Kitchen Corner Make-Over

We have this spot in our kitchen- right by the back door that leads to the deck that has been an eyesore since Day 1. It's an area that we shoved an IKEA island we had no where to put and it just filled with junk, large bags of snacks and all of our recyclables. Well enough was finally enough! I decided to make it a mini "Mud Room/Recycling zone.

Of course, I don't have a before picture...but just trust me, this is a huge improvement!

I added (2) 3' Organic Edge Wood shelves with Geometric Gold wire brackets and (5) over-sized Ball jars from World Market to fill with all the snacks we buy. I avoid buying the single bags of items you can buy in bulk like Pirate's Booty, Goldfish, Animal Crackers and Veggie straws-- and this is the perfect way to keep them fresh and not have to find a place to store those huge bags! The top shelf is for all the cookbooks that had been on the kitchen counter taking up space.

Don't be afraid to mix metals- it makes the space warmer and less commercial.

Next I added a bench- (we had this in our basement, so I just moved it upstairs)- it's the perfect stash zone for all our reusable bags, magazines that need to be donated and outdoor shoes.

The inbox/outbox keeps mail OFF the counter! We can put incoming mail on top and wait for it...library books on the bottom. It's amazing how quickly library books assimilate into our home and then when they are due, we are scavenging around the house searching!

Finally, the chalkboard door- this is by no means a a unique idea, BUT, I have a client who will write their seasonal to-do list on it and I LOVED THAT! I just thought it was a great way to remember all the things you want to do, as well as give the kids something to look forward to and they can check off as you go! Although, with a 5 and 2 year old, ours will really just end up being a sketch zone. Next to the door is our wood crate for glass recyclables. Our county no longer does glass pick-up so we have to drop-off. The recycle bin for mixed materials is next to it.

This was a quick and straight-forward project, minus the standard emergency text I send to my in-home contractor EVERY time I try to do a project solo. I am just REALLY bad with wall anchors...#designerNOTcontractor #spackleforthewin

I am here and happy to help on projects of all scales- and can help guide you in the right direction! Not all projects need to be a huge undertaking, sometimes making a small change is all you need (and other times it gears you up for a larger project).