There is a little closet door in the corner of my kitchen. It has been unpainted since May when it was installed. It covers the electrical switches for the barn.
Ever since it was installed, it has been whispering to me.
"Paint me. DO something with me."
I prepared breakfasts, made polenta, cleaned the floors. And ignored the whispering little closet door. Frankly, when inanimate objects talk to me, I tend to ignore them. But it continued.
"I HATE being the ugliest thing in the kitchen. What is a little door to do?"
The season came to an end. The unpainted door started getting a little belligerent.
"Paint me, bitch."
OK, I finally said, and so I started to paint the little closet door.
I chose purple, titanium white and olive green. An abstract design.
When I finished, the door sighed. "Well, you painted me."
"What? You don't like it?"
" You never were very good with graphics."
I was starting to get a little fed up with the little door.
"I want to be beautiful, not a design statement".
"Oh. Well."
"And I want to look old and wise beautiful. Not young and new rich beautiful."
Hmm. The door is testing me, I thought. I said, "How about I rub some oil paints into your surface?"
"How should I know? I'm just the door. You're supposed to be the artist."
"Don't roll your eyes at me."
"Hello, I'm a slab of, of, WOOD. No eyes, get it? No eyes."
So I rubbed and sponged and rubbed some more. The door started to hum.
And from a hum came a melody and from the melody a song.
My door had become the reincarnation of Ertha Kitt .
" I am feeling so GOOD about myself now. No longer the little door in the corner, only good to cover the ugly stuff. I am beautiful and wise and I can make you LOOK at me."
" The guests would probably think I had lost my mind if they could hear us talking to eachother."
"I have a little secret for you. Some of them already think you're a sandwich short of a picnic. When you are an unfinished little door, people say things in front of you."
I thought about the two cans of black spray paint I had in the my studio. It was getting very tempting.
But I resisted, and the little door and I have come to a peace of sorts. She's beautiful, and doesn't mouth off anymore. And I love to look at her.
.
And, I like her attitude.
10 comments:
Such an adorable story Diana, and the door looks fantastic. I can't wait to see what you do with the new guest room.
Love it!
You inspire me!
Thank you! I am so inspired also by all of you people who blog. Blogs give a lot of love, don*t they!! :)
Wow, amazing end result. I liked the first phase too but if the door wasn't feeling it what can you say.
Great story to go along with your artistic talent.
Gorgeous! I can't wait to see the transformations when we return.
That poor cupboard sure had a lot of competition in your gorgeous kitchen! The makeover looks fabulous!
Wow, gorgeous!! I loved seeing the transformation as well as the conversation between you and the door :)
By the way, thanks for the info on how you dealt with your frozen shoulder. It has been an interesting process so far.
Having spent some time in that kitchen pre-painting, it's fitting that you would exalt the humble closet door, while humbling much of what is often exalted in a typical kitchen.
It's why it's my dream kitchen--it's studied without being pretentious, functional without being fancy, and generally a space you feel instantly at ease once you enter it.
But I love that you took time to rethink it--while I loved the initial pattern, the severity seemed a little too much for the surrounding space--softening it has done wonders. Well done!
I love it, what a great idea!!
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