A VISION FOR CHANGE

I LOVE before and after shots.

I'm always amazed what can be accomplished with a little paint and elbow grease 

Country Living

and a little vision

This kitchen was transformed with just that and a little demolition - 

(the cabinets on the right were removed to accommodate a hutch for china and dishes)

and speaking of vision -

take a look at the scenery of Reykjavik, Iceland, and Iceland in general.

My grandfather was born here. 

His father immigrated to America

and settled here....

 Carbon County, Utah

and remained there his whole life 

and so did my grandpa.

stark, right?

believe me, these are far more scenic than I remember

my visits to Elmo, Utah.

 I do remember the ground looking like this, though.  

Grandpa had a vegetable garden - 

but I don't know how he managed to grow anything in that hard packed earth.

I also remember that tiny little town of one gas station, a church, a minuscule post office, and a small market (attached to the gas station) seeming like a ghost town - like everyone who grew up there couldn't wait to leave, and all that was left were the old folk

My grandmother's house still lacked indoor plumbing in the 60's.  

(I hated having to use the outhouse when we visited)  

and every house had an irrigation ditch running along the front, parallel to the sidewalk.

They came from Iceland, and choose Elmo from all the beautiful places they could have settled in the United States - or even in Utah.

  How do you do that?  

How do you choose barren, sagebrush covered, practically tree-less, cracked earth and say - 'hey, lets settle here...'  

I'd be depressed every day of my life... 

especially if I had come from this amazing scenery.  

Reykjavik, Iceland

 This seaside town looks sooo colorful and fun!  

Iceland

land of dramatic landscapes, lots of waterfalls, volcanoes, 

and haunting plains...all painfully beautiful

Viking ship sculpture - in Reykjavik.

So here is my take on this story - if you can call it a story.

I need beauty around me.  In my home.  In my landscape.  In the area I live in.

I need green.  

Brown, desolate landscapes depress me.

But not everyone is the same.

Some people don't mind desolate.

Some people like deserts.

Not everyone needs to see green growing things to keep themselves sane.

I love that we are all different.

I even love that my great grandparents decided Elmo, Utah was an okay place to live.

I don't understand it, but I love it, because

their sacrifice made my life possible.

I live in America.

I can't imagine a better place to call home.

I have lived in other countries and on other continents - and nothing, nothing compares.

Even though Iceland looks amazing and beautiful, 

I love here.

I'm happy my father had the foresight NOT to live his entire life in Elmo

and that in leaving, he improved his family's life, 

I love that he didn't have to immigrate anywhere to be able to do that.

For those that did, I'm glad America - even the parts like Elmo, Utah - 

provided a home for them to pursue their happiness.

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QUESTION FROM A READER:

Hi, great paint choices here. Would love your advice. I have honey maple kitchen cabinets with a dark wood floors.  It is an open floor plan including a large family room. Would Sand Dollar work with the Honey Maple cabinets? I have sand/taupe backsplash too. My countertops are Uba Tuba. Any help would be appreciated! Thought of some Restoration Hardware colors

too. Maybe Flax?  Renee Fleming

Honey Maple cabinets can range from honey amber to honey yellow in tone.  They look nice with a cool background color, because they are so warm toned.  The gray in the first picture, and the gray green in the second picture are good choices because they bring out the warm tones instead of trying to match them.

The paint in this photo has a pinkish undertone and isn't as complimentary to the wood tones.

You mentioned the color 'Sand Dollar'.  Both Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams have a color with that name, and I'm not sure which you are referring to.  Benjamin Moore's color is almost a white.  The Sherwin Williams version has a slight pinkish undertone.  I'm going to assume that you are referring to the SW Sand Dollar.  Here is a strip of similar beiges so you can compare it to other hues.

For your purposes with the Honey Maple, I would go with the Benjamin Moore Shaker Beige because is has the gray undertone without the pinkish tone to it.  It will look best with the warm tones of the Honey Maple.

Hope that helps!

Best wishes.