Something about the knobs in our kitchen make us feel like we’re being watched.
Maybe you don’t see it, but after staring at them for the last few weeks, they’re starting to look a little something like this to us:
My favorite is the pirate.
But something’s definitely going to have to be done sooner or later. We feel like we’re living in that crazy Geico commercial – only without the good fortune of a stack of money sitting nearby (with some techno music blaring in the background). Speaking of which, we highly recommend playing the Geico commercial below while looking at the picture above. It really enhances the whole experience.
Now we can’t eat breakfast without singing “Somebody’s watching meeeeeeee.”
Lindsay@Tell'er All About It says
This has seriously been the goofiest/best week on YHL ever! Bring on the goof! :-)
bethany cox says
omg hilarious. HA! whats your take on painting cabinets NOT white… like lets say really pale blue or green?
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds lovely!
xo,
s
Liz says
Take a look at the first project listed on the “Other Redos” tab at the top of this page. I think it’s a great example of awesome non-white cabinets. It’s hard to believe the only change in the room is the cabinet color/hardware.
Kate says
Too funny. It reminds me of the tan “marble” laminate backsplash we had in my bathroom in the house I grew up in. At some point when I was really little, I decided that I saw a very specific picture in the arrangement of the “marble” – a momma moose (standing up and wearing a skirt, btw) in a cave holding a pot above a stove with a baby sitting on her shoulders. Behind the baby, there was a snake coming out of the rock cave wall, potetnailly deciding if he wanted to strike or not. I swear to you, that’s what I saw, and if I really looked at the backsplash I could still see it up until my parents moved when I was in college. So your faces don’t seem odd at all!
And no, I’m not crazy. :)
Shannon says
hahaha
You so crazy
Christa M says
Love it! I find faces in everything and know the feeling of “somebody’s watching me”
I feel bad for the frowny face one :( oh and now I feel like I need to go leave the stack of money video a comment…and perhaps switch to Geico!
I have a very quirky friend that super glues googley eyes to things like her front door right above the knocker which makes it look like it has a nose, she also googley eyed her toaster. She would probably LOVE your cabinet knobs! If and when you guys get rid of them, you should post them to Craigslist add with this picture! Surely someone out there is going for personalization of inanimate objects!
Kana says
ohhhh soo many eyes! What’s your first major project on your to-do list?? I can’t wait!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Probably something in the kitchen, like painting the cabinets or knocking down the wall to create a huge opening between the future dining room and the kitchen.
xo,
s
heyruthie says
oh my gosh! i JUST “got rid” of the “eyeballs” on my (hand-me-down) bedroom furniture! (yes, my bedroom furniture appears to have kitchen-like knobs instead of drawer-pulls–whatever!) but we have absolutely NO budget, so i figured i had nothing to lose, and i spray painted the porcelain knobs my fav ORB (oil-rubbed bronze) spray paint, and they look SOOOO much better! now they are much less obtrusive. the only thing worse than being watched in the kitchen is being watched in the bedroom ;-)
Sarah says
Sherry – you are a very gracious commenter. Props to you for being nice even when repeating the same answer 60 times! ;)
Liz says
I second that.
Liz says
I was thinking the same thing!
D says
Definitely seeing it! Kind of weird. Looks like a trip to Hobby Lobby’s hardware aisle is needed! I love that aisle! You have a Hobby Lobby there, right?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! One finally came to our area after years of missing out on the fun!
xo,
s
Care says
Ha! That was friggin hilarious!
karen says
AHAHA! I like the guy with the pointy nose.
heyruthie says
oh–and here’s a very selfish all-about me vote for your cabinets to go smoky grey, since it would look great with your color palatte! and (more to the point!) that’s what I’m hoping to paint mine oak ones this coming spring when I can do some painting ouside! i feel like white will be too hard to deal with, with small kids, but black is a little too dark for my already dark kitchen…..it’s a lot like yours in that it doesn’t get a lot of daylight.
YoungHouseLove says
Duly noted. We must admit that we’ve always loved the classic look of glossy white cabinets (plus those would let us play around with a bright color on the wall) but you never know where we’ll end up…
xo,
s
Meredith says
Everything can’t be gray. Think how awesome gray walls would look with glossy white cabs. I am also not a fan of the deep gray beams photoshopped in a previous post – too much gray. And I love the silvery gray walls and deep charcoal gray sofa that is en route. But too much of a good thing is not good.
Liz says
I love the face on the lower left. The camera angle makes it look like the eyes are bulging out!
Rachel says
LOL That is really funny! I love the drawn on faces, and the pirate is my favorite too.
Mommy G says
That’s hilarious! They look like evil eyes to me!
Krysta says
I know you have answered this before but where did you get the shell bowl in the corner?
Krysta says
Nevermind, I decided to not be lazy and looked through your hold home photos.
Emily says
You guys crack me up!
I’m sure you’ve been, but just in case, the new Hobby Lobby out in Short Pump has a whole aisle of Anthropologie-esque knobs for only $4 a pop and usually they’re half off!
Susan @ Retro Restyling says
Loooooove the 50% off sales on Hobby Lobby pulls… you can’t ever beat that…
Lizzy says
Totally unrelated, but do you know why pirates wore a patch? Not because they lost an eye or anything, but so that when they went below deck, one eye would always be adjusted to the darkness.
Back to your regularly scheduled DIYing…….
YoungHouseLove says
Really??????? That’s fascinating. Never knew that. Now I’m counting down the seconds until I can work that tidbit into the next conversation I have.
xo,
s
Harinee says
That is so interesting Lizzy! I love learning things like that!
Sophie says
Wow…
That is super creepy!
If that was my kitchen, I would have had to change them as soon as I moved in. :S
megs & bacon says
*slow clap* Brilliant!
YoungHouseLove says
Comment of the day goes to Megs & Bacon. Not for slow clapping at us (which we always appreciate) but for a slow clapping reference in general. Good times.
xo,
s
Barbara says
Those were the coolest knobs back about 1970 when we built our house. I think there might have been three choices in knobs back before Home Depot and Lowe’s and the Geico commercial.
Sarah M. says
ohmigah…that is both awesome and creepy!! And the Geico commercial playing just makes it. My hubby and I love those dang commercials!
Shellie says
Take them off and spraypaint them!
It’s easy, fast, super simple to fix if you regret it and most likely free- I’m sure you have a can of spraypaint laying around there..
ErinEvelyn says
OMG! When I was a kid, I used to “see” these kind of faces in cabinets and hardware all over. There was one particular set of drawers with ornate & scrolly hardware that sat in a bathroom at my grandparents house. It looked so sinister and piercing that it would absolutely FREAK me out! I’d use the potty and get the heck out of there … never ever linger. Your kitchen’s faces are waaayy friendlier. :)
Melanie says
BAAHAA! You guys are so cute. I can’t wait to see what you do with that kitchen. In fact, I’m waiting until I see your update before I start updating mine. I don’t want to get my kitchen done and then want to change it again once I see yours LOL!
Kristin says
I have a very similar kitchen (same type of cabinets, floor and counters!). So I am really anxious to see what you will do with your kitchen. I am thinking white with a brown glaze would look nice! We have our kitchen painted a terra-cota color right now which we love.
I love your website, keep up the great work!
jbhat says
Big hearts for you guys this morning. First for making us think, and then for making us laugh. Good stuff!
jbhat
Amanda says
oh my goodness i have those same ridiculous knobs! i’m starting to hate them cuz two of them have broken…i hope to get new ones soon, and until then, i’ll be creeped out now that i know they’re really eyes! lol. too funny!
Gepke says
Haha, that is so funny. Reminds me of the muppets:
http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Eyes
El says
I had to say something… we have the EXACT cabinets but with the mouths! They are black squiggly lines. Wish I could send a pic! Art decoish and ’90s cabinets make for an odd choice. We just bought the home and wanted to paint the cabinets white but the shelves aren’t in great shape so we’re not sure its worth it. We’re going to leave as is and replace them down the road (and the cracked formica counters too!) Love your blog.
kim says
Don’t leave it to long we’ve been living with our kitchen for 3 years now. We really should get on it. Maybe if we had commenter’s(?) asking us then we would be faster.
Make sure everything gets done before dance lessons, soccer, music lessons, swimming etc etc….. start up because then nothing gets done. Enjoy the non activity stage for next 3-4 years. Wow I’m starting to sound scary; I think I’ll stop now.
Love the eye ball knobs, and can’t wait to see what you do next.
Beth says
It took me awhile to find the pirate – I thought that was a side profile of a smiling man with some serious mutton chops, haha!
kellie says
That’s hilarious! They do look like eyeballs, I can see it :)
Renee says
Wow… I dig the few random blue printed tiles… just noticed them! Interesting move on the part of the previous owner…
karen @ our slo house says
ha ha! That was so funny. I’m not sure I ever would have noticed the “eyeballs” without you calling attention to it.
So. Is is weird that I found myself shopping for you yesterday? I mean, I was running errands, looking for a bath mat, and found myself in the pillow aisle thinking, “These would look great with Sherry and John’s new bed pillows…”
Um, yeah. I didn’t buy them for you though. ; )
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah, that’s too funny.
xo,
s
Carrie says
Hilaaaaaarious!! I think my parents’ kitchen has the very same hardware….like a white ceramic knob with an antiqued brass middle. I’ll never “look” at it the same way again. Teehee. ;)
Kate says
Hey There!
I see that your microwave is directly over your stove. I’m about to upgrade from my ancient countertop microwave to an all-in-one fan, light microwave combo, but I’m worried about clearance space from the top of my stove and the pots and pans on top. Any advice? Yours looks like it comes down pretty low too, and I’m wondering if that’s tricky to cook in that space, or if I’m just paranoid.
Thanks in advance for any insite!
-K
YoungHouseLove says
Our is TOOO LOW! Don’t do it. We have terrible venting problems and can’t wait to bring it up to code when we tackle the kitchen in a little while!
xo,
s
Katrina says
Ours is way too low too – it’s annoying when cooking, and worse when cleaning. I can’t wait to change that up when we get around to doing our kitchen.
Meredith says
Move the cabinet above the microwave higher. Give the cabs a staggered look and then you get more clearance. Also – some built in microwaves are bigger than others.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Meredith,
The cabinets above the microwave are already ceiling height, so they can’t be moved any higher- but we have a plan. Can’t wait to tackle it!
xo,
s
Chicago Cuisine Critique says
Too funny. I can absolutely see what you mean, and think after a while that would probably drive me a little nuts. :)
Sarah K says
Love it!
Kate says
Thanks! That’s just what I needed to hear!
Irene says
LOL! that’s funny ad creepy at the same time.
Meredith says
I read the comment about a snake, and was like “I didn’t see a snake.” I was definitely thinking that was a brontosaurus and just envisioning the rest of the body for myself. Who doesn’t love a brontosaurus looking at them over their breakfast cereal?
Beth says
I’m having a HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE day at work and this just made me giggle. I like the big one under the cook top and of course the pirate. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, so glad.
xo,
s
Rebekah M says
Amazing!!! Love the photoshopped picture, had me laughing at work (don’t tell!)
Erin J says
That totally cracked me up!!!
Emily says
Hi there! Totally understand where you’re coming from about those knobs…but on an unrelated-to-this-post-note: my RSS feeder now lists your posts as from “SUSPENDED”. Not sure if this is something funky on my end our yours, but perhaps other people are having the same issue? All the content comes through okay, it’s just the title that’s funny. It looks like this:
Somebody’s Watching Me
from SUSPENDED by John
You all are one of our major inspirations for our own (very new!) blog! Thanks :)
YoungHouseLove says
Usually if you unsubscribe and resubscribe it fixes itself. Don’t know why it randomly does that to a few readers each month. Sorry for the trouble!
xo,
s
Lara says
We Have the same knobs and I never thought of them like that till I saw your post. Now they’re creeping me out! Looks like our kitchen (or at least hardware) remodel is moving up the list over here.
You guys are hilarious though!
Melissa says
I’m visiting my parents and they have these exact knobs. They have also been meaning to replace theirs but are still undecided about what they want. Now everytime I walk into the kitchen I see faces staring at me. haha!
Amanda says
LOVE IT!!! Buahahaha!!!! I think that should be how you redo the kitchen, by simply sharpie-ing awesomesauce faces on it! You’d definately win points from Clara for a fun space!
Kate says
My new kitchen is so similar. Same colored cabinets and granite and everything!!! I have painted my walls an apple green and am thinking of either doing brushed nickel cabinet hardware or glass green pulls. HOWEVER, I cannot decide what is the best color to paint my cabinets with that color countertop. Cannot wait to see what you all decide.