Kitchen Message Center

While changing the color of the kitchen cabinets, I decided that I also wanted to do something drastic with the other end of our huge-but-awkwardly-laid-out kitchen. These bookcases:

I've had them since my first-apartment-after-college and they always housed my large collection of books - either in a living room or bedroom, or both. When we moved into this house, we still needed somewhere to store my cookbooks and other kitchen-y things, and that wall is pretty large with nothing else to put there. So there they went, getting junked up and cluttered along the way. Jim and I both started to hate them - mostly the fact that they were so large and collected so much clutter. 

Once I decided that I was going to change the color of the kitchen cabinets, I thought, why not these also? But I didn't want all the shelving at the top - that's where the clutter happens, so after being inspired and envious of some message centers like the ones below, I made a decision to cut the bookshelves in half and create a message center above.

My inspiration:

Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn

This Old House

Pottery Barn

The Lettered Cottage

And the result...

LOVE IT!

I really love organizing books by color. Such an easy way to play with color. The red file boxes on the bottom shelves house years of issues of Martha Stewart Living organized by month. The basket on the bottom left keeps linen napkins close at hand. Metal boxes on the right contain all the recipes I find from magazines and newspapers that I am still waiting to try, as well as take out menus and local information for guests.

I love that all my gardening and cookbooks are not only close at hand, but also beautifully displayed.

The small hanging buckets and bracket are from Ikea - great to keep pens handy and a few odds and ends. The metal knife bar above holds our keys - a fun alternative to the traditional hooks.

Frame I picked up for one dollar at a local thrift store. I spray painted it white, and cut a thin piece of plywood to size, painted it with chalkboard paint, and ta-da! A homemade chalkboard!

This was simply a stretched canvas from an art supply store (16"x20"), covered in a great fabric, and I then added the strips of ribbon stapled in the back, and I used fabric glue at the intersections to create places to slide in memories. For us, some save-the-dates from friends for upcoming weddings in 2010.

Another one dollar photo frame from a thrift store, spray painted white, and a piece of sheet metal from Lowes cut to size. Instant metal memo board.

See my upcoming corkboard post for the how-to on this project. So easy!

An inexpensive basket from Homegoods hung on the wall for mail. Vintage lantern from an antique market in Lancaster, PA.

Love, love, love the finished look! All the white makes the room complete, and the punches of red tie it all together. LOVE IT!

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It all started with a faucet...

...So a little background on our home. Built in 1978 and not really decorated since. We bought the house in September '08 and immediately ripped off wallpaper and painted every room except 2 bathrooms. We also ripped up all the carpeting and installed hardwood throughout in every room except the kitchen and bathrooms. Other than decorating and a lot of gardening, that's about it.

Fast forward to Christmas '09; my parents and sister visiting for the holidays. My dad, who was not interested in the many shopping trips and days of baking my mom and sister and I were engaging in, was checking out Jim's basement workshop and noticed a "to-do" list Jim has posted above his work bench that we made a few months after moving in. One of the top items was, "new kitchen faucet". Dad found a project! So he asked Jim about working on it together, also noting the new garbage disposal sitting on the workbench that was waiting to be installed, and they got to work on planning out their project. Luckily, I intervened at just the right time, as Jim was about to head out to pick out a new faucet himself! So off we headed to Lowes to pick out a budget-friendly faucet. (Side note here: we're not looking to make any huge changes to the kitchen right now, as the entire layout/design/appliances need to be completely overhauled and that is going to take some serious cash.)

Once that was successfully installed, I became totally convinced that I hated the cabinets. I knew I didn't like them before, although they are in good condition, but I am really against the color. However, I always thought I hated the green countertops more than the cabinets, but for some reason, that kitchen faucet changed my mind. When we initially painted the room, I was trying to tie all the colors together, and I took my inspiration from this Williams-Sonoma tablecloth that I made into a valance.

It had worked for the time being, but the real eyesore was the cabinets. They cover so much surface area in the kitchen, that they really needed to be a more neutral color. Not to mention the outdated hardware. All I decided to invest was $50 on two gallons of paint, and only $50 on new hardware. And a lot of time and effort of course!

The result:

Of course now the almond color of the stove and hood stick out like a sore thumb, but that's for another day.

I think the white makes the green countertops a little less offensive, don't you?

Love the hardware! Check out The Knob Shop on eBay - what a steal!

I added an inexpensive hanging basket bracket to hang this tiered basket for vegetables.

I picked up some great glass jars from Ikea to keep all my baking ingredients together in this vintage crate that was left in the house by our previous owners. The rolling cart I have had there for a while - with my Kitchenaid mixer on top - I just roll it over to the island for a great baking station. So convenient with the jars of sugar and flour underneath.

See the ugly ceiling fan peeking out of the top of this photo? That will go away someday!

What's that on the right of this photo? Where did those bookcases go? Check out my post on my message center to see what I did. 

So with a new color, a de-cluttered storage area, and elements that tie it all together, I am finally happy (appliances and lighting excluded) with the kitchen... until I get that itch to change it again :)

Please let me know what you think!


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