Photoshop by D@n

This program is amazing if you can do it properly. Dan, a member of my favourite home forum has 'photoshopped ' my pantry picture, adding in the wallpapers I have selected. Can I just say what a difference! Originally I would say the light blue colour but after seeing these pictures, I think the brown/red pattern looks stunning. It just goes to show you how important it is to get samples before you make any selections.

Mrs B

Butlers Pantry... Wallpaper

Butlers Pantry...view from kitchen looking in...

Wallpaper from Graham and Brown

Ok, back to wallpaper. Kelly from Design Ties suggested I look at the Graham Brown colours and patterns. This is what I like so far...I think the two samples above and below are contemporary, subtle and will work well with my cabinets... well at least I hope so!(I probably wont know for sure until I get my A4 samples of the wallpaper) Maria from Colour Me Happy wrote this outstanding article called Insider Secrets to Testing and Selecting paint Colours

Maria explained in great detail why its always important to see colours on a larger scale than just from a paint chart. Well I think that goes for wallpaper as well...I need to see the whole pattern and feel the quality of the paper.

I also love this colour, the brown will blend in perfectly with the cabinets but still keeping the pale blue/silver back ground.

Mrs B

Fires, Kitchen,Pantry, Study...Wallpaper!

High Alert

I haven't updated the progress on the house for a week I think...that's because there has been no progress! But...I am not dwelling on anything negative as it is a terrible waste of emotional energy and all I can think of are the people in Victoria who right at this minute are deciding to stay and fight potential fires or evacuate. Five million messages were sent by the Emergency services today on our phones warning of severe weather conditions and winds. Over 360 schools throughout our state have been closed so I just pray that all the children and elderly are taken to the evacuation centres. On the news they are telling people there will be no warning so leave before 12am tonight before the winds start. Already there have been out of control fires burning throughout Victoria so all emergency crews are on high alert...OMG I don't know what to say...people are fillings up their bath tubs, hoses inside, hoses outside but if there is a similar firestorm like we had 3 weeks ago there will be no warning. This is just unbelievable. I just hope that everybody in the fire danger areas (some are part of Metropolitan Melbourne) are safe. It is so upsetting....





I thought I would show pictures of my 90% completed kitchen...I love my kitchen so much, exactly how I imagined it to be. I designed every single aspect of it, right down to the very last detail. Any body that has ever designed their own kitchen will know how difficult to achieve that 'certain look'. I spent hours with two different cabinets makers (long story hehe) countless hours pouring over the most beautiful kitchen books so to say I am happy is a big thing for me. We are going for the Henna Red glass splash back with under cupboard lights shinning on it. I am sure it will evoke 'strong' reactions from visitors but at least we have a talking point, a bit like a controversal painting LOL

Opening of our pantry

In this picture, I wanted to show you where our pantry is situated...for a reason..

Wallpaper in the Butler's Pantry?

I was reading all my favourite blogs and came across this post by Anna from Toxteth. Anna also wants to do a wallpaper splash back for different parts of her kitchen and bathroom. I think this is a fabulous idea and had been thinking about it for quite a while. She has beautiful wallpaper samples from Porters Paints and I have seen most of the patterns as well. So...I was wondering if anybody would like to comment about what style or colour wallpaper would look nice in my pantry. I know a few wallpaper shops in Melbourne but I wanted to get an idea about colour. The wood in the pantry and study is walnut but dark (I cant for the life of me work out why I picked this colour, must of been in one of my vague, weird moods) but dark it is. I can imagine a blue colour but there is nothing blue in the house at all. This is going to be the fun part...what a funky pantry its going to be!

Wall of pantry

Study Desk

This is our study desk. I also want to put wallpaper her between the two work stations. I can see a modern look here as my boys will use this area a lot. On the opposite walls are the green doors so I need to make sure I link in the two colours. Ginger coloured carpet is on the ground.

Mrs B

Bar, Laundry and Wardrobes...

The bar area

This is now the bar! I feel it has all come together and now complete. The top cabinets just make it look so much better and once again, I was seeing things half completed. The bar is upstairs as originally it was going to be like a second kitchen. I suppose it is in a way as there is a small oven going in, a round sink and a bar fridge. The back splash will be glass in Antique White USA (same colour as our walls) I am having a green couch in this area with gold and purple cushions! Don't worry everybody, the colours work really well together or they did in the shop LOL
I am also going to buy a big red vase of some description to tie in the red in the lounge area.

RED....GREEN....PURPLE....YELLOW

These are all the colours that need to work in the same room. Lucky I have white walls. I must also find a piece of art work that will tie all the colours together....Well I hope it will work!

The Laundry

A bad picture, but this is our laundry, I actually really love this room. So open with a lot of cupboard space. Our green doors are on now but still waiting for the wood doors below to be installed. The washing machine and dryer are on the other side.

Wardrobes

Here are the wardrobes completed. They look really nice but now we are both concerned that the kids wont look after the doors but it is something we have to teach them. I already except the fact the doors are going to be knocked around but it is just part of family day life. The builder is putting in a lot of safety stoppers and the like to protect the doors. This doesn't worry me at all, this house is a family home and it is going to take knocks and scratches for many years to come.

Well that is all the pics for now. Still waiting for this kitchen to be finished, house cleaned and the plumbing to be completed before I can take some really nice pictures. Also, thankyou for all the thoughtful, nice and encouraging comments that people have made. I love reading them every day and if there is a particular part of the house you would like to see, let me know and I will try and take a picture for you. At the moment it is such a mess so that's why there has been no shots of entire rooms, just the clean bits!

Mrs B

Kitchen and Wardrobes

Here are the pictures of my half completed wardrobes. It is unbelievable how much cabinetry there is just for these 4 robes. The pictures are my kids robes, ours are put together but not in yet, really big job for the installer. Our builder was there with us and he couldn't get over how nice they looked in the house. It is going to take a while to get use to this as we have never had anything like this before.

The next few pictures are of my kitchen. Thank goodness John (my builder...I told him about my blog today but not the name and he reckons he will find it so lets see if he does LOL) quickly put my fears to rest about that draw, all it needs is to be adjusted and he told me just to wait until its all done!

This is my colour splash back, Mr B and John loved it! I don't know, so I have taken a picture with the colour I had selected, in real life has got that wow factor (good wow, bad wow) I don't know....What is everyones elses opinions. Sorry I didn't take a further back shot but there is cabinets and stuff everywhere...its like taking a picture of a messy house to show everyone! Also this is the top cabinet I was talking about but you cant see the gap below in the picture.

Now you can see the top panel is just a little too high.

The Bar! Well, I wasn't going to put this picture in as it is not completed but I wanted to show you the colour....no need to comment as I want to wait to see all the cabinets installed above it...white and silver. One thing about this house is that it is showing my personality hehe parts of it are very conservative but then there is this creative, outrageous, funky element that just hits you when you walk into some rooms. Enough rambling, must press the submit button before I change my mind!

Mrs B