Kitchen Inspiraton
Sunday, October 3, 2010 by Steph
It's approaching house project season again. Last year we tackled our master bedroom, living room and hallway, my office, and the hall bath. We are in the midst of a guestroom makeover. But the project I've been most anticipating is.... the kitchen! I've been trying to figure out for a long time what I really want. I've gone back and forth with different solutions for countertops, cabinet colors - paint or not to paint, dining solutions, storage ideas, backsplash options. After much research I think I finally have a game plan.
Here is a tour of the different corners of my kitchen as exists today, peppered with the design inspiration I've been gathering over the last several months. My goal is to fix it up from brown blob boring to a fresh and airy country yet modern place to stack my dirty dishes - ha!
Dining Area
One thing about our house is that it does not have a true dining room. We have a small eat in "dinette" of sorts in our kitchen. This has been fine for our needs, but the drab brown wall and hideous light fixture need to go!
Here is what I'd like to do with that wall. Build a picture ledge like this:
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| the lettered cottage |
It seems like a simple weekend DIY project that my husband and I could tackle together. And I've already begun collecting an assortment of frames to display.
Storage Nook
Here is what I like to call the trash can wall. It's a little corner nook in the kitchen that really needs a purpose. I would love to add a storage solution here. Not sure where the trashcan will end up, but I can deal with that later.
Here are a couple ideas I found in the 2011 Ikea Catalog. This shelving cabinet with glass doors would be a great place to store china, dishware, and keepsakes. I really love the warm tone to the wood.
I also really love the open rustic feel of this shelving unit. I love how a functional storage place can look so pretty! My nook is much smaller than the space featured here. But the shelving, which comes unfinished, is available in an assortment of widths and is pretty versatile in how you can position the shelves. I wonder, is it very sturdy?
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| the lettered cottage |
Finding one in good shape that fits in my space might be more challenging than one of the Ikea solutions above, but it has such character. I also like that it provides concealed storage as well as open shelving.
Main Kitchen
My kitchen is totally functional.... and brown. And today, it just so happens to be clean, so I snapped a shot. I've been dying to add some contrast, and color!
This kitchen redesign really sealed the deal for me in terms of my kitchen makeover plans. I fell in love with this kitchen and it also happens to be very affordable.
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| young house love |
I wasn't sure about painting my natural wood cabinets, but I'm totally doing it now. Especially with the butcherblock countertops, it looks amazing!
I can't wait to get started on this project. I'll hopefully be back soon with some after shots!
