Creating our kitchen nook goes down as one of my favorite projects ever. Maybe it's because of the time it took to put all the pieces together or maybe it was the grand finale project of refinishing my childhood table that made me so happy. There were quite a few steps in getting the nook to where it is today. For those of you that like a good makeover story, let me take you on this journey so you can see it right from the beginning.
We bought an old cape cod that was set up so that the the dining room room was smack in the middle of the house. The chandelier was centered perfectly in the middle of the ceiling - which meant you needed to walk around a table and chairs to get to the kitchen and the family room. The dining room is small so options were limited. If you look at the pictures below you can see how you have to work through this room to get to the others. I kept thinking to myself that this is not going to work for an active family and it just doesn't have a good everyday flow if we keep things as the house was intended.
I wasn't keen on this as is, it just didn't make me happy. So we decided to create a nook that pushed everything against the wall under the window in order to create a nook. A dining place that sits out of the way. First we needed to sand and stain the floors then paint the walls.
Then we added cabinets.
In my search for a kitchen table, I realized that my parents had our original table from when we lived on Locksley Lane in their basement! It was an old Ethan Allen table, with lots of wonderful memories, that fit perfectly in my new little space. And it had a bench! Don't judge the stain on that table, I fix that later. :) A cushion on the bench under the window, chairs and a rug. BTW, we had those same little shutters in my kitchen on Locksley Lane...so for now, they are staying. An upper window treatment will be on its way.
You can see the room starting to take shape. The chandelier in the center of the ceiling needed to be moved. It was a battle to decide if the original chandelier should stay or go. I liked it, but it just wasn't big enough.
And, I wanted something a bit more up to date. A friend of mine encouraged me to hang paper to replicate the size of what I was looking for. (Genius idea - after two chandelier failed attempts)
Then I found a chandelier that kept to the original crystal idea, but was more up to date. Loving the chandelier, but the orange cherry stain on that table.....had to go.
All in all, it was a total transformation. Moving everything over and re-centering the chandelier over the new center of the room, created a whole new space that works for us. Here is a look at how we walk through our dining room now. Much much better. Now when I walk into this room - I'm happy.
Happy transformations!
Paula
