kitchen updates- open shelving

We have a long list of changes that we want to complete in our house and the biggest project has been our kitchen. While we are happy with the layout and are blessed with lots of space, the kitchen needs a little updating but more than anything we want to incorporate our style (colorful, cottage, quirky with a twist of boho) into the kitchen.  However, we are on a massive budget! Instead of sharing a BIG final reveal of our kitchen, I want to take you along with us as we knock out different projects. The first was to create opening shelving along one of our walls.

Our kitchen is the darkest (and most outdated) room in the house and we wanted to lighten things up a little. We actually don't mind the white cabinets at all- they are simple and in great condition but there are A LOT of them! So the first change we made was removing two of the cabinets and replacing them with open shelving. Open shelving is not for everyone but we both love the look and thought that some simple white shelves would lighten up the main wall and enable us to get a little more creative with pops of color.

Andy and I love DIY and decided to tackle this project over a weekend! The first step was to take down our cabinets (we have plans to upcycle them in another room in the house). The most time consuming part of this step was emptying the cabinets, everything else was fast and simple.

Next, we went shopping for our supplies- thank you Home Depot!  We wanted to keep our shelves simple, large and as functional as possible (no embellishments or trendy brackets). We bought some simple white brackets and wood that we cut down to measure 12" x 60".

I patched and touched up the paint on the wall (in my pajamas). I also painted the shelves white and then Andy got to work hanging them. 

The last step was to put everything back which was the hardest part of this entire project because all the cabinets and drawers in our kitchen were in major need of organization. What started as a simple shelving project turned into me reorganizing our entire kitchen- it needed to be done!

We are BEYOND happy with this little update and for under $100 we were able to completely change the entire look of the kitchen over a weekend.

The next project to tackle is replacing counter tops on a budget!  We REALLY DISLIKE the green laminate counters and are ready to get them out of here.  I can't wait to share the creative solution that we are working on!

Tune in tomorrow when I share why and how I transformed our dishwasher into a piece of art!