Hello everyone! You may have noticed that I didn’t post anything last week. It got kind of crazy around here with extra hours at my day job, soccer practice/games for Ellie, and St. Patty’s Day celebrations that I just decided to take a short break. I didn’t have much going on for the house so why fill this place with fluff, right?
Well at least I got back on track over the weekend.
So when we got our family room built ins done a few months back I also had the contracting company add some chair rail and picture frame molding throughout the first floor. We did it ourselves in the last house, but this time around I just hired it out… no shame here.
Well we have one really long wall in the breakfast room/kitchen and the moldings just accentuated this large, blank space. I knew I wanted some storage along this wall. Our dining room is itty bitty and we can’t fit a china cabinet or buffet in there but I still needed some place to store my dishes, servingware, etc. Ben and I talked about doing some built ins with cabinets and a wine fridge but that’s just not in the budget for now. So instead I found a new buffet for about $340 from a local discount store (Weekends Only).
And it’s amazing how perfectly it fills up the space.
I love how this piece is slender so there’s still a huge walkway between it and the breakfast room table, but there’s still plenty of storage.
Above I hung a painting from our dining room in the old house. I would love to find a window pane mirror for above to reflect some light from our breakfast room sliding glass doors but for now this picture will do.
I keep some everyday dishes and vegetable bowls within reach for Ellie to set the table, and some placemats in a basket (yes, I know they don’t match, but each have our favorites!).
In the right buffet drawer I keep cloth napkins, etc.
In the left drawer is a hammer, staple gun, screwdriver… not even kidding.
Down below are all of my extra dishes. Crazy to think I have about 3 full sets of dishes and about 5 other sets of appetizer plates. Yes, it’s a healthy addiction… I think?
I still need to decide what to do in that blank space near the fridge. I was thinking about a platter rack or open shelving, but now I’m not quite sure. It’s a heavy traffic area so I can’t have anything too deep on the wall. And I don’t want the kitchen to start to look cluttered either…
Oh well, at least for now I’m loving this view!
Oh, and did you notice new kitchen stools? Yeah, I’m not 100% happy with them (they are a little more yellow than pictured on Amazon) but at least I love that 3 fit easily at the island. And they were CHEAP, only $25 each.
So this side of the house is filling up quickly and really feeling like home. Good thing too because you know the kitchen/breakfast room is always where people seem to gather, right? Now I need to turn my focus back to the family room to finish up that space. I’ve made a couple minor updates already and I’ll fill you guys in soon!
Beth Prokopf says
Did you pick a winner for the Fitbit?
howtonestforless says
Winner will be announced in Wednesday’s post! Sorry for the delay… it’s been crazy around here! 😉
Sara says
Love the cabinet!! Looks great in that space, and goes with your table. Love the picture, too!
howtonestforless says
Thanks Sara!
Wendie says
Beautiful!
Christine Stanek says
What local company installed your chair rail & picture frame moulding?
howtonestforless says
Meyer Contracting. They were awesome! They also did my mom’s living room built ins:
https://howtonestforless.com/2014/07/28/living-room-wine-cabinet-built-ins/
Cecilia says
The cabinet looks great. Hey, I have the same addiction – two sets of dishes and several different sets of salad plates. I used to have seven sets of dishes so I’ve pared down the stash quite a bit. Lol. Your home is really starting to come together!
Zoe says
The wood of your cabinet appears to perfectly match your kitchen cupboards! It’s a beautiful space. Congrats on a job well done.
CD Loken says
Your kitchen is GORGEOUS and the new buffet is the perfect addition to the space! I’m on the lookout for one myself-I only hope I can keep mine as organized as yours!
howtonestforless says
Thank you!!
ColleenF says
Too funny – your tool stash in your elegant buffet – I do the same…hammer, nails, stapler, staple gun, staples, scissors, scotch tape, mailing tape & tons of pens, pencils & markers all in the righthand drawer of my antique sideboard in our dining room. I leave the lefthand drawer for notecards, envelopes and copy paper. And, finally, I do store my china, crystal, platters, vases and candlesticks in the huge storage area below.
howtonestforless says
LOL! Great minds think alike 😉
Melinda Mitchell says
That buffet is stunning! It fits the space like it was made for it.
Inspire Me Monday
Jeanne Grunert says
That cabinet looks great! Very elegant and classy. Thank you for sharing your ideas on the #HomeMattersParty
Calypso in the Country says
The cabinet looks like it was made for that space! Very pretty!
Shelley
Teresa says
Love your blog! Love your new house! I am about to pull up carpet and replace with laminate or engineered hardwoods. What are your floors? They are beautiful. Do you have any recommendations for laminate or engineered hardwoods? Thanks!
howtonestforless says
Thank you so much! They are actually Mohawk Armormax engineered hardwood. We absolutely LOVE them! They do scratch a bit, but a hardwood marker fixes it up easily and you can’t tell at all. Laminate is great as well, but I just don’t like the “waves” that you see in the floor with them.
Julie says
I love your kitchen table and buffet. Where did you find them?
howtonestforless says
Table is from Value City Furniture and the buffet is from Weekends Only!