We are taking a "bit of a risk" in the design of the kitchen with the backsplash behind the stove countertop, as we are going to be using wood paneling. This is a risk in design for a couple reasons as it is both aesthetically a bit different and practically a challenge, since there is obviously going to be oil splashing involved from the pans.
Since the majority of our kitchen is going to be quite white, we have decided to go down this path to bring in some warmth to the room and, since it is a 1960s house, wood paneling fits with the period well. We have other wood surfaces in the house already, where we have tried to preserve original pieces of the home. For instance, the walls of the stairway and the stairs themselves are original, we have just painted them over for the zillionth time. Nearly all the floors in the house are painted wood also, and since they are white, we have to make sure that there are other colors brought in so it doesn't look like an operating theater.
The challenge involved with the wood is that we have to seal it in order to be able to wipe it and stop it from soaking in stains, but we don't know what it is going to look like after. The wood we have chosen is untreated aspen, which is a very light wood, and we are going to add a tint to the lacquer to darken it up, but how much? It has to all be painted piece by piece before installation, so we aren't going to know what it looks like "at scale" until it is on the wall and if we go too dark, it is going to destroy the light of the room, but too light and it is going to be lame.
We are going to try and test it, but for anyone who has painted large areas with bold colors, there is a difference between the patch on the wall and once it is all complete. Part of this is because our eyes and brains can't imagine it larger, but a bigger part is that once the large area is filled, the light from the room is going to interact with it and change all the other colors in the room.
We don't want our kitchen to look yellow, but with a gold tint coming in, it is going to ride the edge a little and we are unsure if it is going to fit with the rest of the house. Luckily, in a worse case scenario, we will just paint over the wood with a filler color, but we are hoping not to have to do this of course, as the finish will never be as good as the first coats.
Much of our house is currently feeling pretty cold, as even though we have renovated it, it is pretty much all just blank surface, with nothing on the walls. This gives it the impression of an office at points, or a mental asylum, but once the kitchen and office are ready, then we will have time to plan some of the interior design. Most likely, I will use some of my own photos to fill walls and might even break out a brush and paint something up. I am not much of a painter, but I can manage something abstract that would be suitable. Perhaps.
I think it is nicer when at least some of the design elements are self-created, as it brings in a personality that is unique to the home owners. Too much of what people do now is cookie-cutter from magazines or the latest season set from Ikea. There is nothing wrong with this of course, but I also feel that people who want to "own their home", should consider making part of their home, even if it is something like knitting a throw rug for the couch.
These little details might not be of the highest quality of what can be bought, but they matter more to the owners, as there is a sunk cost of effort involved, as well as the sentimentality that comes along with it. We have a lot of this in our home as we have done a lot of the work ourselves, but for now, it is largely below the surface, or the surfaces themselves. It isn't the kind of thing that gets noticed, as it is unseen or blends into the framework of the home, even though we know it is there.
Our house is not for other people, it is for us. Meaning that we don't do much to impress those who visit us, as we want to make it a place where we are comfortable to live. We don't spend that much time alone, so the shared spaces are family spaces, so that we can interact with each other and laugh together, or just sit and relax.
As the kitchen (in my opinion) is the heart of the home, I am hoping that it will be brought into the family fold and become a place that we are able to hang out together. The island in the center will help with this I hope, as it will have space for a couple of stools for us to sit and eat breakfast at or inhabit while someone is cooking.
There is an interesting difference in culture with this comparing Finland to Australia, as in Finland, if people are invited to dinner at 6, it is expected that food will be served at 6, meaning guests essentially walk in and sit at the table. In Australia, invite someone around at six and expect to walk into a half prepared meal and have to help finish it off by cutting up ingredients for the salad, or stirring some pots. Though, don't worry, you will be given a glass of wine or a beer as payment for the labor.
I far prefer the Australian way in this, as cooking together brings people closer and the conversation is relaxed. There is something intimate about it, which is perhaps because you are sharing the preparation of what is going to go in each other's mouths. While much of Australia and Finland is surprisingly similar, I feel that the social differences around the way friends and family interact makes the bonds in Finland weaker and, the social circles smaller. Of course, this is a generalization and culture is constantly under the pressure-cooker of change.
Hopefully though, my own micro family (there are only three of us) will always find ways to be close and at some point in the future when Smallsteps is larger, she will carry the ideas of a close family into her life also. While there is so much encouragement to be individuals and disconnect from each other currently, at the end of the day, without that connection to each other, there is little point to life at all, in my opinion. Cooking together is a good way to start rebuilding the bonds of society,
but it seems far easier to order takeout.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
