The Kitchen Cabinet.

For several years, I've ignored a sad corner of the kitchen.  With a full-height wall on one side and a huge opening into the living area on the other, it always seemed there should have been a peninsula or bank of cupboards built against the half-wall.  But instead, it was just dead space that eventually became a messy dumping ground... until about a year ago.  One day, out of the blue, I decided I'd finally had it.  Armed with measurements and a cupboard door (to see if a match to our existing ones even existed), I hit the road to do some reconnaissance work.  

Here, my mission took a frustrating turn.  It was actually very easy to find a perfect match to our existing cabinetry.  The problem was that our kitchen was an upgraded version purchased from the condo builder... and therefore was pretty expensive.  Prohibitively so - three cupboards and a matching section of laminate countertop would have set us back about $2000!  That wasn't going to work for me, so it was back to the drawing board.  I've always loved the look of kitchens that combine traditional cabinetry with furniture that was once stand-alone.  I've mostly seen this done with islands, but thought something similar could work here, since it's an island-like set-up.  After only a couple searches, Kijiji came through (once again) with the exact right thing - a piece that has since been referred to exclusively as "The Kitchen Cabinet."  

I must apologize for neglecting to snap a before picture.  But I can tell you that it was orange, a colour that is generally not my friend.  After removing the drawers and doors, I spent a significant amount of time sanding, before applying a thin coat of stain-blocking primer.  After allowing 24 hours to fully dry, it was time to paint!  I wanted the display area to be as light and bright as possible, so white was a natural choice.  To help the cabinet look like it belonged in the kitchen, I also painted the top the same white - I think it helps designate that area as a countertop space.  The decision to paint the rest of it such a vibrant green was actually an impulse purchase.  I was intending to go for something much more subtle, but that paint chip (CIL's Amazon) literally jumped out at me, so I just went with it... and I still love it, so it was a risk work taking (and one that can be easily changed should I grow tired of it down the road).

This picture below gives you a really good sense of the formerly awkward and unused space.  The condo's builders paid careful attention to the millwork and other details of the units, and this is a great example: instead of just drywall, the opening into the dining room came topped with a solid piece of wood, dressed up with trim; it's substantial and attractively done. I painted this woodwork the same white (CIL's Romance) as the top of the cabinet to help link them together.  Because of careful planning, the cabinet actually fits perfectly up against the bottom edge of the trim detail, helping create the illusion of a built-in piece.   

All our matching white dishes live on the two open shelves on the wall opposite, so this cabinet has, by default, become a catch-all for mismatched plates, bowls and general miscellanea.  No amount of rearranging seems to make it look quite right (yet), but I'm confident I'll get it right soon.  Certainly, it's significantly improved our storage capacity for dishes and other kitchen things - those drawers are perfect for holding tea towels, plastic bags and my collection of paper cocktail napkins.  It's more interesting than a bank of solid wood cupboards would have been, and at $300 (including the cabinet itself, necessary materials and new glass knobs), it's a much better deal!  

( mismatched plates )