Friday

~Condo Kitchen Finish & Tablescape~

The kitchen wrapped in Mink.

I don't have before photos of the kitchen, on this computer. The paint color for the kitchen was the same as the hallway, builder white.

We bought the condo, in July, 2003 while it was under construction. We began building our home in early August the same year. Having so many decisions to make, regarding the house construction, we left the condo as it was, thinking we would paint and change the flooring along the way, sometime. Now, going on 6 years later, we are making a few changes.

British Colonial and Beach decor were popular, here at the lake, when we furnished the condo, in 2003. Neutral colors and fewer accessories are being used in the makeover. We've also borrowed from other rooms in the condo.

The square footage of the condo is 1,250. There are three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The "laundry" is a space large enough for a washer and dryer, behind sliding doors in the inside hallway. A utility closet, housing the water heater and heating/cooling system, is next to the breakfast bar.

The kitchen, dining space, living room are one large room with no division, other than the breakfast bar.

We'll move on to the living room makeover, next week. There is a TV cubby above a corner gas fireplace. That cubby has been a dilemma since we moved in. I was given excellent inspiration for the treatment of this space. A lake neighbor is constructing shelving and a mantel. The interior, of the space, will be painted, using SW Mink. We are trying to make the gaping hole recede, with paint. The remainder of the living room area will be painted Sherwin Williams Snowflake. A triple sliding door, with a view of the lake, leads to the deck, from the living room.

A coat closet, in the entry hall, has been converted into a pantry. We moved the green cabinet, to the kitchen, for dish and glassware storage. There are simple bar stools for the breakfast bar. They are at home, awaiting painting. However, we are liking how this area looks without the rarely used stools, so we might decide to leave the bar as is.
EDIT: Sharon mentioned in a comment, the door position on the fridge. Thank you for your kind comment and reminding me, I meant to address this in the post. The refrigerator is the same one the builder placed in the condo, before we moved in. With one thing and another we haven't changed the appliance. There is no option for changing out the door with this particular model. We intend to move the refrigerator home, to be used in our garage. We'll then purchase a new one. It's just one of those things you put on the back burner, with a weekend place.
EDIT 2:
Sandi left a comment, asking about who takes the photos for Back Porch Musings. I am the photographer and writer, stager, decorator, etc. Once in awhile J takes a photo with the point and shoot camera. We have some wonderful black and white shots, J took with a 35mm film camera a few years ago. One is Split Rock Lighthouse (MN). It's framed and at the lake. Sandi's other question had to do with cleaning. J and I are the cleaning people. We don't have a cleaning service. It's just us little ol' chickens who clean both our homes.
Our children clean the condo after they are there. That's part of the deal. We buy the condo, on the water, they clean up when they use it and buy a boat if they want one...so far they are doing a great job cleaning, but no boat, yet!

The kitchen, all tidied up, after painting, looks a tad like we just moved in. I have an idea it will have a lived in look, soon! I've tossed around the idea of cabinet hardware. No decision on that yet. We are also considering new flooring.
The lighthouse birdhouse is made of wood, reclaimed from the 1993 Mississippi River flood.



Even at the lake, I found enough dish this and that, to make a tablescape. I just noticed the shell bowls are set toward one chair and away from the other.


We're driving home, early Friday (this morning). We'll celebrate Grandson Drew's birthday, Saturday. Sunday or Monday, we'll return to the lake, for more "winter cleaning" and updates.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Julia, at Hooked on Houses, is hosting Hooked on Friday. I've added this link there, because we are hooked on our lake place. Of course, there is a nod to my dish obsession, included in the post. Two things I'm hooked on, in one post.