The wall that drives me up the wall...

Bonjour mes jolies,

(I don't need to translate that now, do I? Everybody understands a compliment!)

So first, if the title just doesn't mean anything, blame Ziva, on NCIS: she's the one who taught me that idiom.

You might remember that I have plans to change my downstair floor next summer. Well, this will also emply to change something with the dining-room wall:

Vous vous souvenez peut-être que je vais refaire le sol du rez-de-chaussée cet été. Du coup, je vais en profiter pour transformer ce mur qui sépare la salle-à-manger de la cuisine:

Now, I realise those tulips don't seem to have felt very well the day I took the picture!

On the other side, of course, I'll also say good-bye to the kitchen wall that's on the other side:

L'autre côté:

This wall means that right now I have to go into the living-room to bring something from the kitchen to the dining-room, see why this is driving me up the wall?

It's not that the previous owners were stupid, though. That dining-room used to be their master bedroom... My family and friends thought that I would transform it into my home office... But actually I hate having my home office in a separate room as I often have to work late at home: I tried it for one year and I had the feeling I spent the year locked up in this room! So I have my home office in a part of the living-room. Also, the first time I visited I had that idea to open the wall between the then bedroom and the kitchen... How? That is the question! That's also why I kept that orange wallpaper : I actually draw on it different ideas I have of openings...

Je savais dès ma première visite de la maison que je tranformerais ce qui était alors une chambre en salle-à-manger et donc que je voudrais créer une ouverture entre les deux pièces. Comment? Telle est la question qui hante mes nuits (bon, j'exagère un peu...)

So, first let me clear something about the size of an old fisherman's cottage: the kitchen and the dining-room reunited are probably the size of your bathroom if you leave in some part of the new worlds (meaning USA, Canada and Australia)... So I don't want two tables : anyway, you can't eat on two tables at the same time so what's the point?

Let's go idea-hunting with Phoebe and Prue (the Halliwell Manor is often inspiring to me, who found most of my ideas on TV until I discovered blogland...)

Et si je refaisais confiance aux sorcières et à leur fabuleux manoir pour m'inspirer?

Idea #1. Fully open with kitchen island, also used as a table.

This idea seems to be used so often in decoration TV shows in France, that I had to write about it, but I never ever thought about it.... I love having a real table too much!

Première idée: une sorte d'îlot central qui fait office de table... Très à la mode dans les émissions de déco, mais résolument trop moderne pour moi.

Idea #2. Real table but with a fully open kitchen.

I love their table. But how would I hide the boiler that's in the kitchen?

Deuxième idée: une vraie table (j'adore la leur... D'ailleurs devinez d'où m'est venue l'idée d'avoir une table rectangulaire?) et aucun mur entre la cuisine et l'espace table. Joli en théorie, mais mes invités vont avoir vu sur la chaudière, et tout de suite, c'est moins chic!

Idea #3. A door between the kitchen and the dining-room.A bit too uptight, according to me...

Troisième idée. Une porte séparant la cuisine de la salle-à-manger. Pour le coup, je ne trouve pas ça assez ouvert.

I've thought about those three ideas and none seemed completely perfect. I can't believe the Manor has failed me!!!

Et oui, la Manoir ne sera pas ma source d'inspiration cette fois... J'ai dû évoluer et pas lui!!!

So I digged some more...But that's an other story, one I don't want to tell you now as I don't want you to be influenced, because I'm sure you have ideas... Please tell me in the comments: you can put links, I'll be sure to visit them all...

En réalité, j'ai une petite idée de ce que je veux, mais je ne vous en parle pas maintenant pour ne pas vous influencer... Dites-moi d'abord quelles sont vos idées... Vous pouvez me mettre des liens, je me ferez un plaisir d'aller les voir!

Little White House xxx

PS: Although the metamorphisis hasn't taken place yet, I'm linking this post to my favourite parties:

Comments

[tema]

je continue la visite... ici j'ai opté pour une porte parce que je trouve qu'avec 3 enfants qui mangent toutes les 20 min, une cuisine c'est pas souvent en ordre mais pour que ce soit un peu plus
ouvert, tu peux opter pour une double porte vitrée ou une jolie arcade