When I moved into the apartment, the kitchen looked like this:
There's absolutely nothing wrong with it, it's just not "pretty". The cabinets, the counters, even the appliances are all new ... but this kitchen still needed a little something extra. There was no way I could paint the cabinets, but it became clear to me that the this tiny little kitchen would be much brighter, and appear more open, if these dark cabinets were gone.
So, one day, without permission, and a lot of brute strength, I pulled the upper cabinets down. I know right!?!?! The wall behind the cabinets required a ton of repair, but after patching and sanding and painting, the kitchen looked more open and spacious than before. I built the shelves and installed them on the corbels (purchased at Lowes) and painted everything out in the wall color (SW Dover White).
The next step was changing out the sad plastic mini blinds, and ho-hum light fixture. This roman shade was actually a DIY project by me! I still can't believe I made that thing! I found the pendant on clearance at Lowes, and installed it over the sink.
You can see that I hid the lower cabinets with this linen skirt, sheered onto tension rods which were held onto the cabinets with cup hooks.
I got the rug at an auction, it's a Russian Bukhara rug - and those things are practically indestructible. Great for the kitchen, especially since this is where Arlo and Louna wait for their treats, and it takes a daily beating from cookie crumbs and puppy toe nails.
The lower cabinets still function as storage, and are easily accessed by simply moving the curtains on the tension rods. But there are a lot of things stored on the counter and shelves that I need for daily use. Cereal bowls and silverware are tucked into this little basket, along with cloth napkins and lemons for morning tea.
On the other side of the shelves, the cabinet came down, but I left the wall space vacant. A simple German roe antler mount looks pretty good there, I think. A cutting board and Ralph Lauren candle urn (scored that one for 95% off the retail price) stay there all the time - and now that Spring is officially here, I have a feeling I'll be able to pick small bouquets of flowers to keep in the crystal vase those sunflowers are in.
Keeping it all neat looking is really about grouping and stacking. Making sure that everything is where it's supposed to be, and the "decorative" things are also utilitarian.
I started collecting cutting boards. Who collects cutting boards!? ME! And they all get stored here in the basket. I love this vignette, so I had to share another view.
At the end of the day, it's a decent apartment sized kitchen - and the finishes are what they are. If it were my home, and I could pick and choose, I would certainly have different cabinets, counters, appliances ... you name it. But, for now, in a rental - I'm pretty happy with it.
Proves that just about anything can be made better with fabric and paint!
Hope you like the little switch ups as much as I do, and that you can be inspired in a little way (or a big way) by the change. Happy Weekend!
