Open Shelves Updates

I LOVE my open shelves. I really, really do. But they were just missing something. I saw on Nate (Berkus, for those of you who aren't on a first name basis with the cutie;) a couple months ago, this BRILLIANT idea - he cut out foam boards (the size of the back of the cabinets), and taped fabric on them. It looked amazing, and I had no idea it wasn't painted, until he popped the board out! And if you change your mind, or decide you want to go back to white, no harm done, you simply remove it. LOVE that idea! I went on a quest people - a QUEST - for the perfect fabric. I'm talking weeks of hitting every fabric joint around here, and when I couldn't find fabric, I looked for sheets, a tablecloth, curtains - anything that I could use to cover the foam board with. And what's weird is how popular the blue and red combo is these days, yet I couldn't find the perfect one.  I was going batty. We know I'm not the most patient gal when I want something done in the home department.

I went to Michaels (since it had been about 2 days - I was due for an appearance;). I spotted some adorable scrapbook paper. It was blue. And red. And precious. And perfect! Could I use PAPER to cover the foam board?? I was a little hesitant, because I knew I'd need a few pieces to cover each board and wasn't sure if the seams would show. But at 4 for a buck, I figured it was worth a shot!

First thing I did was measure the back of the cabinet to determine how big of a piece of foam I'd need.

Once I had that cut, I taped the paper around it.

I did add just a tiny bit of glue to the inside pieces so that they would really be stuck to one another, and not bubble out and be obvious they were separate pieces of paper.

Then just pop it in the back of the cabinet!

You don't even need to worry about securing it in there with anything - it just stays PUT. That's it! You're done! I think the paper works fine - and the print and colors are just enough to add a little pop, but not overwhelm the kitchen.

Do you notice those wood marks down the middle? That's another update we did. I decided to remove the strip of wood that came down the center - thought it looked a little too much like we forgot to put our cabinet doors back up;) Paul just used his compact saw and it took all of 5 seconds.

Here's what they looked like before:

And now:

Please bear with me with the items in the shelves. Haven't perfected that yet, and have to pick up a few more things. I want to hang the mugs from hooks, and I've got a couple other ideas up my sleeve. ;)

Know what I really love? Check out the holes in the back corners in the before:

These boards cover them right up! No wood filler and paint necessary - love that!

So that's the latest...until this week when I plan on removing one more cabinet! The one on the right here:

It is the only closed cabinet along that entire wall, so I think it's got to come down. I want to pick up some really pretty natural baskets for each of those shelves, and store things like measuring cups and spoons, very small appliances, etc. Maybe make some cute tags for each one? Oh the wheels never stop I tell you.

And one last thing we also want to do to the cabinets (HA! Couldn't even type that with a straight face! We know darn well there will be more than one last thing!) is add molding to them to make them look a little Shaker style-esque. Like these:

via user

And of course that would mean new knobs and drawer pulls...hehehe;)

So that's the latest on the kitchen...it hasn't been the quickest project, but we're getting there slowly but surely! Do you have open cabinets that need a little something? I think this is the perfect solution! My Nate...he's such a genius. :)



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