To continue the story of my family room/kitchen makeover.....

Here's how the view looked into the kitchen when I bought my condo.....
Isn't it lovely!!!!
Nothing makes me want to create exciting recipes like a dark light-less room. What a good idea the original builders had to use black cabinets in a space with NO windows!!!!! Black Formica!! YUM!!
So I made a few minor changes. (OK, OK, "minor changes" is not an expression in my design toolbox. How about "spent way too much money, so I had to learn how to cook to justify the expense of this room?")

I raised the beam up into the ceiling that separated the family room from the kitchen, thus opening the inner space up to the extra light of the family room. Then I added some detailing to the side wing walls to make them look like wooden columns.

I designed wooden cabinets and had my cabinet builder build them to my drawings. I am a snob when it comes to cabinet doors, and am only happy if the bottom rail (the wooden piece across the bottom of the door frame) is wider than the top rail of the door. I chose a green color paint that did not exactly match the green of the wallpaper because when things match too perfectly, it looks too "set" to me. The wallpaper is my FAVORITE of all time, and has been DISCONTINUED!!!  by Lee Jofa. I don't know what it is with you kids today, but how come no one seems to like the old fashioned floral stuff anymore???????
I originally thought I would install a rod over the stove in order to hang pots or utensils, but decided I wanted something more decorative and found this wonderful tole tray on ebay.

This is how it looked without the tray.....

This is with the tray...



Even after all the years I've been decorating, I still get a thrill out of how one item can change the whole feel of a space.

I'll show more on my next posting, but I've been sitting long enough at this infernal machine and I need to go outside and get some fresh air.

Till next time.......