Well, what about white?
Well, what about it? I cannot describe most of today and I won’t even begin to try. The GG confronted me after work today about our, ahem, kitchen renovation. The one that we need to get going on soon. Knock out a wall. Refrigerator in the front living room. That kind of stuff.
Against all odds, I am thinking about white cabinets. I’ve been thinking about them for a while. My kitchen will not look like the beautiful one in the photo that I scanned out of a magazine. It isn’t configured in the same way and, although we have a woods behind our house, the kitchen doesn’t look out onto it. It looks out onto the back yard that for many years belonged to the Burkes. The backyard with Burke’s Erection, a rather elaborate deck and gazebo construction. Where the Burkes had cocktails on many afternoons. Those afternoons that they weren’t gallivanting around the country or world. The Alma Highland Festival. Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Russia. Wherever. The GG and Burke had faarrrworks waarrrs in the old days and more than once, we witnessed Burke in all of his newborn glory out on his deck in the middle of the night.
The Burkes are dead and we have new neighbors now. They are fine and I am not proud of myself. I introduced myself when they first moved in but I have not been as friendly as I could be. Sigh. I live under a rock. My particular rock is “I work outside the home. dah dah dah.” Well, I do work outside the home as y’all are tired of hearing about. But. Not a good excuse.
Anyway. Kitchen… I am now thinking… White cabinets. Wood floor (the GG is grumpy about this). Granite countertops. Motawi Tile backsplash. Glorious vibrant color wherever I can fit it into the details…
Updated to say thanks for all the comments. I was trying to love cabinets in a natural wood color but since I want a wood floor also (yes, I know water can damage it), I thought I would get lost in all that brown. Not my favorite color in life. Keeping white clean. The jury (both on and off-line) is split on that. (-: No wood stove here at least. I can see how that could create an ongoing cleaning issue.
February 23rd, 2010 at 8:47 pm
White is nice. They also have white with a little wood trim if you like. You can always change accent colors in the kitchen too (stuff like hot mits, towels, canisters, etc.). Oh, and white also looks nice with any color of food! I wonder if you like the cabinets with the glass windows. I have a couple of those but I don’t care for them. You have to keep them nice and neat and put pretty things or glassware in them. Then you have to wash the stuff to keep it looking nice. I am not very good at that. I’m sure that whatever you choose, you will love your new kitchen.
February 23rd, 2010 at 9:30 pm
I have white cabinets and they are very cheery. (also easy to clean) I think it’s a nice look, warmed up by the wood and backsplash.
February 23rd, 2010 at 9:39 pm
Ok I must say that I would not dare to have white in my home, but then again I heat with a woodstove. And deep clean at least every “blue moon”.
I think the saving grace is the peace you find in doing dishes probably translates to clean white cupboards too.
I know someone who is voting for green cabinets for sure, and I am wondering if he is still riding that whacky vacuum cleaner around. Did you really keep that contraption? Can I have a ride sometime?
February 23rd, 2010 at 9:49 pm
I can picture white cabinets and smile. But then I remember the cabinets when we moved into our house. They were not white, just “natural” blondish wood. Except the 80-year old that had lived in the house for over 50 years had not been able to clean really well (deep cleaning?) and I imagine his eyesight was also a bit limited. So when Carl cleaned off the cabinets they became several shades lighter. With white it would seem this color change would show up sooner than later.
February 23rd, 2010 at 10:02 pm
White looks good new, but it ages the fastest of all colors. White shows the dirt the best. My Mom has pulled off white for over twenty-five years, but it has been a lot of work. It is not for the light hearted. Have I turned you off on white yet?
February 23rd, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Our cabinets are ever-so-light beige, eggshell, off-white—not sure the exact name…anyway, they don’t look dirty when they’re clean! Apparently, when I’m scrambling in the kitchen I open cabinet doors with wet hands & smear the cabinet fronts….
Ah, well, (mostly) I really like the color, which was here when we moved in.
February 24th, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Wood floors do not have to be a problem. Just have one of those finishes like basketbal courts or whatever.
February 25th, 2010 at 12:40 am
I’m not a white-cabinet fan because I LOVE wood. Honestly, wood doesn’t feel “brown,” it feels like wood! Simple, unadorned, wood. But that’s me and my Pacific Northwest heritage I suppose.