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Friday, February 22, 2013

Romantic Kitchens

Can a kitchen be romantic?
Why of course!
That one above is definitely romantic.
The frilly details of the cabinets and the sconces make it so.
\
This one is -  in a bright airy way.
Pretty brackets, dishes and flowers makes this one dreamy.
That marble doesn't hurt either.
The hot pink towels make it clear that this kitchen is intended for romance.
This kitchen is divine. 
Chandeliers....beautiful furniture and a fireplace...complete the romantic ambiance.
More marble, pretty china and flowers take this kitchen from ordinary to precious.
This is a glamorous kitchen. Clean and pretty and flowers.
This kitchen is for romance most assuredly. 
Perhaps too much romance going on here and not enough cooking.
This I think would be the most romantic kitchen of all...side by side stoves.
You each have your own stove to cook on!
It's a great kitchen too!

Though I don't live with another person...I do have someone to cook with.
My Violet.
I cook pasta a lot and rice too...things that need to boil and then simmer for awhile.
I will start the pot and then come in and get on the computer and before I know it I've forgotten all 
about my cooking pot.

But Violet doesn't...she will come in when she knows it's done. 
She can smell that it's ready.

So many times I've forgotten I was even cooking anything and then here she comes
with her demanding bark.

Many times...I've said.."Now, hush!"
"You've already been out and you've eaten."
"What could you possibly want?"

I totally have forgotten I had something on the stove.

Violet becomes more insistent.
Barking her loudest bark and lunging forward.
Finally, I get up to go see what she wants only to discover my pasta is boiling or 
the rice is about to scorch!

And then I feel so bad for putting her off!
She knows the food is done and has come to tell me!

She always gets a big thank you and bites of whatever I'm cooking.
Of course she knows she will get her share which is why she watches it so closely.
She doesn't want me to burn her dinner!


So I'm thinking about kitchen stuff because I bought a new kitchen faucet about a month ago.
And now that life has settled down...I'm thinking of installing it.

Have any of you installed a kitchen faucet yourself?
The only thing that has me worried is where you turn the water off.
I'm not sure about that. 

Let me know if you've done it and if it was very hard.

I watched my Dad install a bathroom faucet once in my old house.
He made an awful ruckus about having to be under the sink.
I fear that is the hardest part.

20 comments:

Cindi Myers said...

Oh my, I love ALL of these kitchens!
I think #5 and #7 are my favs.
#7 being more my current style.
I adore that little Violet! She's SO pretty and it's nice to know that you have someone there watching over you so that you don't burn down the house.
About the faucet. My advice is to hire some handyman. Someone who has installed them and knows about the plumbers putty stuff and etc.
I once installed my bathroom faucet inside the cabinet. I was so proud of myself until one day I realized that I had done something wrong and it was slowly leaking against the wall and destroyed the back wall of the cabinet. The cabinet had to be torn out and the drywall and plaster replaced. It was awful. Much cheaper to pay someone a few bucks. As the guys at your local hardware store for a referral or check on Angies list. Ask your neighbors if they know someone. anyway, that's what I would do if I had to install a faucet again.
(The water turn-off valve should be underneath on the vertical pipes running up to the faucet and just turn the knob so that it's horizontal because you probably won't listen to me.)
xoxo - Cindi

Tara Dillard said...

Oh no, thought I loved my kitchen.

Wish I hadn't seen these pics.

Garden & Be Well, XO Tara

Dewena said...

My favorite kitchen is yours--with Violet in it! That dachshund nose serves a practical purpose other than being so cute. Does she ever nudge you on the leg with that cold nose if you ignore her? Good girl, Violet!

Anonymous said...

Love the show of kitchens......The faucet is delicious where did you find it? My 39 yr old son installed my new faucet not long ago. The turn off is on the pipes going up to the sink. When I want to do something I go to the internet and ask how to do it. Sometimes there are videos showing exactly what to do. I think you are capable so go for it. Bobbie

Cindy said...

Gorgeous kitchens, especially the ones with chandeliers and marble.
If I were to ever redo my kitchen, it would have both of those!
I'm sure you can find the info you need to install the faucet yourself, you're a very hand lady.
Cute story about Violet, perhaps I need a Violet to tell me when my rice or spaghetti is boiling over, I've done the very same thing SO MANY times. :)
Hugs, Cindy

Nita Stacy said...

Cindi is right...I probably should pay a hand man. I do know one. This is such a pretty faucet...I don't want to screw it up. It's a $300 plus faucet I found on Ebay for $80. I've been watching Ebay for months - no years for the perfect one. I wanted a bridge faucet and I wanted it less than $100. Now I didn't look every day. But I did look at least once a month for probably a couple of years. I think this same faucet is on Overstock for $150. The reviews for it were mostly very good. A couple that were not as pleased....so I hope it lives up to the good reviews.

I do love my little galley kitchen as is but oh...there are so many things I'd love to do to it if I had the funds. But I can do a little here and a little there and it's certainly perfectly good enough for me. It's hard for me to turn of the designer in me who would have liked different remodeling choices to have been made. But I've certainly been able to make changes to it for little money that have made me love it WAY more.

As for Violet...yes she does nudge me with her nose, Cindy. If I ignore her...she comes up to my leg and pushes with her nose.

GBL said...

Watching my husband do plumbing is very scary. He's like Jekyll & Hyde!

If there's some plumbing work that needs to be done - I try to do it myself, if I can (just to avoid the fuss). I have found a lot of useful how-to videos on the web.

Unknown said...

That is so cute that Violet is your kitchen helper. She is definitely working for her dinner.
You can totally install a faucet. It is not that hard. Just a few tips, don't use the plastic piece between the sink and the faucet, use plumbers putty instead. When you turn the water off under the sink, open the hot AND cold water taps to drain them. I would also change the hoses that go from the shut off valves to the sink. Nothing tricky there they attach just like garden hoses.
Let me know if you need any other help. You can do it yourself.
Traci
ps. Loved the romantic kitchens, my fav was the one with the fireplace and oval island. Just yummy.
Traci

Bente said...

Wow, I LOVE this kitchens. All of them is gorgeous

Have a great weekend

An Urban Cottage said...

That third photo really has a unique faucet and knobs placement. It would take a little bit to get used to but I think I like it. It's certainly unique.

Nita Stacy said...

Steve,
That one does look like one you'd like. I so like it when the faucet is in the wall.

Heirloom treasures said...

What lovely kitchens,I had a new white kitchen installed in my last house and only enjoyed its beauty for 3 yrs before we sold the house. In this house because its over 100yrs old,white didn't seem to look right,so we put in Blackwood. I am happy with it but still love a white romantic kitchen. Those chandis are to die for.
We always get a plumber to install anything,as we are not sure how to do it. It always looks simple when they do it because they have the correct tools for the job. I think that's the secret. Good luck with it. z

srpprcrftr said...

Your new faucet is incredible, gorgeous. I"m so jealous. We got a new faucet lately but as usual Mr. Furry Kidz bought a less expensive one to fix the problem, not for aestetics to please me. We'd been living (for 2 1/2 weeks) with all the under the sink stuff wherever he happened to put them, mostly in the mud room so we could trip over them often. Sigh. But I have a new faucet so guess I shouldn't complain huh? Maybe someday I'll have what I really want. (not holding my breath). Think I'll nominate hubs for that cheap skate show. Shhhh, don't tell ok?
Hope you get your beautiful faucet installed soon. Enjoy it.

Magali@TheLittleWhiteHouse said...

Those kitchen are just wonderful! Some of them don't seem to be designed to cook, though!!!

Fabulously French said...

They are all gorgeous and my partner thinks of teh kitchen as a romantic place but this maybe a result of the fact that he is French and as you know eating is a religion in France :-)

Leeann x

Amy Chalmers said...

Oh I think I will be adding many of these kitchens to my pinterest page! I think installing a bridge faucet is harder than a regular one...any faucet that has a separate cold and hot water handle is harder I think. You can get a couple of free estimates before you decide if you should tackle it on your own. So great that Violet has your back. I have burned many things leaving the kitchen and sitting at the laptop!!

Anonymous said...

I've put in a couple of kitchen sink faucets and two bathroom sink faucets with pop-up drain. The pop-up drains were a nightmare, but the faucets themselves are pretty straightforward. Turning off the water is easy. What makes it difficult is having to be under the sink to attache the faucet. Very awkward and uncomfortable. I've noticed that on home improvement shows, they attach the faucet to the sink before they put the sink in. Then they connect the water. So much easier! Good luck. I know you can do it.

Andrea at Opulent Cottage said...

Maurie has replaced our faucets several times and it's really not hard. Call me if you want to talk to him about it, he would be happy to walk you through it. But have you asked around to see if anyone has an independent plumber that they use? We have a guy that a friend recommended who will do almost anything we need for $40. Last week he even crawled under the house to cap the gas line from our old wall heater. Same price when we roto-roots our sewer line. If you go through a service it is going to be several hundred, for sure. I can't wait to see the faucet, it sure is a pretty one!

Sharon Rexroad's Bringing Creativity 2 Life said...

My worry is not so much your getting under the sink, but getting back up -- I wait, I'm projecting my aches and pains onto you! Gorgeous pics and a dog with a gorgeous face and spirit

Darryl Iorio said...

Hi, Nita! I’ve been an expert when it comes to replacing a faucet. Hehe. It’s because I’m the only man in our house, so I have no choice but to learn how to do it. Haha! Well, it’s quite easy for me and I enjoy it as wekk. :D If you don’t know how to install it, you should try to watch video tutorials to give you a head start. You might as well want to ask help of others to make sure that you won’t experience unexpected problems.

Darryl Iorio