Before & after: The Breakfast Nook

before..

during...

after...

There it is. One finished breakfast, lunch and dinner nook.

The stuff

Textiles

Pillows - Dwell Studio Gate Charcoal {found on Amazon for 1/2 price)

Pillows - Clearance Anthropolgie curtain panel repurposed, found at Liquid Marin

Bench - Subrella Indoor/Outdoor Upholstery in Green, found at Discount Fabrics

Table

Base - Simon X Table Base, found at Pier 1

Top - Plywood from local hardware store

Covering - Plexi vinyl in soft white, found at Joanne's

Light fixture

Pulley Pendant Lamp at CB2

A visit to Heath

Just look at the color.
  

Even when something doesn't seem to fit in your budget, consider it anyway. There are back splashes and trim and accent pieces. The trick is to know how to marry commercial grade materials with hand-made crafts pieces, like any of these tiles from Heath Ceramics.

I came home with a handful of samples but what I wanted to come home with was a number 1 and a number 2. Because seriously, these house tiles, are the best that I have seen.

Will have to wait until we actually remodel the front gate and entry way, but these will be coming home.

Clean, fresh and fast

The home inspector said something like "inadequate laundry facility" in his report. You think?

A 30 year old washing machine, a mini "condensation" dryer (that means not having a vent in case you had never heard of one", a burnt electrical outlet and oak shutter doors that closed sometimes. We knew this would need to be one of the projects we tackled quickly so off we went to look at small capacity washer and dryers. 

Here was the big issue: the location of this "laundry room" is in a place that will be torn down and remodeled within the next 12 months, so we needed a temporary yet practical solution. Out went the Mieles and the LG Grand front loading sets in Cherry Red. In came a stackable, used Maytag Neptune stacked work horse, that I found on Craigslist for $799.

A newly installed vent, a new 220V 3 prong plug and 2 new water valves, and we are up and running! And really, although the 3 weeks of wash'n'fold (and delivery service) were kind of dreamy, I never could have thought that washing four utility towels and folding them myself could make me smile the way it did this morning.

And as for our used Maytag, well, the towels are clean, smell super fresh and the cycles are fast. What else should laundry be.

White dishes

I have been dreaming of new everyday dishes.

Mostly I have been dreaming of new dishes from Heath Ceramics, but the voice of practical parenthood says no way in hell. 

There is a fine line between not abandoning one's appreciation for beautiful things when parenthood arrives and buying all plastic, but I have realized that care taking precious things or worrying about "stuff" in not one of the battles I wish to pursue. I was reminded of the importance of this when I found the nugget had almost artistically emptied a half full Brita onto the cushions of our couch. I didn't freak, I didn't even get mad. I simply said, "Thank goodness we have an old IKEA couch" and then I gently talked to him about water not belonging on furniture and then gave him a towel to clean it up.

And now, I think I am headed to IKEA for some new white dishes.

{found on pinterest}