Jun 25

Jun 25 Before + After: Elsa's Kitchen and Breakfast Nook

Creating Home with a Kitchen & Breakfast Nook Transformation

Turning our house into a home… one room at a time! I am so excited to share the before and afters of my own home with you! We have slowly turned each room into the home of my dreams within the last year. We will be starting off this series by sharing my kitchen, dining room and breakfast nook!

KITCHEN

When we moved in, there were deep cabinets everywhere with no drawers or pull outs. The first thing I did was install Lynk pull out drawers in the pantry, from Amazon. I used Oxo pop top containers to keep food fresh and reduce visual clutter in the pantry. Labeling the different sections makes it easier for everyone in our household to find what they are looking for, and to be able to put groceries away without asking me where everything goes. :) Examples of categories we love in pantries are breakfast, snacks, pasta / grains, baking, canned goods, a kids' section, and treats.

I also created stations throughout the kitchen to make life easier. There is a smoothie station, which contains all of my smoothie ingredients on a lazy susan. There is a lunch making station where we keep the kids' lunch boxes, sustainable food storage containers, and everything they need to pack a lunch for school. It also has a divided turntable which holds their school snacks - they like to spin it around and be surprised by what they end up with!

Most recently, we installed Elfa medium drawers in the lower cabinets to make it easier to access the items we need, and also create more space. The cabinets are so deep that we were only using the front portion of them, so adding pull out drawers allows us to utilize the entire space, without having to crouch down on the floor to find things.

BREAKFAST NOOK

There was no breakfast nook or place to sit in the kitchen, so Tyler (our beloved Composed Living handyman) and I designed a built-in breakfast nook bench, which I painted in a semi-gloss white. This is a great idea for those who need additional storage in their kitchen, as you can build the bench with a hinged lid and store large appliances or rarely used items here. We didn't need the extra storage, so I opted not to include that. I searched for months to find the perfect table for our breakfast nook. I wanted something mid-century modern to match the architecture of the home, and it needed to have a pedestal base so that everyone's legs could fit under the table without hitting table legs. I found this Modway table, and after a few botched deliveries (the marble top arrived cracked, twice) we finally got the table of our dreams.

I replaced the heavy light fixture with this inexpensive pendant, and added a dimmer (essential for creating a nice ambience!).

We started with a group of throw cushions in the breakfast nook, but after a few months I realized nobody ever sat here and they finally confessed that they didn't think it was comfortable and they wanted the bench itself to have cushions. I know that the kids are messy eaters, so I didn't want to invest in expensive custom-made cushions, and I don't have a sewing machine. My DIY workaround was to get a very thin sheet of plywood, cut to size, and I ordered 3" thick high density foam, which I cut to the size of the plywood. I found this gorgeous, durable fabric on fabric.com (I ordered twice as much as I needed so that I can make a new cushion when the first one inevitably gets ruined). Then I stretched the fabric around the foam and used a staple gun to attach it to the plywood! So it looks like a normal cushion, but really it's wood on the bottom side. The total project took about 20 minutes for two cushions, and I'm not worried about stains on the fabric because it will be so easy to replace!

Also in breakfast nook: Artwork by the talented Katherine Corden, which is in these frames and custom matting.

DINING ROOM

When we bought the house, the dining room felt really dark and cramped. There was an old wrought iron chandelier that felt too heavy for the space. We replaced that with a more modern gold fixture which not only provides more light, but because you can see through it the whole space feels brighter. We kept the dining table we have had for years, but replaced the dark leather chairs with a lighter cream + wood mid-century style chair. To bring some warmth to the space, I added a natural jute rug (great for hiding dirt!), cream-colored curtains, and a wood curtain rod with brass finials.