Creating Display Space In a Kitchen

I don’t know about you, but I never seemed to have adequate display space in my kitchen. I have three long banks of cabinets and plenty of storage, but not enough open storage. I have a charming buffet area in the breakfast nook but it seemed like it was just a big bank of closed cabinetry. Oak wood everywhere!

A friend of mine cut the center panels out of the cabinet above her microwave and inserted glass instead. It created a darling little display space for knick knacks and cookbooks. We needed  a bit more than that would provide. I didn't want to go overboard with open shelving because, I like hiding/hoarding things away. I thought about ripping out our the stock bank of cabinets and putting in an antique piece, but I never saw anything that could replicate the amount of storage I wanted. It would also require patching the floor.

I looked and looked at it for years.

 I tried taking all four cabinet doors off, but it was too busy.

Finally...

I did some creative maneuvering to get a look I love.

Before:

I got inspiration by looking at the church kitchen.

The church had a similar bank of cabinets but it had a double door cabinet in the middle and two small cabinets on the sides. 

Similar to the above, only without the wine rack.

 Here. 

I need that configuration!

I tried asking Mr. Bill to take both cabinets off and mount one in the middle. Then we could cut the other cabinet in half and mount one half on each side. 

He did not like that idea at all! 

I finally figured out that if I flipped the two center doors to look like one 

cabinet I could take the two end doors off and I would have it open on the ends.

See the complicated diagram above.

Take all the time you need to study my madness.

Unfortunately, I could see into the enclosed portion through the sides of the end boxes.

But,

I was so happy with the amount of open shelving.

I had to think about what to do about the now open sides. Pine boards cut to appropriate lengths would require staining to match the oak. I wasn't sure I could get the color right.

I don't know if you do this, but I went to bed with the problem on my mind. When I woke up in the morning, I had my solution.

 Get it here.

Big Lots had faux oak book shelves. It was a perfect match!

I got one $19.99 bookcase and cut the shelves to the height I needed.

They slipped right in.

 Trimming out the cabinets to make them look built in is the key. Otherwise it looks like the builder forgot to put the cabinet doors on. 
We got the molding at Home Depot. 

 Double stick tape helps my plates to stay put..

I decorated it with my brown transferware collection.

I have collected this for about 14 years.

It is a perfect muted tone for different seasons.

 I am so happy I took some of the cabinet doors off to create open shelving.  It was easy and inexpensive.

I think it adds charm and breaks up the sea of oak.

It looks original to the house and gives the space more of a buffet look, which is exactly what I wanted.

It creates perfect nooks for seasonal decorating.

Easter

Christmas

Winter

Valentine's Day

I've been rotating my collections of transferware since I painted the kitchen a nice neutral. This is Kilim Beige by Sherwin Williams sets off my Blue Willow or my red transferware.

 I didn't care for the front of the shelves so I glued a small piece of trim to the front.

If you have been around awhile, you know how much I love collecting. Sticking to one main color plus an accent color allows for more pieces in a collection. 

A multi-colored china pattern would be much busier and would require scaling back a large collection.

 Red and White with a green or yellow accent is enough.

 I once heard that every room can take a bit of black. It grounds a space.

 Here is a sneak peak at our new breakfast room chairs. 

Years ago I remember looking at my friends custom buffet and thinking how much I wished they had done that to my house.

I had to wait a few years, but $30.00 and some thought fixed the problem.

Sprinkled with trim and vanishing cabinet doors,

Katie

Linking with:

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Summer Bedding

I love summer!

Every summer I get a desire to escape to a cottage on the lake.

My grandparents lived in Milwaukee but had a cottage on lake Sinissippi. 

It is about 30 miles from Milwaukee. 

My parents would drive us out to Wisconsin, stopping to camp and sight see along the way.

This photo of my brothers and I was taken on one such trip. That year we stopped at Mackinac Island. It must have been so cold that day.
(Hard for me to imagine now, living in Texas with summer temps. in the 100's.) 
We spent two weeks with my grandparents every summer until I was about 12.

I have such fond memories of those times and that place.

I can still visualize my grandmother and I sitting at the lake's edge in Adirondack chairs. 
I remember all the jars filled with her cherries, peaches and her yummy bread and butter pickles in the basement. 
Right next to that shelf was a case or two of all different flavors of Shasta soda my Grandpa would buy for the six of us.
I remember the day I caught a fish at the edge of the dock. My dad and brothers made me bait my own hook. 
We had a blue plastic boat we could paddle ourselves. I feel like that kid again when I paddle out in my husband's kayak.

Memories are such a strong motivator in decorating.
The sights and smells from our recessed memory can subtly influence why we are drawn to something.

This is true about a bedspread I bought for my daughter.

I found this Martha Stewart Chenille spread years ago at K-Mart.

Rebekah never really cared for it, so it's found a new home at the foot of my bed.

I am wild about the texture. 

I'm completely smitten with how it drapes against our Ralph Lauren dust ruffle.

A perfect marriage of Martha and Ralph if you ask me.


I started my summer bed with a coverlet that we picked up at Tuesday Morning a few years ago. 
It really is the perfect weight for hot temperatures.

My summer bed was influenced by Sarah Richardson and her lake cottage redo.

She isn't known for doing red, but her husband wanted it. 
I love how she uses antiques but in an updated way.

Mr. Bill is so patient with me and my love, love for billions of pillows.
I came home from my trip last week and the pillows put back on the bed. :) (Though, I'm sure they stayed in the chair all week.)


I have told you before how I tried brocades and damask in here. but that look just isn't me. 

I am a mix and match, white pillowcase and floral kind of girl.
The dust ruffle and pillows are Belle Harbor by Ralph Lauren.
I found the dust ruffle on clearance last spring at Macy's.

I couldn't find any of the other matching pieces anywhere. I finally found a seller on E-bay that makes pillows out of sheets that she buys. See her store. 
To be honest I can't remember how much I spent on the pillows, but now they are 2 for $25.00; no shipping. :)
I couldn't have made them for that.

I mimicked Ralph with a quilt of my grandmother's that I repaired years and years ago. (It needs it again.)

I sat working on this quilt 30+ years ago when I got a call from my best friend and future husband on Valentine's Day. I knew then we were destined to be more than friends. 
I have tried to find out what this quilt pattern is called. 

I went with red gingham instead of the blue that Ralph had.

I used a darling tatted edge pillowcase set. 
I found these at an estate sale. They were old and the fabric was shredding. I removed the tatted boarders and sewed them on to new cases. 

 I recycled my spring shams because they are a perfect fit.

I love Ralph Lauren and how you can easily mix and match his collections. 

The yo-yo quilt pillow topper came from the craft mall.
I was going to frame it, but pinned it to this small pillow instead.

 One tip for a seasonal bed?
Always go neutral with the drapes.
I am in love with vibrancy of this red.


Linking with, 
Sunday's Best Par Tay @ 1929 Charmer Blog 
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch 
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style 
Sat Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage 

Super Easy Banana Cream Pie

Have I told you yet how much Mr. Bill loves pie?

When he got an unfortunate diagnosis a year or so back, (nothing serious) and had to loose weight, he grieved (whined, tantrumed) a lot for pie!!!! 
It was January for heaven's sake. 
Thanksgiving (Pie Fest in our family) was 11 months away. 

I reassured him that if he did the hard work and lost the weight it would be okay to have a small piece of pie now and then.

He did the very hard work and lost the a whopping 45lbs. I am very proud of him.

His birthday is a special occasion and instead of cake he wanted 

Banana Cream Pie. 

My Sis -in-law has a fantastic banana pudding recipe. I decided to use that filling for our pie. Sans the vanilla wafers.

  Super Easy Banana Cream Pie

1 graham cracker pie crust

3 1/2 to 4 bananas

1 lg. pkg vanilla instant pudding 

1 can sweetened condensed milk (I use Eagle Brand.)

2 cups ice cold milk

1 cup whipped cream for the filling

Mix together pudding mix, milk and Eagle Brand in a bowl. Add bananas. Pour into a pie shell and refrigerate for several hours.

"Frost" with additional whipped cream.
Garnish with extra bananas, if desired.

I have done this two ways. I have used Cool Whip and I have made my own whipped cream. 

Either way is fine.

But...
In comparison you can see the Cool Whip Pie looks a little shiny.

The whipped cream was harder to decorate with but looks better and tastes better. 

 I made it while I was in Colorado.
I had fun poking around the cabin looking for the best props for the photo. I totally love these mid-century plates with the Formica counter. 

In Colorado

 

 with my dear brother and his fam.  

I think they liked it. 

You could also make your own from scratch vanilla pudding. I just don't do well standing at the stove for an hour stirring pudding only to have it not set. :\

I think this pie would be fabulous in a scratch flaky pie crust 
or 
in a vanilla wafer crust.

I'm totally feeling inspired by a yellow and white scheme. 
Uh Oh!


I hope you try it and I hope you like it!

Sprinkled with bananas,

Katie


Linking with,
Time Travel Thursday @ The Brambleberry Cottage 
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage 
Funky Junk Interiors-Sat Nite Special 
1929 Charmer Blog for Sunday's Best Par-tay 
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch 
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style