I am on a Quest…..

Byljanning@dukemanorfarm.com

For brightness, not necessarily whiteness. Let me explain.  With a house of more windows then I care to clean and more then the number of football players on a team , my core kitchen is still not very bright. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. Windows are situated across the room and not in this immediate area. You can see the entire kitchen here. 

 So my quest began……
About 2 years ago when I changed  my butlers pantry to a creamy distressed color. FYI-  this piece use to be black.

Over the course of 10 years, four different changes to the wall color in my Breakfast and kitchen area .  FYI- the previous colors have been school house red, a gold, a green color and now the current color called Polished Pearl.

Changing the mantle color to Old White

and the built-in cabinetry

 The latest in my quest for brightness was painting the mantle above the cook top so that both mantles shared the same color scheme.  I may decide to paint the entire cook top cabinet so that it gives it a more cohesive look.

So what else is next you ask in my master plan of changes.
Well, because I don’t have any interest in painting all of the cabinets in my kitchen and I like the combination of painted and wood cabinetry, I will paint the island. At this point I have not decided exactly what color I will use, but it will be light and not white. 
I am also going to replace the back splash with a creamy white subway tile.
 I think incorporating these minor changes will help to achieve the brightness that I want in the kitchen, and even after all of the changes are completed one thing will remain the same- I still don’t like to cook but at least it will be brighter!
Have you been on any quest’s lately?
Grateful for~
A husband who does!


PS- you can follow along on my quest here, here, here and here

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Just a gal that loves to share my family, home decor, design and life around here in the country.... on my real life funny farm at Duke Manor

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34 Comments

  6. Laura your home is beautiful, I think it will look great! I know what you mean though about not feeling LIGHT enough. I painted my cabinets white, they use to be a "Dark Chocolate" I love the change made a huge difference. Good luck

  7. I think your plan will work Laura. I love the mantle over the stove painted white. That looks great! Our house has a whole wall of windows in the kitchen/great room area. But I know what you mean…the light is filtered or something and it still ends up kind of dark in certain areas. We are trying to figure out where to put more lamps.

  9. You are doing much better on your quest than I on mine. Right before blogging I was on a eliminate and de-clutter quest. Over the past year I have hauled in more junk than the previous 10.

    Bliss

  10. I love those ideas, can't wai to see how they turn out! I'm on a quest now, to redecorate our master bedroom, and even though I am trying to make only minor changes, my husband is flipping out cause we are moving in may! I'm not painting the room, men just don't get it, we still have to live here til then, and with a new baby, I just want some happy colors around us when baby gets here!

  11. You have a great plan Laura…I love the fact that you are keeping the main cabinets the wood tone and adding painted areas…and the island would look fantastic painted….and you have a great consultant just a little ways down the road!!…and I am struggling with the decision of painting my cherry island too….Have a great day Laura!…

  12. I love how the built ins turned out! What a difference and so elegant. I also love the wood and paint combo. Have you thought about painting the entire hood and the base cabinet for the cook top white and leaving the rest of the cabinets wood toned? That might give you some added brightness without having to paint al the cabinetry. Just a suggestion. Looking forward to seeing what you do!

  13. You can add reflective surfaces around the room: mirror/s, place mirros on shelves to reflect the light out. Notice how your tea kettle brightens up that space. Anything that reflects light will bring in more brightness. Great job!

  18. I love the white/cream and wood combination! That is funny that you think your kitchen is dark. I lived in the woods in my last house and it WAS dark!!! In my new kitchen here, I have black cabinets, the windows are all across the room, and I feel like it is VERY bright!!! I think the island will look great painted. I am going to go look at the other posts too. XO< Pinky

  19. Love the backsplash idea! We don't really have a window in our kitchen either so I hear you on trying to keep things light – can't wait to see how it turns out.

  21. I fell calmness in every room of your home Laura; yes, brightness is one the most factors to consider when you decorate your home. The most common bright colors that homeowner preferred to use are yellow, golden yellow, orange, blue, and navy blue.

  22. Laura,
    I've been revisiting your kitchen pics and I spotted a board with "Family Rules"… could/would you share a close-up of it in the near times… once you put down the brush, of course ahahahah (no hurry :))
    I did some frames a while ago for the kitchen, but being in red I'm (soooo) ready to let them go and that sounds a charming idea 🙂
    Thank you in advance,
    Teresa

  24. I can hardly wait to see it come together, I like the idea mentioned above just hire a chef and dress him in white too funny. I have been on a quest for all things brighter too, stop by and see what's next for me….wallpaper beadboard have you tried it?

  25. Your kitchen is more than drool worthy! I love it! I totally understand the quest of lighting up your space. So glad that KariAnn from Thistlewood Farms shared your page. Can't wait to go and look what other pretty things you have done!
    Happy day!

    Tausha
    sassystyleredesign.com

  27. I love everything you've done so far! Painting the island will be so pretty and the subway tile is going to be gorgeous… are you going to do it yourself? I've been wanting to put some subway tile in our kitchen and I've been wondering if it is something I can do myself and not bother my husband with. 🙂

  29. Hi Laura~ ~
    I love what you have done and I will be looking back at your recent posts. This is my first visit here but I love your blog.

    I have been doing the same thing for almost 5 years now. When we moved into this victorian house it was so dark. I loved the coziness and richness of it but it needed some lightening up. I proceeded to paint most of my furniture white to give it a lighter feel. It is not true victorian but I love the look that I have and I am a bit of a rebel anyway. Sort of a Gypsy/Bohemian look. Stop by for a visit and see. Make it a wonderful day!
    ~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

  30. All of your changes sound great! The mantel hood especially. I think the two tones are not visually connected. Look forward to seeing the changes!

    I hope you'll come see My Daughter's Master Bath Redo! We're so proud of it – #83 at Met Monday.

    Allison
    Atticmag

  33. I truly understand your lightness/brightness/nonwhiteness quest!! The most helpful thing that we have tried is to mirror the backsplash! It really made a huge difference, was relatively cheap, and is VERY easy to keep clean! You do such a nice job with everything, I just thought I would share what helped us immensely!
    Blessings,
    J

  34. I truly understand your lightness/brightness/nonwhiteness quest!! The most helpful thing that we have tried is to mirror the backsplash! It really made a huge difference, was relatively cheap, and is VERY easy to keep clean! You do such a nice job with everything, I just thought I would share what helped us immensely!
    Blessings,
    J

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