Kitchen Archives - Everyday Edits

How to Build Farmhouse Kitchen Shelves

April 5, 2019

The farmhouse shelves in our kitchen were one of my favorite projects. The shelves opened up the space and added a bit of a trend to my aging, dated kitchen. The farmhouse kitchen shelves were an inexpensive solution to replace the dated cabinets and not lose valuable storage. If you are looking for an entry-level DIY project these shelves are a perfect starting point.

Well, when we knocked out the wall between the kitchen and dining room we lost a row of upper cabinets. The open shelves was a great way to keep the space open and add storage space for the essentials.

It was a simple project with 2 x 12 select pine from Home Depot. We went with select pine because it has a smoother finish. I cut the pine boards to size using a table saw (with an assist from my assistant (husband) to hold the end of the board).

I used my favorite pre-stain wood conditioner to prep the wood shelves.

This was my go-to stain for most of my DIY projects. I have a few other favs, but this is a reliable stain and gives me a rich, Colorado rustic finish.

I went with a heavy bracket and found Wade’s shop on Etsy. These were super easy to install to the wall and the weight of the brackets matched the weight of the pine shelves.

The hardest part of these farmhouse shelves was capturing a photo at the right time of day (still waiting) and staging the shelves. Seriously, I was so excited to stage the shelves and it has been many late nights with episodes of Friends in the background while trying to find the right accessories.

This was an easy Saturday afternoon project. I loved this project so much I added the same shelves to our aging basement kitchenette/bar. So the farmhouse shelf photos are from both spaces.

I am taking staging suggestions for staging the shelves in the comments.

New Kitchen Chandelier

December 4, 2018

My husband and I negotiate every day in our jobs and in our marriage. And, the new kitchen chandelier was an example of a negotiation. Except, from my perspective, the chandelier was a (huge) compromise. Until this compromise, my negotiations were larger scale with dreams of a newer kitchen. In the end, we decided a college tuition was a higher priority. Especially when we will have two in college next year. I blinked and my baby leaves for college next year.

I wish I could go all Jeanie in a Bottle and blink myself a new kitchen too. But, I did get a new chandelier for our kitchen table.

I love it! I reminded my husband that by the time I bring up the subject of a new anything- it means I have already measured, researched (Pinterest) and made the decision for him. Like when I found this chandelier at Crate & Barrel.

The new chandelier replaced this one. It was dated and so heavy. It just hovered over the table. We bought it a decade ago at The Great Indoors. Does anyone remember that store? No that is not a mirror between those ferns. That was the time Home Depot had a $5.00 fern sale…

It got the seal of approval of our daughter over Thanksgiving. Whew! And, it lightened & brightened the space instantly. I could not wait to layer the chandelier with garland and a few pops of color.

I can only imagine what our Bernese Mountain dog (Chloe with a C) was thinking we I got this upside down chandelier view.

The chandelier was not a budget breaker during the holidays and it certainly brightened our holiday (and kitchen). Until we got this one, I never noticed how the previous chandelier was a focal stop point. With this new chandelier, the eye continues to see beyond the iron arches.

Vertical Mason Jars for the Wall

November 30, 2018

I finally jumped into mason jars and plumbing. That’s what happens when you have a Hallmark movie marathon and need a project during the commercials. Until this vertical mason jars project I had never ventured into the plumbing section at Home Depot. It was an empowering experience. The supply list was short: mason jars, scrap lumber (pine), plumbing clamps and a drill. The scrap lumber is literally the anchor of this project. I had the mason jars and the scrap piece of lumber (the vertical part) on hand. Love this project!

I used a scrap piece of wood that fit the intended wall in my kitchen. I used this stain.

I eyeballed the spacing between clamps on the board and attached the clamps to the scrap lumber with small screws.

I used a power drill to tight the plumbing clamps to the jar, but a screw driver works too.

This was such a fun, easy project. The trickiest part was I added the empty mason jars and tightened the clamp BEFORE I added the gravel,. I suggest adding the soil or filler before securing the jars to the board.

Here’s the supply list for the vertical mason jars project.

The ideas are limitless and I might add something to my home office.

I added greenery for Christmas and it’s a fun pop of color along a wall that looks down on the dog bowls!

And, I love the contrast between the blue curtains in the background.

Thank you for stopping by today!

Sharing to : Marilyn’s Treats Petite Haus

How to Update an Kitchen Island in Less than an Hour

October 10, 2018

My kitchen is on the waitlist for a renovation. Every month she moves up the waitlist patiently waiting to get her measurements taken, her drawers evaluated and her cooktop lifted and replaced. But, until the kitchen gets off the waitlist, I found a way to update a kitchen island in less than an hour.

This update made me so happy! It took less than hour and gave my kitchen island a mini makeover. I tend to get impatient waiting for a project. Like when we decided to take on this project and remove the wall into the dining room.

When my general contractor (husband) dragged his feet, I removed all the dishes and the microwave in the upper cabinets to make my point. The wall came down that weekend.

This kitchen island update was an example of patience; my patience. My initial plan to update the kitchen island was to paint the kitchen cabinets pumpkin orange for the season (just the lower cabinets) and string Christmas lights under the cabinets for under counter lighting. #wink #snarcasm

That might get the kitchen to the top of the waitlist.

My family knows I might just do it to make sure the kitchen moves up the waitlist a little faster. I may or may not have already scheduled the electrician to proactively move the gas line. We don’t need a cooktop during the holidays?

A big part of the kitchen renovation includes the removal and replacement of a larger kitchen island. So my decision to paint the island was a low risk and low effort to just give her a little tweak.

If you blinked you might have missed the subtle update. The boys in my house missed it… for weeks.

What do you think? Do you have ideas for inexpensive updates?

How to Keep the Sink Pretty

May 29, 2018

Happy Friday! Do you have a fun Memorial Weekend? We had a family bbq and much needed time at home to regroup and work in the yard! Sound familiar! This is my busy season and the Denver market is crazy! At our house, the first room to show distress is the kitchen. And, with my college-age son home for the summer with his new found love of cooking, my kitchen sink looks like the dump. Here is how to keep the sink pretty. My initial inspiration was from this picture from BH&G.

Is this the prettiest sink ever? We have a similar faucet and I don’t see any pasta sauce splatter or water spots on this one. I love the porcelain sink. And, that tray!

Source BH&G

Here’s my version of how to keep the sink pretty! I pulled a few key elements and continue to play with it. We have a corner sink so it chews up the valuable counter real estate. I started with a mini cake plate (from Target dollar section). I had this next to the sink for about 12 minutes and decided the cake plate could be better used.