Decisions, decisions.

A title like that implies that I'm making huge, life-altering decisions. Well, no. Come now, lets not be so serious. I realize that choosing a paint color for my kitchen is. not. that. big. of. a. deal. But then why oh why am I having such a hard time choosing one? Sigh. I have no idea. I think because I feel like I've screwed up paint colors twice in this house thus far and am having a bout of paint selecting phobia.

Out of the five rooms we've painted in this house, I'm not thrilled with the color in two of them. So technically I've been 60% right. When I look at it like that, those aren't entirely impressive odds at all. But screwing up a bathroom isn't that big of a deal. And I must admit, I'm still not convinced the bathroom is a complete mess, it may just need the right accessories.

Anyway...picking the kitchen paint color. I think I've decided, finally. But I have never put so much thought into a paint color (perhaps why my odds are only 60%). I initially described it as butter yellow. Yes, I wanted a butter yellow kitchen. Creamy, country. You know. So we actually took a stick of butter and stuck it up beside the wall (not ON the wall, just to clarify). Oh my. Nope.

All that said, the color I'm lingering on is actually called Butter Yellow, but I like to think Behr didn't actually take a stick of butter and put it beside a wall. But really who knows. The moral of this entire story, is that I like it. I mean I think I like it. I want to like it. Sigh. See, I'm a paint doubter. All you devout painters would say "just have faith." Anyway, I think tomorrow is d-day, I will finally decide.
Butter Yellow by Behr
PS. It looks nothing like what it looks like on my computer screen.

In the meantime I've been thoroughly enjoying my half made-over kitchen. Did I mention my kitchen was gray? Like seriously. Gray fake tile floors, gray counter tops, gray tile back splash, gray walls and a gray ceiling to boot. Talk about gray overload. Its like a gloomy BC day...but even gloomier. So I've never (ever) liked the gray, and have always vowed to get rid of the gray.

And last Friday, I finally did it! I just started painting the ceiling like a madwoman. It was a shocking spur of the moment thing, not terribly well thought out (eg. we were supposed to have company the next day, and the day after that). But, here I am, with a white ceiling, and white primed walls. Its beautiful. I mean not beautiful enough that I would ever dream of leaving it, but its much better than gray any day.

So I've been looking and clipping out of magazines, for the quintessential lovely buttery, warm yellow kitchen. Doesn't this one just make you feel at home?

Photo Credit: House to Home

The catch with this whole Nepper-style kitchen "reno" is that it can't (or hopefully won't) cost more than $200. Hence why I have done that to the word reno. Not exactly worthy of the full recognition of the word. So my goals are to paint the ceiling, the walls, change the casings, change the baseboards, the back splash (to bead board), and eventually paint the cabinet doors. So technically, that's a lot of sweat (and likely tears), but not a lot of cash. Did I mention Airmiles has happily contributed $100 to the project? Yippee!

Another aspect to my makeover is sprucing up our front closet. For those of you who have been to our house, I'm sure you've seen the disaster that is my front hall closet. It has improved dramatically, but with two open shelves over the top, overflowing with cleaning products, there's a lot of work to be done. I plan to raise the shelves, switch out the curtain rod, get new shoe racks (done), a organizer cubby with fabric shelves to organize things like plastic bags, reusable shopping bags, etc. I also plan to have two hooks at kid level so the kids can hang up their own coats and a place for their shoes below. Did I mention touch it up with a fresh coat of paint? Phew...

Here are a few glimpses into my little makeover...

A new chindi rug for the front entrance. I wanted something fun and bright that could be easily washed. Although the white stripes on it prove to be a bit troublesome during Alberta's muddy spring.
$24.99. Canadian Tire.
I got two of these shoe racks. Double-stacked. Sheer brilliance.
$3.99 each. Zellers
A delicious red gingham fabric. Not sure if I can fit this in somewhere, but I do like it. My main colors are white (cabinets, appliances, ceiling), black (hardware, accents), red (accents), and creamy, buttery yellow (walls). Yum.
Decisions, decisions. And by the way, none of these are the color I chose. Although I really do like the color combination on the far right chip.
The two yellows side by side. I've had quite a few votes for the color on the right, but I think its just too bright for me. So I'm leaning towards the one on the left. And yes, I realize it really doesn't look yellow in comparison, especially next to the gray, but the splotches on my walls beg to differ.
Bye bye nasty gray. You won't be missed. At all.

Anyway, a little glimpse into the April project around Nepper's Landing. Never a dull moment. What's your vote for paint color? Creamy and warm? Or bright and funky?