Home Remodel - White Kitchen

I mentioned in my previous post that we recently remodeled the kitchen in our home.  We have been enjoying the new space so much and it has been so much fun finding new little accessories to warm it up and really make it feel like home.

I promised photos and they are all here in this post, but first...the before.

 This is the view from the dining/living room into the kitchen area.  Our house is situated in a snug canyon in Los Angeles and although I love the trees and seclusion it offers, we get very little direct light in the house and it can be gloomy in the afternoon.  We decided to let in more of the morning light that fills the kitchen, by taking out the wall separating the two rooms, widening the doorway and creating a new eating area at a breakfast bar.

 Here is the new view of the kitchen from the dining/living room.  We are thrilled with the amount of natural light that we have now and the entire house feels so much more open and airy.  We repurposed the little used (mostly as a space for piles of papers) eat-in breakfast nook inside of the kitchen area.It is now a cozy a window seat and office area with huge drawers (to hide the paper piles in).  We are in the process of adding cushions and pillows to the bench.  I look forward to sharing those with you later in another post.

We switched out the heavy oak cabinets for bright white with stainless steel features and replaced the floors with a darker chocolate-black wood.  I researched countertop material endlessly looking for something as beautiful as marble that wouldn't greedily suck up every substance that was placed on top of it and eventually decided that the imperfections are a part of its charm.  Each one is memory of meals shared with loved ones, a Birthday celebrated or a seven year old's love of science experiments.  I have stopped worrying over every scratch and stain and have decided to just enjoy it.  We have been happily rolling pie crusts directly on it ever since.

I'll go into detail more about the accessories we chose in future posts.  We are still looking for new dining chairs to match the antique movie seats that we bought in Summerland.

Summer land

Summer is usually a quiet time of year for us.  We stay close to home and go into a period of hibernation, until September.  You won't find us at the beach (too crowded), or our favorite hiking trails (too hot and dusty) and summer time travel is to be avoided at all costs (off-season travel is the way to go).  We reserve Summer's intensely hot days for pottering in the garden, splashing around the pool and little projects around the house.   Generally, it is a time to relax, take it easy and enjoy what is here in front of us.

This year we broke all the rules.  We have just completed a whirlwind 10 week kitchen and bath  remodel.  As first time remodelers, we learned a lot, regulated our expectations and had a lot of fun along the way.  We are thrilled with the results, I can't wait to share them with you.  I will post detailed before and after photos on that soon.  

During the remodel we spent a month in Summerland.  How can you resist a town with a name that promises the best Summer has to offer?  Now you see one of the reasons why I am such a happy remodeler...Many a lazy afternoon was spent in this hammock with a book watching bees pollinate that impressive banana flower.

We were in walking distance of the beach so naturally we spent our mornings there beach combing, spotting dolphins in the nearby kelp beds and learning to boogie board.

While we were away, we bought ripe local summer fruits like sweet Santa Rosa Pluots and tangy Apriums to turn into yet even more delicious jam. We have all been on a bread bender this Summer, eating it practically every night heaped with butter (or jam).  I like to make my own when I can and I am obsessed with this no knead recipe.  I bake mine is a dutch oven and it comes out crusty and bakery fresh every time.

Reading this book

Loving the beauty products on this site

Watching on Netflix

Winter Beach Day

The winter is my absolute favorite time to walk along the beach.  I know that most may prefer the heat of the summer sun, loads of beach towels, smell of copper-tone in the air and a good book, but the beauty and quiet of a cooler beach is for me.  Walking barefoot in the sand with a chill in the air...it's like something out of a Nancy Meyers movie, white turtleneck and all.

We had the whole beach to ourselves today (another benefit of winter beach trips).  The dog ran free, we hunted for sea glass and had a delicious picnic of blackberries, sugar snap peas and tomatoes.

One of many great things about homeschool is our ability to learn anywhere and take little day trips like these during the week.  During lunch we worked on multiplication using these great little Wrap-Up devices.  She is addicted to them and mastered the States and Capitals quickly.

After lunch we attempted to fly a kite but the wind wasn't in our favor.  We go through several kites every year, some we lose in the surf and some just become tangles beyond repair.  This one has held up very well though and flies easily with little effort.

We have tried flying Japanese kites in the past.  They are beautiful but they have been difficult to get off of the ground.

More great items inspired by kites here, here and here.