A Little Kitchen Spruce Up



Living in a rental home has its ups and downs. The one major downer is the kitchen. Despite the size and layout, which I like, the cabinets, backsplash, appliances, countertops and flooring is less than desirable.

I have lived with it for 3 years {yup, still renting, long story} There isn't a whole lot I can do with that space, unless I can convince the landlords to paint their precious oak and replace the appliances. 

This kitchen has a fabulous window over the sink that faces west so I get alot of afternoon sun. For the past 3 + years I have lived with venetian mini-blinds that have collected dust, have bent and the cords have discoloured. Everytime I washed dishes I would stare at those blinds and think evil thoughts, hoping those blinds would feel how much I loathed them.

{Excuse the mess! Tried to find a tidy before photo - sadly no.}

Finally I decided enough is enough. So after an order to Tonic Living. A weekend of sewing, using my roman blind tutorial.

My window looks 100 X better!




I think the next thing to do is change the paint colour. I painted the walls in Benjamin Moore's Buttercream when we moved in, but it casts a greenish hue that I am getting tired of. 

Speaking of sad kitchens......

I loved this article written by Camille at Vintique Object, another fellow renter living in San Francisco. She has such a keen eye for details and wrote how to style an less than ideal kitchen to detract the eye away from the ugly and bring in the pretty. Inspiring!


XO Barbara

24 comments

  1. What a difference your shade makes! Wow!!! And just think - you'll never have to pay to replace a roof, or hotwater tank, or leaky faucet in this home, and your Roman shade will always be yours!!! ;-)

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  2. Oh it is so cool to see you put your sewing talent towards your own home. Enough of the "making" blinds for everyone else thing" looks great! You know I just adore the black and whites!

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  3. Love the black and white - you are one talented lady with a sewing machine!

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  4. You did a great job on the window treatment! That pattern is the first thing that people will notice when they come into your kitchen now-not the dreaded oak cabinets. (We had oak cabinets at our last house, hated them!)

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  5. Yay for the super fun zig-zag in black and white. The eye always goes to the area of highest contrast first, so I think this was a great choice! The look awesome, Barbara. So nice of you to mention the post too. :)

    Camille

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  6. I think that was a wonderful spruce up...love the roman shade and print. My brother and sil rented an old home and were not allowed to nail anything into the wall..

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  7. I love it! It definitely adds some much needed spice to the kitchen. Great job!

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  8. Looks great! I love how well they fit in and really add some zest to the space!

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  9. This is such a great post! Love the valance and love the idea of finding ways to make the best of what you've got (or got stuck with!).

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  10. I love it Barbara! I think it's fabulous! Love the pattern and the boldness of the black with the red plates above it! Hope your week is going great! Angie xo

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  11. Wow, Barbara, I cannot thank you ENOUGH for this post. Not only are those curtains absolutely fantastic...but I did not know about Tonic living and they are, as a matter of fact, exactly what I've been looking for. My DIY prayers have been answered.
    Tiffany
    thedesignerlifestyle.blogspot.com

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  12. Isn't it amazing how we become blind to certain things in our house that we see everyday!! You spruced it up nicely. Now you can be happy while doing the dishes.....and start planning another makeover somewhere.....

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  13. What a fabulous change! Enjoy the gorgeous day, Kellie xx

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  14. I hear ya! I can't stand the beech-toned laminate cabinets in this rental or the bland beige backsplash tiles. Too small and no window to add any punch like you have done - love your blind!

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  15. No comparison - your window looks fantastic now! I feel the same loathing for my fireplace. Ah, one day it will be made over. ;)

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  16. I wish I had checked this post out before I sered my valance this week. It was a nightmare, despite all the tutorials I checked out. Yours looks spectacular! Great job.
    I will post mine on 4/19, as part of my Spring Into Action Challenge.
    Hope you and your family are doing well.
    Nancy
    Powellbrowerhome.com

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  17. Love it! You're a master at roman blinds!

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  18. You did a fantastic job. I just read you whole tutorial...so well done, step-by-step. I have not made blinds in a long time. I forgot how much work...although, it saves you so much money.

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  19. Love em! Amazing what a little pattern can do!

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  20. OH my goodness....that is stunning!...You are so smart!

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  21. That looks perfect! It changes the room completely. I love it.

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  22. Just lovely Barbara! I wish I could sew as well as you, I don't have enough patience.

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  23. I LOVE chevron and those look so good!

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  24. Looks wonderful Barbara! It's amazing what fabric can do to a space.

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