Mish Mash Part 4 ... Pantry Conversion Reveal

Last week, I left you wondering why Mr. Smitten was inside the pantry closet.  

Well, today I'll let you in on what he was up to.  

First a back story (there's always a back story).  When I first decided to build an office/art room in the basement,  I didn't realize how very little time we would be able to spend together if one of us was on the computer.  With most of the basement still unfinished, the family rarely made a trip two floors down from the main floor.  The iMac slowly began to migrate to the kitchen island or the dining table.  This drove me up the wall, so when it was time to renovate our kitchen, I realized it was the time to do something about it.

A computer nook was a perfect solution: Getting work done while still having the "togetherness" we needed.  We transferred all of our pantry goods to our kitchen island and either moved to storage or donated what we didn't need from there.  If you're like me, you'll find that you don't really need all of your kitchen supplies on hand - cooking isn't exactly my forte.

No need for too much space as we've become more and more paperless.

Fantastic industrial photograph I found while thrifting.  

Another thrifty find - $2 and the color was already perfect!

We discovered her from an antique show in Ogden, Utah.   I'm still trying to research her name.
My daughter and I are a couple of vintage Bradley Doll fans.

Our perfect little vintage/industrial/modern/mish mashed computer nook.  

Next up, how we solved our comfort and exposed media problem...

XOXO,

~*Abigail*~

Mish Mash Part 3... Kitchen Reveal

I began this mini Mish Mash blog series a bit backwards.  

You see, it all started with the purchase of this monster of a sectional for our living room.

In no way shape or form do we have a large "great room" (living room, kitchen, dining in a big connected space), but trying to cram the fam on our three-seater sofa comfortably while watching an awesome episode of The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones was a bit of a challenge.  "You bought a bigger sofa, so what?" you ask?  I'll emphasize again - this sectional is a MONSTER and took up the already very little space (about a foot) we had to walk in between our kitchen island and our former sofa.  To add to that, our kitchen island was somewhat of a danger hazard.

Here's another reminder of how the Smitten kitchen used to look like:

I have jabbed myself in the ribs too many a times on this island corner.

Having to walk all the way around the kitchen to get to the dining room became a chore and we weren't about to return our new super comfy, bed-like, constantly falling asleep on sofa.  Our only option was to give the heave ho to a huge chunk of the island.

Discovery of the original selection of
flooring by previous homeowners.  WT Fuuuudge?

Look at all that wasted space!

 That also meant we had to get a new counter top.

Which then led me to analyze what I've had to live with since we moved in:
ALL OLD COUNTER TOPS MUST GO!!!

And of course which also led to new paint for the entire main area, an added back splash, new flooring and a completely new look for every room I could think of before the hubby could get a chance to give me a red light.  All of this on a limited budget.  It's been a crazy few months, to say the least.  

Here's how we pulled it off...

Our close friends gave to us this solid sturdy Boos Blocks butcher block as a gift.  Thanks, Matt and Jodi!

With a little muscle weight and sweat, sanded the piece until smooth and finger paint free.

Compromised with my need for an all stainless steel back splash and got a bit creative for a fraction of the cost:
A mixture of tile and stainless steel capped tiles and faux wood floor tiles = One hell of a savings!

Here's another recap of the evolution of the kitchen...

Yecchh

Meh

And now the new 

Smitten Household Kitchen...

I'm in luuurve...

Scored these fantastic lime green Tabouret metal stools from my have consignment warehouse: Rock Bottom Sales

My favorite part of the entire kitchen.

Different.. You know how I love different.

Bunt cake pans I found thrifting.  $0.75 each

Menu chalkboard: $1, Vintage Neiman Marcus mug: $0.75, Keurig: Priceless - I could not function if  ours died.

And check out ALL of this SPACE!!!  

Stay tuned for my next post so you can stop asking yourself why the heck I stuck Mr. Smitten in the pantry with a spray gun and a face mask.

xoxo,

~*Abigail*~

Mish Mash Part 2: Dining Room Reveal

There was nothing wrong with our refinished dining room (At least nothing that I couldn't fix).  The family and I are just, once again evolving when it comes to how we want to feel once we step through our front door.

Sold this set on KSL for $350.  Reminder, I bought it all for $35.

Fixable, but frankly did not want to have to reupholster these chairs every time it was spilled on.

 So the hunt for a new dining set and decor began immediately.  

This dining table didn't come with the chairs, but I was fine with that since I had other plans..

I was able to bargain with the seller of these fantastic vintage school chairs - $30 for four.

Score!!!  At $10 a pop, this was a huge steal for some extra seating.

I googled these chairs and came to find that the university sure spent a lot for each of them: Almost $300 each!  Yikes!

$20 light fixture from a Salt Lake City thrift store

What in the heck am I going to do with a red roof panel?

I heart Target's new Threshhold line (and their clearance prices).

While the new finds were sitting in the garage, we were forced to eat each meal on the floor and turned over paint buckets until the new flooring was installed.  This eating arrangement got old very quickly.

 Alright, alright!  I'll stop stalling and get on with it.  Here it is folks, our new dining room...

I'm extremely pleased with the outcome.  It's a mixture of vintage, urban and a touch of industrial.

Repainted the dining table and former green school chairs Hollywood Gold by Glidden
(I'm not fancy - I call it Mustard Yellow)
Chairs with basket : Aqua Chiffon by Olympic
Topped them all off with a Polyurethane clear gloss
Wall Paint: Drifting Snow by Glidden
Trim Paint: Grey Tabby by Glidden

Corrugated roof panel: Lowes, New York art work: Ross, North street sign: Deseret Industries

I fell in love with this wooden sign when I found it at Acorn's Antique and Vintage Show.  It was the finishing touch that brought everything together.

The transformation was a HUGE and well worth the wait.

Here's a sneak peek of what we've been up to in the kitchen...

Discovery: Original green and white vinyl flooring.  Say it with me now,  "Ewww"

xoxo,

~*Abigail*~