Breakfast Nook makeover at Rose Cottage

English: Pier 1 Imports Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Before and After

Breakfast Room

I have always loved this view of the door going to the back yard and the garden.  More than anything I just needed a change to the shabby side. After 10 years of the green I was ready for something new.

As you can see some things stayed in place but were altered with Annie Sloan chalk paint. The small beaded etagere was painted with the Ochre. The Seeds of Kindness frame was also painted. I changed out my glass table and iron chairs for 2 antique chippy chairs (not shown, look for these in a future post) and two Pier One Dana Parsons Chairs, with adorable colored covers. I was ecstatic over these covers, they have my Robins Egg Blue I'm incorporating. :) The oak table you see an edge of is an early marriage piece that had been stored in the attic. The walls were done with a warm brown called Virtual Taupe, by Sherwin Williams. I have a lot of garden books which I used to store on the bottom shelf of the etagere. Now I plan to house them in my cute cranberry crate. I still plan to change out my light switch plates. The ceiling fan in the previous post hovers over this table.

You will be hearing about the window makeover soon. In the meantime I love the shutters on the sides of the windows! 

Related articles

• Mixing up rustic and painted cottage style.
• Cottage and Gardens: Sitting Room Finished!
• Chalk Paint Makeovers
• Farm Cabinet Makeover

That hood vent I wish I could delete

 I wish I could replace this old builders hood vent with something fancy and beautiful like you see in magazines, but this kitchen makeover does not include new appliances. Recently while browsing Home Goods store I found a cute wire rack. At the time I wasn't sure what I would use it for, but I knew I loved it.
I discovered that it just fits the space under my hood vent. My DH (darling hubby) doesn't want to replace the backsplash and he dosen't want to drill the tile or grout. So we came to an agreement and a way to mount it.

The mugs gave it a pop of color. The balsamic vinegar container and hot pepper oil we use pretty often. The antique toaster and match holder are just fun. The butterfly is a trivet I have had for years. I think I may need to do away with some of the hooks? What do you think?

Kitchen cabinet makeover, before and after photos

This view is of the island prior to trimming it out.

As you can see the tower that houses the microwave and oven stand off the other cabinets, this gave me the idea that I could paint it to look as if it were built separately as a single unit. The lowers on the dishwasher side were also to be designated as dark.

The doors were removed and everything got a prime coat.

The island trim pieces I picked out at Lowes. My island does not have much of an overhang on the lip of the counter so I had to be mindful of that fact when choosing trim.

At the base of my cabinets all I had was shoe moulding. It was very scuffed and blotchy from years of mopping and very scuffed up. We trimmed all of the cabinets with moulding followed by shoe moulding on top. I remembered thinking how tiny the island looked when it was in this stage.

I ordered my knobs and pulls from Lowes. When we attached the knobs they were too big, so I exchanged them for these lovely ovals. Love them so much. As you can see the old white cabinets are slightly distressed. The knobs have a lovely beading detail on them. I am very pleased with how they look.

The pulls add such charm to the drawers. I had already installed an oil rubbed bronze kitchen faucet by Delta and these match perfectly. I also have the oiled bronze look on the ceiling fan, which in Texas you cannot live without. (I have a fun upgrade to the fan I will share soon).

I hoped to capture the dark cabinet look. I think my painter has the knack, don't you?



I am so very pleased with my two-tone design look. I think the dark makes the white appliances pop! The new color on the wall is Sherwin Williams Virtual Taupe. I usually stay away from Taupe because of its tendencies to lean pink, but I really love the rich tone this color has. It matches my Corian counters, grout and tile perfectly. The counters look amazing without going to the expense of granite.

Finished island close up.
For me, the contrast of the dark against the white appliances makes all the difference. I don't think I would have been near as happy with the cream next to them.

I love being in my new space. Now I have to begin on my windows and bringing back some accessories and adding in a few new I have picked up as the kitchen was underway.
I hope if there are those of you out there thinking about whether or not to paint your cabinets that mine will serve as inspiration to help you make up your mind! :)

Kitchen makeover, starting place

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am changing my decor to a more cottage, shabby look. My kitchen transformation took a little longer than anticipated but I am very pleased with the results.
I searched far and wide trying to decide what would work in my kitchen transformation.
My cabinets are standard builders grade maple which had yellowed.

Here is my starting point photo. After 12 years I was ready for new paint and a cabinet facelift. The result is "remarkable" in my humble opinion. It's all about our individual tastes though right?
I would love to know what you think. Stay tuned for progress photos.