The Heart of the Home

Do you remember looking forward to "show and tell" at school?  Would you like to know what I have been doing lately?  I hope so as I would dearly love to do a bit of show and tell!  I have been renovating my kitchen which was in dire need of a surgical intervention.  It has been a long and arduous process circumscribed by a budget the size of this ===> .

I had replaced the stove, refrigerator and fume hood already in this photograph:

Due to budgetary reasons, the cabinetry and tile flooring had to stay for the time being.  Because of these elements that were staying, any new additions had to work with the existing colour scheme.  The people who lived here before me used the laminate countertop as a chopping board and it was in a sad state.  The porcelain sink was stained and scratched and the faucet was a drippy mess.  A granite countertop, stainless steel double sink, new faucet and dishwasher was installed.

I bought the countertop, sink and faucet from Home Depot.  At Home Depot, granite comes in different price brackets.  In my price range, I only had two choices.  One was a peachy pink which was clearly not an option.  The other option was the one I chose.  It looks black from far away but is actually made up of very dark green, iridescent clear, white, black and amber chunks.  When I look at it, I am reminded of a river rushing over pebbles.  It gives the space a warmth and depth that balances the severity of the stainless steel and grey tones.  When the old countertop was taken away, it left a gap where the partial laminate backsplash used to be.  I couldn't find any combination of tile to fit that gap.  Then in a moment of inspiration, I came up with the idea of having a custom made stainless steel backsplash to fit that gap.  Initially, the contractor I had asked to help me fabricate it brushed away my idea and I noticed he did so time and again with many of my ideas. Nonetheless, I prevailed and am so pleased with the result as it echoes the stainless steel appliances, the grey strip of tiles further up the back wall and was a cost effective solution that saved me the bother of retiling the entire backsplash.  I wanted to weld the old and the new together and still achieve a cohesive look.

 

When I started renovating my home, I was full of uncertainty but determined to try.  I had never owned, much less operated a power tool before and often had to rely on Google to show me what to do.   And I discovered that this journey has become a journey of self-discovery.  The process has pushed my creativity, imagination and resourcefulness to the limits.  At times, it has been difficult to stay true to my artistic vision in the face of doubting naysayers but that can be said about many aspects of life, wouldn’t you agree?

And they do say that the kitchen is the heart of the home.  Now I can say that the heart of L'Heure Bleue At Home has been refurbished, mended and sewn back together with care.  And, if I could, I would like nothing more than to invite you over for tea.

I am linking up to A Beach Cottage and Good Life Wednesdays.