When we bought our house, just over a year ago, it was pretty much move in ready. However, we still have lots of projects in the works to update the spaces and make it more of our own.
The first space we tackled was the kitchen, more specifically the eat in breakfast nook. We were fortunate that the kitchen cabinets and countertops were fairly new, so it wasn’t a complete renovation. I actually really like the color of the cabinets. I’m not crazy about the granite countertops (they are a little dark and dated) but for now, they are in great condition and I’d rather spend our money and efforts in other spaces of the house. Maybe one day I will update them to something lighter and more modern, but they are fine for now!
Here a a few before pictures of the space. The blue walls made it pretty dark as it is a west facing room and the space doesn’t get a ton of sun light until the late afternoon.
Before
Before
And here is the finished space!
To brighten up the room, we painted all the walls Alabaster by Sherwin Williams. It is one of my go-to warm whites that works get in spaces without a ton of natural light. Then to add a little more texture to the walls without cabinets, we installed shiplap that was also painted Alabaster.
Next we installed a custom build-in bench that runs the entire length of the wall. It provides lots of seating as well as extra storage underneath with seats that lift up. The cushion and pillows add a little softness to the room.
Since the space it not that big, I needed a smaller table for everyday use, but one that I could extend for larger gatherings. The table that I found was perfect at 60” long, and it came with two leaves to extend it to 84” long. I went with these classic black windsor chairs to contrast with the light finish of the table. The black finish on the chairs coordinates with our dark granite countertops as well. We also ordered two extra chairs for when we extend the table.
I found the “These are the days” sign from Smallwood Home and I love reading that little reminder when we are sitting around the dinner table every night. The reclaimed wood beam was there when we bought the house, and we kept it, but lowered it a little to fit my cookbook collection and various accessories.
It took me forever to find the perfect art piece for the large wall behind the table. I went back and forth with doing several smaller prints in a gallery, but everything I tried looked too busy and I could find anything that I really loved. Then I stumbled upon this oversized palm leaf. My husband thought I was crazy and that it was way too big, but I think the scale is just perfect. Go big or go home. We just had to make sure it was super secured to the wall because it was very heavy!
These rugs are my absolute favorite for high traffic areas and outdoors. They are super durable (you can even hose or power wash them clean) but still feel soft enough underfoot. Mine get so dirty in the kitchen, but once I clean them, they look brand new again!
This is the first room that I’d say is “finished”. There are a lot more projects in the works. We have since moved on to the girls’ rooms and our pool cabana which I will share soon!