Kitchen Update!

Before I left, Brandon and I cut up another part of the leftover Ikea counter and created an oiled butcher block by the side of the oven, along with backsplash. Originally there was a slim cupboard and counter, and it really wasn't big enough to do much with. We also wanted to "hide" the trash can a little too and make that corner a little tidier (well, as tidy as it can be being the dog feeding area...!). It came out great, though neither of is has wanted to use it as a butcher block because it looks so nice! So with yet more leftovers from the counter (an awesome purchase!), Brandon is going to cut up another piece that we'll use on top as a butcher block! 

The area before (and before the counter went on the island). 

The whole area after. I also painted two stools Brandon had and we cut them down to counter height (they were originally bar height). They came out okay - the paint totally matches the dining set (which was the goal), but the paint didn't come out as neat as I wanted. Was rushing it too much I think to get it done. So at some point, they'll get resanded, and repainted. Barkley for size. 

The area after. The butcher block counter top wouldn't go with the dark wood of the kitchen, so I painted them the same cream as the dining set. This came out awesome, we're both super pleased. Still need to add hardware, but that will come when we're ready to drop enough $$'s to buy hardware for all the cabinets, as we want them to be all the same. 

The kitchen at present. The end goal is to paint all the cabinets the cream colour. A new kitchen is not even in the 10 year plan, so I wanted to do something to smarten up the kitchen. The cream will not only brighten the space (the dark wood is a bit drab too), but it will also go with the green counter too, so we won't have to replace that (as much as we both want to change it to the ikea counters!). The yellow walls will be toned down or maybe even migrate to a dusty green (like the island). These are all fall/winter projects we're looking forward to!