New Kitchen is Fresh, Woodsy

By Anita Legaspi of Snohomish, Washington

BUILDING our dream home was a team effort. Friends and family came over and helped my husband, Ray, and me with a number of tasks, including putting up the cedar walls. So, after we moved in, we couldn't wait to invite our "house-raising" crew to a feast in our brand-new kitchen.

The room was so new, in fact, that all we had in it was a range and microwave. We ate off tables made from plywood boards and sawhorses! Now, years later, our spacious 15-foot by 25-foot kitchen/dining room is just how we want it…and it's still our favorite place to entertain.

I made a bold move when I chose distressed birch cabinetry in blue to set the motif for the kitchen. It gave just the right boost of color to the warm cedar walls and oak floor. Since drawers are great for organization and storage, I tucked a dozen into the bottom cupboards. The upper cabinets have space above and below to display my crafts and collections.

For instance, there's always one or more of my many cookie jars on the laminate counter, along with collectible teddy bears in a washtub and the curio shelf beside the canisters. You'll find examples of my cross-stitching on a spice rack atop the cabinets and in a picture over the sink. The birdhouses above the fridge hint at another hobby—I'm an avid bird-watcher.

The spot our family gathers around is the central island. It's the perfect surface for preparing food, doing homework and spreading out a buffet. To make our island a bit different, I opted for an angled chevron shape with a double sink right in the middle. It's so handy when I preserve veggies from our garden. As I work, I appreciate the sun that streams in through two skylights—and at night, I cook under the stars.

Reproductions of antique lamps shine down from ceiling beams, and an old-fashioned chandelier brightens the dinner table and computer workstation housed in the armoire in the corner. When that old-fashioned cupboard is closed, no one would guess it holds high-tech equipment.

During warm weather, we open the French doors and dine on our deck. But on cold winter days, I prefer to snuggle up in my favorite wicker chair and watch all the birds at our feeders through the window.

I like to dress up that corner of the room with quilted wall hangings I've made to suit the changing seasons. One stitched keepsake that never moves is a chair pillow I made for my mother, who taught me how to sew.

Another legacy from my mom fills the nearby china hutch—a collection of teacups and saucers. Right beside it is a vegetable bin trimmed with my cross-stitch. Above it, you'll find a clock I got from Ray with a cuckoo that pops out hourly to sing.

Time is one thing I never seem to have enough of. I'm a school bus driver in our rural area, and that keeps me very busy. After a long day on the road, I can go to my kitchen pantry and pick out packaged and canned foods for a quick and easy homemade meal.

This kitchen tour has been a special occasion for me. Hope you enjoyed it!