State of the Kitchen

There are many times I am reminded of why I don't spend a lot of money on furniture and décor in my home. Between three boys and a dog something gets broken or stained several times a week. One of the last things to bite the dust were my counter stools in the kitchen. They do get heavy use since it's my kids favorite spot to eat and do homework. If you remember, the seats were a natural woven material. My kids have a habit of fidgeting when they do homework and would pull on the strands without even realizing they were tearing the seats apart. Sometimes I just throw my leg over their lap to keep their hands and legs still while they read their homework passages. If they started fidgeting too much they would fall over and take the stool with them. That's called karma, kiddos! I kept trimming the loose strands with scissors, but the final straw was a huge, thick red stain that looked a lot like spaghetti sauce covering one of the seats. How does that even happen? If you have kids, you know there are some stains you look at and decide that it's not worth the trouble to clean. So, I was on the hunt for new counter stools that would be completely kid-proof. I laughed at the upholstered seats. I cringed at the thin, metal industrial stools that already have several dents in them just sitting on the store shelf. I finally settled on an industrial stool from World Market.

The seats are wood so they are easy to clean and dark enough to hide any minor stains. I love how heavy and stable they are, too. I'm hoping the kids won't fall over so easily. The best part is they can swivel in circles to make the stool higher instead of having to sit on their knees when doing homework. They do tend to swivel back and forth as they are fidgeting during homework time, but that's better than falling off the stool or yanking the seat apart. Yes, my kids are a mess!

I do like the way the stools look in the kitchen, too. The wood seat just adds another layer of warmth in my mostly white kitchen.

The wood doesn't match perfectly with the dining chairs, but it's definitely close enough. You might notice a few other minor changes around the kitchen. 

 

The blue Le Creuset utensil organizer next to the stovetop adds color and even another way to add natural wood grain with the spoons.

I added a bit of fall to the kitchen with items I already had around the house. Bath & Body Works Leaves candle is still my absolute favorite scent.

That is a new Dash and Albert kitchen rug. My other blue striped one got a big snag in it when I put it in the dryer. I started air drying this one and it only takes a couple of hours to get it mostly dry. I do like the smaller blue stripes better anyway.

 

A wide shot of the kitchen and breakfast room from the living room.

 

I can't believe it's been almost four years since I gave this kitchen a facelift. It looks better and homier every year as I slowly tweak it. It can be a bit tight in here with a family of five. If it were just about five feet wider I could add one or two more stools at the island. It functions really well for the most part and it's just one of those rooms that feels good. Maybe that's why everyone gravitates here? I know it can't be my cooking!