I have been mentioning the tweaks in our kitchen for a while now, and today I am happy to show you one of the areas. Even though our kitchen is only four years old and has the popular Cararra marble and white cabinets, it always felt flat to me. My friend and kitchen designer Debra Hupman suggested that I add a wall of rustic shelves to this modern kitchen to add some warmth and texture. The wall she was talking about has always been an awkward wall, and I have hung various pieces of art there to try to make it feel right. Well, the testy wall has finally grown up and has become what it was always meant to be.
The wood, which is at least 150 years old, came from an old stage coach inn. Carpenter Greg said that when he cut it, it smelled like an old barn. Thankfully, there is no smell now. To prep the shelves, I cleaned them and gave them a good sanding. (That was my first experience with a power tool, and I felt powerful). Then they were sprayed with a sealer.
My cousin Lane is a professional furniture builder who only uses old wood, and I bought the wood from him. It is tongue and groove, and there is a ridge on one side that adds some interest to it.
The brackets are from Anthropologie, and my daughter-in-law found them.
When I first saw the shelves, I thought that they were too high. I immediately started adding accessories to them and was still questioning how high they are. I sent a quick photo to Debra, and she said they are just fine.
Carpenter Greg explained that the bottom shelf is the same height as the lowest part of our kitchen cabinets, and the highest shelf is the same as the top of the cabinets. Debra said they should be 18 to 20 inches from the ceiling, and they are.
I already owned everything that I placed on the shelves except this cute clock. It adds a pop of color, and we needed a clock in the room.
It took me all of ten minutes to accessorize the shelves, and I love the way they turned out. My goal was to have color and texture. This flow blue platter is Princeton by Johnson Brothers and was a pattern that my late grandmother owned. I received just one of her plates (she died before I was born), but I have bought a few over the years on Ebay.
At one point this oversized clock hung in the space, and Lulubelle, my cow painting was there for a while. She was too big, though, and looks much better in her spot over the table.
I can’t get over how much warmer and cozier our kitchen feels with these new old shelves. I can’t wait to show you the rest of our tweaks.
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Stacey says
Your shelves are perfect in that spot! I like the old wood that you used and the accessories you chose. I have a weird spot like that in my kitchen too. I noticed that you counter is partially under the shelves. I wonder what your kitchen designer friend would say about a spot that has nothing under it? Hmm….
Janette says
Stacy, maybe you can put a stand or basket under them to serve as a visual anchor.
Wendy Johnson says
I really like your new shelves, They were worth the wait to find the right thing!
Janette says
Thank you, Wendy!
Donnamae says
Great shelves…can’t wait to see all that you had done! 😉
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