Blogger Stylin’ Home Tours – Favorite Room Edition {Kitchen & Pantry}

Following the Blogger Stylin’ Home Tours – Favorite Room Edition? ::gasp!:: So fun! So exciting! If you love looking at ‘real’ and ‘beautiful’ and ‘inspiring’ homes then you’re going to want to catch up on the series starting with Lindsay at The White Buffalo Styling Co.

Have you just popped over from The Chronicles of Home ? Welcome, friends! I’m so happy you’re here! Come in, come in! Make yourself at home!

Favorite Room Home Tours 

It’s the next to the last stop of a week long series of beautiful homes. I wish I had some sort of grand finale of “Holy smokes! They saved the best for last!” but our home is really still such a work in progress. And then there was a bonus favorite room added after me so I’m no longer last. But don’t you just want to gather all of these pretty rooms to create one big awesome house? That’s where I’ll live. 😉 

My favorite room is almost always the room we most recently completed. Know what I mean? All of the blood, sweat, tears and labor of love, to the finishing touches and I could sit in that room for hours just soaking up the feeling of the reward of a job well done. And well, JUST DONE! Ya know?

I am so SO in love with my bathroom, you guys! If you saw the ‘before’ pictures of what I lived with for so many years, you understand…now it’s just the prettiest soothing spa-like room. I’d move my bed or office in there if there was room. BUT anyway, that seems like such an odd room to choose. “Roeshel’s favorite room is the bathroom! hahahahahaha!” Ugh. 

DIYShowOff Bathroom Makeover before and after

Plan B: I’ll go with our open pantry. Again, another odd choice so we’ll include the kitchen too since that makes it more like an entire room. Kitchen and pantry. It’s all related to cooking & food storage, right? Right! Ready? Let’s go!

This is sort of what we had to start with (except the bamboo flooring is newer). A strange small room/hallway behind the kitchen that has SIX doorways. 

open pantry before

Now we utilize this area for extra food storage as well as a place to house our little-used microwave. It sits right next to the kitchen. This is from when we just finished before Christmas last year…

open pantry at diyshowoff.com

I keep this area organized and pretty with a little decorating and we’re slowly adding dried foods to the shelves in pretty glass containers. Canned foods and boxes get stored in baskets and other ‘not-so-pretties’ behind closed kitchen cabinets.

open pantry with pipe shelvingfarmhouse pantry decorDIYShowOff Pantry

Related blog posts: 

Our kitchen before screamed ‘OUTDATED!’ I love revisiting the before pictures. Sometimes I focus on what’s not done and forget how much we have accomplished. 

before

kitchen before

After painting the cabinets, new granite countertops, new sink, new faucet, a marble subway tile backsplash, bamboo floors and the power of paint, it’s transforming into one of our favorite rooms. 

after

kitchen makeoverdiyshowoff kitchenWe’re still undecided on our kitchen island. So currently we’re using an antique dresser. Sometimes I use 2 vintage desks pushed together. You never know what I’ll drag into the middle of the floor. Always changing!

farmhouse kitchen

DIYShowOff kitchenDIYShowOff kitchen 

before

farmhouse kitchen before

after…with a little bonus shot of me in the mirror. Do you spy a little Italian greyhound too?

kitchen at diyshowoff 

before…

farmhouse kitchen before

after…

kitchen at diyshowoff.com

before we bought the house…I don’t even want to know what’s on the wall. 

kitchen before

after…

kitchen at diyshowoff.comkitchen at diyshowoff.com

We love that the French doors lead right to the patio where we entertain and dine outdoors in the summer time. It makes serving and clean up a cinch. 

french doors, kitchen, bamboo floors, farmhouse tour, do it yourselfpatio-makeover

Related blog posts:

Home Tour

What about you? What’s the favorite room in your home? Inquiring minds want to know! 😉 

Thanks so much for stopping by! Thanks so much to Lindsay from The White Buffalo Styling Co. for organizing such a fun series. Now pop on over to the final stop: beautiful Iron & Twine

Not only is our house undergoing cosmetic changes but we’re on a journey to a chemical free home too! 

Check out how you can join me in taking the first steps to creating a healthier lifestyle with Young Living Essential Oils at diyshowoff.com

Tips for Making a DIY Industrial Pipe Shelving Unit

I recently shared the open pantry before and after reveal and the star of that DIY ‘show off’ is definitely the industrial pipe shelving…Industrial Pipe Shelving As a part of the January Creative Storage challenge for the Lowe’s Creative Ideas team, today I’m sharing a tutorial on what we did to use as tips for creating your own.

Accessories: 

 

THIS IS LONG and sounds confusing BUT if you’re making one of your own, I think being detailed will help make the plan, design and build easier along with other tutorials and tips you may come across in your search for how to make DIY industrial pipe shelving. 

CONTINUE TO THE TUTORIAL

Pantry Before and After

A pantry makeover, before and after…DIYShowOff Open Pantry before and after makeover

Did that space actually grow larger and taller with the addition of shelves or is it just me?

When we removed a pantry closet in our kitchen to move the refrigerator (more on that here), it decreased valuable storage space. What were we thinking?! What to do? Well, after much thought, the solution was to utilize an odd room/hallway to create more storage space. Lucky for us, that space exists in our home right behind the kitchen. Jackpot! Kismet. Fate. Whatever – it was finally time to make it happen!

The space is bigger than a hallway but six (6!) doorways make it too awkward to be a room. There are doorways opening to the kitchen, dining room, living room, old cellar stairwell, enclosed porch (original front door) and half bathroom. We walk through that room a gazillion times a day.

It’s approximately 6 ft. wide and 9 ft. long with 9 ft. ceilings. Ever since previous owners enclosed the front porch and re-routed the front door, this poor former entryway has been feeling forgotten. Perfect for some custom DIY industrial pipe shelving and a new job description as ‘open pantry’. 

Where is all started: The idea to one day call this area a pantry formed three years ago after drooling over this awesome pantry by Emerson Made on Design Sponge.Emerson Made open pantry

And then falling in love with this cool pipe shelving I spied at the Brick Housepipe shelving at the Brick House

inspired the transformation of this space…

before – boring, useless, a lamp for lightopen pantry before

now: a functional beautiful open pantry area…DIYShowOff Open Pantry

with new paint, new lighting and DIY industrial pipe shelving. It’s a small space…no room to get a photo straight on of the monstrous pipe shelves but plenty of walking room even with 20 inch deep shelving. I love storing dried goods in glass jars too. 

Before from another angle…pantry area before

After…isn’t the industrial pipe shelving unit awesome?!DIYShowOff Industrial Pipe Shelving

It’s super convenient with it’s location right off the kitchen.industrial farmhouse pantry makeoverThe shelves were designed to fit the wall to ceiling and floor space perfectly and to accommodate our microwave as well as dried goods and baskets. I’m still messing with getting it all organized but I loooove how this once awkward unused space is now functional and pretty! Hurray!industrial cottage pantry

More photos: Notice all of the doorways?DIYShowOff Pantryfarmhouse pantryfarmhouse pantry decor

Custom design was also handy when working around the heat vent…Kitchen Pantry

Why yes, that’s still a little Christmas hanging around for another week or so. Thanks for noticing!Industrial Pipe ShelvingI’ll share more about the lighting challenge soon too.farmhouse industrial pantry lighting

  • Paint – inexpensive way to brighten up a room lacking natural lighting. (accent wall tutorial) Base wall color: Valspar Cool Grey. 
  • Lighting – The Allen + Roth fixtures from Lowe’s were super affordable at around $57/ea. but electrical wound up costing more than I anticipated due to labor charges because there was no lighting whatsoever in the space from the get go and an outdated electrical outlet. (We did attempt DIY but it was over our heads and I’m not referring to just literally!) The exterior track/wiring adds to the industrial charm.
  • Pipe shelving – DIY means custom to fit our space and needs. Not a cheap DIY but still more affordable than purchasing two manufactured floor to ceiling shelving units. I’ll share how we did in in a couple of days! Check back!
  • West Elm Fiesta Tile Printed Jute Rug (sold out)
  • Flea Market Distressed Galvanized Metal Clock (DecorSteals – currently unavailable)
  • IKEA Burken jars with lids
  • Large Seagrass Basket (I got a set of three nesting ones on clearance at Wisteria a few years ago.)
  • Petite Cow & Bull Cameo Plaques, set of 2 – Antique Farm House
  • Grocery Sign – I had plans for this to be a DIY sign (mine would have been the same wood stain as the shelving with white lettering, not red) but with so much going on in December and the real life holiday home tour deadline…when I spied it at Hobby Lobby, I couldn’t resist.
  • Galvanized letter B – Hobby Lobby

DIY Pantry Makeover before and after

DIY INDUSTRIAL PIPE SHELVING TIPS & TUTORIAL

pipe shelving how to 

ACCENT WALL

easy painted accent wall

 

LIGHTING DETAILS

Industrial Pantry Light Details

  • This post is sponsored by my Young Living business! Check out my essential oils page for more information on how you can get these amazing oils in your hands too along with helpful freebies, a gift from me, and tons of support:
    young living essential oils @diyshowoff

Pantry Makeover Prep and #ReadyDoneClean Giveaway

This giveaway is now closed. And the winner is…winner1

winner2

Congratulations, Jessica! I’ll send you an email to get your mailing information!

We’ve been using an enclosed porch as a temporary pantry ever since we removed a closet from our kitchen but with warmer weather approaching, it’s going to need to be moved inside for better temperature control. So, it’s time to start considering a pantry makeover.

Inspiration: I have had this open pantry image from Emerson Made saved in my inspiration files forever.

Emerson Made open pantry

via Apartment Therapy

The ideal spot is the ‘room’ behind this back wall in the kitchen… farmhouse kitchen

It’s wider than a hallway and sits between our kitchen and living room and has FIVE doorways. Time to make the most of what has always been a waste of space. The freezer will be relocated to the basement.

open pantry before

The first step in prepping for painting is to examine the walls and fill any holes, cracks or imperfections with spackling, letting it dry and sanding smooth. My Swiffer Sweeper is handy for cleaning up the spackling dust.

Then time for a little clean up. This area is so dark and un-used, meaning it often gets overlooked even though we walk through here nearly every day. Cleaning up before painting is important. Ever get cobwebs on your wet paint brush? No fun. A Swiffer Sweeper with a dry sweeping cloth works really well by attracting dirt and dust from virtually any surface, including walls, ceiling and baseboards with it’s 360 degree swivel head. With the long Swiffer Sweeper handle, I don’t even need a ladder to dust the 9 foot ceilings and corners.

I DO clean so I’m embarrassed by the dirt that accumulated in this dark, unused space. Yikes! This is just from the ceiling, walls and trim above 5 door frames. It’s not something you’ll want to paint over.

dirt and dust

I can’t believe it took cleaning this room for me to actually see the dirt. Gross! Next prepare for painting by taping off trim. Then paint!

After painting, I use my Magic Eraser. It’s is so powerful that it removes more grime per swipe than the leading all-purpose bleach spray cleaner, and it has no harsh chemicals. I seriously have a basket full of Magic Erasers. With a husband who loves to cook, I use them all.the.time. for cleaning up spills and drips on white kitchen cabinets too.

magic eraser clean up

It’s going to feel so good to use this space, for it to be lighter and organized! I can’t wait!

You can find all of your painting supplies, including the Swiffer Sweeper and Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, at the Home Depot near you. Be sure to visit Paint Like a Pro at HomeDepot.com for a paint calculator and more great DIY painting and tips.

Home Depot P&G Prize Pack

Ready to paint?

Get ready. Get done. Get clean. Giveaway

#readydoneclean-giveaway

DIY Painting #ReadyDoneClean Prize Pack:

  • Swiffer Sweeper
  • Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Original
  • $50 The Home Depot gift card

(1) entry per person: Simply leave a comment below describing your next paint project to enter to win.  Giveaway starts today and ends March 1, 2013. Open to US and Canadian residents. Winner will be chosen randomly and announced shortly after.

*This review and giveaway is sponsored by The Home Depot and Proctor & Gamble, however opinion is my own and these are products I do purchase and use even when not sponsored. Read more about the DIY Show Off disclosure here

Farmhouse Kitchen Updates

Our farmhouse kitchen is still evolving. We still have some finishing touches such as baseboard trim, little pot rack/light fixture DIY, stove backsplash and kitchen island. But I wanted to show you how it’s looking today.

I’ve decided to go with red as an accent color.

farmhouse kitchen

Continue reading

Organizing Your Pantry ~ My Happy House

Molly from

My Happy House
always has some great cleaning, organizational tips and DIY.  With holiday cooking and baking on the agenda, I thought you’d enjoy some helpful tips:


Up until just a few days ago, on a good day, my pantry used to look like this:

Before: 

Maximizing the pantry is key. Oh and I want it to look pretty, am I asking too much? Perhaps, but that didn’t stop me from trying. See the tips at the bottom of this post. 

 
After: 

How to achieve the pantry of my your dreams:

  1. Really only stock the items you need. I ditched a few things I really didn’t need and have a pile of stuff to donate.
  2. Visually break up the shelves. A nice balance of baskets, containers, cookbooks, and serving platters helps big time!
  3. Uniformity is somewhat key. I wasn’t about to drop $$$$ on new baskets when I had quite a few I could repurpose. I actually like the variety there, but I wanted to have all the same containers for the most part. So I spent some money on those.
  4. The wire rack on the side wall was one way to house can goods, but I needed a better solution for items I keep in bulk (diced tomatoes, chicken broth, etc.). Fridge bins work great for this! They are clear, so they go with whatever theme you have and are the perfect size since they are for soda cans.
  5. Don’t overfill the shelves. This one was hard for me to do because I really do need all the space in there, but I’ll show you something I did later that really helped with this!
  6. Make sure to use all the vertical space! The way the pantry was originally set up, there was a good couple feet above the shelf that wasn’t used because I just didn’t have that many tall items. We added the wire shelf up top, instant space. And notice on the left, where I have some serving pieces, those little “S” hooks. Again, vertical space. It still looks aesthetically pleasing by not looking crowded, but without those hooks, I’d lose an entire space for a basket.
  7. When using that top vertical space, be smart about it. I kept all the canvas baskets at the very top light in weight. Linens, chips, cereal, etc. are easy to get down without fear I’ll knock myself unconscious when I need to get them down.
  8. Keep the color scheme light. The paint we chose was some paint we had bought and weren’t able to use the perfect paint for the little closet space with no natural light. (Platinum by Ace) However, I’m pretty sure any paint would have been an upgrade from builder grade beige, and especially so seeing as the ceiling white came about 2 feet down the wall with a jagged line to finish it. Seriously builders?
Thanks so much for sharing your great tips, Molly! Perfect timing! I know that not only with the holidays do we do more cooking and baking, but with cold winter weather and shorter days, there are more home cooked meals, more comfort foods and having everything organized feels so good! 
 
You can see more from Molly at