The Kitchen: Phase One
I live in the kitchen, it’s my favorite place to be and preparing dinner is how I unwind from the day. When we closed on the house, I knew it was going to be one of the first spaces to tackle.
Olive and I looking around on closing day
Hiring a pro to gut our kitchen would have been great, but it wasn’t in the cards for us. So, hands got dirty! If you look closely at these photos, you can see there is gold wallpaper in our kitchen and dining room.
The wallpaper did not fit the modern, minimalist style I most connect with and thus it had to go. However, it didn’t go quietly!
There are two methods of wallpaper removal that have been recommended to me: pressure sprayer and steamer. I used the pressure sprayer method in the dining room and kitchen. In my experience, the pressure sprayer is more effective in removing the wallpaper and glue completely but EVERYTHING gets soaked in the process. It took a ton of time and was very wet. My nails were ruined, but it made a world of difference.
The next step was paint. I love white walls, and believe they make beautiful canvases for whatever art, furniture, or textiles you bring in! I chose a very white-white (Sherwin-Williams Pure White.)
The kitchen, at this point, was looking better but still didn’t make sense to me. We had a warm, almost mediterranen-style tile, with a black countertop. Instead of the dramatic contrast you’d expect from the black with white cabinets, the flooring had a dulling effect. The room was confused.
I needed to fix this (on a budget) and, luckily, there is a solution that exists for just this circumstance: Rust-Oleum Home Floor Coating. Yes, I painted my floor! But first I cleaned it thoroughly with a degreaser and used a hand-sander to go over every inch. I did two coats of charcoal base coat, and two coats of the matte clear top coat. (I watched the DIY Mommy’s tutorial, very thorough instructions.)
The floor paint flipped the scales in our kitchen! Immediately, the room was more cohesive and played perfectly with our black fireplace surround.
I brought in a couple rugs, both to elongate the life of the floor paint in a high traffic zone and add a little more visual interest to the space. I adore the circular jute rug - I love that it infuses natural warmth into the area. Once we arranged our favorite wares, my beloved Le Creusets (in Flame | Carribean) and our record player, this kitchen became a reason to smile!
It was our first triumph and the visual progress we needed to keep chugging along. Our kitchen still has bumps and bruises, but these inexpensive changes have made it feel like home.
Phase Two: I can’t wait to purchase a new chandelier for over our table, and I will be painting the cabinets and replacing the hardware. I also need to paint the trim and crown molding.
