I'm sure you guys were longing for a more personal post from me considering my recents writings have been strictly business. Ha ha. I'm kidding... kind of... This was one of the most serendipitously awesome weekends of my life. Yes. I said that.
Phish has been my favorite band since 2000. I love them in a way I have never loved any other band. I am not talented enough at writing to really explain why other than to say that they provide an entire community experience/language with their music... either you know what I mean or you don't. If you don't then I would suggest listening and trying to figure out what I'm saying.
Side Note: This weekend I decided I'm in awe of people who can write about music. They are equally as talented as the musicians. It reminds me of the kid in Almost Famous. I wish I could channel his talents for just a moment, but I guess I will have to just stick to writing about houses... at least you guys humor me by reading that :)
After two great shows in Atlanta last week, I was super bummed that my Phish concerts were over for the summer...
But to my great delight, I got the opportunity to go see the next two shows in Charlotte and Raleigh. Did I want to go? Duh.
The Friday night Charlotte show (click the link to see a video) was hands down the best show I've ever seen (click here to check the set list). I am not sure if it was because we were so close I could see everything/everybody (usually there are a lot of tall people in front of me and I have to jump up and down and check the giant screens), or if it was because IT WAS SO AMAZING, but either way it was something I'll never forget.
Again cue the fact that I don't know how to write about music other than overusing the words awesome, amazing, cool and other lame adjectives.
On Saturday we drove from Charlotte to Burlington, NC (which was an hour from the next show in Raleigh). We were staying in my friend Jimmy's grandma's house. It was beautiful. Burlington was a nice town, and the house was located in a quintessential Southern golf neighborhood. I was impressed by the house as we drove up, but was ill-prepared for what was inside waiting. We went into the house through the side door that opened to the most beautiful kitchen. I was in awe. How is it that in the middle of the greatest music weekend of my life (bold) I happened upon a magazine-worthy kitchen in North Carolina? My two favorite things at once! Coincidence? I don't think so.... I think the universe was just trying to get me to write about Phish on my blog! ha ha.
Please let me preface this part by saying I did not bring my camera. Unlike most people who break out their cameras on vacation because it's something new and different, I spend 90% of my life with a camera in my hand and like to use my vacations as a break from hauling a camera. Thank the lucky stars (or the universe again) I traveled with my ipod and used it to snap a few pictures. Please don't judge me on the quality of these. I wouldn't have posted, but you guys NEEDED to see this kitchen.... so look past the cell phone-iness of them. Thanx.
Additional side note: You may notice my writing change once we discuss houses (I'm such a nerd).
Here is the view as you walk in the side door. Blue and white is obviously one of my favorite color combinations, so I'm already sold. Also, you can't beat natural light, and there was a huge skylight (top left corner). I want to mention the floors too. Today there is such a trend toward dark floors, and while I think they are beautiful, the lighter wood here adds a certain warmth that ties the whole thing together perfectly.
Here is a better shot of the skylight, but it also shows the French door leading to the patio. This kitchen has ideal flow for a dinner party where the guest could mingle on the patio and in the bar area while the host works in the kitchen. This openness is something I lack in my own kitchen, so I am hyper-aware of it when I see it in others.
Here is a little bit better picture of the eat-in bar. It's such a nice height, and I like that you can fit three stools there comfortably without feeling cramped. Going back to the party, this would be an ideal place to set out appetizers, or you could take the stools away and let people set their drinks there as they chat.
I wanted you guys to be able to get a closer view of the marble. I'm not sure how much you can tell from the photo, but it was intricate and beautiful.
This is the area to the right of the eat-in bar. I took this to show the brilliant use of under cabinet storage. Again, this is something I lack in my own home and covet in others. I took the liberty (sorry Jimmy) of checking out the storage situation, and there was room for several medium-sized appliances. Thus we can affectionately use the term "cook's kitchen" here. One more thing I wanted to point out was the use of glass panes and glass shelves in the cabinets, which were filled with glasses. The whole thing created a very pretty visual and created the feeling the glasses were floating.
This bar was to the right as you walked in the side door. Can you see the backsplash tile? It is so pretty... white with veins of gray. It looked to me like the same marble as the counters, but with more of a highly polished finish. I could be wrong about that...
This door hardware is great. It reminded me of a suitcase latch :) Take a moment to check out that glass on glass action.... almost like an optical illusion... you can also see me lamely standing there with my ipod... brilliant.
This is a closer photo of the island and range. There are a lot of things I love here.... firstly, I like that the ovens are in the corner and out of the way. There are also two ovens, which is always nice! The diamond pattern of tile on the backsplash is also worth noting. It breaks it up and adds interest without distracting. So classic. And finally, I may be in the minority here, but I adore an electric range. I have an electric range at my house, and it is so easy to clean and gets hot really fast. I cook a lot, and it's nice to be able to just wipe up when you're finished. My mom has a gas range at her lake house that I cook on a lot. It feels more substantial to cook on it, but I always spill something, and it's a pain to clean. So for me, electric>gas. :)
And finally we have this view from the other side of the kitchen. I am not sure it shows us anything new, but maybe gives a better idea of the space? This is a huge kitchen, and that is coming from someone who walks into 2-3 kitchens a day. I will also say it's the most awe-inspiring kitchen I've seen in a while. Honestly, can anyone even remember the last time I did an entire post on one kitchen? This may be a first. Jimmy told me his aunt made all the choices for the kitchen, and I want to say she did a fantastic job! So thank you to Jimmy for inviting me, thank you to Jimmy's grandma/family for letting me stay there, and thank you to Jimmy's aunt for having great taste.
For those of you who are interested, the Saturday night Phish show in Raleigh was AMAZING (ha ha... I did that as a joke... but also because I could not think of what else to say... remember, we are back to talking about music). But honestly, it was a great show, and they played Ester, which I am told is a rarity. Great weekend. Great music. Great kitchen. Can it get any better? For me? no.
Hope you enjoyed the personal post :)
Love ya! BB