Since we got possession of our townhouse last year Dave and I have been working on renovating and decorating it – although the bulk of the design insanity comes down to me. I’ve finished lots of little projects so far, but this is the biggest one that was on my list – the kitchen.
I started this project with having new countertops, a sink and faucet installed. Then, it was time to paint. The kitchen, dining, and living room are all one shared space. I wanted to give the shared space a unified feel, so I painted the kitchen cabinets with the same color as the lowers of the rest of the living space – a pale blue-white.
Once the painting was done, I installed floral contact paper in the back of the cabinets, added new knobs to all the doors and drawers, and installed some organizational features – vertical plate racks, hook bar for hanging our pans, a slide out trash can, tip out drawer under the sink, and some sliding glass containers for our pantry.
![weberkitchen1](https://appledainty.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/weberkitchen1.jpg)
You may have guessed from the name of my website that I like apples. When I was in University, and living on my own, I started a collection of apple themed kitchen items – including dishes, canisters, towels, measuring cups and spoons. I decided to keep this decorative scheme for our current kitchen. Our living space has more touches of blue, and the kitchen/dining area has touches of red, giving the two spaces a bit of visual separation.
I don’t want the house to just be a reflection of my personal design sensibilities. So, Dave and I picked out lots of new things together as well. Dave picked out our new round, shield-like hardware, because they remind him of Paladins – his favorite class of character to play. Dave also picked out the sink and faucet, since he’s the main dishwasher in our family.
![weberkitchen6](https://appledainty.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/weberkitchen6.jpg)
I also turned an old baker’s rack into a coffee station with a few nerdy features – namely the Caffeinate! print by Autogeography, and the Companion Cube Cookie Jar we got from my friend Matt as a wedding gift.
We also put up a new plate rack to store additional coffee cups and display the beautiful Studio Ghibli china we got from the Ghibli Museum during our honeymoon in Japan.
![weberkitchen7](https://appledainty.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/weberkitchen7.jpg)
Once all the painting and installing was done, I finally decided on a backsplash. I’d originally planned to use the same 3D wallpaper that I’d used on the back of my kitchen island. But, I soon realized it would probably be better to find a more durable, longer lasting backsplash. I had considered waiting and doing a tile – I was thinking a marble subway tile in a chevron pattern – but eventually decided it was more cost effective to do these tin-tile looking panels from Fasade in bermuda bronze.
They were super easy to install. I cut them using a pair of old scissors, a utility knife, and glued them in place with construction adhesive. I was happy to find that the end caps and corner pieces that Fasade makes are pre-made in the correct size to fit under lower cabinets. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the brassy gold color at first, but I’ve since gotten used to it – and it looks a bit more coppery against the brown of our butcherblock counters.
![weberkitchen9](https://appledainty.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/weberkitchen9.jpg)
The final touch for our kitchen was creating a piece of art myself to serve as a splash guard to go above our stove, under the range hood. I have a strong affinity for halflings, so I knew I wanted to do something in reference to Tolkien. I landed on a drawing of Bag End with a list of the 7 meals in the hobbit day. I know the books only had 6 meals, but I liked the odd number from the movies so I went with that instead.
It’s not my best work. The lettering is a bit wonky in places, and the pencil didn’t completely erase out in other spots – but with how much my hands hurt when I ink, I am pretty happy that I finished it – and even happier that I can share our finished kitchen with you!
Anyhoo, that is all I’ve got for this week. If you like this blog and want to help support it, consider buying me a coffee. Your support is greatly appreciated, and I hope that you check back again soon for more art, crafts, and creativity!