Metamorphosis Monday:
For this Met Monday, I thought I would share a little more information about one of the important parts of the kitchen renovation I completed in my kitchen around nine years ago. If you've ever considered changing out your cabinet doors to glass fronts, but were a little nervous about how it would look...this post may help you decide if that would be a good move. I had hoped to share a video with you but my video camera has decided to place lines across the images...sort of like you're looking through venetian blinds. :( Not good.
When we first moved into our home eighteen years ago, this was how the kitchen looked. The house was eight years old at that time and the cabinets were strong and sturdy...but the wood looked a bit worse for the wear.
Since the cabinets were made of real wood, I decided to keep them and just have them painted to save a little on the renovation. As you can see in the pic below, the dark wood made my relatively small kitchen feel even smaller. (I had already removed the outlet covers and some of the doors on the cabinets to the left side of the kitchen before I thought to take pics.)
Here's how the kitchen looks today. This pic is a couple of years old, so I've changed a few things inside the cabinets, as you'll see below.
So, how do you know if glass front cabinets are for you? Will the items you want to store behind them look ok being visible for all the world to see? Those are the very questions that were running through my mind before I made the commitment to go for it.
Here's how I made the decision:
1. I first removed all the doors from the cabinets where I thought I wanted to use glass. I recommend doing a couple cabinets that are together or a "bank" of cabinets if possible. I think it's a better look when they are all together.
2. Next, I emptied out all the contents of the cabinets...stuff was everywhere!
3. I culled significantly, boxing and bagging up those extra baking dishes and items I hadn't used in years...including all the Super Mario and Mickey Mouse glasses. I mean...you only need so many cartoon character glasses available for everyday use. :)
4. I placed all the "stuff" I hadn't used in forever down in the basement just in case I later changed my mind. I can tell you now, I never missed a thing. All that extra stuff ended up either in a garage sale or donated to a local thrift store.
5. Then I began playing. I knew my everyday china needed to go back into the cabinets...so the challenge was how to place it back into the cabinets where it would be easily accessible, as well as attractive for everyday viewing. With the doors off the cabinets, and the cabinets empty...I arranged and finagled and here's what I came up with.
My Blue Willow dinner plates, salad plates, soup bowls and cereal bowls that were used every day were neatly stacked on the bottom shelf for easy access. I stood plates up along the back of the cabinet, creating a pretty back drop. I placed other serving pieces on the second shelf and rarely used cups and saucers along the top. When I get my video camera functioning properly again, I'm going to give you a nice close up of how the plates are secured along the back where they will not fall when dishes are removed for use. It's super easy and the plates/platters along the back are also readily available if needed for meals.
The Villeroy and Boch, Melina, that I used for years as my everyday china (and still use) was "arranged" in another cabinet up over my desk area. You don't have to put every single plate or bowl in...I didn't below. Just arrange enough pieces to give you an idea of how it will look and fit.
Once I came up with a system that worked for the Blue Willow china, it was easy to arrange the Melina. It certainly wasn't very pretty against the ugly dark interior of the cabinets, but I knew that would all change once the cabinets were painted inside and out.
Once I knew how it would all look, my fears were alleviated and I was set on go! I positively couldn't wait to paint the interior with the same soft yellow paint I had used on my kitchen walls. It's a Duron color called, Sugar Cookie.
So while the exterior of the cabinets and shelves were painted a pretty white, the back wall of the cabinets inside was painted Sugar Cookie.
Later, when I added the Copeland Spode, Tower, red and white transferware, the pale yellow backdrop I had chosen, again worked well. I placed Blogland's infamous "Gollum" Big Lots china between the Blue Willow and Tower for a nice transition.
Everyday baking dishes, measuring cups, glassware, etc... are stored behind solid cabinet doors, although, they would look probably look pretty nice on display, too. I decided one whole bank of cabinets, plus the ones over the desk, were enough for the glass fronts.
Summary:
So, if you're trying to decide...glass fronts or no...just take an afternoon, remove the doors from the cabinets you're considering for glass fronts, pull everything out, cull through removing stuff you no longer use or need and get busy playing and arranging. It's the best way to decide if you should go for it or not.
Tip: It's best to go through all your cabinets because if there are things you don't want visible in the ones you are considering for glass fronts, you can make room for those items in your other cabinets that will have still have solid doors. It's amazing how much stuff we have in our cabinets that we never even use.
You may be surprised to see how pretty your everyday china or bake ware would look on display. It's super easy to keep things looking neat because every item has a place to live inside the cabinet. :) And, don't be surprised if you find the glass fronts make your kitchen fill bigger, brighter and more open...they definitely did that in my kitchen. :) Yay!
Like to see more of this kitchen renovation? Click HERE for additional pics and details.
Metamorphosis Monday:
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