Adding Charm to Our Kitchen - The Reveal

 Hello friends! 

I dug out my good camera today because I wanted to take some nice, quality shots of our kitchen upgrade project. Sadly, my card reader on my laptop wouldn't read my SD card. Ugh!!! So, since I really wanted to get pictures out to you today, I snapped a few late in the day pics on my phone.  Boo to that! Nonetheless, our kitchen project turned out so nice that I think it still shines through in the less than stellar photos.

Excuses aside, let me remind you where we started.  When we built our home last summer, we weren't crazy about the backsplash and island wrap choices being offered by our builder. We decided to go without and install something ourselves.  

We chose oak beadboard stained in Minwax Aged Barrel. Here we are in the beginning stages:

And here it is finished!

One of the issues we ran into was a variation of coloring in the way the oak took the stain.  We were very careful when selecting our panels, yet after install, one of the panels was noticeably darker than the rest. Oh no! It was glued and nail gunned in and would have been a huge mess to remove/replace. 

Fortunately, it's placement just happened to be centered under our microwave. I had the idea to frame it out and then tile inside the frame. We pondered that for a few days and then I decided to leave the center and display a platter in the center instead.  Now, currently my platter is not centered (dang it!), but I love the idea of being able to change out the platter/decor to suit the season (or my mood)! No one can tell this was a cover up of an oops as it looks very intentional. 

I really like the warmth the wood gives to our all white kitchen. It really helps give the kitchen/living room a cohesive feel.

Our next big project starts in just a few weeks - a mud room and pantry redo.  Again, we weren't thrilled with what our builder was offering at the time of construction, so we went bare bones knowing we would eventually upgrade. Here are a few pics of the dreadful spaces as they are today - cover your eyes if you don't think you can handle the horrific scene!

Oh my goodness...

Stay tuned - I will share construction progress once we get started.  First up though, I will be painting both spaces with a washable paint. It currently is done in a flat finish and these hard working spaces need durability and washability! 

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Next up, I will be sharing my St. Patrick's Day decor. Hopefully I resolve my card reader issues!

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