Under the pantry: more before and after shots

This is not my pantry, but I like it, so here it is:

In case you missed the post about my pantry, click here to read about how the linoleum counters in the pantry made me squeamish. 

In that post, I didn't even mention what it looked like underneath the counters. It was nasty. So nasty that I honestly doubted we would store food under there. I thought it might be good for cleaning supplies, in a sealed container.

Clearly the landlord didn't touch the pantry when he was renovating the rest of the apartment.

Have you ever hear of Kilz? It's a primer that supposedly neutralizes odors and other gross germs and things that you don't want to spend too much time thinking about. I ended up sweeping and vacumming and scrubbing underneath the pantry, and then painting it with one or two or even three layers of Kilz. And the end result? Not bad at all. It feels fresh and -- dare I say? -- new.

We keep the dry goods on one side. There were some shelves already in there, which you can see in the pictures above. Yeah, they got a lot of paint.

On the other side, we keep extra plates, serving platters and random kitchen things.

There was no shelf on this side, so we went with our cheapest option: a metal contraption from Lowe's. Those things are functional, but they suck hard when it comes to putting them together.

The lower half is not as pretty as the upper half, but hey, it's not to be overlooked!

Pantry: Before and after

The pantry was one of my favorite things about our new apartment, even though it needed some work.

That's linoleum tile on the countertops. It really didn't inspire me to prepare any food. And while I could think of lots of amazing things to do with this pantry if we owned this apartment, we had to use some restraint when it came to actually making the space usable as renters.

And here's the after! We covered the tile countertops with ikea butcher block -- it's just sitting on top, not attached in any way. When it's time for us to move in a few years, we'll have the option of taking the butcher block with us. It's in big enough pieces that it could be repurposed. 

We wanted to make sure the shelves were sturdy enough to hold plates or appliances or anything else we might want to put on them. The linoleum tile that I could barely make myself touch before has been transformed into the most charming prep space I've ever had.

I enjoy making espresso in the pantry every morning. It's so cozy, and I love to bustle around making breakfast and packing my lunch. Grrr, but now I'm staring at the picture above because the middle drawer is open slightly. Why didn't I fix it? I'm too lazy to do it now, but I'm sure the pantry will be restyled soon. I'll make sure the drawers are closed next time.

I got the chalk drawing at a barn sale in Maine a couple of years ago. The old lady in the picture looks friendly for the most part, but now that she resides in the pantry, I've noticed her looking more stern. I think she wants me to make some whoopie pies! 

See how she's eying those spatulas?

New views of the bedroom

So, I didn't feel like blogging for a few months, but now I kind of do again.

Some rooms in the new apartment feel like we've been here forever. And then others feel like it will be forever before they have that settled-in feeling. Our bedroom is one that is feeling pretty good to me, but that's probably not surprising since it has been the star of my only posts during the past few months.

Oh, whoops. This next picture illustrates that I'm not done in this room.The blue slipcovers are still not finished. But look, they're in our bedroom now instead of the family room. See? Everything is different.

The gold mirror came to us from my aunt and uncle's basement. You know what? Many of the other things in this room came with it. The armoire, the campaign dresser between the chairs, the glass lamp, ummm ... even the chairs. I'm so grateful, as 1) this keeps our house from looking like an Ikea showroom, and 2) I like when the things in my house have a history and not just a barcode.

There's one more corner of this room that is not ready to be revealed, but it will be soon.

In other news: Isn't the start of fall the best?

Slipcovered armchairs, part 3: Getting there

When I last posted about sewing slipcovers for the armchairs in my reading nook, I was struggling. Only one skirt was tacked on, and even the throw pillows were unfinished.

Where am I today?

I'm happy to report that TWO skirts are now tacked on, and both throw pillows are complete. I still have to actually stitch the skirts on (I don't know why I am dreading that step so much), and I also need to attach the piece of fabric that goes underneath the seat cushion. You won't actually be able to see this piece, but it will help keep the rest of the slipcover in place. See how the arms are kind of saggy baggy elephant?

Poor elephant. At least the chairs only have to deal with my scornful looks and laziness. There are no laughing parrots to deal with.

Reality bites - aka, a slipcover update

I had the best of intentions, I really did. And the slipcovers have come a long way. But the reality is, I still have a long way to go on these puppies. I thought maybe if I went public with it, I'd have some motivation to actually finish the project(s).

So, here it is. The "reading nook." (Obvious disclaimer: I need to take a photography class.)

Eeeek! Sure, it's come a long way since these days:

But I need to motivate! Actually sew the first skirt on to the slipcover, and pin and sew the second skirt while I'm at it. And how about ironing the fabric for the pillows and actually making cases, instead of just wrapping the fabric around the pillow forms.

Have you ever heard the saying "Fake it until you make it?" (My husband learned it in medical school ... scary thought, huh?) Well, I'm faking it all right. Now I need to make it.

Do you ever lose steam halfway through a project? How do you finally make yourself finish?

Coming to terms with a brown couch

Our couch is brown. I'm not crazy about it, but it's too new to replace. I've been looking for examples of rooms that I like that happen to have a lot of brown in them, and here's what I've come up with so far.

I actually have a fabric that is very similar to the blue flowers on the chairs above. I like the color palate above, but the browns in my family room are a little deeper toned.

I'm pretty sure the next couch is gray, but I think an espresso-colored sofa in that place would have the same effect.

In the picture above, I like the light blue and the hints of pink and lavender in the artwork and flowers. There's a brown couch in the next picture, but look at all that white! It's way too stark with the brown.

I wish the pillow on the chair in front of the fireplace was covered with a brightly colored fabric. Something like the back of the chair in the room below:

I love the pink. Not the black zebra pattern.

This one's good, too:

Varying shades of brown, with soft white accents. And more purple flowers! I guess I like purple and brown together.

Purple and blue, here's my message to you: thanks for helping me come to terms with a brown couch. I think we can make it work.