I should have spent my weekend going through all my pictures and writing up my post from when I went to Meet The Blogger London but I was basically too excited redesigning my blog to do it. So that’s going to have to wait. I know, I’m a crappy blogger. Brain = mush lately!
But I’m not the only one with a new look! The AO at Home blog has gotten a proper facelift as well following a complete re-branding of the whole company. It’s much brighter and much happier (look at the smiley face!!) and I am really excited. The categories have all changed up so things are a lot easier to find. I hope you take a moment (after you read this of course) to pop on by and say hello.
I’m working with the design, IT and infrastructure teams to give the blog a TOTAL redesign however. We’re moving from a blog format to a magazine format and oh it’s gonna be SO SO good. But that’s all in progress at the moment so you’ll have to wait for that one.
So let’s get back to my house, eh? I added a couple more pops of cherry red to the kitchen that I thought I’d share with you! I also wanted to implore you for some advice because you guys are a knowledgeable (and opinionated) bunch. Love it.
First off, I was getting a little tired of my ‘shopping list’ art that I created a few years ago now so it was time to switch it up. I had these in the guest bedroom but since the guest bedroom has turned into a bit of a storage nightmare (there’s a redesign coming in it’s future but not quite yet), I decided to steal them for in here where I can actually enjoy them.
I bought them from Etsy long ago but I thought they suited the colour scheme in the kitchen. They are a bit ‘cutesy’ but they’ll do for now.
I also repotted my succulents in bright red pots to add a little colour to the window sills…. and a twinkle of gold to the shelves. Well, it wouldn’t be my kitchen without that, right?
I also moved this wooden sign that used to be on the gallery wall in the dining room to next to the fridge. I liked it but it wasn’t working on the wall anymore.
Here’s a closer look at that. Cute, no? Reuse and repurpose. Why not.
We still need to do the counter tops in here though and one of the big reasons I’ve not done it is because I’m torn. From the beginning, I really wanted stained butcher block but I’m scared of all the horror stories I’m reading about how difficult they are to maintain and how many people say the wood around the sink goes BLACK after a while with all the splashes of water. Now Wayne does the dishes around here about 90% of the time (I know, I know, he’s a good’n) but he’s not the most conscientious washer – he often leaves big puddles of water everywhere that I go back and wipe up after he’s done his thing. But am I going to live my life paranoid of getting stained counter tops? Should I consider another material? The main reason I wanted the stained butcher block is so that it would warm up the space. But but… I just don’t know.
I have to say, long ago I read the horror stories about how difficult it is to maintain natural slate flooring and I ignored it because I wanted it so bad. And now, I admit, I am regretting it. It stains so easily and never really looks properly clean. It’s a bit of a nightmare if I’m honest. Will I be making the same mistake twice?
Does anyone have experience of butcher block that can shed any light either way? Should I consider (gasp horror) wood-look laminate? I have to admit I’m considering it. We are so hard on our current laminate counter tops that I fear we don’t have it in us to care for the butcher block properly. We both enjoy cooking and to feel paranoid about the counters just doesn’t seem practical for the way we live.
So I’m a little stuck. As an aside, I adore the look of marble but it’s expensive and I’m afraid the practicalities of marble are just as bad as butcher block.
I also have played with the idea of gold hardware on the cupboard doors like this…
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And swapping the pendants for something like this…
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Sigh. Pipe dream for now. Let’s hold on to that one, shall we? Back to my dilemma…
If I could do it all again, I would have done wood floors to match the rest of the house and I wouldn’t now be so stuck! Ack. Hindsight is a cruel mistress.
What would you do if you were me?
Hi there,<br /><br />I love your blog and admit I do read your posts regularly but have to admit that I have never commented before. I know shame on me.<br /><br />I felt I would on this post though as you are asking wondering about butchers block work tops. We are just in the middle of a kitchen update in our house, and you've guessed it we have butchers block worktops. I love them you can
Love the pops of red! I have walnut countertops in my condo that I finished with Danish Tung Oil. The water just beads up on them, but they only get light use, so I can't really tell you what it would be like if we used them everyday. I have seen unstained butcher block that has gone black like you say, and if you're a clean freak then it's going to bug you. However, you intend to
Ugh, hindsight is the worst!!!! But your kitchen is looking fantastic, so colourful and fun – love the new red splashes. My two cents: definitely avoid marble for sure, it stains so easily and often has small metal deposits inside it which can rust over time. So NO MARBLE in the kitchen!! And I think if you protected the wooden surface properly the butcher's block would be ok, as long as
I'd go for it, if you look into staining/protecting the worktops surely it can't be that bad? That said, I also put down a slate floor (in the bathroom) without really considering the practicalities of it so perhaps I'm not the best to give out advice!
We have beech block worktops in our kitchen and I love them. You need to reseal them about every 6 months with Danish Oil (literally a wipe over with a thinnish layer. Really not a hassle at all) and them it's fine. Round our sink is fine….no black marks. I give the area behind the sink an extra good scrub before sealing each time. I'd get wooden worktops again in the future…..IKEA do
Love the teal with the red! And I have butch block countertops and they are excellent workhorses. You shouldn't have any worries about them. Between you and me I am not the most vigilant countertop cleaner and they have held up marvelously. Water, syrup, knives, wine. It can take it all. And if you get the ones from IKEA, like we did, they are so damn cheap it is a win win.
my thing about floors and countertops is they must look clean even if they are not. so i really love our toast crumb hued stained hardwood floors and creamy quartz counters that also hide crumbs. so many designers tried to talk me into dark stone to contrast with the painted maple cabinetry, and i am so glad i didn't give in. just because it looks great in a photo does not mean it's going
First I have to say that your DIY blog redesign has inspired me to get on the ball with mine. I've got a potential design that I'm working on, along with a new name. I'll email you to see what you think.<br /><br />Second, I wanted to weigh in about the counters. We have marble around our perimeter and walnut on our island. We are horrible at maintenance so we have not resealed either
I have been meaning to write but most of my browsing is done on my phone from which it is impossible to comment. But anyway, on to kitchen dilemmas! <br /><br />My go-to kitchen counter is quartz. For me, it scores the highest when you put in the criteria that most people want from a kitchen counter, primarily durability, ease of maintenance, colour choices, aesthetics, value for money etc etc. I
I like your little red pictures. I don't find them too cutesy. I'm actually putting butcher block counters in my friends house soon. They are a little more to maintain…you have to soak them real well with mineral oil every few months, but I think they're beautiful. You still have to use a cutting board…something a guy I used to know didn't know, and he scarred them up. <br />I
I was thinking the same thing about not posting about that Blogger conference. I should really write about it… but there were umpteen other bloggers there who will, so why bother?!<br /><br />What would I change about my house? Similar things. I should have stuck to my guns and not chickened out of getting a concrete floor in the kitchen. I can't justify ripping up tiles now. Neither
Being a remodeler, I usually suggest my clients to install wooden kitchen worktop instead of granite or marble, because the fashion of wooden kitchen worktops will never fade away.