where I'll boil water & dice veggies...

My latest design-dreaming indulgence comes in the form of a show called, 'Sarah's House' on HGTV. I love this show. I love it so much that I have sentenced my Tivo to record every episode, old or new so I can soak up every design she has done. The designer, Sarah Richardson, is really fun to watch. So is her assistant, Tommy. Half the fun of watching is seeing the two of them debate and interact over the structure and design elements. I want to be IN THE ROOM with them, laughing and debating. Anyway, I love her style and her energy. I also love her budget. Her budget is something of which I do not posses, but again, that kind of makes the show fun to watch. I do get inspired when she finds awesome antique finds and makes them her own. That is definitely doable and something I'd like to dabble in at some point. I'm drawn to her work as it often falls between traditional and modern. My personal taste falls somewhere between the style of Pottery Barn and West Elm. Whatever design fits in the middle of those two... that's ideal for me.

The kitchen in our new home will be the first area of renovation for us. We never went into the second time home buying process thinking we'd be renovating, but I am very excited about it. It will take a lot of time, money, and energy, but I really believe it will be worth it in the end. We considered a new build early on in our hunt, but later discovered a home with established landscaping, foliage, fencing, etc. was better for our family in the long run. 

Anyway, back to the kitchen. It's not horrible. It IS livable. But, it's definitely outdated and not at all "us." It is all white, which isn't necessarily terrible in and of itself, except when the countertops are the cheap white formica that will show a dropped piece of strawberry in two seconds flat. The 3x3" white and forest green tile backsplash is great... if you live in 1997. The cabinets are flimsy and just plain ugly with their gold handles. Speaking of gold, there is a lot of it in this house. And the appliances match the rest of their counterparts quite well... again, outdated and ugly. However, they do work, as do the counters and cabinets, so we aren't in a huge rush. BUT, the kitchen's day will come. Oh yes, it will come. I will say, I like the general 'blue print' of the kitchen and its potential, so at least we have a good starting point. 

If only dear Sarah would come knocking on my door and design it with me. That would be dreamy. Until then, I have been registering non-stop for this Ferguson give-away. Who knows? My chances could be really good. Does everyone pay attention and devotedly register for these kind of things anyway? I kind of hope not, for our sake. 

Happy Tuesday!