Adding Open Shelving in the Kitchen

Sometimes I feel like our old kitchen always feels dirty. Perhaps it’s the weird texture on the ceiling, destined to collect dust bunnies I will never clean. Maybe it’s the remnant gunk on the edges of the floors that didn’t quite get sanded away when the previous owners refinished the hardwood. Or perhaps it’s the ever charming, but very used cabinets… or mis match appliances that miraculously continue to work. I don’t know what it is, but it always feels cluttered. Ok. The sink and countertop full of dirty dishes and crushed cheerios that constantly adorn the floors don’t help either. Some people have a knack for making old feel clean and lovely. I don’t think I’m one of them.

I am thankful for our kitchen though. It helps me feed my family, even if its too often toast with honey or apples. Matt has been working a lot the last lifetime… I mean month or so, so we have had quite a few solo nights. And mornings. I have started fighting the post dinner urge to fall asleep and willed myself to tidy the kitchen instead. This happens about every 3 nights.

Stepping away from the kitchen for a moment, I want to talk about the office/what used to be the boys old bedroom which has become a catch all storage room. It is the “basement” of our house. Paint cans, old decor, boxes I need to sort that have been in storage for 3 years, outgrown baby clothes… you get the idea. I need that room to function, and I needed to muster the courage to tackle it. So I just brought everything out into the dining room! And then….. I got sick midway through the purge.(head cold) And everything felt a whole lot worse. The last 2 days I have gotten the energy to try and finish the job. I am not there yet- but I decided to put my unmounted shelves to use… Albeit- unpainted. As the Nester says- I needed to create “one sane space” and that needed to be the kitchen. We use it every day. So I cleaned the dishes, took the paint tray off the shelves and mounted them to the wall. I’ll paint them another day. 

This little change is inspiring me already. 

I picked up some rods from ikea about a month ago and decided to relocate a few pots, since I’ve taken the pot rack down. It also works nicely for keeping other cooking essentials close at hand and off the counter.Fin likes to hop on and off that chair… You might remember that this side of the kitchen used to look like this…

After painting our cabinets I knew I needed to do something about the layout and non existent counter space beside the stove.So I made Matt swap the fridge and stove… shhhh. He was only slightly disgruntled.Eventually I will paint out the shelves in white, and maybe even that base cabinet, but for now they are working wonderfully. This was such an inexpensive update I couldn’t not do it. The brackets were $2.50 each from ikea, and the boards cost a total of about $20. It has added a little love to our kitchen for now and I am enjoying the idea of changing up the displays. Someday, one day we like to think we will reno this kitchen and have functioning lower cabinets and a new shiny stove… but right now I am loving the kitchen I’m with. Pinecones and all.

-Miss Ash