A Simple & No Cost Solution for an Awkward Space!
We’ve seen a LOT of little ‘quirks’ in our current home over the years. I say little, but more often than not those ‘little’ quirks turn into BIG $$ to fix and they ALWAYS take longer than planned!
So I can definitely understand the look of dismay (and possibly fear) when I asked Michael one day awhile back, if we could do something with a certain ‘awkward’ space in our kitchen.
Frankly, the space wasn’t just awkward. It was unusable too! The only thing we could figure out to put there had been a small freezer. And we had moved that to our basement years ago! Now it was just this ugly-empty space under our new pantry I created last year! (Envision this space WITHOUT the shelf!)
So before the vein that was bulging in Michael’s head burst, I explained exactly what I wanted to do. Once he heard the plan and the fact it wouldn’t cost any $ he was just fine.
And what was that plan?
Well, to turn this unused-awkward space into a breakfast station of course! Because for those that follow along, you all know breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! Right?! Besides now that I had a vision I realized this was the perfect location for organizing all of our ‘breakfast stuff’ since it’s right under our pantry and close to the refrigerator!
Here’s how we did it!
First, Michael dug through his stash of wood and found a 1″x 8 piece of pine he could use to build a shelf. That was a MUST HAVE on my list! ( I’ll spare you all the details of building the shelf because it was pretty standard and specific to our needs). Once we had it all assembled I gave the pieces a couple of coats of white paint and Michael installed it.
Next, I needed something to put items like a coffee pot and other breakfast stuff on.
If you’ve been following along since the beginning of this blog then you probably remember this old vintage washstand. If not, here’s the short version of the story. I found this old wash stand out at our family farm. It was a MESS! I took it home cleaned it up, gave it a couple of coats of paint and it became a part of our home. Since then it’s been in every room in our home and painted twice more.
This is what it looks like now. This past winter I updated it again by stripping all of the paint off the top and staining it, painting it black, and adding new hardware. I LOVE the new look of the old washstand and I LOVE it even more that it has a new purpose!
(Affiliate links may be provided for your convenience. You can read our full disclosure here!)
So now that I had the two main features of our breakfast station in, it was time to add the finishing touches!
The first thing I added was my Anthropologie Inspired Lazy Susan! It’s just the right size to hold bowls, cups, and of course some fresh flowers to brighten up our morning!
Next came a coffee pot, because who can have a breakfast station without coffee?? Okay maybe some folks can but I can’t! On a side note: I don’t know why we are drawn to red coffee maker’s but this is the second one we’ve had since we moved in.
I found the tin “bread” and “coffee” signs at a thrift store pre-pandemic. I loved their vintage look but didn’t have a place for them. Now I do!
This corner area in our kitchen gets a bit of morning sun but it doesn’t last long. I love a bit of green in any space, but I can’t decide on which of plants I should set here. So, for now I filled a few mini clay pots with some faux greenery.
Coffee placed in a vintage coffee canister, along with a cow creamer for a touch of whimsy, round out the additions.
So now, whenever we are able to put the house on the market, at least folks will know what the purpose of this space is! Because guess what? It now has a purpose! YAY!!
No more awkward unusable space! And the best part? Creating it took just a couple of hours of time and it didn’t cost a thing!! That’s right NO $$$!!!
I love it when a plan comes together, don’t you?
Do you have an awkward space in your home? Have you given it a new purpose or are you still stuck? Send me an email at cdscountryliving@gmail.com! We’ll figure it out together!
Check out more projects we did in the kitchen!
Thank you so much for stopping by!
Stay Well!
Good Morning Christine. What a great fix for an awkward space. We had several of those space in our last house. Now I have one in our RV where we pulled out the couch… That old wash stand is fantastic and love how you refinished. Hope all is good your way and enjoy working outside in the yard… Hugs -Carole
It was meant to be…looks wonderful and functional, too! Great job!
Thank you so much, Lisa! We are definitely enjoying it!
Thank you so much, Carole! That washstand is a pretty special piece to me. I have a feeling it will be around for a long time! Good luck with your awkward space! Have a great weekend! Hugs, Christine
Christine this is so fabulous! I love how you styled everything and used things you already had on hand too. This vision come to life is perfection! Great job! Off to check out your banana muffin recipe 🙂 Hugs and hope your weekend is a blessed one, CoCo
Thank you so much, CoCo! I hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend!!
My goodness….how did I miss this. I love the space and how you made it functional. You made it look almost like a built in. Love the black with the stained top. What a great piece to find. OK…slow down Terrie (saying this to myself) So excited about what you did. Love it all. Enjoy your mornings! You and Michael did good!
Lol! I hear what you’re saying about slowing down! Girl do you ever stop? Thank you so much for your sweet words though, and for stopping by! We are definitely enjoying this new breakfast area!