Breakfast Room Blah

I moved the Persian rug that used to be in our bedroom to the breakfast area. I'm not really lovin' it...a sentiment which often arises when you're trying to make do with what you already have!

It definitely doesn't mesh with the orange striped rug, but that's a factor that will likely change.

I adore the rug, however, it's a more formal look than I was going for. Once the Jonathan Adler rug for the den arrives, I'll be able to do more rug swapping and hopefully will figure out a solution. If not, maybe I'll go with something like this Nate Berkus rug from HSN - only $59 for an 8x10' - which is about as cheap as they come!

 

Uuugh...I seriously need to get window treatments up...that will probably help with the general malaise of the area. I'd love to have a team of helpful little elves at my disposal :)

Kitchen Tweaks

Very minor changes have happened in the kitchen... 

 

We hung the chandelier from the dining room in the breakfast area.

 

Put down a different rug...although this one is temporary.

 

Unfortunately, the list of accomplishments is WAY shorter than the list of to-dos! Here's what is going to happen in this room:

1) The cabinets will get a fresh coat of paint...same color, but probably something with a little more gloss. I was really happy with the finish of the Behr Kitchen & Bath paint I used at our old house. Supposedly, it dries hard like an oil-based paint, but won't yellow like an oil-based paint.

 

2) Will put new polished nickel hardware from Restoration Hardware on the cabinetry.

3) Roman shades will go on those naked windows. I'm got some such cheap bamboo ones that I'm going to try and stain dark gray. I'll keep you posted. I hate not having the privacy that window treatments provide! 

It's possible that we might get new windows too. Gotta figure out what the total cost would be and whether or not we would qualify for the energy efficiency tax credits. If we were to get new windows, they'd be finished out with some trim work. Windows can make a huge difference in how polished a space looks.

 Photo via Jeld-Wen

4) Need to pick a rug for the breakfast area. It's probably going to be the black one we had in our bedroom.

5) Upgrade the look of the pantry doors...maybe with some paint, trim molding, and possibly mirrors or frosted glass. Here's what they look like now, just crappy builder-grade doors:

 

Here are some inspiration photos of how I'd like them to look:

  

 Photo via HGTV

  

 Photo via DecorPad

 

 Photo source unknown

Basically, I'd like to spend and do as little as possible to spruce up the overall look. The kitchen is definitely an area that I'd love to remodel in a few years, so hopefully I can make a few minor cosmetic changes to hold me over until then!