The blue kitchen

Really -- you're not at the wrong blog! I'm sure I'm not the only one who never imagined I would have a blue kitchen.

But first...a little background info so you know how I got here.

Remember this?? I loved it, I just wanted to try something different.

So I did.

You might be asking why at this point. I really wanted to add the family things I find around here to my kitchen and give it a more truly vintage feel. If you remember, my great grandfather bought this house in Balsam for his summer property. My dad grew up here, and since my grandfather saved everything from the house when it was torn down, we have slowly been adding trim, doors, windows, etc., to our house on the same property. Oh how I LOVE this house and wish it had been preserved.

Here is my grandfather in the old kitchen before the house was torn down. I love my grandmother's cafe curtains, and you will see the scale on top of the cabinet later. That countertop is still here in the little guest house. No, I didn't use that:-) I would love to have marble countertops but I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen in this lifetime. I'm thankful for what I have.

Back in May I painted the red walls blue. That was a big step for me because I really liked the red. I was really surprised when I found the same color paint was on the backs of the old trim. I knew I was on the right track.

After painting the walls, I didn't like the natural wood tone of the cabinets so I decided, after MUCH thought, to paint most of the cabinets the distressed grey color from the old house, while others got a stained walnut treatment to match the old trim, and a couple were painted black. Here you can see the old trim next to the cabinet I stained. I'm happy with the match!

It has taken me all summer to do this little project.

I'll just stop talking now and let you take a look. It is definitely different from most of the kitchens out there.

Wood trim from the old house gives this sink somewhat of a farm sink feel, although my grandmother certainly didn't have a farm sink, so I'm staying true to the original kitchen.

Cafe curtains made from my grandfather's feed sacks, and an old Southern Railroad lantern in the window. My grandmother's cows are very happy in the window next to her blue Mason jar.

A little dish that came with flour sacks to grandfather's store holds locally made soap...

The 1912 scale is the one in the photo of my grandfather above. My mother let me "borrow" it. I fell in love with these Lincoln Beautyware brushed steel canisters from the 1950s and thought they would add a little sparkle. They are usually chrome, so I was lucky to find them in this finish.

I made the window shade with drop cloth fabric and denim ticking. The hand-hooked wool rug belonged to my grandmother.

I changed all the drawer pulls to cup pulls. The cabinets were sanded, painted with Colorplace "Grand Smoky Mountain" then sanded and rubbed with Minwax walnut water-based gel stain.

My kids love this rotary phone even more than they love the old typewriter! They fight to answer it, and they always use it to call.

I love having the children's artwork on the refrigerator. I change it out as they bring more home from school.

LOVE my 1950s square chrome cake carrier:-) My mom gave me the canning basket, and the 12-bottle Coca Cola carrier was hanging in the garage.

I've made several feed sack towels to use around the kitchen, and this print with the four leaf clover, is one of my favorite.

The screen door is another piece that came from the old house.

Well, this is my new, blue, vintage kitchen. It was quite a departure for me, but I'm so happy to have used so many colors and accessories from the house my dad grew up in. My grandmother, who we always called by her first name, Isabelle, would probably be asking me why I want all this old stuff. I only wish I could tell her that it reminds me of her and granddaddy.