Butcher Block Island Before & After

 

I redid this butcher block island for a client and am giddy with the results!

The before …

 

And after! (A little styling never hurts either, right!?)

 

For the top I wanted a hand rubbed finish opposed to a manufactured finish so I decided to give Tung Oil a go. Have you used it? This was my first time and most definitely won’t be my last. I LOVE how it turned out, and after five coats it’s got to stand up to wear and tear!

 

 

 

The Process

Prep – Clean and sand

Prime – Zinsser Oil Base

Paint – Benjamin Moore Aura (White Dove),

then Poly with Varathane brand in Satin

Top – Sanded and then stained with 2 coats of Minwax (Dark Walnut)

and finished off with 5 coats of Tung Oil

 

I don’t know if it’s just the warm up in the temps or what but I have got the itch. (Not that itch … ha ha ) The furniture redo itch! I have bought a few things to refinish this week and will be posting on Facebook anything that’s up for grabs so be sure to follow along!

 

Thanks for reading!

Kristin

 

Linked up here:
Osie Moats, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots & Jello, Six Sisters Stuff, Lolly Jane (The Scoop), Not Just a Housewife, Savvy Southern Style,House of Smiths

Gray Kitchen Cabinets Before & After

 

I can’t even contain how excited I am to finally show you my Brother and Sis in Laws kitchen cabinets that we did way back in … wait for it … October!!! I know I know, better late than never, right?

Instead of boring you with the whole background story on their kitchen, let’s just get straight to the good part; the pictures of coarse!

Here’s how they looked before. Nothing fancy. They were builder grade cabinets that had very little personality, which is sooo not my brother and sil. They are so fun, hip and full of personality and their kitchen was begging to feel more like them!

 

 

And the after! I love that they were brave and did something other than the standard white or black “comfort zone” colors. The gray (Nights Armor by Olympic) completely updates the space and gives off a surprisingly warm, inviting vibe.

 

 

We did a light glaze over the gray that you can see best in this picture. Anna was worried about blending the gray color in with their brownish toned countertops and floors and the glaze did the trick. It all flows perfectly!

 

 

 

 

Are you loving the gray as much as I am?? We also did their laundry room and bathroom cabinets in black … I’ll show you those soon!

Since my brother and sis in law live in Vegas I couldn’t do the after pictures so they had their very talented friend Tosha take them. If you live in the Vegas area and need pictures done she does an amazing job! You can check out her facebook page here.

 

Happy Monday!

 

Kristin

Linked up at:
Savvy Southern Style
Somewhat Simple
tatertots & jello
Thrifty Decor Chick
Not Just a Housewife
EC2

Meet our Bangin’ Barstools

 

Do you remember the amazing industrial barstools that I scored for a steal last week at World Market? (If not, you can go here and refresh your memory!) Well they have replaced the old ones and now that we have been living with them for a bit and still liking loving them, I thought I would share their awesomeness with you!

But first let’s take a peek at what the old ones looked like. Not bad. They functioned and did the job, but we just weren’t feeling them anymore. They were feeling a little to … safe?! (style wise)And with this being our main (and only) eating area they were getting pretty grubby. Food was constantly getting stuck between the cushions and the backrest and not only that, but I have been looking for away to add a little industrial vibe to the house and these fit the bill!

 

 

 

I can’t say enough about how much I am loving the new look that these babies bring! They make the kitchen feel even more open and spacious because of the ability to tuck them completely under the bar. They are so easy to wipe down after a spill (and believe me we have plenty of those!) And for sure bring just the right amount of industrial to the room. LOVE LOVE LOVE! The kids are still getting used to the backless factor, but so far no falls and really, the only one I worry about is the Little Miss who seems to be doing great!

 

 

 

 

Since getting the barstools my wheels have been turning and I’m thinking a few other small changes are in order. I love how something as simple as changing out a few stools can get my creative juices flowing! Stay tuned for more fun things to come!

Kristin

Linking up at
Savvy Southern Style
Thrifty Decor Chick

Tour the Lane {Kitchen}

I thought it might be fun to do a tour of my home, and what better place to start than the kitchen? This is where we spend 90% of our time.

It goes a little something like this: Eat, clean, eat, clean, homework, eat, clean, eat clean … I think you get my drift. Someone is always eating and I am always cleaning it up, just in time to eat again!

And while we LOVE our kitchen, there are a few things that when building our house and designing the kitchen we didn’t consider (like say, the fact that we would end up being a family of four six … which has led us to a few little problems.

 

 

Do you notice anything that might be a problem? Yep! No kitchen table!!! This is the single thing that drives me crazy about our kitchen. Yes we have a HUGE island that we {thought} would work and is awesome for baking and entertaining.

 

The problem?

It fits five chairs, and we have six bodies needing chairs!

 

The solution?

Dad stands, while everyone else chills in their chairs. Hardly ideal in my book.

 

The Plan?

Eventually we will chop that big beautiful island down to a third of it’s size to accommodate a table that we can ALL fit around. It will be bitter sweet. I really do love having such a huge workspace, but I’m willing to trade it for the mere sake of family dinner time. It will be so nice to all sit down together for a meal!

 

 

 

This little area is where I spend way to much time. It’s pretty much command central around here. It’s where I blog and pay bills. I also keep all the kids school papers and every thing that keeps our home and family running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So there you have it, the Dahl family kitchen. I love my kitchen, but like I said earlier it needs a few changes. I’m thinking that it needs some lightening and brightening.

OOOH the possibilities! New paint? A lighter island and hood? Or I could go all out and paint the cabinets? Some fun new barstools?

What would you do?