Friday, April 16, 2010

To Paint or Not To Paint

that is my questions for you peeps.

Here's my dilemma.



We have this one wall in our kitchen and it really has no purpose. We didn't put cabinets on that side for two reasons - 1. we were basically out of money from having just gutted the kitchen and putting cabinets everywhere else...and 2. we weren't sure if we were going to maybe knock that wall out and open the kitchen to the living room. (please excuse the Diego Rescue Backpack in the lower right of the photo AND the tools all over the stove. They are not, in fact, supposed to be there but the hubby and the 3 yr old seem to use this part of my kitchen as a "catch all" dumping ground. )



SO I just made do. The stove is an old Chambers that was in the house when we bought it. It probably still works although it isn't hooked up to anything right now. We just moved it over there b/c I thought it was cool and old and I didn't want to part with it. I store water bottles and capri suns in it now! Anyway - I don't really want to get rid of it yet BUT, truth is, I could use more storage in the kitchen. And it is kinda taking up a large amount of room without a large amount of function. Not a good combo.

Now - for reference - here is picture of our other side of the kitchen - so you can get a feel for the color of the cabinets, etc.

after backsplash

after backsplash

I *tried* resizing 3 times - no idea what is going on here - but you get the idea of what the kitchen looks like.

Here's what I'm wondering. We have this China cabinet in our dining room - the dining room that is currently under Re-DO. This was part of the dining room set that hubby's dad gave us. We didn't buy it or pick it out - it was a freebie.




We already *have* a china cabinet in the dining room that is built in and original to the home. You can see it in these pictures.



Original leaded glass. *swoon* I love this cabinet.


Point is I don't need two. It is cluttering up the space. And it is big and dark. And ...well...I just don' t love it. BUT it was given to us by hubby's father. This was hubby's parent's dining room furniture.



So do I take the doors off, paint it the same creamy color as the existing cabinets, and move it into the kitchen - it could hold my dishes and I could put baskets in the bottom (where the doors are now) and use it for storage. OR should we leave it as is? If we leave it alone it is going to the basement to be stored.

*sigh*

Obviously I'm on the side of painting it and USING it. Hubby is afraid we'll "ruin" it if we paint it. I told him I would rather be using it and loving it instead of having it languish away in storage. I don't know. I need opinions!

13 comments:

  1. Hi there. I found your blog through Friday Follow. If you would be interested in following my blog, I would gladly return the favor.

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  2. Oh definitely put that cabinet in the kitchen! Don't ban it to the basement! And I'll come to PV and choke you if you get rid of the Chambers! What about moving the stove into the dining room? Do you think I'm crazy?

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  3. lol - the Chambers in the dining room? I actually would have no wall space for it...hmmm..I was actually trying to get things out of the dining room!

    No, not getting rid of the Chambers b/c I do HEART that thing big time and it's lived in this house WAY longer than I have - it belongs here. I just..I'm not using it right now and it is taking up space and not contributing! I'm trying to live more authentically SO that means that the things around me need to have more of a purpose. It may go live in the garage for awhile...and then if we do the "outdoor" kitchen it may move there...we'll see. But it isn't leaving our home.

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  4. Here's my two cents, for what they are worth, which is two cents. As much as you love the Chambers, if it's taking up more space than you have, if you're truly not using it, and it's just going to sit around in the basement or somewhere, why not sell it to a collector and use the money for something special for your family? Just a thought. ;)

    I LOVE the idea of painting that cabinet and moving it to the kitchen. You could even do a fun background paper or paint on the back wall of the cabinet to contrast with the white. That would be a great storage piece. :)

    Thanks so much for linking up to my party. :) I hope you're having fun "mingling." ;)

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  5. Hi Amanda!
    Lots of talented women linked up to your party! And I've discovered some new blogs. I'm excited!

    You know, we've talked about selling the Chambers a couple of times but both of us are really hesitant about it...maybe that is a sign to keep it a bit longer?

    And YES sista - I was gonna paint the inside of the hutch the same color I have on my dining room walls - it's called Burlap and is a sort of green/gold color. I thought it would POP against the cream color I want to paint the rest of the cabinet AND would make my white dishes really stand out too.

    Ok, cool. I'm thinking its a GO to paint. AND hubby's dad called last night and gave us his blessing to paint it too. :)

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  6. I love that old stove! But I do think you should move the china hutch into the kitchen. Paint it for sure. I think it would be beautiful!

    XOOX
    Jen

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  7. It would so pretty painted, but I would paint it a bright color, to really make it pop, not just white to blend in. What accent colors do you have in your kitchen, maybe a red or gold.

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  8. Wow ... definitely a dilemma. SUPER COOL Chamber thingie (whatever it's called). How about this ... do a little research on how much money you could get for it, put your dream price tag on it, and if it sells for that get rid of it. Other wise put it in the garage and hang onto it until ... something.
    Definitely put the other hutch in the kitchen and make it usable space. If I were you I would try and find a way to use that Chamber thingie :-)

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  9. I vote paint. How about white or another fun color that would contrast the white cabinets and then rough it up and use a mocha or smoke glaze. I think paper on the back walls would be nice also. I have a similar dilemma I posted about. My hubby about had a heart attack when I told him I wanted to paint our cabinet. Ha!

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  10. oh paint it!!! For sure, it will be wonderful. Almost all men are afraid to paint wood. My man and I have this discussion all the time. Sometimes I win. Sometimes I loose. lol!

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  11. The cabinet is perfect for your kitchen! It has a similar look to the other built-in so I'm sure it will feel as if it belongs there!! I can't wait to see the results :).

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  12. Thanks you guys! Ok, so the cabinet is going to be my next big project. I'm excited!!!!!

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