Coastal Cottage Kitchen Tour

Good afternoon my dears.

Today, its drizzly outside so let's spend some time inside my coastal cottage style kitchen. Pour yourself  a cup of tea, and let's visit.

When we moved in our kitchen had mahogany cabinetry, green countertops, and a tile floor. It was so dark and closed in.

So, one day we took a collection of photos and listed our whole kitchen on Craigslist for $1,000. Surprisingly, we had a lot of enquiries and we ended up selling it for $800 to a gentleman who was remodeling his lake house.

Before

After

We've completely re-invented the look of the space, by opening it up, and making it much lighter and brighter.

Above my kitchen shelf I have a family picture from my Nana and Granddad's wedding day on December 12th, 1954. Surrounding them are my great-grandparents, my Granddad's younger sister Wendy, and my Nana's younger sister Barbara.

Painted by the delightful Susan Branch.

My handy hubby built and installed everything you see. The oven we found on clearance, unused, and it has worked perfectly for us, however, in our new home we're getting a double oven because fellow cooks will understand the struggle of preparing a roast, and all sides all at the same time.

All our upper cabinets are glass front, so I use them to display my cake stands, tea sets, or dishes I don't use everyday.

Our trash can is in a pull out cabinet. A must for us.

In the cabinet to the right of our oven is all our everyday dishes. I can open the dishwasher and transfer the clean dishes across easily. 

The draw above is where I keep all my cooking utensils like spatulas, graters, knives, scissors, peelers and measuring cups.

Y'all know how much I love collecting Susan Branch books. So every season I rotate her cook books on my recipe stand.

Last but not least, I like to put my flower arrangements by my kitchen window. On sunny days I open the windows and let the breeze blows the fragrance throughout the kitchen. 😊

Thank you for visiting, see you next time,

~Kiki Nakita ~

You can follow me on Instagram, Pinterest or Bloglovin'.

P.S Our master bedroom and closet tour is here.

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Imparting Grace #247
Metamorphosis Monday #431

Fashion Repeat

Good morning my dears.

Just for a giggle, I had to share how my fashion sense (not that I really have any) hasn't changed in twenty years. I recently purchased this dress from Old Navy, and to make it a little more modest I wear a white tee underneath. It feels ever so 90's.

Then I remembered that twenty years ago, back in 1997, when I was eleven - I had a similar dress. I'd bought it on a shopping trip to Tamworth with my Nana, Mum, and younger sister for our summer holiday to France.

- Now -

- Then -

Have you ever accidentally had a fashion repeat?

~Kiki Nakita ~

You can follow me on Instagram, Pinterest or Bloglovin'.

4th Annual Easter at Biltmore

Good afternoon my dears.

Hope y'all had a wonderful Holy Week.

A vintage Easter card that I found at a antique store.

Our Holy week started with glorious weather, warm enough for our first swim of the season. We opened up our pool around Valentine's Day and it took us a few weeks to remove the leaves, filter the water, and adjust the PH balance.  

- I've got all my spring planting done [✓] -

- So most nights we dined al fresco as we watched the sunset. -

- Kelsie Merrily -

-Sophie Maria -

One spring project hubby has been working on is installing a new pre-treated picket fence. He's handy with any household or garden projects, and enjoys making weekend visits to Home Depot, or Lowes for supplies.

This is an in-progress photo of the forest. Before, it had a layer of mulched leaves which we've hubby's been raking up to grow grass seed.

Every year on Good Friday I usually make us a home cooked roast dinner, but this year we were so busy with future house meetings with the builder that I didn't get the chance. My saving grace is that I did get our Easter baggies made up, which are a handful of our favorite chocolates, for an Easter treat.

On Easter Sunday we drove to Biltmore, for our 4th annual Easter. We had a delicious luncheon at the Deerpark, which we took some home videos of, and I'll have to find someday.

- Ice sculpture-

After the luncheon we strolled through the Biltmore Estate. I must admit this seasons portrayal of George Vanderbilt's books wasn't as enthralling as last years portrayal of all the Vanderbilt's weddings.

After walking around the house we toured the spectacular gardens - tulips, lilacs, and Easter lily's which made the air smell fragrant. It was a lovely Easter Sunday.

Since then we've been busy at the land. One of the projects has been staking out where we'd like the house, and adjusting our permits accordingly. Our driveway will be over 250 feet from the road, so we're hoping to put in a circular driveway in front of the home so guests can turn around easily, and not have to reverse that far.

Here's a glimpse of the front garden. ⤧

The home site ⤪

The side garden. ⤮

Hubby's been practicing his drone skills. He's hoping to do a time lapse video during the build. If all goes according to plan we'll be breaking ground this summer.

- Dogwoods in bloom -

That's all for now, hope y'all have a wonderful weekend.

~Kiki Nakita ~

You can follow me on Instagram, Pinterest or Bloglovin'.

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Show and Share #359