New TV In The Family Room

Good afternoon my dears,

When we moved into our home, a year ago, we decided to turn the third floor - would be sixth bedroom - into a family room. Firstly, we don't need six bedrooms, and secondly, this space upstairs is cozy and has the best view in the house of the Moon.

We had a tiny television, it often left us squinting at the screen and turning up the volume to hear as if we were elderly folk in an old folks home. Have you ever encountered that problem? So we knew that we'd have to start saving for an eventual upgrade. Which we just did. 

We bring up a tray with tea or coffee, a few snacks, and settle up here in the evenings to watch our DVR'd shows. Our cats, Boo and Milly also enjoy coming and spending time with us up here. Other than an hour or two in the evenings we don't watch any other television throughout the day. How about you? Do you watch a lot of television?

- Family Room - 

Here's a sneak peek...

...as you can see, our family room still has a bit of a new home feel. Eventually, I would like to add a country green hue to the walls, frame some maps that we acquired of North America and Europe to put behind the couch, and give it a more lived in feel. 

- Video -

The shenanigans of bringing up and setting up a 65" television.



Thank you for stopping by. 

-Kiki Nakita-

You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin' or YouTube

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Grace at Home #333

Library Tour and Project

Good afternoon my dears.

Welcome to our library. Its one of my favorite places to curl up with a cup of Earl Grey tea, a magazine, a book, or a family photo album. Its also one of the first two rooms you see when you come in the entryway, so its also a great place to chat with neighbors and visitors who stop by unannounced. Please have a seat, I'll go put the kettle on, what kind of tea would you like?

Our library is where I keep all my magazine subscriptions, and as you can see I have many issues. I stopped subscribing a few years ago, in favor of browsing with my chai tea latte in Barnes & Noble, but I couldn't part with these. I rotate them seasonally, so that all the current seasons issues are on display and ready for me to page through. My favorites being Victoria, Southern Lady, Romantic Homes, and Tea Time (not pictured). I also have a few vintage Christmas magazines that were my Granny Veronika's that always remind me of her. Do you have magazine subscriptions? If so, how do you organize your collection?

On the bookshelf, is this souvenir my Nana Mabel gave to me. She retired from Rolls-Royce at University of Warwick in 1999. My Mum attended her retirement party where they gifted her a flight experience at a local air field. My Nana always had wings, she always traveled, and one of her favorite travels was to China. She walked the Great Wall of China at nearly 70. On that journey she bought souvenirs for all of us. This was mine, a hand painted from the inside globe which came with a wooden stand and this darling fabric covered box. It sits in our library, and whenever I open it up I'm reminded to step outside the box and spread my wings.

Now I'd like to share a recent project we recently finished, the painting of our mantel.

- Before -

- During -
We used a drop cloth, 2 sponge brushes, and some color matched, semi gloss paint.

- After- 

- Video -

Here's a tour of our library, including a peek at our built in bookshelves, books, mementos, and project.

Have you done any home improvement projects recently?

-Kiki Nakita-

You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin' or YouTube

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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Classical Homemaking

Imparting Grace #247
Metamorphosis Monday #431