Fabulous Red

"Yay! I found the perfect color," I gushed holding up the paint chip. "You're kidding, right," he responded with a bit of fear in his eyes. "Absolutely not kidding! Look, it's even called Fabulous Red; I told you I wanted to put Max Factor lipstick red on the walls! At any rate, once everything is in place, it won't be that much red. But oh, this is the color!"

"Yeah, but I guess I didn't know what red looked like..." responded my very brave, but tentative husband while we stood in the home center. Then, "Look, you know I trust you. If that's the color you think we should use, just get it."

He was not the last man with whom I had a similar discussion. I had it with the painters when they popped the tops off the cans and just stared up at me from the floor with a look of surprise on their faces. One actually whispered, "Are you sure? Really sure?" I laughed at that one.

His partner, a wiry guy who looked like a biker said, "I think it's fantastic! Good for you!!" Him, I liked right away.

And, then I had it with the installers when they came in and saw the screaming red walls. When I said, "Look, I promise you when you get the cabinets up and the whole thing in place, you'll think this is one of the best kitchens you ever did."

His response was, "Lady, I just install them; I don't critique them." LOL!!! Best line ever. But, three days later, he stood there looking around and then said, "You were right, this is one of the best kitchens we ever did."

So, I stuck to the theme...and there definitely is a method to the madness. I've always wanted a a black, white, and red kitchen. And, thanks to Michael coupled with my ability to see things finished in my head, I so have my dream kitchen. While I know it's not for everybody, certainly not the faint of heart, I adore this spot. There's never a time when it doesn't make me feel happy or warm and safe.

Equally important, everyone who comes to visit loves being in this room. It's energetic and snappy. People always want to eat dinner at this kitchen table. Or sit and have a cup of coffee and a chat. So, here you go Toni...since you can't visit with me in person, I'm posting it so you can add it to your kitchen collection.

I painted this old table and it turned it pretty well. Again, a project that Michael said, "You want to do what to the edge? Oh, that'll be time consuming but should be cool. Let's go." Love that man!

How did we work without center islands? I use the heck out of this one. And, no, I didn't buy that dog treat jar. A friends sent it to Rory & Fiona for Christmas! How fun is that?

Even the M&Ms are coordinated. Yep...black, white, and red. You don't need money...just give it a crank and you get the prize.

A part of my collection. I love Scottie stuff from the 30s and 40s and that's what I concentrate on. I didn't design the kitchen around my collection, but it turns out the best place to house it. I figure if you're going to collect, you might as well put it in a space where you will see and enjoy it every day.

And the work space is well planned. Trust me, it doesn't have to be expensive to be perfect; that's ceramic bathroom floor tiles I used as my back splash. Easy to install as they come on a webbing- no fiddling with individual tiles. It was really inexpensive and works great as I can just wipe it down to keep it clean!

This is command central. I love cooking with gas! Michael says the dogs call this spot, "The Magic Corner." Fiona is generally under my feet while I'm prepping dinner. I call her my "Shoe Chef."

It's all in the details...so you have to take your time and hunt to find just what you need.

When I was looking for hardware, the first consideration was expense, but it had to add to the over-all look. Since I was going bold and graphic, the hardware adds to the cohesive look. And, they were on sale! Sweet!!!

You already know I am one of those people who has to have everything in its place, so yes, I designed a unit to hold my cookbooks all in one spot. And, the television is always on HGTV or Food Network. But, when Michael's home that gets switched to golf or news. We share well.

And, because I did this post at Toni's request, she asked us to show the inner workings of our kitchens not just the highlights. One that she suggested is the Tupperware and where it resides. So here you go Toni, here's where my containers live. And, no, I didn't straighten them up just before I took the picture!

So, there you have it...a quick tour of the Queen's kitchen...

Feel free to stop by for some coffee and cake. The door is always open to you. And, if any crumbs fall on the floor, don't worry about it...the Shoe Chef will make sure it gets cleaned up.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly