Before and After: A New Look for an Old Kitchen Breakfast Nook
This kitchen had a sweet little eat-in area, but its owners were less-than-thrilled with its aesthetic, so they replaced this intensely brown and beige dining spot with a jazzy breakfast nook.
First, a little insight about the kitchen as a whole:
My husband and I were excited about the size and footprint of our kitchen in our first home, but were less thrilled about the orange oak-y style.
Orangey-oak is my style nemesis, so I can’t wait to see its opposite . . .
What an amazing spot to start the morning! The white is bright and serene, while the colorful painting and pillows are as refreshing and energizing as freshly brewed coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice. Kacie Johnson of Changing Chaney has created such a vibrant, cheerful nook in what was previously an aggressively beige corner. Here’s how it came to be:
Not wanting to spend a ton of money, we took matters into our own hands and built a breakfast nook using affordable plywood from our closest big box store.
We kept the legs open and airy and paired with ghost chairs to make the kitchen feel bigger. An IKEA tulip table is the perfect size for the two of us to have dinner and still big enough for friends to gather around on a game night. The art was a yard sale score and I literally gasped when I saw it. It’s safe to say the kitchen is the heart of our home and with a few easy updates, it’s also our favorite place to be.
Wow, Kacie goes to way classier yard sales than I do—what an amazing score! And that bit about making the kitchen feel bigger is spot-on: when I first saw these photos I assumed there must have been a mistake because the new breakfast nook looks far more spacious than the old one. The combination of tulip table and see-through chairs means that all of the space around the table feels totally open. The new pendant does the same, providing function and beauty without dominating the space. The white banquette is completely unobtrusive, and its facets look perfect with with the elegant chair rail and baseboard. Such a well-done project!
Thank you, Kacie Johnson of Changing Chaney!