Oh-I LOVE her blog-she is hilarious.

"White, white, white, white, splash of soapstone for contrast, white, white, white".

Like!

I admit to snickering wildly, to the point of snorting.

The worst part of the whole thing is that she is RIGHT!.

As I head into my not-yet-finished, not-white, not-new, kitchen.

Olychick thank you for posting it here! Great humor and encouragement for those of us who do not have an extensive budget.

Thank you for posting this. I needed to read it on my very tight building budget. Reminds me of the beauty industry's aggressive marketing as well-- intentionally created to make women feel bad about themselves--without this cream your skin will wrinkle, without this conditioner your hair will frizz, without this diet drink your thighs will thicken--and with wrinkles, frizz, and thick thighs, you are unworthy of happiness or contentment.

The pressure and marketing is intense with homes as well. And she is right, the images are everywhere. We do not compare to only a few local people and local homes where we also know the weaknesses and "holes" in the perfection.

Sure it is fun to have a pretty kitchen, just like it's fun to dress up and do your hair and feel beautiful. But neither have anything to do with your WORTH, your "good enough" status, or whether you deserve or have earned the right to be happy and content with yourself and what you have.

my .02.

It's always good to "re-remember" what we already know. We know, but we forget . . .

I love that post. I very much needed to read that, as I sat in my non-white, still-needs-help kitchen.

I love her, whenever I need a laugh I re-read her 'Kingdom' post, it's hilarious.

Wow you people are easily amused. Set the bar higher, I beg you. This tripe is an example of the lowest form of mental - self pleasuring - the web has to offer.

It is so much easier to criticize others than to actually work to make something beautiful. Acceptance is the hallmark of mediocrity and the buzzword of the lazy.

The Egyptians didn't accept the desert, they erected pyramids on it. The Athenians didn't accept their hill, they built the Parthenon on it. You know who accepted what they were given? You've never heard of them. They were bred out of existence by the doers of of the world.

The internet has much more to offer than houzz (and this ridiculous blog). If this woman were to use it as a tool to, oh I don't know, read a book, she might have an opinion worth reading. Then again a book might make her feel bad about her limited vocabulary, inspiring a blog post on the pretentiousness of literature. Those who can't, criticize.

My response to anyone who might presume to tell me what to do with my home or how to feel about it, is mind your own business.

This post was edited by EAM44 on Sun, Jun 1, 14 at 1:24

I make no designer claims, but that last picture of the fancy pants St. Charles kitchen clashes to my eyes. The sink is one marble, the tops another, and I don't know what the splash is doing, but it reminds me of three gossips talking over one another.

EAM44, that is an unfortunate example you've pointed out. Didn't the Egyptians build the pyramids with slave labor? Interesting that you forgot that aspect of the story.

EAM44:

While the article was amusing, she brings an important perspective, that of context. We are fashion whores here, let's be honest. As she says in the article, if you've got running water and a place to chop, you've got a kitchen. So many here worry if their backsplash matches the tops. Let's all lighten up a bit eh?

Not to mention, this post was entirely tongue in cheek. If you look at what she and her husband have done with their Victorian, she is the definition of not accepting what she's given. She annoys me sometimes because she seems so highly strung and attention seeking, but I really enjoyed this post. And they've turned their house into something beautiful, while preserving as much as they can.

I like the perspective that she brings. Not everyone, and really, probably not even most people can afford even a modest kitchen rebuild, much less a huge, high end one. It's a good reminder to be okay with working with what you have. She doesn't say not to redo your kitchen, after all, she is redoing hers and, if you follow her blog you'll see, she's into pretty elaborate ornate style! She's saying if you don't want to redo your kitchen (or any other part of your home) then don't. Don't feel pressured or bullied into doing something you don't really want to do or can't afford to do.

I agree Trebrechet! Many years ago I lived in an old turn of the century farmhouse in a rural area. No AC, hot as the dickens in the summer! But we had a summer kitchen and we used it, a lot. This was an old farmhouse summer kitchen, not the kind you see today. It was a wood burner, with an oven and cooking surface, slate "countertops" and fireplace brick "backsplash". The floor was flagstone, the roof was old barn wood and we had a lovely view of the fields. We had a wire spool table with plain old stools and Christmas lights strung on the supports and roof edges. No running water but a hose nearby. Whenever we cooked out there, neighbors were sure to stop by. We made many meals in that summer kitchen and some of the best pizza I have ever had! The point is, as said, if you've got running water and a place to chop, you've got a kitchen.

I do love this article. I lived in this awesome kitchen for 17 years. Cooked more delicious food for my family of 5 and entertained more people in it than any of my friends with fancy kitchens. The people who lived here before me raised 4 kids in this house and with this kitchen, so I was proud to use and enjoy it until I could afford to do something else.

(This was my "updated" kitchen, with sponge painted counters and peel and stick tiles on floor and backsplash! Not to mention the Ikea flowers used as door handles to cover the marks left by the brass rings left behind! Oy!)

Hmm, I read it as tongue-firmly-in-cheek...she's obviously doing a LOT to bring her house up to "standards". Even at the bottom of the post she made, she said that she's not following her own "advice" a single iota.

Personally, I found it humorous...being in month 7 of our remodel, I NEED humor in my life. And there is truth in accepting what you have (until you are able to change it to what you prefer). Thanks for sharing. :)

My kitchen is done. It's warm, inviting, superbly laid out, and the exact opposite of white-white-white-splash of soapstone-white. Those photos even had me salivating. THAT is the point. The don't you wish you were here aspect of it. The Jessica Rabbit inspired lust. It's not real, but it stirs the emotions.

I mean, looking at them, I'd never take white marble. I have enough issues with my white marble floor, and when I did have a (yellow) marble counter and sink, I didn't like them. I would never have acres and acres of glass fronted cabinets with only white crockery in them (the only all white crockery I have are some ramkins and some soup-and-sandwich plates), and only 3 ITEMS PER SHELF!! These people have money for the huge kitchen, but not for dishes? They hide the real dishes where it's hard to get to them in the lowers? More likely the cabinets were a colorful mess and the photographer sent the assistant to Pier One for some white dishes to put in the cupboards instead, but only paid for just enough to look not-empty, even though they were all going back after the shoot.

This is not real world. The kinds of people who have these kinds of kitchens, by and large, eat out more than in, and aren't even in this house most of the year, and they buy frozen pizzas by the case.

Edit: All that knowledge and introspection doesn't stop me from lusting after these gorgeous estate kitchens...

My favorite line (thank-you Olychick) is "But then the internet came along--eradicating every shred of reality and replacing it with Christopher Peacock."

This post was edited by plllog on Sun, Jun 1, 14 at 15:59

Best post ever. Ever!

Just another perspective as I think this whole 'white kitchen thing' is only on the internet and in magazines.

There are none that I've seen here in Florida. Well, except mine (circa 1988) and my mothers (circa 1983) . Both laminate.

I am currently building white painted cabs.

Just saying.

Laughed myself silly!

Just the other day as I took one step backwards from the 'fridge, spun, and placed the veggies on the peninsula, I thought, "Gee, my kitchen's just right." Really.

tbo123: my MIL's kitchen is white and several of the uppers have glass. It was done originally in the 40s and the cabinets (all 7 of them) were replaced in the late 80s. Of course, that kitchen is a 1/2-butt kitchen - if you stand with your back to the only counter run and open the oven, it misses your knees by 3". It has a 6" landing to the right of said stove - that's the end of the kitchen and the outside wall of the house, but it's a white kitchen. Really. Did I mention that the 'fridge not in the kitchen proper?

Agree that she makes some good points.
BUT: She doesn't follow her own advice. Take a look at her bath rooms.

VEB has a particular blogging style, which is tongue in cheek and best exemplified by the Kingdom Mirror. She likes huge ridiculous things, so basically the opposite of this post, which she points out at the end.

I also liked this post, which I related to a lot more:
I have finally looked at every kitchen on Pinterest.

PS If archeologists aren't holding up my kitchen as a monument to the ages in 5000 years, I will be VERY disappointed.

wow, EAM44, that was one of the most judgmental posts I've read here in awhile. I'm pretty sure I could build quite the awesome kitchen if I had slave labor to build it, aka the Egyptians and their pyramids. Also, many people learn to accept "lesser" kitchens because they have made choices in their priorities. I chose a career that is rewarding, helps others, and allows me to spend significant time with my family. The downside is that the pay is less than optimal. I didn't choose this career because I couldn't choose another--I earned a significant college scholarship all four years and could have chosen pretty much any career I wanted. I ordered my priorities and fancy house/80 hour a week job was at the bottom of the list.
Most of us who have made these kinds of choices have done so happily and with eyes wide open. Which doesn't mean we can't all occasionally fall prey to the green-eyed monster and need a little reality-check once in a while.

The way I see it, acceptance is the hallmark of contentment and the buzzword of those who can find true joy, peace, and fulfillment in a world of "never enough" .

Prairiemoon2- Please read the linked article because it shows the new belief is the pyramids were not built by slaves but skilled labor and even engineers. Hollywood is not a good source for accurate history. There is also a very good episode of Nova from PBS that explains the same theory.

Carry on.

Here is a link that might be useful: Egypt was not built by slaves

It was a funny read, I get her sense of humor. While the style discussed may be fashionable right now, my wife and I were attracted to it because it didn't contain any of those bizarre trends which made certain past fashionable styles memorable. Yes, I'm talking about the pea green appliances of the 70's, or ultra modern euro stuff of the 80's (and apparently still today in many places). It's clean, classic and crisp, which is what we wanted and why we choose this style as well.

And yes, I've seen and saved most of those pics to my own Houzz account, and drooled at them again just now. I also just realized that the lights over our island seem to be in half those pics!