July 24, 2012

small change/big improvement

I already posted pictures of my kitchen for my little house tour but I recently made a huge change that has completely improved the whole room. I have a great little window in front of the sink that looks out over the yard. I love it but on either side was a bare wall. No cabinets or shelves - a complete waste of space. There's very little storage in this kitchen and I'm kind of a dish hoarder so last week I made open shelves.

It used to look like this:
And now it looks like this!






So much better, right? And it took some time but it was really not a ton of work. Basically, all I did was follow these steps:

1. Measure my wall for how long I wanted the shelves.
2. Go to Home Depot and have them cut some 2"x12" lumber per my measurements.
3. Buy brackets (I got these - they were $8 each).
4. Sanded the boards (I wish I had done this better but it was too much work - I'm lazy/impatient - and I also don't have a sander so I was doing this step by hand).
5. Painted the brackets and boards (I used Martha Stewart's Tailor's Chalk Semi-Gloss with primer).
6. Then David hung the brackets using heavy-duty anchor screws. The brackets came with some crummy anchors but we wanted them to be really sturdy and to hold more weight so he bought some better ones. Then he used 2 1/2 inch finishing nails on the top of the board to attach to the bracket so they wouldn't slide and to secure it even more.

22 comments:

  1. They look fantastic! You styled them so well, too. We recently did the same in our kitchen, but have two long shelves on a wall above a buffet cabinet. They are great!

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  2. Looks soooooo good! I've been dying to put up pretty much the exact same open shelving in our kitchen for ages! Maybe we will soon have twin kitchens...

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  3. Wow, Liz... what a difference those shelves make! They look beautiful. Not only do you have more storage, the kitchen looks more complete now. Great idea!!

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  4. I've been reading your blog for a while now & I am finally getting the nerve to comment because these shelves are just such a great idea! I might be stealing the idea soon too! Thank you for the information! Claire (from Rhode Island!)

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  5. Holy Crap LIZ! You rock! Love love love them. Styled beautifully too. Don't we all need more kitchen storage? It just feels more "full" and "finished". Good job mama!

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  6. That looks sooo good! I am counting the day until we can afford to gut our kitchen and I can do open shelves.

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    1. I'm super jealous of your new house, Abby. From what I saw on your blog, it looks totally perfect. Can you please just post more pictures already?!

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  7. It's perfect, Lizzy! The shelves make your kitchen 'homy' (is that the right word?) I like your kitchen!

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  8. Wow, what a huge difference that makes! It looks so good!

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  9. Awesome, awesome! You are so clever!

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  10. Thanks everyone for your kind words! I appreciate them! :)

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  11. obsessed with it. and i hope you don't mind but i borrowed a few of your decor ideas in our house. we now have a cute plate hung up with spoons. :)

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    1. Thanks Jamie! :) Can't wait to see pictures of what you do to your place!

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  12. Very "better homes & gardens" looking. I mean it could be in a magazine it looks so nice. Love it! Thanks for sharing!

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  13. oh I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! now lets hope there are NO earthquakes here...EVER.

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  14. I LOVE these shelves! Makes such a difference :) Nice idea!

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  15. Long time reader: first time leaving a comment! You did an amazing job and styled them beautifully. I too just hung two very long shelves in my kitchen. I want to pack away my fragile glasses for something a little more sturdy. Those white "cups?" Next to your EAT sign are just what I didnt know I needed! Can you tell me if you use them for drinking and where you found them? Sending thanks from across the country in sunny Georgia, Lana.

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    1. Hey Lana! Yes, I do use the glasses. They're from IKEA. I bought them a while ago but they always have great stuff like that. :)

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  16. Wow! It looks awesome. I love how you styled your new shelves.

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