...but all is well here. LOL I think everyone is just CRAZY with all the fun summer stuff going on, and we are no different. Let's see....what is new? Our main focus right now is house stuff. I think I mentioned before....but we are building a home. Well, WE are not actually building it (can you imagine me out there banging nails? LOL)....the house building people are building it for us. YAY for them! BUT, we designed the plan and are picking out every single thing. SO exciting, and SOOOOOOOOOO stressful at the same time. I'd heard that if a marriage can make it through building a home together...you can make it through anything. And at this point I am not doubting that for a second! It's ROUGH!!! The crazy thing is that DH and I have the exact same taste when we are actually looking at stuff. We either both love it or we hate it, and there have been VERY few instances where we disagree. BUT, on paper, we disagree about EVERYTHING! And then, after we have argued ourselves silly and we actually go LOOK at the stuff we are talking about, both of us agree on it and we realize that we had both been describing the same exact thing, just using different words. Ughhhhhhh. It's really draining.
So this is our latest disagreement~ and this time, we really DO butt heads (LOL No- not butt-heads!): The kitchen cabinetry. DH wants stained wood, and I want white. I LOVE wood, don't get me wrong....BUT we are doing wood floors and darker counter tops and I think it will look like a cave. I think white is timeless and it is inviting and cheerful. He thinks white is sterile and cold. I have no problem with wood anywhere else....just not in the kitchen. Am I crazy to want white? Is is possible to have a "warm" white kitchen? Here are some pics to show you kind of what I'm talking about:
And here is my idea of a compromise: We do white cabinets around the perimeter...and a stained wood island. Kinda like this:
but so far I'm not winning the argument. ACK! I will go nuts in a dark cave. What do I do? Another bit of logic for me is the fact that the kitchen is pretty much the girl's domain. So I should get to pick it out, right? DH has a FABULOUS office right off the front entrance that he gets to do whatever his little heart wants with...shouldn't the kitchen be like MY *office*? (Yes, I will have an office too...well more like a craft room...but it is in the basement for heck's sake! I need something on the main floor!) So tell me what you think and if I am totally loosing my mind.
In ending, I hereby solemnly vow to be better about blogging. I may even surprise ya with another little OliveJuice and Co. give-away soon...... ;) Peace out kids!
I love white cabinets in kitchens. I wanted them in mine when we were choosing options for the townhouse we built, but the design center people told us we could only have one color of cabinets throughout the whole house so I gave up on white. But I definitely want them in my next house!
Posted by: Jennifer | June 21, 2006 at 04:47 PM
YAY!!!!!!! She's bloggin'!!!! LOL OH, how I love the white with the darker wood floors and dark countertops....it's just so rich and chic and yet still inviting........... I am so totally lovin' the first pic you have up - if I was doing a kitchen that's what I would be going for!
~j
Posted by: jayne | June 21, 2006 at 05:17 PM
We had a similar debate. I wanted a darker wood floor and lighter stained cabinets...he wanted the same...in the end, we did what he wanted. There were a few times that I had to meet him in the middle and just for the on every one of them he has since regretted it and wished we would have done it MY way....ah sweet victory (even if it's too late...lol). Oh! And, we fought way more with the builder than we did each other!
Posted by: islandmom | June 21, 2006 at 07:20 PM
I finally got my white kitchen and I LOVE it! So cheery!
Posted by: Demi | June 21, 2006 at 09:08 PM
WHITE! I totally agree with you. The white with wood floors and dark counters will be gorgeous- you need the contrast anyway- and plus you will have a bright kitchen! Lovin that first kitchen too. And from the sutuff you have shown me so far, you have great taste. So glad to see you blogging again but now I feel guilty and need to post on my own blog. LOL
Posted by: Amy Wathen | June 21, 2006 at 10:34 PM
stand your ground girl!!! you are not crazy! i cannot stand a dark kitchen, it's so...uninspiring!!! we have a dark kitchen and now i hate to cook! i love the look you are going for- stay with it!!!
i am so glad to see you bloggin again! you know i came here everyday to see, right?
Posted by: Lisa aka momy4him | June 21, 2006 at 11:28 PM
What, your blogging again?? LOL Just kidding, we have been so busy too!!!Totally love the white too!!
I will be checking back later to see if theres a suprise from Olivejuice & Co. :) Peace gitl!
Posted by: Nina | June 22, 2006 at 01:55 PM
I love the idea of white cabinets, it opens up the room so much more. I have to admit, I really like the stained wood island, didn't think I would in theory, but the photo makes it LOOK GOOD! ;)
What about a white washed wood? Worth considering?? BTW... I think if you do most of the cooking, and you're the one in the kitchen most of the time, you should get first dibbs on the design of it... I only wish that were an argument I could win! LOL
Posted by: LynnMarie | June 23, 2006 at 04:10 AM
I know pretty much nothing about marriages or building houses...but either way, your kitchen will probably be stunning. :) I do have to say I am a fan of the white...
Posted by: Brittany | June 23, 2006 at 03:11 PM
I'm totally with you on the girls domain thing! I'm surprised he has such an opinion on the cupboard color! Well, tell him, that I think you have great taste, and it's a white is always a classic style! Go for the WHITE!:)
Posted by: Gingersnaps | June 23, 2006 at 06:48 PM
I am normally not a white cabinets fan but I do agree with you on this one. With dark floors and counter tops the white balances it out and give the room a nice cheerful feel. Good luck with this one!
Posted by: Maegan (Coffeebean) | June 25, 2006 at 02:00 PM
Okay Kim, I promise that I'm not just trying to be agreeable on this, but I've always LOVED white cupboards. I have white (it's more of an old painted from the 60s though, lol) right now and it's so inviting and clean feeling. My Mother-in-law is about to move into her new house and her kitchen is black!! I'm a little nervous about that one especially since the floor is black tile and everything else is dark purple! Not that you needed a whole story, but good luck, I hope your WIN!
Posted by: tiffbrady | June 25, 2006 at 10:43 PM
yay your back!! i love your kitchen choices, especially the one in the middle. i hope that you get everything you would like and i totally agree that the women should be able to pick out the kitchen if she is the main cook. hey if you pretty much have the same taste, then you can't go wrong, right?? he will love it too!!
Posted by: BethMaat | June 26, 2006 at 01:27 PM
YEAH! she blogs! :)
i think the white in the kitchen is ok as long as you have some darker stuff to balance it out (ie countertops, appiances, etc.).... :)
Posted by: amy | June 26, 2006 at 01:56 PM
SUCH INCREDIBLE EYE CANDEEEEE KIM! Just looooove this!!!!!!!
Posted by: Shabby Miss Jenn | June 26, 2006 at 10:15 PM
Hey Girlie! I was thrilled when I popped in and saw that you'd actually BLOGGED! LOL OK. Down to bidness. WHITE cabinets - all the way! So fresh, bright and happy! Don't budge on it! Tell your DH that the rest of the house can be built but you are holding your ground and if he can't live with white cabinets, then he'll be living without a kitchen altogether! LOLOL Seriously, that first pic is gorgeous! We did tons of renovating when we moved in to our house and we both agreed (fortunately) that we wanted white cabinets in the kitchen. Here is a link, if you're interested. It hasn't been updated in over a year, so I have to say that the backsplash is white beadboard. I'm sure I have a pic somewhere. I soooo need to update the pictures on there. http://www.thecastelluccios.com/home/kitchen.html
Wow, did I ever get chatty?! LOL
Posted by: Sonja | June 28, 2006 at 05:23 PM
What is it with men and their freaking wood?! (lol, that sounded bad)....
Tell your husband, if he gets all dark *permanent* fixtures, like floors, cabinets, counters... then you get the paint the walls a BRIGHT and cherry colour.. if you get the white (or those awesome creamy white distressed looking ones... so cool).. then the walls can go darker, like that pic you posted with the great olive/sage walls.
I would go for white in a heartbeat.
Posted by: Kari Hentzelt - steppedonalego | June 28, 2006 at 07:26 PM
Hey you! Love all those cabinets and good for you for compromising! Hmmmm, who does the bulk of work in the kitchen?
We had dark wood and it drove me nuts - felt like I was in a cave. They're now light oak and the only dark part is the countertops.
Posted by: Traci | June 29, 2006 at 07:06 AM
Love the first picture (white cabinets, dark wood floors). My husband hates white kitchens, but I think they look bright and classy. Who wants to cook in a cave?!
Posted by: Chandra | June 29, 2006 at 07:19 AM
LOL...I say whoever is cleaning it wins the arguement!!! I love that white kitchen...but I named my daughter "Bianca" if that tells you anything about my love for the color white!!!!
Posted by: shanah | June 30, 2006 at 07:41 AM
"Well, WE are not actually building it (can you imagine me out there banging nails?" LOL!!! This made me laugh.
Ok, we re-did the kitchen when we bought this house last year. I did NOT like the idea of white. Now, after choosing some maple wood (which is still pretty, don't get me wrong), I actually like the white look. And yes, you should choose. It's the kicthen AND you love to cook & bake. You should definitely pick what you like!!!! :)
Posted by: Gina | July 02, 2006 at 11:06 PM
I am not sure how much I would like white with two small kids but in theory I love it :) Good luck on your battle- men can be so pigheaded sometimes ;)
Posted by: jen | July 05, 2006 at 10:25 AM