~reno 101: it's a great room...

...for making & enjoying awesome culinary creations in, visiting & hanging out with family & friends, reading the newspaper and/or just enjoying life.  What room is it?  Why it is our kitchen/dining room; aka our great room!  It is the centre of activity in our home & was one of my favorite things when I first saw the builder's show home 13 years ago.

Here are photos of what the space looks like now...

This shot shows the red pantry door that we put in last year.  It is antiqued using the same method & paints as the china cupboard I refinished this year.  We also took out the cabinet & old style range hood unit that were above the stove, to install a stainless unit that is vented to the outside.

Antique dishes that belonged to the hub's mother are proudly displayed above cupboards where our own dishes are stored!

Above the pantry is a collection of antique cooking equipment from the hub's mother.  The "Ulu" (an Inuit knife) on the far left, was a gift I gave to my momma when I lived in Yellowknife 30 years ago and which she gave back to me when she was down-sizing herself.  You gotta remember when you are giving gifts to give things you like, 'cause they have a way of coming back to you!

This vignette of collectibles is above the cabinet next to the range & has old bottles & containers from the hub's family, once again.  Obviously, the 4 small pop and vinegar bottles are newer - I just like the look of them, or there is a story to them.  For example, you may be wondering WHY I would have Coke bottles??  Anyone who knows me well, likely knows that I do not like the taste of Coke (nope, I am a Dr Pepper drinker, through & through, if I feel like I have to have a cola drink).  Well, when Canada was gearing up for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the Torch Relay came through town & myself, BooBoo & Yanners went to the ceremony they had to officially acknowledge the arrival of the Torch here.  All attendees were given these commemortive bottles. Something red, unique & a little quirky (sort of like myself), I guess!?!

Here is probably the best picture showing the new flooring.  I love, love, love the flooring!  You will also note the table & chairs.  I have owned this set for 30 years, and it has been loved & well used through all these years.  Last year it was REALLY showing its age (well, truthfully it had been for at least the previous 5 years; maybe longer), so I took the table all apart & restained & varnished the top & leaves.  We painted the chairs either very light yellow, or green, and antiqued them.  The chair seats were recovered in a red or moss green fabric.  The set is still old, but it is refreshed and still functional so we keep using it.  There are some days when I think I should splurge on a new set, but then I feel like a member of the family would be missing!  Silly me, eh!?  

Forty years ago, the teen-aged hubs was taken on a trip of a lifetime to Africa with his dad & brother-in-law.  While he was there he purchased several small carvings of African animals.  That small collection has mushroomed to include the carved masks and other interesting pieces shown here. Previous to the renos, these pieces were hanging here & there around the house.  When it came time to rehang them, I decided they needed to be all showcased in one spot; this area above the windows & back door was the perfect place, IMHO!  

Another piece of African carving - this is actually a back to a funky chair/stool the hubs bought at a local retailer a few years ago, but the base is cracked so it cannot be safely used as a chair (too tippy).  It is very heavy to try & hang, so it is keeping the tropical Croton plant cozy in the corner!  The boot's were my father-in-law's army-issue boots from his service in WWII.  The plant is 22 years old - my dad gave it to me in one of those little.tiny.four.inch.pots.  I have transplanted it into bigger pots several times over the years & it just keeps on growing!  If it gets much bigger though, I don't think I will be able to keep it contained!

This mask is another one that is quite heavy.  We used to have it hanging in the living room, but it requires a very heavy-duty screw & anchor to be put into the wall for support & I decided I am not doing that again.  It makes too big of a mess if you want to move it to a new spot! So, for now it is in the opposite corner, from the previous piece.  Of interest are the hats on the hooks above - the hat on the left is the safari hat the hubs brought home from Africa all those years ago, the middle one was one of his dad's winter caps, and the cowboy hat on the right belonged to his brother-in-law who passed away 20 years ago.  Certainly appropriate to have a hat for each of the 3 that had such an exciting African adventure together, and which would forge the inspiration for one of the main design themes in our home all these years later.  The 2 cases belonged to the hub's parents - the black one was B Wayne's dental bag, and the light one was an overnight travel case (which still has an airline baggage check tag attached!).  

Here is the last vignette! This is the wall with the refinished china cupboard & a shot of the hallway to bedrooms & main bath.  The pic is grainy, because I took it late at night, but I wanted to point out the other aspect to the African motif that is in our home - it is one of "Noah's Ark" which came from the large cross-stitch sampler on top of the cabinet.  This is a piece my mom hand-stitched in 1976.  After she made it, she really didn't have a place to hang it, so she tucked it away in a chest for safe keeping.  About 5 years later, I asked her about it and not-so-subtly hinted that if she ever needed a gift idea for me that would be the perfect thing.  The next Christmas, she had it framed & under the tree just for moi!  I was very excited!  You can see a couple of other nic nac "Arks" on top of the cupboard & on the red hallway wall in the background are two additional framed pieces of "ark-work" (hardy, har, har - I know, I am soooo punny!!).  

I would say all of this whips up into a fantastic recipe for one great room.  Not only is it a room often full of family, food & fun, today; but also of things that constantly remind us of memories with those we love, but who are no longer with us in person! What could possibly make a better great room than that winning combination of ingredients?