Matchy Matchy

Lately, I find myself thinking about color. Colors for my kitchen, specifically. It's hard to really have a "theme" in an apartment kitchen with it's ugly faux wood paneled cabinets, but you do what you can. I have the wall at the far end in the dining room painted a bright, dark red. My window treatments are cherries in bright red with apple green leaves on a black background. I have a lovely green wire cupcake stand that I bought at Target a few years back, and a small mesh basket that I think was supposed to be a trash bin in the same green. That bin holds my rolling pins, silpats, and wooden dowels. Oh, and a roll of Viva paper towels that are reserved solely for cake decorating.

I have a red dispenser for the dish soap. There are ceramic canisters with a cherry motif holding dog biscuits and cooking utensils. And of course, la piece de resistance, the Kitchenaid Professional Stand Mixer that my husband bought me for Valentine's Day right after we found out we were going to have a baby.

I love that mixer. Seeing it on my counter makes me really, really happy.

But for the color thing - lately I find myself being drawn to the combination of teal/turquoise and red, especially where kitchen items are concerned. It's so pretty, and bright, and happy. I found this photo on Design Sponge - see how the red chairs just pop against the teal walls?

This one from Country Living is my FAVORITE. It's a bit retro, but it all looks so pretty together. I also am liking the teeny splashes of yellow, in the flowers, the bowl on the shelf, and especially the chandelier. It's unexpected, but it works. Also, how awesome is that red stove???

I forgot where this one is from. It's a bit crammed/junky for my own taste, but it's a good visualization of the red, teal, and white combo. I like to imagine this photo is of a kitchen in a little craftsman style house that was built near the beginning of last century.

So, what's the big deal? Why not get rid of the black and green and bring in the teal? One reason, really.

The Le Creuset 7 1/4 qt round dutch oven.

I really really really want one of these. I feel like it's such an important piece for someone who is serious about cooking and cookware to own. Yes, 7 1/4 quarts is pretty big, but I don't want to outgrow it. I want to be able to feed a crowd if need be! I've gone back and forth about which color to get. It was between the Red and this Lemongrass green. They both would work with the color scheme I've got going on right now, but only the Red would work if I decided to switch from cherries to teal.

The problem is that I love that shade of green. That one makes me swoon - the red is just okay.

So then I was thinking, well, what if I don't make everything match? What if, instead of trying to conform to a color scheme, I just buy what I love and makes me happy?

And then my OCD started to twitch.

See, I have a "thing" for stuff that matches and coordinates. I like symmetry, and I like things especially in odd numbers. I grew up poor, and you didn't buy silverware. Someone gave you their old spoons and forks. You didn't buy furniture, someone gave you their old couch or chairs. I knew that when I grew up, ALL my silverware would match. All my kitchen chairs would match too. Pots and pans would be a set, not just random stuff that happened to wander into my life.

And so, it does. I see people who do the shabby chic thing, and I admire it. Buying random pieces of silverplate and using it all together? Why not? The chairs in Monica's kitchen on Friends are all different? Looks cute to me. Different plates with similar color schemes to tie them together in your tablescape? Adorable!

Just not in my house, okay?