I don’t know about you, but I never seemed to have adequate
display space in my kitchen. I have three
long banks of cabinets and plenty of storage, but not enough open storage. I
have a charming buffet area in the breakfast nook but it seemed like it was
just a big bank of closed cabinetry. Oak wood everywhere!
A friend of mine cut the center
panels out of the cabinet above her microwave and inserted glass instead. It
created a darling little display space for knick knacks and cookbooks. We needed a bit more than that would provide. I didn't want to go overboard with open shelving because,
I like hiding/hoarding things away. I thought about ripping out our the stock
bank of cabinets and putting in an antique piece, but I never saw anything that
could replicate the amount of storage I wanted. It would also require patching the floor.
I looked and looked at it for
years.
I tried taking all four cabinet
doors off, but it was too busy.
Finally...
I did some
creative maneuvering to get a look I love.
Before:
I got
inspiration by looking at our church kitchen.
The church had a similar bank of cabinets but it had a double door cabinet in the middle and two
small cabinets on the sides.
Here.
I need that
configuration!
I tried
asking Bill to take both cabinets off and mount one in the middle. Then we could cut the other cabinet in half and mount one half on each side.
He did not
like that idea at all!
I finally
figured out that if I flipped the two center doors to look like one
cabinet I
could take the two end doors off and I would have it open on the ends.
See the complicated
diagram above.
Take
all the time you need to study my madness.
Unfortunately,
I could see into the enclosed portion through the sides of the end boxes.
But,
I was so happy with the amount of
open shelving.
I had to think about what to do
about the now open sides. Pine boards cut to appropriate lengths would require
staining to match the oak. I wasn't sure I could get the color right.
I don't know if you do this, but I
went to bed with the problem on my mind. When I woke up in the morning, I had
my solution. I decided that I could use cheap Oak bookcases.
Big Lots had some that were a perfect match.
I got one $19.99 bookcase and cut
the shelves to the height I needed.
They slipped right in.
Trimming out the cabinets to make them look built in is the key. Otherwise it looks like the builder forgot to put the cabinet doors on.
We got the molding at Home Depot.
Double stick tape helps my plates to stay put.
I decorated it with my
brown transferware collection.
We got the molding at Home Depot.
Double stick tape helps my plates to stay put.
I
have collected this for about 14 years.
It
is a perfect muted tone for different seasons.
I am so happy I took some of the cabinet doors off to create open shelving. It was easy and inexpensive.
I think it adds charm and breaks up the sea of oak.
It looks original to the house and
gives the space more of a buffet look, which is exactly what I wanted.
It creates perfect nooks for
seasonal decorating.
Easter
Christmas
Winter
Valentine's Day
I've
been rotating my collections of transferware since I painted the kitchen a nice
neutral. This is Kilim Beige by Sherwin Williams sets off my Blue Willow or my
red transferware.
I didn't care for the front of the shelves so I glued a small piece of trim to the front.
If you have been around awhile, you know how much I love collecting. Sticking to one main color plus an accent color allows for more pieces in a collection.
A multi-colored china pattern would be much busier and would require scaling back a large collection.
Red and White with a green or yellow accent is enough.
I once heard that every room can take a bit of black. It grounds a space.
Here is a sneak peak at our new breakfast room chairs.
Years ago I remember
looking at my friends custom buffet and thinking how much I wished they had
done that to my house.
I had to wait a few years, but $30.00 and some thought fixed the problem.
Katie
Linking with:
WoW... your such a great DIY... I never thought doing it by myself §;-)
ReplyDeleteIt really turnt out the best and I can see the perfect touch.
Have a blissful Monday and a blessed week to come.
/CC from Stockholm
Thank you CC. I am so glad you stopped by.
DeleteKatie,
ReplyDeleteIt looks super cute!What a great solution!Your vignette looks beautiful too!
((Hugs))
Anne
Thank you so much, Anne. I am so pleased you popped in.
DeleteKatie
Dear Katie!
ReplyDeleteAmazing what you did with the cabinets!! My mom and I loved it, she is right here beside me!
I am now following you, too!
Cheers,
Claudine
Thank you, Claudine. I'm pleased you like it and flattered you are following. :)
DeleteWhat a beautiful result you got with your open shelves! Your collections look wonderful! I love transferware so much. Especially the brown. You have a lovely collection!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jacqueline. I love transferware too. The brown is a perfect neutral for all seasons.
Delete:)
Oh, my goodness! This looks wonderful and you did it all yourself - I'm very impressed. How lucky for you the bookshelves were the perfect match! No one would ever guess your cabinets weren't install to look like this! I love it.
ReplyDeleteBe a sweetie,
shelia ;)
Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate you!
DeleteWOW! I would have NEVER thought to do that! I am so impressed with your idea and your decorating style. Can't wait to show it to my handy husband and see what we can do with it! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI hope that you all can do something with a set of your cabinets. I would love to see what you do with it.
DeleteKatie
Great idea! I'm rearranging things in our kitchen trying to display things so they are easy to use as well. Fun to see how you change it with the seasons.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sarah. I love having an excuse to display more china. :)
DeleteGreat idea - looks fabulous with your seasonal decor, too. Thanks for sharing, I saw your link at Savvy Southern Style. Mary
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary. I stopped by your blog. I admire your homeschooling. I tried it for a year. :/
DeleteI tried joining yesterday. Friend Connect was acting so strange, I'm not sure it worked.
Katie sue....it looks fantastic. You have so many gorgeous pieces! So glad you have a great space to show them off now! I love it!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Karen. I love that you go by what your dad called you. Mine called me Katrinka.
Delete