Open Shelves in the Kitchen

Good Morning!  What a lovely day!  Just kidding!  More like rain, rain go away, come on back another day. Oh well, what can you do?

Well, you could come on in, it's nice and dry inside and cozy comfortable too.   I promised I would be back to share a few of our latest projects.  Today we will take a peek in the kitchen.   I am linking this post up with;

WorthingCourtBlog for The Scoop 

and

A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday

 I have been checking out lots of pictures on the internet of open shelves after deciding that is what I wanted in my kitchen.  There are so many gorgeous displays out there!  I don't know if she'll see this post or not with all the other hundreds of links but Suzy's (seen here at Worthing Court Blog) kitchen shelves were a big part of the inspiration for my shelves.  Thank you so much for the inspiration to go with a stained wood finish.

This wall where my shelves are used to be home for my bakers rack.  It now resides on the screened porch.  I decided I wanted to move the rack and add shelves after I moved this table in the kitchen.  This used to be my dining room table.  After I got a new formal dining room table last year I moved this table to the kitchen and the large round table to the den.  I still have a beautiful refinished smaller round table that is now upstairs in one of my sons old rooms.  I can't stand to think of parting with it yet after having done all the refinishing on it.  I have a table on the screened porch and two outside around the pool.  I seriously have a table overload problem!  Anyway, let's get back to the shelves.

After searching around for weeks for just the right size and style of shelves for this wall I finally decided to go with a stained wood look.  I like the warmth of the look especially in my all white kitchen.  

My first choice came with the purchase of these wrought iron brackets from Hobby Lobby.  They posed quite the challenge trying to determine which way I wanted them mounted as they could be mounted with a longer undermount or a shorter undermount if you flipped them around.  As you can see I liked the longer undermount.  It was also a job picking out the wood because I wanted a more rustic look but the Mr. wanted sturdy.  So we settled in between and went with unfinished maple.

  After my husband cut the sizes I wanted I stained the shelves myself using Minwax, in English Chestnut.  Sounds perfectly European doesn't it?

Staining the shelves was the easy part, hanging them was a bit of an ordeal.  You see there is a light switch on this wall near the doors.  I know, what a terrible place for the switch but there it is.  We agonized for several hours on where to put the brackets on the wall in relation to where they would be mounted on the shelf and how centered the shelves were on the wall.  Sounds easy in theory but in reality it was anything but.

Finally after way to many debates and discussions, they were mounted.  Yay!!!

I love my shelves!  I am still not 100% sold on this table in here.  I would love something with more storage but it will also have to be up on legs so as not to block the vent on the floor below.

 I know many of you may be thinking I should just paint the table a nice shade of grey or blue or white or something like that.  But honestly y'all, I love this table as it is, I'm just not sure I want to keep it in the kitchen here. I also think I would regret it instantly if I repainted it.  It's just a cheap old table I picked up from Ross one day some time ago but I still love it.  I  love the primitive and rustic uneven paint job on the legs and side.  I especially love the fruit basket on the top, though at times it does make for a very busy vignette and requires a table topper.

 Today no topper required though.  I am so happy to have another fun place to share some decor in the kitchen.  I thought you might like to see a few close ups of my shelves as I have them set today.

I set the table up to serve as a buffet style arrangement.

The first shelf I decided to use to bring in a little more pop of green for St. Patty's day.

It's going to be so fun changing out a few things on here for Easter.  I'm thinking just a few small changes though.

This was another small project.  I have several of these small faux herb pots I got years ago from Michaels.  I finally did a burlap update to them.  Easy peasy and so cute!

Of course I had to keep one of my roosters up on the top shelf.  Cock a doodle do!

I'm still in love with my rustic old clock purchased from Hobby Lobby one year.  I still haven't even bothered to put a battery in yet either.  LOL!  Some things never change.

So what'cha think?  I hope you like.  I know I do.  Yes, it's lots of pics here today but I hope you have enjoyed the peek.  I have a few more small adjustments I've made around the kitchen that I will share another day.  

What I like the most is that I think it's kinda got that farm house look (that's so popular right now) but also a bit more on the Frenchy side which is what I'm really trying to aim for here.  Again, I keep imagining a more French Meditterean style in my head if there is such a thing.  Somebody please tell me there is such a thing!

I've been rethinking the way I want to use my kitchen a lot lately.  The changes I've been making are more about how I want to live and how I want things to function not just because I've seen another person doing it.  Trust me,there will be no barn doors in my kitchen.  LOL! 

   Let me be clear though.  All kidding aside, seeing what others are doing is so very helpful.

 THANK YOU!!!

 It helps spur the imagination and also helps fuel the determination.  I am so grateful for you who share.  It's part of why I keep sharing too. 

I cheated and used Picasa today, still struggling with getting photos out easily on the blog without.  I hope to get another post done soon so come on back if you like.  Still could use any advise on what photo uploader to use now as well. (see previous post)

Thanks so much for stopping by today dreamer friends!

Hugs and Wave,