Dreaming of a dream kitchen

I think pictures in a magazine have spurred more home improvement projects than any walk down an aisle at Home Deport. I found this picture of a dream pantry in some magazine and it has created the latest Bar B quandary: To pitch or paint?

My kitchen is about as low-key as you can get but I’m infected with the home improvement bug and I’m torn between just pitching all the cabinets and buying something new and resurrecting (painting) the ones I have. Decisions, decisions.

The things I don’t like about the cabinets: Too dark inside, old design, bad configuration and of course, there’s no pantry.

The things I like about the cabinets: They hold stuff.

I have doubts about painting this wood. I don’t know if the inside can be brightened up with paint. In my dreams I see streaks of old paint peeking through the light-colored paint.

One option I saw is called “liming” and it looks like it might work. The cabinets are scraped with a wire brush to make the paint fill the scratches and then the paint is wiped off. The effect is nice and if I keep the cabinets it’ll be the way to go.

I do have things in the kitchen that do work. The fridge and stove are new, but I want a less dinged-up sink and a faucet that isn’t old school, low school. The plumbing works but I don’t and won’t have a garbage disposal; it’s not good for the septic system.

Mountain houses are filled with wood and mine is no different. I’m thinking the solution to all that wood is to paint the cabinets. A light-yellow in the country style would be perfect. I’m not sure of what countertop to install but it won’t be similar to the faux wood laminate whose longevity is legendary.

The back splash I want is a color combo of light blue, light green and light yellow. I’ll probably just go with paint but tile is so pretty.

I spend a lot of times at the library searching out the kitchen design books. Most of the kitchens are flashy and elegant, more suited to my beloved kitchen in the house on Cove Creek. I’m lucky to have people around me who were born with the design gene, a line I forgot to stand in.

I need something that won’t detract from my gorgeous walls and vast expanse of hardwood floors. The search continues.

Back to the dream pantry. When I saw it I loved it. I didn’t know there was such a organizational miracle as a cabinet that holds all my big platters (they make a racquet when I put them away), has an easy to access place for spices, a drawer for whatever and shelves for food and stuff. The thing about kitchen cabinets is the guess. Which cabinet is that in? It would be so much easier to have most everything in one place. Cabinets should be easy to use: glasses and plates on either side of the sink, spices, cooking foods and utensils on either side and above the stove. Vases go above the fridge and pitchers go above the sink. A tea towel has to be draped on the handle of the stove.

Those are the rules, don’t ask me why, I didn’t make them up. I want to throw all that out and have my dream pantry. Most everything in one place. A dream come true.