The kitchen! Finally!

Finally, some pics of the long awaited kitchen reno.  It's mostly finished - just some things we need to save up some extra $$ before completing - like blinds and/or s-track curtains for the windows and new sliding doors (out onto a super sexy brand new deck - designed in my head, but nowhere near being built.....).  Oh, and a delicious Stella dining table.

Here are some before shots, from when we first moved in:

The previous owners left us a maiden hair fern which I promptly killed.  Indoor plants are not really my gig. Not ones that need tender loving care anyhow.

One of my favourite features - the public toilet-esque flouro lights.

Mmmm, loving those vertical blinds. And the shark grille sliding door.  Which we still have, but will eventually be replaced by something much easier on the eye. And harder on the wallet.

The piece de resistance, the mural of a french country kitchen on the splash back.  In our beige laminate 80's kitchen.  Weird.

Cork tiles in the kitchen, old and crusty carpet in the family room.  Not so handy for those with a two year old with a food throwing fetish. See her skulking around in the background? Looking all innocent and cute and stuff.

And so the demo begins.......

And finally.....it's all sparkly and new! 

The Tom Dixon Copper Shade's I lusted after for so long.  With the Osborne and Little Trifid wallpaper on the rear wall.  This combo makes me weak at the knees every time I enter the kitchen.

Shame about the massive ugly air conditioner, but with 40 degree (Celsius) days all this week, hell - I am not getting rid of that sucker.

I ended up going with the Sebastian stools from IKEA.  At $69 a pop, I say you can't go wrong.

We went with a Smeg freestanding cooker and range hood, and got the Smeg microwave for free as part of a very handy promotion running at Domayne.  Some people are all matchy-matchy with their appliances and insist on going with the same brand for everything.  I say buy exactly what will work best for you and fit your budget.  I am yet to have anyone visit and gasp 'Oh my!  A Smeg cooktop and a Miele dishwasher!  RUN!'. 

In the end, I went for a large 900 x 300mm polished tile splash back (with a pinstripe you need to be up close to see running through it).  If I could have found the right subway tiles, I still think they would have been the business....but these guys are super easy to clean and leave all the attention to the Copper Shades and the wallpaper. 

The freestanding bookcase is from Decor Living.

I adore my Iittala Ego coffee cups.  I picked them up from Unit Concepts in their pre-Christmas sale.

Some of Isobel's little skittle monkeys I have stolen and put on the shelf.  Insanely cute.

Paper Vase from Papaya, porcelain bandage votives from The Hive Gallery.

The view from the front hall.  I love that you can see the wallpaper through the  glass of the front door side panel as you come to the entry.  Once again, it's a shame about the ugly air con, but a girl's gotta keep her cool somehow.