A Summer of Ease

Hi all. I hope you have been having a wonderful summer.

 I can't believe that  over a month has gone by since my last post and there is less than one month of summer left. Nothing has been happening with our renovations which has been just fine with me. For the first time in 5 years I have been able to just relax about doing nothing .You see in the past when I didn't feel well I didn't  even relax well, I just spend time stressing about all the things that weren't  getting done.  

This is our kitchen with cream glazed, stained cabinets and Santa Cecelia granite counters, my very first that I ever designed before I became a kitchen designer. It was 8 years ago and I admit that I did not have a vision for the entire home.

  

  

As first time home owners we were so proud and thrilled with how it turned out back then, especially compared

to what we had when we started

 This wonderful kitchen by the incredible Brian Gluckstein was my 

inspiration. I so wanted those marble counters but was talked out of it

and I regret it to this very day. Too bad no one ever suggested quartz back then to me and I never knew such a thing existed.

I would not have had to compromise on my light counters like I did.

So I really think with the improvements in my health  I have my fingers crossed that I will  have enough energy to paint the cabinets white (Todd won't have anything to do with it) and I finally found a picture that shows how they will look with our 

darker granite counters. I just adore the fresh crisp look of a white kitchen and perhaps

I won't feel so tired of the darker counters once the cabinets are white.

I've been dreaming about doing this for a couple of years now and so I had 

previously created a computer rendering of our space in white to convince Todd how much nicer it would look. The walls will

not be darker as you see here but will either be white or an off white and I have been 

watching kijiji for a white cast iron sink to replace the black one which I will sell. The challenge will be finding the same size sink to fit our granite cutout.

Speaking of light counters check this out. If you are on a tight budget for your kitchen and are choosing laminate counters you simply must see the new ones like this incredible one called Travertine Silver in the FX series by Formica. 

Just look at how beautifully it mimics stone and how random the pattern is.

I have used it in 2 white kitchens so far and I think it seriously rivals Corian which is 4 to 5 times more money. 

Although we haven't done anything all summer Todd is gearing up to renovate our living room before the winter. I feel hopeful that I can help too which makes me feel good. We used to be such a team before I got sick. We had to empty our dining room and move our  living room in there which is a little smaller but it will be cozy for the winter with the fireplace to sit next to.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Sandra