Kitchen Nook Lookin' Good!

The before

So, I’m sure you guys have been waiting with bated breath to see that horrendous kitchen nook move from nightmare to dream.  It’s not totally finished, but I couldn’t let you think for a second longer that a place like that exists in reality.  

A much happier place to have a meal!

I know, right? What a difference a can of paint makes!  Right now, the walls are still just primed, since we haven’t picked a white yet but the whole place is bright and light filled.  I know some people hate when real wood is painted, but this space needed it.  I wish I had done it sooner!  Since I was painting knotty pine, and knowing those dark knots tend to bleed through eventually, I used Zinsser Bulls eye 1-2-3 Stain Killer to prime the walls.  It took about 3 coats to get even and total coverage.  The best part?  It’s low odor so you don’t have to smell it for days.

What really helped open the space though was getting rid of the header wall.  That immediately updated everything and let in so much more light to the other side of the kitchen. Next to go was the corner shelf.  Clearing away all that “extra” totally transformed the space and opened it up.  

Once that was finished, we replaced the light fixture.  We wanted something a little rustic, a little industrial, and found this.  It was on crazy sale and the last one in the store.  The only pain about it is that’s the 9th bulb type we’ve put in it.  Someone (ahem, Jon) is the Goldilocks of light bulbs and needed to find the ones that are juuust right.  I’m glad he found them because I was about to put the old fixture back up!

My little helper.  She loves helping with all my projects!

With all that white, I knew we needed a pop of color.  That blue was just the right shade.  We first found the curtains and worked from there.  I really didn’t want traditional kitchen tier curtains, so I thought maybe just a valance, but Jon wanted them to the floor.  We compromised on this length and I’m glad we did.  Since it’s not near any food prep or cooking, there wasn’t a worry about the extra fabric and it really helps to warm up the space.  Then we worked on the banquette.  The fabric is indoor outdoor, so easy clean and great for those inevitable spills.  The first time I recovered the banquette, I used regular upholstery fabric, which was great until kiddo transitioned out of the high chair.  In a matter of weeks the only thing that would have taken those stains away was a blow torch.  Yay for learning from my mistakes!  

Funny story/tip on getting the fabric for the banquette.  I’d always go to the fabric store without an actual measurement of the cushions.  Always.  Luckily, I had access to a picture of the space we took on a house tour and could count the floor tiles for an estimate.  I’d always add a bit of fabric to my estimate just in case, but it’s worked for me each time.  I fully intend on one day having the actual measurement in my phone, but that day isn’t today.  Tomorrow isn’t looking too hot either.

I haven’t even talked about my favorite part of the space though, the pipe shelf.  Originally, Jon and I wanted to get a full floor to ceiling pantry for this space since there’s always excess stuff hanging on top of the fridge that needs a home.  We actually went out and bought one, too.  Except, even though it was small, it was way too big!  It blocked too much light coming in through the doors and knew there had to be a better way.  This was totally it!  The best part about pipe shelves is that they’re so customizable.  It was fun hanging in the plumbing aisle playing with all the different components figuring out which we liked best. I give Jon full credit for this though!  He did the design and install by himself, while I wrangled the toddler. (I wish I knew then that I’d be starting this blog, but I’ll do my best in recreating this in a how-to post soon!)

That’s the progress for now.  We still need to put up the trim and put the baseboards in, plus paint the walls, ceiling and refinish the banquette base.  In the meantime, we're working on other parts of the kitchen and a couple different projects around the house.  Stay tuned!

Sources:

Light fixture: Lowe’s

Curtain: Lowe’s

Fabric: Joann’s Fabrics

Pillows: Kohl’s

Cow and Pig signs- Home Goods

Farm Fresh Organic Sign- Michael’s

Cement Planter on shelf- Magnolia

Owl Teapot- West Elm

Home Sweet Home crock- vintage

Kitchen scale- vintage

Eat sign- Hobby Lobby

Beer glasses and Growler- Screamin' Hill Brewery, Cream Ridge, NJ