which lead to this...

Then I had an arranging dilemma.

I can never decide.

I am absolutely in love with the light blue tea light lantern I found.
It just screams Summer!

A can of spray paint is a really affordable and easy way to incorporate a pop of fresh Summer colour into your decor.

Hope everyone has a fabulous Summer!

Laundry Room Re-DO!

The Laundry Room:

An often overlooked room that deserves some recognition every once in awhile.

I mean it does its share of the dirty work.

When we moved in, our laundry room was suffering from a severe case of "Purple-itis."

Purple-itis, when translated means too much purple. Yes, you can have too much colour and for our laundry room it was too much purple.

Suddenly the lyrics in Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" made so much sense to me!

Even the cupboards and doors fell victim to the purple.

If you look closely, you may catch a glimpse of the old flooring which had gold sparkles.

Once we had moved in and settled, I painted!

I wanted the wall colour to be bright and cheery. I wanted something that would distract from the mundane chore of laundry. I chose Benjamin Moore's Vellum. The curtains were made by my Mom. The window valance actually travelled with me during my university days and the one below the sink used to hang in my Mom's kitchen. I'm not one to shy away from a good recycling opportunity.

All the necessities close at hand, neat and tidy!

Oh look! White trim, cupboards and doors!

I love the storage capacity this room has. My vacuum and cleaning supplies are all tucked away out of sight. The counter doubles as a great sorting/folding area.

Check out the flooring!

And I'll close with a salute to my girlfriends and their sense of humour. An old bachelorette gift comes in pretty handy when I'm tending to the tidiness of my home. ;)

Upstairs Bathroom Re-DO!

Who doesn't love a trip to the spa and being pampered?! When it comes to my bathroom, I want that same soothing vibe. I'm talking candles, a bubble bath, maybe some sweet beats... very zen!

But how can you feel zen when you're trapped in a time warp? The vanity was a beautiful peach faux stain, the walls and trim were light purple AND the floor was green. Oh, and I can't forget the broadway lights that hung above the mirror (not pictured).

I painted the walls with Benjamin Moore's Tea Light. The trim was painted white along with the cabinets which were in good shape but I had to get rid of the peach. 



Look, a white sink AND a white toilet! Goodbye peaches and cream!

Finish the room off with lush towels and a beautiful orchid, I'm in love!
Until next time, Keep Calm and Carry On!

Pillow Talk

This may sound like an AA meeting but...my name is Abbey and I am addicted to throw pillows.
That might be a touch dramatic but it's true!

Recently, I picked up a few new ones to add to the living room.
How can you resist a chevron pattern? It's one of my all time faves.

The right fabric on a pillow can inspire an entire colour scheme or feeling for your space.

Sometimes, they're that missing piece unifies it all.

If you are searching for a really affordable and simple way to update a room in your home, do it with pillows!

On a recent outing, I had to restrain myself when I came across this aisle. I wanted them all! If you're looking for something truly unique, visit the Etsy website. They have all sorts of decorative throw pillows in every possible colour you can imagine. You can even custom order fabrics and sizes from certain shops. 

Get out there and get inspired!

We have a Headboard!

Hi Everyone! It's been a while since my last post but things have been busy. 

Recently, we made a trip to Ikea...

And I am happy to report, we finally have a headboard!

I was searching for the perfect upholstered headboard and found it at Ikea!

After a lot of online browsing, I stumbled across this gem and knew it was the one. 

My husband and I navigated our way through the store, following the large blue arrows with tiny pencil in hand.

We managed to get the huge box home and even survived the assembly instructions!

The headboard is a lovely light grey material which complements the golden tan walls really well.

I love the tufts and clean lines!

The Bekkestua is perfect!

Sadly, we did not have the meatballs.

Downstairs Bathroom Re-DO!

The Powder Room...
Literally, a powder blue room.

The paint and the flooring were major issues for me. We quickly set to work.

The flooring was replaced and the walls were painted with Benjamin Moore's Deer Granite.

The cabinets and trim were painted with Benjamin Moore's Cloud White.

We upgraded with a new light fixture and new faucet. We also went with a similar mirror but bigger in size. Lastly, I have to give a shout out to the wall art in this room. I thought the powder room was a great place to have elements of fun and whimsy.

"Keep Calm and Carry On."

Living Room Re-DO!

Shortly after moving in, the room looked like this...

The white walls had to go!

I quickly set to work with a paint brush and the walls became Benjamin Moore's Sandy Brown.

The sofas, tables and lamps were all moved to the Man-Cave.

We purchased a brown leather sofa and chair which was really popular at the time. The vintage chair IS vintage. It came from my Grand-mother's old parlour set. My mom refinished and re-upholstered it and then it found a way to our place. You can never have enough heirlooms in your home.

I thought the space looked great. One day when sitting in the living room, I felt overwhelmed by brown. How had I let this happen?! It had taken some time to acquire the right pieces e.g; new sofa and chair, fabulous rug coffee table and end tables, but when did brown run away with my room?

If you look closely, you will see light blue in the area rug. I had thought about green accents but I was craving blue. When accessorizing a room, throw pillows are always an easy and affordable update. I searched high and low for pillows with the right amount of blue and the perfect shade. I wanted something fresh and fun.

I found them! They are reversible, one side has a lot more blue than the other.
(I apologize for the poor photo quality, I promise there's a lovely shade of blue in the pillow.)

If you haven't noticed, I love mirrors. I especially love quatrefoil framed mirrors!

This round mirror actually has a silvery/blue frame.

I de-browned the room with touches of light blue, silver and gold which I thought added some balance.

The gorgeous frames above the sofa were a DIY project that my Dad and I worked on about two years ago. They are actually tin ceiling tiles that were painted, scuffed and polished off with custom frames. I couldn't find any art to hang above the sofa so we created some. The only cost was the price of the two tiles and now I have amazing art work AND a sweet story to share!

Here is a closer look...

That's all for now, folks!

Stay tuned for more room re-DO's!