Easter Treasures

Easter is one of my favorite holidays for all of its significance and symbolism. Beyond that, it is also a time for all that is pretty. Usually, the sun shines brighter, the grass is peeping through and we begin to shed our wintery layers. I love the pastel colours, pussy willows, delicate Easter eggs, and pretty dresses to wear to church.
Because we associate Easter with spring, it is also a time to lighten up our homes. As overwhelming as spring cleaning can seem, I love the feeling of starting anew and refreshing my home in preparation for summer. This Easter, my brother Alistair and family came to visit and we had a relaxed and enjoyable visit drinking tea, watching our children reconnect and discussing their plans to build a new home. My sister-in-law, Denise, wants me to sign on and help her make some design decisions and select some of the finishes. Denise has great taste so I was flattered to be asked to help. She and Alistair loved the idea of building in lockers in their mudroom, as I have, and took some pictures of my kitchen as Alistair wants to build his own cabinets as well. They asked my husband, Paul, to think about building the cabinets for them. Although tempted, he is too busy with his new home inspection business to take the time off.
I am so glad we are content to stay put. I am tired of building (for the moment) and am enjoying helping clients create beautiful spaces. I just started working with a client who wants to update her kitchen. It has wooden cabinets that need refreshing with paint, countertops that will be changed, she wants open shelving, and to take down a wall between the kitchen and living room. I enjoy working with clients like her who know what they don't want, know their needs in the space, and are open to suggestions to get what they do want. I love this job and look forward to growing my business into what I have envisioned. New beginnings, fresh starts, peeling back the old layers to reveal a new beauty. Decorating can be like spring...an unearthing of all that is pretty.

The quest for the perfect kitchen...

I have had many kitchens of my own as a result of my gypsy nature (which luckily my husband also shares). We have built five homes and renovated two. We get "itchy feet" every spring and haul out the house plan books ,poring over each and every one to find the perfect plan. This never actually happens, as we are yet to find a plan that we don't tweak to death. The killer for many of the plans is a lack of a mudroom (which I'll address in a later entry) and a less than perfect kitchen layout.
What is it about kitchens and our need to have this room fulfill all of our culinary and emotional needs? One of my favorite things to do when I go on an evening stroll is to see into people's front windows and glimpse a family sitting down to a meal together. It looks so perfectly cozy and brings me back to my girlhood desire to have my family sit together that way. I come from a family of six children with a mum who served up our dinners in no particular order, short-order cook style. We plunked ourselves down on the nearest available chair, gulped our meal down (to avoid vulturous brothers) and off we'd go. I know, for me, that is why my kitchens are always planned to invite one to stay seated and enjoy the view, and hopefully the food!
I believe kitchens should be functional, attractive, organized (or at least open to organization), and welcoming. Although my sister would challenge me on this assertion, I don't believe they should look perfect. Today I did a kitchen design consultation with a client, and knowing her wants and needs, I had done my homework in order to be able to present her with what I instinctively knew would work for her tastes. I had browsed through some decorating mags to have pics to show her and I could not believe how many looked exactly the same! White cabinetry, large island, vintage faucet, pefect tiles, the perfunctory granite or carrera marble countertops, apron sink, etc. Now don't get me wrong- all of these features are beautiful, current, and coveted by many (including me). But, they were so identical, that they looked like the same designer/decorator had done them all! What has happened to color, eclectism, personal taste in artwork (even if it is your kids' creations)? Does everything have to match perfectly and be what is expected? My sister is a great example of decorating with a knowledge of what is current, tempered with a thumbing of her nose to what is common. She instinctively decorates with what she loves and makes it work. I am more about the big picture. I have the vision in my head and am more planned in my approach. She decorates as she goes and meets with the same degree of success. Two entirely different looks, equally pleasing, but I can't help but wonder if her kitchens are more "homey."
...(sigh) Oh well, I do love my kitchen of the moment, which I have no intention of leaving for many (okay, 4-5) years. I selected a blue-gray colour for the cabinetry, I have my beloved "candy shop counter" island, apothecary drawers, school house lighting, open shelving, crystal knobs and library pulls. It is as close to perfect as I can afford at the moment....but why, oh why, do I still dream about apron sinks and vintage appliances?... I guess I'm just as bad as all the other predictable people!!!