Good morning to you and Happy Tuesday! My husband took the little one to the sitter’s for me this morning, so I have some extra time to get on here and showcase today’s transformation. This one will include a link to my tutorial and also a peek at our breakfast nook progress. Seems like everything in our home is in the works right now- who am I kidding? I am the queen of starting a project before finishing another! Everything is in the works at the moment! That’s ok, it is summer. Buuut, I only have three weeks before I need to get myself back into teacher mode, so for now I will focus on our home.
When we bought our home in 2013, one of the things I really loved was the view of the backyard from our breakfast nook.
Isn’t it beautiful?
*Please excuse the following poor cellphone shot. It is all I have for a “before.”*
I had a vision for the breakfast nook area of the house (I’ve had several, actually) but of course, it was one of the areas we put off for a long time. That’s what happens when you are a young family and have other ‘more important’ things to worry about-
like getting a puppy and making sure he has a place to relax. Or, making sure there is space in your house for your toddler to ride his bike and play cars. Both happened to take place in the empty breakfast nook! Aye yi yi. Anyway, the puppy has grown and the boy plays in his playroom now.
The Vision:
I knew I wanted the breakfast nook to feature a pedestal table large enough to accommodate friends and family and I wanted it to be inviting. We found a table that seats 4 daily, but when the butterfly leaf is used, it comfortably seats 8. Perfect!
Since the space isn’t huge, I knew that mirrors were in the future for the one bare wall in the breakfast nook. I decided to take the less expensive route (who doesn’t prefer that route?!) and opted for 2 smaller mirrors, rather than one large one. I found two mirrors typically used for hanging on your door, and I hung them horizontally to take up a lot of space. Our ceilings are pretty high at 9 1/2 feet, so I like to fill up as much of the walls as I can. The mirrors reflect the two windows and gives the space a more open feel.
But, the wall wasn’t finished. I’ve been hooked on HGTV’s Fixer Upper and JoJo has me obsessing over this farmhouse look. However, we definitely do not live in a farmhouse and country chic really isn’t our thing. So, I decided to put my own twist on what I wanted to add. So, I got to work in the craft-room and I whipped up this Not-So-Vintage Market Sign.
I say “not so vintage” because, well, it doesn’t exactly look like it is 100 years old, or even 20 for that matter. If it did, it really wouldn’t flow with the rest of our home. So, instead, I stained the wood a pretty cherry color, and distressed it a bit using a distress ink (rather than actually beating it up with a hammer and chains), and then took some sandpaper to it. It turned out so beautiful and blends perfectly with the rest of our home. You can view the {Not-So-Vintage Sign tutorial here}
I found two cage boxes at Hobby Lobby for 90% off, making them $2.50 each. What a steal! I think they were intended to hold mail, but I plan to hang some succulents in them to bring a little life and color into the breakfast nook, reflecting the beautiful view we have.
The Transformation:
This is how the breakfast nook looks today (2015).
Keep scrolling to see the most current transformation!
Hanging plants added:
2017 Update:
About a year or so went by before I was tired of the warm tones in our home. I was ready for a change. We updated our paint to a cooler off white, and so I also had to update my wooden sign! I watered down some white paint and white washed that baby. It looks prettier than ever.
I also finally added some curtains. I was having a tough time finding curtains to fit the measurements of the windows in the breakfast nook, so I made my own. These are just some painters drop cloths from Home Depot. I cut them in half and hung them up on some PVC pipe (which actually still needs a coat of oil rubbed bronze spray paint). Click here for my curtain hanging tips & tricks.
So, this is how our breakfast nook currently looks in 2017:
Isn’t that coffee station to die for? Ugh, my heart! I just love making a cup of coffee every morning. It always makes me feel like I am at a fancy restaurant. For more on my coffee station click {{here}}
If You’d Love to Know:
**Wall Color- (in 2017) Behr Paint in Chocolate Froth
Wall Color- (in 2015)Behr Paint in Cracked Wheat (**updated in 2017)
Chandelier-Alta Loma Collection Home Depot
Mirrors-Walmart
Table/Chairs-Blockers Furniture {you can purchase here}
Placemats- Bealls Outlet
Coffee Station Essentials- what and where I purchased
Leave some love in the comment section below, and if you liked this Transformation Tuesday, the Not-So-Vintage Sign tutorial, or how I created the perfect coffee station, please share with your friends!
As always, have a happy day!
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