A Peek Into Kitty's House...

My Backsplash & Medallion

If I had a nickel for every time someone has

Shelves

asked me what my house looks like!  Well, to be honest, it is a work in progress.  We have lived in our home less than 3 years and to many, that is plenty of time to make a house a home.  To someone who spends her days decorating, renovating and staging other people's homes, I need time!  So room by room (sort of), I am working my way through our little gray cape cod.  When it is finally finished, I will have professional photos taken and post them, but until then, I am showing snippets of areas that I particularly love.
My favorite room in my house is the kitchen.

Jars

Last summer we demolished it down to the studs and built it back up.  I wanted open shelves, dark gray cabinets and a classic backsplash that fit with the style of my home.  I went with an elongated white subway tile in a herringbone pattern.  Dark gray grout was must!  I hate cleaning white grout and I hate the look of dirty grout, so that was an easy decision.  The leaded glass medallion (pictured above)

Mugs & Coffee Grinder

from KalamazooKitty, is the perfect piece hanging over the stove.  We left out the upper cabinets in the kitchen, so I used leftover pieces of butcherblock from my island to make the open shelves that I had in mind to hold my creamy white dishes and glassware. They also hold my collection of Restaurantware mugs and vintage coffee grinder. I am often asked where I hide all my "ugly" kitchen dishes.  The answer is simple...I don't have any!  Living with open shelves in your kitchen requires a strong sense of organization and simplicity. 

Windows

A huge collection of travel coffee mugs and water bottles do not have a home in my kitchen!  Almost everything "on display" is either creamy white, metal or clear glass.  That keeps everything looking clutter-free and pretty.  Open to the kitchen is the informal family room.  A casual

Mantle

sectional from KalamazooKitty fills the room perfectly.  I added a collection of old windows to an entire wall and more clocks than you can count on one hand.  My kids think it is fun to stand in one spot in our house and see how many clocks they can find without moving.

Yes, I have a clock problem! This cozy family room also has a gas-burning fireplace with a wood mantle for hanging stockings or holding a rusty metal bird off-season.  During the short summers of Michigan, we can open up the sliding french doors to our favorite room outside of our house...the screened-in porch!

Dining Room

Rusty

We LOVE this room.  Eating breakfast, playing cards or enjoying dinner are just a few of the many things you will find us doing in that room in June, July and August.  In addition to our informal family room is our informal living room. 

Dressform

Let's just say we are informal people!  Another sectional and
collection of bookcases from KalamazooKitty fill this room nicely.  Speaking of collections...you will also find dozens and dozens of books, vintage suitcases, folding rulers, and some of my favorite "finds" from my many hunting trips over the years.  This dress form is on the top of my must-have list!  The foyer is still in the process of a make-over, but so far I have painted the stairs, added a runner, hung a barndoor, and placed a HUGE "up" arrow in just the right spot! 

Going up?

Barndoor & SAM

Some giant metal letters spelling SAM (who is SAM anyway?!) and a painted bench make this small area quaint, yet functional.  A previous post gave you a glimpse into my office and laundry room make-over, but I included a few more photos anyway! Metal bins and old crates make up the dividing wall between these two rooms.  Check out this post for more.

Office Bins

Getting hungry?  I know...I know...I'm rambling!  Come on into my dining room and I'll fix you up the most delicious meal you have ever eaten...Paleo, of course! 

My Boots!

While there, you can take a minute to count up all my old levels that I have gathered from the Traverse City area, southern Michigan and right here in Kalamazoo!  They seem to have a way of finding me :).    Nestled between two upholstered chairs sits an old drum for a side table.  A drum?! 

Drum Table, literally!

That's right!  Pound away or set your drink down, but I just love it!  That is one of my favorite KalamazooKitty finds to date!  The last room on my main floor is the powder bath.  The walls are covered with the same tile from my kitchen, a vivid wallpaper and lots of trim pieces. An old metal "office" sign finishes it off!

Powder Room...get it?!

Powder Room

I love this little jewel box that everyone sees when they come over for a party!  It is, however, still patiently waiting for an old workbench to hold a galvanized tub as a sink.  Can't you just imagine it?  It will make the perfect utility sink that I need desperately for washing paint brushes and cleaning up projects.  Watch for a future post when that room is complete.  That is just about where the renovations stop...for now.   The upstairs bathrooms will both be gutted,

Foyer

I hope, and in will go a clawfoot tub with galvanized roofing material as a tub surround to go with the horizontal boards on the wall, painted the perfect shade of white.  I can hardly wait!  The bedrooms need paint, new lighting and floors.  Floors?  Oh yeah!  I forgot to mention that I ripped out the carpet the day we closed on the house and it has never been replaced. 

Folding ruler

I am hunting for floor boards to match the existing boards in the upstairs hall, but in the meantime, I painted the subfloor!  I have to admit that I like it a lot, so I'm not in a huge hurry to find those boards.  My husband, on the other hand, is not a big fan of it, but he sure does tolerate my nonsense!  At this point, the upstairs and basement have been virtually untouched since we moved in.  Maybe next year...
I packed in as many pictures as I could, so I apologize for the layout!

(Still wondering who SAM is????  Those are the first letters of my children's names!)

This is from Kalamazoo...to you!