Hi Emily Henderson family, it’s Melanie Burstin (aka Mel of course), interior designer and EHD alum happy to be back with you again! What a year it has been. How are you? I hope you’re as okay as one could be with the state of the world, right? Anyway, I want to update you on my life because I need to introduce you to my new home!
I’m so grateful to (fingers crossed) be on the cusp of exiting this pandemic mostly unscathed (social skills TBD) and I’m also so thankful to have had work throughout this last year. Working through it definitely kept me sane, and it also gave me the opportunity to purchase my first piece of real estate! Which is something I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember.
An important part of growing up though is adjusting one’s expectations. So, though at this point in my life I’ve dreamed of having a gorgeous indoor-outdoor modern house with doors that open to a stunning pool, the reality of California prices means I needed to take some baby steps first. Baby steps that are truly awesome and in reality, the perfect next step for me. I am really grateful for where I am. Anywho, in real estate, there is this relatively new thing called a TIC (I believe Caitlyn’s discussed it in her last house hunting post) and though TICs are really only popular in San Francisco, they’ve started to enter the LA scene as well. And a TIC my friends, is what I bought.
In short, a TIC (Tenants in Common) is kinda similar to a Condo and kinda similar to a Co-op. Right now the TIC’s in LA are pretty much a single property made up of a scattering of bungalows. Everyone owns a percentage of the entire property with the rights to their own unit. It’s a bit confusing, but the point is, you can purchase a slice of LA at a potentially more accessible price point. I viewed a bunch of TICs on the East Side of LA and ended up with one I knew was mine all along. I had seen it, loved it, wasn’t really ready, saw others, took a friend back to see it, she kinda talked me out of it by accident, I decided to put an offer in on another, but then as I was typing up the offer I realized I knew this one was mine. I mean, I had been joking about the fact that it hadn’t sold yet because it really was mine. I had been doing floor plans in my head for months. So um yeah, it was always mine, and now it officially is thanks to a good old-fashioned loan!
The Floorplan
My TIC is on a property with three bungalows. The first two are single stories and the third is two stories with my unit being the top floor. What I love about the space is that it feels like a private sunny treehouse. Every single room is drenched in sunlight. A lot of TICs have cute little yards between the units but I decided that privacy and light were paramount to me over a larger outdoor space. I feel I definitely made the right decision. I’ve noticed this for clients, and I definitely noticed it in myself but it’s so funny how our past places really delegate what we look for in our next homes. I needed more privacy- so the second story feels perfect.
Okay, enough real estate backstory right? Let’s start talking about DESIGN and FURNITURE! As you first walk up my charming stairs you land upon a small porch. I’ve decided to put a custom daybed in the corner here for Moose and I to curl up on to read, to listen to birds (there are so many birds over here), and to maybe occasionally have the perfect sunset glass of orange wine. Are you all impressed it took me so long before I mentioned the love of my life my dog Moose? Same. I had my handyman build me out the bench and then had outdoor cushions made as well. There’s been a foam shortage lately so I only had the bench for a bit and panicked that I had made the wrong choice as it felt enormous. But thankfully once the cushions were finished it felt right and cozy. My parents recently came to visit me (hadn’t seen them in over a year, thanks Covid) and so I enlisted my Dad to help me hang some string lights. Next up for out here will be some more accessories and definitely some plants. I’m starting with a blank color pallet out here knowing I’ll jazz it up. For now, though this is the most pulled together area.
Then as you actually enter the space you’ll see one large great room. To one side is my tiny tiny tiny tiny (did I mention tiny?) kitchen and on the other is where I’ve decided to put my living area. Before I even purchased the place I knew I wanted a corner sofa under the windows. That’s truly the only thing I was set on for a long time.
The Kitchen
Anyway, let’s talk about the kitchen first. I love it, I mean white appliances and charm are all a girl needs, but, it’s really small. I need some more storage space (my dishes are currently just stacked on the counter) and I’d also love to have somewhere to hide my trash can. I have a thing about being able to see a trash can from your sofa, I wonder if it’s a feng shui thing. I’m pretty sure I’m going to add a small island on wheels here for dishes and a pull-out trash, but so far I haven’t found the perfect solution yet. I’ll most likely go custom but the reason I’m dragging my feet is because I also really want to change the faces of my cabinets. Yes, it is super charming and done well, but, I’m not really a farmhouse girl (as shown above). I definitely skew more modern or scandi. Wanna see a lazy/not great photoshop job of how I want to change them?
So then the issue is how to do that. My regular cabinet maker that I hire for client projects gave me a quote that was out of my budget. I mean, this is not a necessary change, this is just a designer wanting to change something for themselves that won’t really affect any type of resale value so I need to be smart about the costs of it. So now, this is where I am going to crowdsource… I am typically more of a buyer than a DIY-er but I think I’m going to have to get my hands dirty a bit. Any ideas? Comment below if you’ve refaced your own kitchen cabinets! When I first bought the place I was hoping the kitchen was Ikea since there are a bunch of companies that have fronts for their boxes, but alas, it’s not. I’m excited to show you my eventual solution in my reveal post in a few months, but also I’m more excited for one of your amazing readers to share this solution ha.
Another predicament for this space is that there’s no real area for a dining table. The front door is pretty close to the kitchen and then the hallway and door to the second bedroom mean there is no real nook or corner to throw a table into. For the first month I lived here I decided I was just going to skip having a table because I didn’t love how the floating table the stagers used felt, but now that I’m figuring out more of the space, I think I’m going to go off of some scandi inspo and just put a small table against the wall between my front door and sofa. Next step will be for me to memo a table from a local store and see if I like how it feels. This is definitely the most up in the air decision I have so maybe you’ll all be blown away in my reveal post when I have a dining table on a pulley system that comes down from the ceiling. I am definitely not going to do that but I also don’t really know what I am going to do. Now if this was a client’s house I would have decided a month ago and been 100% confident. But it’s definitely more challenging to be doing this for myself. Thankfully I’ve already left the ‘I need this to be done perfectly’ stage of this adventure and am now onto the ‘make it as me and happy and liveable as possible’ stage. We’re all lucky I’m writing this now and not then!
The Living Room
Okay, let’s talk about my living area and most importantly that I bought this place because of these windows. It is bright in here all day folks and they also provide an incredible cross-breeze situation. As I mentioned, I’m going to do a corner sofa under the windows, the exact design of which is almost decided but again, I am my pickiest client apparently. The one thing I know is that I’ll be making my sofa with Clad Home. Rosa Beltran, the owner, was one of my first mentors and I love that I have a place in LA where I can make any upholstery piece I dream up. I am very excited to share this final design with you. I’m guessing a lot of you will be running to get one for yourself! I’ve also designed a custom media cabinet that I am in love with that my carpenter should be installing in two weeks meaning I will finally start to see some progress soon! I haven’t settled on a coffee table yet and I cannot wait to place my art and pottery as the bigger pieces arrive.
The Main Bedroom
Next, let’s talk about my bedroom. Again, tons of light, it’s tiny and I love it! I have designed a custom bed frame (should also arrive in two weeks yay!) and found an awesome vintage dresser on Etsy. I must say I’m doing my usual of mixing vintage, new, and custom and it’s going to be great. I’m having a rug made from an Etsy shop in Turkey and got vintage lamps off Instagram. I am loving the influx of smaller Instagram vintage accounts; are you guys deep-diving there too? I’m going to keep all these exact design bits secret for a little bit so you can be surprised by my reveal but I’m shocked this room has come together so easily/quickly.
For my nightstands, I have found this dream pair by Domenic Fiorello Studio who’s based in Ohio. The nightstands are dare I say perfect? They must be inspired by vintage and yet they’re also streamlined and updatedly modern. If you recall in my last place I opted to pass on standard nightstands and though I loved it, I’m pretty excited to be able to keep my kindle in a drawer! (wow I live an exciting life). Okay back to Domenic Fiorello, they have so much stuff I love. I wish I had room for the coat rack (again perfectly modern and perfectly minimal), their dining table, what? They have so much good stuff. I highly recommend checking them out. After seeing the nightstands in person, let me tell you, they are beautiful and very high quality. I love finding studios like this who make everything by hand. You can really see the difference between pieces like these and more ready-made furniture.
The Second Bedroom/Office…Or Sample Library
Let’s talk about my second bedroom now, or should I say my ‘office’, or should I say my ‘sample library’. I am so excited to have the space to organize all my fabrics and wood blocks and paint chips and such. Under the windows, I’ve designed a custom corner desk that will be big enough for me to use a desktop computer and have pages of drawings open at the same time. It will also have some much-needed file storage to organize all my designs.
Now most importantly, what I really need in this room is a major storage situation and boy have I found one. I have found the most beautiful storage cabinet in the world. I am not exaggerating. My solution comes from a company called Reform CPH. I have finally found a company that not only brings good European designs to the US but they even have showrooms in Santa Monica and New York! They are the #1 place for sophisticated and accessible kitchens in my opinion and I can’t wait to do a full kitchen with them for clients one day soon.
For now, we’re focusing on a pantry meets office cabinet storage solution. Aesthetically I’ve decided to move forward with their basis line in the color mushroom + wood details and it feels very me. We’ve designed three cabinets with an extra special design detail that I think I want to leave as a surprise for now. Just know Reform is the best and you can customize pretty much everything. Not only am I going to have a way to finally organize everything but it’s also going to be beautiful to look at! And maybe have a cute way to display some of my enormous pottery collection (hint hint at the special design element). I cannot wait for this piece to be installed. Mostly because it will be so pretty, but also maybe because then there won’t be piles (albeit organized piles) of stuff on the floor of this room for the rest of eternity?
I do believe this brings us to the end of our tour and design introduction. It was super fun to share my ideas with you while still in the process of figuring out what I even want. I hope you enjoyed reading along, and I hope you have some ideas for my few tough spots! Follow me on Instagram and check back here in a few months for my reveal. I’m so excited to make this place my home.
xoxo Gossip Girl.
(anyone else my age constantly tempted to end every email with that sign off?)
Opening Image Credits: Photo by Tessa Neustadt | From: House Tour: Mel’s New Place Makes Us Want to Declutter Immediately
You know you love me.
And you know I love your lovely new space. Can’t wait to see it come to life.
thank you for seeing me!
It looks like your kitchen cabinets are full overlay. I wonder if you could still use Ikea kitchen doors/fronts? The slab fronts are pretty inexpensive (smaller fronts are $20 or less). You could buy one and try it out.
There are a few company’s out there that supply just new doors for refacing cabinetry made to your specs. The one that comes to mind is Barker Door, they do have some slab options. Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Came to suggest the same, and specifically Nieu (https://www.nieucabinetdoors.com/). I don’t know the cost, but there are some nice modern options available.
Good luck – excited to see the evolution!
Yes thank you so much! Looking forward to exploring their options!
Congratulations on being a homeowner!
Wow, this is a beautiful space, can’t wait to see what you do with it.
Re the kitchen, I know Americans are always snotty about Ikea kitchens but I’m a huge fan and they are probably your best and most cost-effective solution here, especially if you keep your current appliances. You can install an Ikea kitchen yourself and you will gain *so much* storage and counter-space if you do, by putting in drawers instead of the lower cabinets and an L-shape against the wall of the second bedroom. It’s definitely worth a tinker with their kitchen planner (which will also give you the cost) to see what your options are. They have so many door/drawer facing options, including solid wood, you are sure to find something to suit your taste.
Haha Ikea definitely has a different reputation in the states which is a shame because they are SO cool! I feel like I’m constantly telling people they’re actually cool. Vintage Ikea is my real favorite though. Thanks for the ideas!
Congrats M! Your new home is downright dreamy. I gasped out loud at the first interior photo. You did not oversell it – Every room is just BATHED in sunlight!
Thank you for sharing the floor plan, it makes it much easier to get invested in the space. I can’t wait to see what you do with it!
Just for fun, here’s what I would do if it were my home (if TIC-allowed): remove the wall between kitchen and smaller bedroom. Use smaller bedroom as dining room, with walls lined with storage so it is also an office. (I like working at a table where I can spread out.) As another commenter suggested, put it an IKEA kitchen to maximize storage.
I know that’s a totally different plan, but show me a floor plan and my brain can’t help itself lol.
Looking forward to the reveals!
XOXO, V
Oooh super fun idea, thank you for sharing! I’ve definitely thought about maybe moving walls but in LA the resale value between a 1 bedroom and a 2 bedroom is too much of a difference I think for me to open up that space. Bummer though because that sounds great!
The same is true in Spain. 1 bedroom has just sigles as possible buyers, 2 bedrooms ca n accomodate children, parents, friends for a weekend.
Ooo very good point for resale!! I would keep it as 2bdrm as well!
Congrats on the new home! How exciting. You could try checking out scherrs.com for cabinet doors. I saw them recommended a lot when looking for doors for my IKEA kitchen, but they do more than just doors for IKEA. Not sure if they’ll be that much cheaper than your cabinet guy, but might be worth a shot. Also, would you mind sharing the name of the Etsy shop that is doing your custom rug? I’ve been looking for a very specific rug size and not finding something I like so this could be the solution to my woes. Thanks!
Hi, thank you for the recommendation! The etsy store is called AfriKesh it’s not completely custom just fyi but typically if you’re purchasing a rug that is handmade to order you can most likely ask for a more specific size. Also Armadillo & Co is my favorite rug company and they do custom sizes. They are handmade so they’re not cheap and they take a long time but I’ve used that customization before and it’s amazing.
I just have to come in here and add a really amazing resource. For completely custom, there’s a collective called the Anou collective…it’s basically a way of working directly with a group of artisan cooperatives (think fair trade and then some because you’re paying the artists directly) out of Morocco. The collective itself ensures quality, workmanship, and sustainability so it’s not a risky purchase. It’s also ridiculously well priced. They have loads of ready made rugs but you can also do custom for whatever size or design you want and you pick your price range and speed you need it by to arrange with artisans.
https://www.theanou.com/
Oh, yes I forgot to mention their pricing includes the shipping costs.
That is an amazing resource. Gorgeous stuff. I bookmarked it.
Just checked them out and they are amazing! Thanks for the great resource!
Congrats on your beautiful new home! Before you pull the trigger on storage for the office, maybe think about moving the door to where the closet currently is (bathroom hallway)? That would give you more wall space for storage in the office (and if you eventually need/want to build in another closet, it would be straightforward) AND give you more space for storage and/or a table in the kitchen.
thanks Ed! I’ve definitely dreamed of doing that but have decided to try and see if I can come up with a less invasive solution. But who knows, maybe that’ll be my big reveal surprise!
Look into the Cabinet Joint for new doors for your kitchen. They sell custom size in many different designs and you can buy them unfinished to save money!
Okay, this might sound like a crazy idea, but I think you should overhaul that kitchen. HEAR ME OUT! You were hoping for an Ikea kitchen so that you could swap out the fronts right? Well the fronts are where the expense lies. The boxes themselves are super cheap. AND not to mention the incredible storage solutions for inside the cabinets that Ikea offers. In a tiny kitchen, every inch counts and Ikea will fit double what standard cabinets will. My second point for this would be: Sell your dishwasher and get a cabinet front compact dishwasher. The way that current dishwasher is breaking up the lines of the baseboard and the choppiness of change in material makes it feel chaotic, unbalanced. Having all those the same would be so much more pleasing to look at. And since you’ll be seeing it from the living room, I think it’s worth it. If it were me, I would also sell the range and buy a cooktop with wall oven underneath for cleaner lines, smaller footprint but that does require more labor and cost. Oh and my last selling point! You could get the same Reform fronts for your cabinet as your… Read more »
Love all of these ideas!! So agree about also getting Reform in the kitchen! I seriously love Reform but they are pretty expensive…
Super fun ideas thank you for sharing! Maybe I’ll toy around with Ikea’s kitchen planner and see how things come out!
Agree! And one of my friends has an 18″ cabinet front Bosch and loves it. No need for a full sized dishwasher for one or two people!
Fully agree! Also, the (no longer quite so) new IKEA kitchen range has much bigger cabinets, the kitchen that you currently have wastes lots of space for a large toekick, which looks dated to me now. IKEA kitchens have smaller toekicks because the space is taken up by deeper drawers.
Congratulations! Super cute place, love all the natural light. I think you should keep the kitchen — it’s cute and neutral. Get a pegboard for your backsplash and style your essentials up the wall.
thanks Christa! I’m surprised you’re my first vote to keep the kitchen!
Agree I like the kitchen, too. And in the short term, removing the hardware (or changing to white knobs) would give more of that streamlined look visually until you decide what you want to do. The whole place is just lovely, so clean and warm and bright with those wonderful windows. It’s already captivating without even any furniture.
What about a kitchen table instead of a kitchen island? Shavings has MANY excellent (but not modern) inspirations in her kitchen planning posts. You could bring it out past the envelope of the kitchen, for a sort of designated prep side and the rest like a real table. It maybe kills your trash option if you want to sit on the kitchen side, but it gives you a table and work surface in one. In my kitchen I cobbled together a long ikea butcher block counter and two 14” open storage bases for legs, so I managed to add a ton of shelving but still leave an overhang for counter stools. Very different layout, but it was life changing. We eat there every single meal and I adore it! I even cut a hole in the top and recessed our compost bin so it’s flush with the cutting surface, since the shelves below aren’t bothered by the space it takes up. It’s glorious.
Shavonda! Ugh autocorrect. Not shavings, clearly.
Thanks for your ideas! I definitely thought about a table instead of an island but I think my need for more storage is going to have to take precedence!
Congrats on your place Mel! What an accomplishment, and it is so lovely! I’m drooling over that gorgeous Bougainvillea outside your deck…what a dreamy place to hang out and have a morning coffee! Do you have your own website we could check out? I think a dining table pulley system would be amazing. Whatever you end up doing I know it will be incredible. You have amazing taste, and if I ever move to California I’ll be ringing you up!
Aw thank you! And yes for sure. It’s http://www.melanieburstin.com move to California, it’s the best!
Love the sunlight!
Idea: What if you took the door to the office bedroom and put it off the bathroom hallway? This would give you a whole extra wall in the kitchen for a table and give more storage in the office. With all the built in cabinetry, it could likely still qualify as an official bedroom with closet!
Also, I love a good transition space!
p.s. Basis by Reform is AMAZING, I really want to use it in our basement kitchen but opted to just repaint the crapola cabinet unit for now to save money, since we plan to relocate the kitchen to a different area eventually. I love the mushroom color too.
p.p.s also LOVE gossip girl, SO excited for the reboot!!
adorable – congrats!! could you fit in a built-in bench seat and then do a rectangular dining table? i have that in my home and it’s also terrific (and comfy!) for working from home.
I can’t wait… love our resident minimalist’s spaces!! Congratulations on your new home!!!
Oh, you’re leaving us in so much suspense! Hurry, hurry! 🙂
Can I have your old dining room furniture, then? 🙂
Mel, this is so exciting! Your first home is so special, because it’s YOURS and you can go to town with decorating it!
Moose is the cutest (he looks ready for mischief).🐾🐾
I know you live in a tree house, but wot’s with the axe?! Haha!
It’s so nice for ypu to be up in the xanopy of those trees!
Looking forward to seeing what you do.
Yaaay! 🤗
ha! the axe is in a styling photo from Domenic the maker, so I can’t take credit sadly.
Do you have room to put a short wall to the right upon entering your home to create a small nook for a dining banquette? It would give you storage under the seats and a drop off ledge as you enter. I was looking at your website and the Griffith park project.
Or even a screen of some sort?
I was imaging more in the style of the Ireland Playroom drawer front for bench. The short wall would end at the same point as the kitchen wall. However, the bench could extend a bit further allowing you a seat by door to put on shoes.
ooh i love the idea of a built in bench but there really isnt room there. If i did that I think it would feel really tight because the fridge wall is exactly on the other side of the door. Thank you for your help!
Ohhhhkay wow. This place is AMAZING! What a find!
For the cabinets, I think the easiest solution would be to essentially attach a simple thin wood panel directly over your current cabinets – some wood glue and finishing nails and high gloss paint should do the trick, no?
As for the dining solution.. what about this drop-leaf wall-mounted table? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KJYY5YB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
You could place it at counter or bar height? Could go on the wall to the left of your front door, right of your front door, or right of your kitchen, depending on clearance! I used this as a standing desk in my last space and it’s pretty wonderful!
Can’t wait to see what you do with the place!
I’ve actually considered both of these! My one concern with the kitchen is that there is a bit of gap between the drawers and doors so for the modern look I’d want to size up to remove that spacing. But, I think I may have to do this extra panel for the sink panel! I also have been considering a drop down table but my issue is that I don’t love the way they look when not in use? I found a weird cabinet that turns into a table that I’m toying with but I dont think I’m in love with it enough yet to pull the trigger…. what’s she gonna doooo….
I had one of those drop down cabinets with the table and I can confirm that it’s not great looking when not in use. I wasn’t a fan. It was SUPER useful though.
Not sure if your cabinet guy was looking at doing entirely new cabinets or refacing them for you. But if it was new cabinet fronts…I do I believe you can get cabinet refacing done at Home Depot. At least you can here in Canada. Might be worth comparing a quote for that vs entirely new ones.
Also, the new place is absolutely lovely. I adore that front door and I completely feel you on the choice with the windows in that one room. Very much cannot wait to see what you do.
Loveeeee those nightstands by the way, if only they were shorter I’d be all over that.
thanks so much!! for the nightstands I believe you can get them at a custom height 🙂
Oh good to know thanks!
What a lovely space – lots of light is a huge deal! Have you thought about have a corner sofa facing the windows rather than under? Wonder if that might help with placing your table. Or could you make a moveable kitchen island/trolley where the top folds out to make a table?
thanks! my immediate instincts were to put the sofa under the windows and so far I’m loving lying down under the breeze and watching the tv through the sunlight coming in haha.
Ha! I was JUST going to suggest Reform as a cabinet solution for you kitchen because they’ve started doing boxes as well as fronts now. But then I got to the end of the post and realized that you’re already on top of it for the office. Ha! Congrats on the new place. Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
And also if you dont’ mind – would LOVE to know about your Turkish custom rug seller on Etsy. I just worked with one in Morocco and loved the experience!
I’m thinking you don’t need a dining table, you need an island with seating! Terrific staging are for your charcuterie platters and wine when it’s your turn to host. And for your cornflakes the next a.m. and place to set up your next DIY project and bake cookies with visiting small children. And everything else! Both counterspace, table top and storage all in one.
I know I wish this could be my solution but unfortunately…I’m not an island girl. I think it has to do with being really tall but I find stools uncomfortable. It definitely would be the no brainer choice if I wasnt being difficult! thanks for the input 🙂
Congratulations, it’s a beautiful space!! For a storage solution/table, is there space for a mid century wall unit on the living room side of the door? I recently saw a beautiful Cado Royal System wall unit with a fold down dining table, and when I read this post I immediately thought of it! It’s at a shop in Ohio called Sweet Modern, they have a website. I’m excited to follow along as you design!
wow just visited their site and that is one cool piece of furniture!
Girl, we bought the same house. I just bought my first home (a little 1000sq foot cottage on the Jersey shore) and I have the same layout AND the same dining table problem! If you want to pretend I’m your client so you can feel 100% certain about what the solution is, I could definitely use an expert take and I’m happy to act as a stand in 🙂
Given our layout similarities I will FOR SURE be watching what you do closely and taking notes! Congrats on the purchase–isn’t it the best/most stressful thing ever?? At least you’re at the fun stage now!
hahah how about I pretend to be your client? kidding! looking forward to sharing what I land on and hopefully it’ll bring some inspiration to you in new jersey.
About making a nook for your dining table: What if you put up a half wall/pony wall next to your front door (parallel to your kitchen cabinets), creating a bit of an entry area on one side and a nook for your dining table on the other side? If it’s too expensive to put in a wall, you could create the same effect with a bookcase.
Option 2: It may be too late for this, since you’re planning to have a corner sofa under the living room windows, BUT: If you floated a sofa in the open “fourth wall” of your living room (parallel to your kitchen cabinets) it would divide your “dining room” from your living room. You could put a dining table right behind this sofa (as if it were an oversized Parson’s table) and again, you’d create a dining room zone that was a little separate from your living room zone.
What do you think? Do either of these ideas give you the layout you want?
Looking forward to seeing what you decide!
Pony wall- that is the name I was looking for! This was my suggestion earlier. Mel thinks she does not have the room. The floor plan looks like she would have the room. I, personally, like the idea of having an entry vs. walking in to a table like the picture. 😉😂
Haha yeah having one wall so close to the front door already feels tight! but I’m also against walking into a table….what will I do? no one knows! not even me 🙂
If it makes you feel better about your layout, my front door opens into my kitchen island….
Hi! Obviously you like the sofa under the windows BUT maybe consider having the dining table at that end of the room?
Have you seen the vintage buffet cabinets that convert to a dining table? Like this one? https://www.ebay.com/itm/294085164336
yes! I am considering a bunch of fun combination pieces for sure. thanks for sending this specific one
This place is so cute! The kitchen immediately reminded me of YoungHouseLove’s kitchen: https://www.younghouselove.com/our-kitchen-sitting-area-six-months-in/. They managed to get a lot more storage by putting up shelves over the base cabinets and bringing in a wall storage unit. They also switched out the cabinet knobs for brass which would be less contrast with the white in your space too.
For a cheap tutorial on completely re-doing the kitchen doors yourself check out Rachael from Banyan Bridges tutorial: https://banyanbridges.com/?s=plywood+bathroom. She left the plywood raw (which is one Scandi look) but you could also paint.
oooh this definitely helps! now I may lean more towards a table again. the thing is though that they have more side walls as I have doors on each side. This is my predicament! thanks for sending over!
Congratulations on being a homeowner! Your space looks lovely!
With regards to your kitchen, I’d definitely live with it a little longer to see what really bothers you most. In my experience it isn’t always what bothered you most when you first moved in 🙂 I’m sure your cabinets will look beautiful with new fronts, but maybe changing the tops can be more practical and help make it feel less farmhouse? I’m getting more farmhouse vibes from that paired with the farmhouse sink. Either way, I look forward to seeing what you do with the space!
you’re reading my mind! I definitely feel differently about butcher block counters now that I live with them but I also love the warmth they add. thanks for your ideas!
I’m truly happy for you and can’t wait to see what you do. So great to start with spaces that have good bones, great choice!
In the kitchen, once you add the island, you may not even be able to see the cabinet fronts very well. Maybe invest in the island (space for dishes and trash will make your function better) and some new hardware on the existing cabinets, then see if the fronts still bother you. If they do then change them but, IMO you should island first. Can’t wait to see what you do! P.S. I have a Finn who looks a lot like Moose 🙂
So exciting- Your space is great! For your kitchen cabinets- are the doors smooth on the inside side so you could just flip them? Then all you would have to do is fill holes and paint. For the dining table- I’ve seen tables that snug up against the wall for 2-seater but have the option to expand and seat more for entertaining. Your nightstands are beautiful! I’m dying to know more about this custom rug…
I’ve been following this blog for a while, but, while all projects are a true inspiration, for someone based in Europe, many of them are completely unrealistic for the much (!) smaller properties, room sizes, home layouts here. This home felt much more similar to the places we have over here and for the first time I thought “wait, I could do this in my apartment”! I would love to see more projects like this and fun ideas on how to make most of small spaces!