Favorite Room.....Redhead Can Decorate

I had just sat down to work and opened up my e-mail and noticed the name "Kim Nichols" in my inbox.

GASP!

Then,next to it in the subject area, it said "Favorite Room Guest Post".

Double GASP!

I grabbed my glasses (I needed to be able to see for this one) and quickly clicked over.

I felt honored, happy, excited…even nervous.

Kim was asking me, the little redhead who likes to decorate up in Michigan, to share my favorite room!

I didn't even have to think about it.

I responded back immediately with a big fat "
Are you kidding!? Me???Yes! I'll be there!"

So, here I am.

It's my day on "Savvy Southern Style"!

I am thrilled to be here with you, and I can't wait to share my favorite room with you.

First, I would like to tell you a little bit about who I am.

My name is Julie, and I blog at redheadcandecorate.com.

I am married 20 years this August to my college sweetheart.

We are blessed with 2 beautiful girls, and 1 sweet kitty we rescued.

We live in Southeast Michigan in a large suburb called Lake Orion.

We are surrounded by many lakes in Michigan, including the Great Lakes.

Our Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons are beautiful, and our Winters are, well…

beautifully brutal!

We purchased our "Cape Cod" style home in 2008 after my husband was transferred.

It needed a ton of work, but we loved it's charm.

From the yard, to the faucets…we had big plans.

Over the last 7 years, we've managed to transform the home into our special little nest in the woods.

The home is now full of special memories I'm sure I will wish back one day.

Within those moments, there is one room that stands out the most.

Literally, the heart of our home...

our kitchen.

Our kitchen is home base.

It's where we all meet in the mornings, the evenings, and even for midnight snack attacks.

I guess you could say that I'm the head coach.

Standing behind home plate up there directing all the players.

From our children's hand written growth chart in our pantry, and their silly slip and slide dances in their PJs,

to memories of our dog, Dude, eating his raw hide.

It's a very special space, and this is how it all began...

When we first walked into the kitchen, it was as if a spell was cast.

I was instantly attracted to the beautiful cabinetry and fireplace.

None of the houses we had looked at came close to the unique features this house holds.

Somehow, I managed to look past all of the updates that were needed, and I recognized the good bones underneath.

The idea to paint the cabinets didn't come until about a year later.

I wasn't a blogger yet, I didn't even know what a blog was.

In fact, I was very busy taking care of our oldest daughter.

She had become ill and it was a scary time for our family.

In the middle of it all, I began painting the cabinets black.

I know…crazy what stress will do.

I guess you could say, in the darkness, I found light.

I needed the escape, I needed the therapy.

Painting the cabinets brought me comfort, and kept me busy when I was full of worry.

My hubby became involved and the more we did, the more we knew how beautiful it could become.

I'm very happy to let you know our daughter pulled through.

She is a healthy teen now, and we are extremely thankful.

In many ways, our kitchen is the result of the strength and courage we needed at that time in our lives.

We continued to paint, a lot...and finally began to add details that would take it up a notch.

The cabinets were painted a mix of black and white to balance the light.

We added rustic accessories through out the kitchen.

Everything we did was done with a strict budget in mind.

My husband and best friend made the beams/column in our garage, and we found the light fixtures on sale.

I made the "X" moldings in the windows out of moldings from Home Depot.

We sanded down all of the oil rubbed bronze knobs to make them look like copper.

We also installed all of our own faucets.

Now a days, I decorate it with things that don't cost a fortune.

For example, I used stickers to decorate our pantry door.

I made this DIY candelabra vase from old ceiling fan shades.

I found these red & white checkered dish towels at the dollar store.

(I know how you love your checkers, Kim!)

The rustic iron light fixture is also from Home Depot for a steal.

The rug too.

I almost forgot to tell you that we spray painted our 25 year old fridge panels.

Knock on wood panels, this baby is still breathing.

No matter what we are celebrating,

from Thanksgiving Day,

to Christmas morning...

to Valentine's Day,

to Memorial Day...

our kitchen is where we celebrate the life we are blessed to live.

Oh, and I do a lot of my blog work there too.

It's funny how everything fell into place.

After our daughter was feeling better she told me I should write my own blog.

"Blog?" I asked.

"What in the world is that?"

Our kitchen has been there for us through it all and represents the love and hope our family holds.

I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you will stop over to see me at redheadcandecorate.com soon.

Thanks for inviting us over, Kim!

Thanks so much Julie for letting us in to view your favorite room and for getting personal with us. Your kitchen is a beauty.
If y'all don't don't know Julie and her blog Redhead Can Decorate then hop on over there and get inspired.

Miss any past favorite rooms? Catch up on all of them here.

I hope y'all have a super weekend!