Ugly Kitchen Quick Fix: Open Shelving

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Last month I shared some photos of our super ugly kitchen. Then on a whim I decided to freshen the room up with paint (you can read that post here) since we had left it completely untouched since we moved in. 

A fresh coat of paint gave me the bug to see what other easy, inexpensive improvements we could make to the room, knowing that in about a year, we might be ready to tackle a full-on kitchen renovation.  

One of the main problems in the kitchen was the layout of the appliances on one wall, as well as the lack of storage. As you can see from this picture, one wall on the left is full of cabinetry, and the wall on the right has none. 


On the empty wall sat an ancient rolling dishwasher from Eatons (with a microwave on top), a fridge in the middle of the wall, and empty space on the other side of the fridge which we tried to fill up with an Ikea kitchen cart. The layout completely sucked. The fridge looked like a monstrosity, the Ikea cart looked out of place in the far corner, and the dishwasher, well, was an ancient old dishwasher.


On our recent road trip to Hamilton, we stopped at the Ikea in Burlington to see if we could find an inexpensive solution to our ugly, inefficient wall in the kitchen.


I had seen these wall shelves a million times before but never considered them for our space.

Grundtal Wall Shelf - Ikea - $29.99

Grundtal Rail - Ikea - $8.99

So we went for it and picked up two wall shelves, one rail, and some hooks. We decided that these would be one of our Christmas gifts for eachother. Plus, Alex always likes putting stuff together on Boxing Day. :)

When we got home we moved the fridge to the far right of the wall where it had never been before. That left a large section of wall for us to install the shelves.


This was the layout before:


Here is my very own handyman installing the shelves.


Now that they are up and installed I am in total, utter LOVE. I cutified the shelves with items from all around the house (some practical, some decorative). This is now what you see on that bare wall in the kitchen: 


Ooooh, aaaaah, so fancy compared to before. Note: Alex has since gone and messed up my cute arrangement by jamming a cheese grater on the bottom rail when I wasn't looking.





I really am in love. Stay tuned for my next kitchen post where I'll share how we scored some extra counterspace. I'm also seeing new knobs in my future somewhere........

{Note: I forgot some details in this post and added them here.}

Sharing here:

Tuesday's Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm, Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch, DIY Project Parade @ The DIY Show-Off, Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage, Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

38 comments:

  1. Your kitchen shelving is adorable! Isn't it wonderful when you can make a small change in a room without spending a huge amount of money? Love it....

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  2. What a charming change you made here..thank you for sharing it at my NIFTY THRIFTY TUSDAY party.

    Blessings,
    Linda

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  3. Wow-what a big difference. It looks great!! PS-I love Ikea!!! Kathy

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  4. Wow! I love this little makeover to your kitchen. Not only does it look pretty, it's also a more functional area for you to use. Great job & TFS! Sheila

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  5. Love it!! We redid our kitchen in the Spring and I have just loved the changes! We also have some open shelving. It's so much fun, isn't it?! ENJOY!

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  6. Super Cute!! (the shelves and the hubby :)
    BTW: I don't think your kitchen is super ugly. But I look forward to seeing what else you do in there. Your shelf styling is da bomb!

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  7. That did turn out adorable...I think you have given your kitchen a lot of personality without over doing it. I am also in the funny predicament of not wanting to do too much work or spend too much on a kitchen that will hopefully be completely redone someday.

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  8. this looks great! I wis I has space in my kitchen to add open shelving! your photos are beautiful too!

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  9. Your shelving looks sooo nice and I love how you accessorized it! I'm sure you're really enjoying it ~ I know how much time we spend in the kitchen. {That's a pretty cute handyman you have there, too!}

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  10. Great change...a little shifting and lots of space.

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  11. What a nice change! It is so cute with the IKEA shelves! Love the carts below, too :) Such a cute kitchen :)

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  12. So pretty! I actually prefer kitchens like this (cottage style) over the fancy schmancy kitchens with all the matching cabinets and countertops. This is so homey and cute. Love it!

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  13. Super cute! You have such great ideas!!!!

    Claire

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  14. they look awesome! we are hoping to redo our kitchen this winter/spring and i want to add some open shelving like that. love it!

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  15. Looks great! I love your clean and uncluttered style. Where'd you end up putting the fridge and dishwasher??

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  16. You could not have done better if you tried!!

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  17. I love what you've done!! I have a bare wall in my kitchen nook...not really enough space for a table, but certainly need storage. I think this would be a great idea for that space! Thanks!! It's really beautiful.

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  18. So cute! I love how it looks with your existing kitchen. You did a great job accessorizing it too.

    Great job!
    Pam

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  19. How cute is this? I have seen those rails at IKEA and thought how fun they would be in a kitchen or craft room. We have a new home so no go on the kitchen. Maybe when we finish a craft room downstairs. Sure made a big difference in your kitchen. I love the whole unit. Handymand did done good!

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  20. This is fabulous!!! I love open shelving but the hubs says no :) You really did a wonderful job, thanks for linking!
    OX
    Kristin

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  21. LUV it, Sarah! Open shelving really makes a huge difference in a kitchen. So open and airy and inviting! You did good, girl! :)

    xoxo laurie

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  22. I love your shelves, Sarah! Your pictures are great! You did a beautiful job accessorizing too!

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  23. Oh my goodness! I love your kitchen... even with all it's little imperfections! There is something about an older kitchen that just seems so charming to me! :) The Ikea shelves look great!

    Tania

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  24. Very cute! I love that open shelving can be both functional and decorative. nice job! Little Bit from DecorateWithaLittleBit.com

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  25. Beautiful!! Love the way you cutified them as well!! Can't wait to see more!! btw, I also read your last post...the floors look great!!

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  26. It looks really nice, I can't wait to see the finished project.

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  27. I just love this little change! Isn't it funny how guys need to make things practical instead of pretty? I totally identified with your comment on your handyman cramming a cheese grater in on your arrangement. LOL!

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  28. How clever...I'm joining so I can keep up with your cool ideas...

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  29. LOVE those shelves!!! Such a great idea and it looks amazing!

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  30. I so lOvE your shelves.. I've been wanting to put some in my kitchen but can't convince my hubby to let me take down some of the cabinets...
    happy new year!
    sandy

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  31. Love them!!! We're planning on taking down a small section of cabinets and replace them with open shelves!!!
    Happy New Year, Darlin'!
    xo,
    Shannon

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  32. Such a cute little vintage kitchen!! I love what you did with the shelves and carts. Great job!! (visiting from My Common Slice of Suburbia)

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  33. I have those same shelves in my kitchen. Love the heart cookie cutter hanging from the hook.
    Cute blog! Following...

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  34. Really nice, that's a great idea, I believe I would use that table to prep all my food! I think just a very small Splash of one certain color would be cute also! @}-,'---

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  35. I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you design this website yourself or did
    you hire someone to do it for you? Plz reply as I'm looking to construct my own blog and would like to know where u got this from.
    kudos

    Have a look at my website ... this domain

    ReplyDelete

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