It's time for another Home Sweet Home Tour post.
First though, a look back and the other posts in this series:
Today is all about the heart of the home...the Kitchen and Keeping Room. This is probably where we spend the majority of our time...just like any family!
When we were deciding on our kitchen I really was considering doing gray cabinets because that was really popular at the time we were building, but ultimately decided against it because I was worried it was too trendy. Instead, we just did a cream color because I felt like it would be more timeless. I knew I wanted the island to be just a little different than the other cabinets so we picked a khaki color that matched the beveled subway tile back splash.
I had really wanted to fit more stools at the island, but because we were working with an existing footprint we just couldn't make the layout work. The kids eat at the island for most meals so I just got easy to clean wooden bar stools. I would like to replace them now that they are a little older and don't make quite as many messes when they eat.
I knew I wanted a wooden counter top for our island. I looked and researched them for months! I just love how it brings some warmth to the kitchen and sort of makes the island feel like a piece of furniture, setting it apart from the rest of the cabinets and counter tops.
Another thing that I researched like crazy were kitchen sinks! I knew I wanted a farmhouse or apron front sink, but wasn't sure about having a single or divided sink. Every single review I read of homeowners who switched from the double sink to one large single basin loved it so I bit the bullet and decided on that. I am SO happy that I did. I LOVE having one big sink.
I think my hesitation was not having somewhere to dry hand-wash dishes, but I just use a drying mat on my counter top and put it away when I'm not using it. We searched for sinks for a long time because so many of them were VERY expensive. We kind of thought finding THIS ONE was a fluke, because it was such a great deal.
I don't love to cook and part of that could be because we are rarely home. I know some people really want and need double ovens, but for me that was not anywhere on my wish-list. Instead we did a single oven and cook top and splurged on a more expensive microwave.
I wanted it hidden so we did a drawer microwave and put it on the backside of the island. My kids eat popcorn almost daily and when they were younger this allowed them to be able to reach it themselves with no problem.
When we aren't sitting or standing around the island to eat we sit at our kitchen table. It belonged to my grandmother and I was so excited to get it to use for our home.
We had the banquette (or bench) built and I had planned to have a cushion made for it, but again...with kids that make messes when they eat I was holding off on that and just used some pillows for now.
The chairs that go with the table also belonged to my grandmother. I actually didn't want to use the chairs at first. They were rickety and had a crazy plaid fabric. The Mr. was convinced he could tighten them up though so I got to work recovering the cushions and was so in love with the way the turned out!
Now when I mentioned our keeping room before I had several questions about what a keeping room is. According to my research a keeping room is basically a secondary living room that connects to the kitchen area. It was a popular space during colonial times due to the fact that the heat from the kitchen kept the keeping room warm, making it one of the few heated areas in the house.
When we were originally designing the house we knew we wanted to keep the existing brick fireplace so it just kind of made sense to turn this space into a keeping room off the kitchen.
We painted the brick and just used a love seat we already owned. The kids will sit here and watch TV while I'm cooking or I'll have it on when I'm in the kitchen if I want to keep an eye on a game or something that is happening.
The sofa table belonged to my husbands great-grandmother and this antique hutch belonged to my great-grandmother. I love having family pieces that we can use in our home!
So there you have it for the kitchen and keeping room. Most definitely the space where we spend the majority of our time and where everyone congregates when we have people over and aren't in the basement. It feels cozy and welcoming, and that is exactly what I wanted!
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