A clean slate.

On the off chance that you have been wondering what I’ve been up to instead of posting to the blog, I though I would fill you in.

I have been busy creating a “clean slate” in my kitchen. It’s been months since I took the first pieces of wallpaper down so that our new counters could be installed. I was pressed for time, so I just removed the pieces that were absolutely necessary for the countertop instillation. I intended to get right back to it…. As it turns out the next opportunity I had to roll up my sleeves and get to work was just a few days ago. I finished removing the border from the bulkhead last weekend. Needless to say the kitchen has been more “shabby” than “chic” all summer long.

In the mean time I was busy collecting paint and paper swatches for the big “re-do”. Numerous combinations were vetoed by my husband (who has a degree in biology) and our daughter (who is 17 and I’ve decided is not old enough to vote unless she agrees with me). Finally I just decided to JUST DO IT. Too much time had been spent fretting over color choices and possibilities.

Spa blue is beautiful, but not a kitchen color. Gold is nice, but there isn’t enough contrast with the cabinets. Green… we have too much green in the house already. I've been forbidden to paint anything else beige by the entire family. Combination after combination was stuck to the wall for a few days, then trashed and replaced with another. I lived with paper I really didn’t like for 12 years (My husband firmly believes that ALL kitchen wallpaper should have fruit or tea kettles on it. You are probably wondering why I would agree to something like that? Because marriage is about compromise.)

When you work with color all day, everyday, spending most of the time creating unique combinations, selecting just ONE to live with is actually very hard. The possibilities are endless. It’s been 12 years since we did the original decorating; the thought of selecting just ONE color to live with is daunting. TWELVE YEARS! What if we are too busy to redecorate for another 12? I could have several grandchildren by then – school age grandchildren! …. Well I hope they like red.

That is what I’ve decided. Red on the wall behind the sink to balance the fireplace, creamy tan on the other walls and a contemporary (at least it looks contemporary at this moment) paper for the bulkhead to tie the whole thing together. I ordered the paper, matched the swatches for paint and stripped, cleaned, scrubbed and made ready for the big re-do, totally satisfied that I was making the right decision.

My husband walked in and said “I like it white, let’s leave it this way”. That man would be perfectly comfortable living in a large sterile box. Too bad. The red is ready to go.