Our Kitchen Pantry

It’s done!  Well, almost.  I still need to add a light fixture to replace the bare bulb, but that can wait as we were anxious to move all the pantry items back IN to the pantry!

A little background info….after almost 10 years in our home, we finally reached the point where our walk in pantry was just too frustrating to deal with a moment longer.  Our builder had only installed 4 non-adjustable shelves on one wall and at the time we thought it would be fine, but after moving into the house, quickly realized it was a completely underutilized use of what could be an amazing space.  With 5 people living in this house, we would continually organize and reorganize the space but it always ended up looking like this….one.huge.hot.MESS.   

Yes, it really was that bad.

I started by removing the shelves (along with a spice rack I’d created from some pallets years ago) and was left with a blank slate.   

 

After sketching up some plans and getting the ok on the design from my hubby (he’s the main cook in this house) I went shopping! 

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I started with 3 sheets of maple purebond ¾” plywood that I had cut in half so it was easier to transport home in my van.  Once home, I ripped down the sheets into narrower widths for the cabinets.  The cabinets on the left are 11-1/2” deep while the cabinet on the right is only 10” deep.

 

Unfortunately our walls were far from perfect, so when I went to install the cabinets, quickly realized I had some issues, one being that the front edge of the bulkhead was ¾” lower than the back.  Of course when I measured, I only measured the back.  This picture is a bit deceiving as it looks like the cabinet is quite a bit taller, but it’s just the angle. 

  

After removing the metal edge and drywall on the bottom of the bulkhead, I was able to slide the cabinets into place.  Adding a few shims, I was able to get the cabinets level and plumb and screwed them into the studs in the walls so they're not going anywhere!

  

Each cabinet is backed with a sheet of 1/8” hardboard and then I chose to try some beadboard wallpaper to tie it in with our kitchen cabinets which have a similar look.  I’d read that once painted you can’t tell the difference, but I find that it still has a sort of spongy feel to it and could get damaged if something sharp pushes in to it.

 

Because we have 9’ ceilings, I wanted to utilize as much space as possible so took the cabinets up to the ceiling. 

I decided to add some crown molding to finish it off and cover the gap between the top of the cabinet and ceiling as well as try to camouflage the bulkhead a bit more.

Once all the plywood was trimmed out, caulked and primed, I painted everything with a couple coats of glossy white enamel paint.  For the adjustable shelves, I chose to purchase 5/8” melamine shelves that I cut to fit.  They’re easy to clean and it was so much easier to just cut and put in place. To allow the shelves to be customized to whatever height we need, I have them sitting on ¼” shelf pegs, with the exception of the center shelf which is permanently attached in place for stability  


And....tada!  Here it is! 

 For the corner, I designed the cabinet based on a design I’d come across online.  After the cabinets were installed, I measured the distance between the left and right cabinet and cut shelves to fit the space which I then permanently attached to the shelves on the left which gave me the “L” shape.   

Because I’d drilled adjustable shelf peg holes on both sides of the 10” cabinet, this allows three sides of the shelf to be supported by shelf pins so I don't have to worry about any other support taking up room on the corner shelves.

We knew we wanted to incorporate a space for our spices again, so I added a narrow cabinet along the right with adjustable shelving. It's over 6' tall so I thought that would give us plenty of storage.

To create the spaces for the shelves to slide into, I cut a series of dado cuts 2” apart along the entire length of 7” wide piece of plywood.  After the dados were cut, I then ripped the board in half so I knew the shelves would line up perfectly.  For shelves, I’ve just cut up some leftover hardboard I had on hand but they may be replaced with a slightly thicker material at some point down the road.  

And just for fun, here's a before and after....

I plan to add a couple more shelves to the main pantry cabinets, but for now it’s just so nice to have a use able pantry that will make keeping it organized EASY!

Thanks for popping by!  If you have any questions, definitely let me know. 

Bye Bye Folk Art

I posted a sneak peek of the little pine chest on my facebook page earlier today.  If you haven't already "liked" that page, I would highly suggest you do.  I tend to update that page more often than my blog.  Oops. ;)

Anyway, below are two custom pieces I was asked to refinish.  They were solid and still in great shape and while my client loves the pieces, she was tired of the folk art painted finish and was ready to have them freshened up.

The first was this small little knotty pine chest.  

I stripped and sanded the bottom trim and lid and then stained both with Minwax Jacobean and sealed with a satin poly.  The body of the chest was sanded, primed, painted in Behr “Old Map”, lightly distressed along the edges and sealed with a satin clear coat.

The second piece was this adorable potato bin.  Again, a great piece, but needing an update.  

Like the small chest, the lid was stripped and stained with Minwax Jacobean and sealed with a satin poly.  The body and drawer were sanded down, primed, painted with Behr “Caffeine”, lightly distressed along the edges and sealed with a satin clear coat.

 

 

The inside was taped off and left unpainted. 

  

I’m thrilled with the finished pieces and hope they’ll be enjoyed for many years.  :)

Thanks for popping by!

Custom Rustic Style Tree Wall Shelf

My new rustic style tree wall shelf! When I came across this piece, I knew I had to build one pronto!  It turned out even cuter than I imagined!  SO, I decided I just had to share this adorableness!

The shelves are perfect for little keepsakes, ornaments or pictures.  Or add some cute little burlap numbered bags for a sweet little advent calendar.  No fireplace mantel?  The hooks are perfect for hanging stockings!

I can build you your very own for $65 each (with a $25 deposit) and you can choose the stain colour. Each shelf will be handmade by me. Approx 32" tall x 20-1/2" wide. My example shelf was stained in English Chestnut.

Because of the size, I anticipate shipping would become quite costly, so I'll have to stick with local orders only. 

These three shelves were delivered to a very happy client this morning!

I added a simple little tag to finish it off and express my appreciation for shopping local and supporting a small business! :)

If you're interested in purchasing a custom shelf, definitely send me an email at thepaintedkey@gmail.com

Thanks for popping by!

My Juliet Nightstand

This sweet little nightstand is the perfect addition to any room.  Inspired by the Juliette Nightstand from Pottery Barn Kids, I wanted to create it using some leftover materials I had from previous projects. 

The top, sides and shelf were constructed from mdf.  The legs were cut from a spruce 2x4 that I ripped down on my table saw to a square 1.5" x 1.5" post.  The adorable little curvy “feet” are actually from a pine stair baluster!  I chopped it down into pieces and by drilling a small hole in the top of the “foot” and the bottom of the table leg, I was able to glue them in place with no worry of them moving around.

The drawer interior was built from 3/8” plywood.   I cut a dado groove along the bottom for a 1/4" plywood base to fit in.  The drawer was then installed with simple white drawer glides.  The adjustable lower shelf sits on simple chrome shelf pins so it’s quick and easy to adjust.

The soft white paint colour and clear coat in a satin finish was perfect for the table.  And of course the glass drawer pull was the finishing touch!

This lovely little table has been sold.

Thanks for popping by!

Dresser & China Cabinet

Hello, hello!!!

I realize it’s been AGES since I’ve posted anything, but although things have been quiet on my blog, I have actually been working away.  Of course, with my kids on summer holidays my painting tends to take a back seat, but I’ve been sneaking out to paint when I have the opportunity.  If you’ve popped over to visit my facebook page you will have already seen these, but I thought I should share them here as well.

A couple of the projects I worked on and completed.

I actually agreed to purchase this dresser after only seeing a picture online.  I was drawn to the unique carved design on the front and the lion-head drawer pulls on the top drawers.

I painted the top a dark espresso with a glossy clear coat.  The bottom was painted white followed with a dark glaze to really draw out the details of the dresser.  The original hardware was updated in an oil rubbed bronze colour.

This next big project was this china cabinet.  I'd had it sitting waiting its turn for too long and it was high time it was refinished!  

 

I stripped the paint off the top of the bottom portion and stained it a darker colour followed by a glossy poly.

 

The remainder of the cabinet was  painted a light grey and then also followed with a darker glaze.  I replaced all the old/damaged hardware with new brushed nickel and removed the dated glass and added a simple hardware cloth.  The original back panel was damaged so I also replaced that with a brand new piece.

Both pieces have been sold.

Thanks for popping by!