You would never guess by looking at my white kitchen that there was a time when the last color I would have chosen to paint it was white.
White walls reminded me of every apartment I’d ever lived in, where every single room was white, and I didn’t have any choice in the matter.
So when we moved into our first house, I painted the kitchen walls country blue.
It was back when ducks, geese, and hearts were all the rage in country decor, and I jumped on board that wagon.
I tired of country blue, so the next house we bought, I got bold and painted the kitchen walls dark green. I traded in the ducks, geese, and hearts for an apple theme, and the dark green walls went with that.
By the time we bought our third house, I suddenly understood why apartments are usually painted white. It looks clean and bright, and it goes with any kind of decor.
I forgot all about my old apartments and began embracing white kitchens. Now I wouldn’t pick any other color.
Just google “farmhouse kitchen” and you’ll see image after image of clean bright spaces. That’s what I love so much about my white kitchen.
One of the walls in our kitchen is tall and very narrow. It’s an awkward space that I’ve never really figured out what to do with.
When we first remodeled the kitchen, I used it mostly as a space to hang vintage decor on.
Because we have very limited storage space in our kitchen, last year I decided to turn it into a Pegboard Wall Organizer.
While it did give me a lot more storage, the pegboard made me think it looked like it belonged more in a craft room or a garage than in a kitchen. I just couldn’t really love it.
I still need the wall to be a working wall with storage, but I removed the pegboard and decided to go with shelves instead.
I installed brackets that match the other open shelves in the kitchen and cut boards to fit the narrow width of the wall.
The wall is tall enough that I could have fit three shelves, but there would have only been about six inches between the shelf and the ceiling, and only really short things could have been put on it, so I went with just two shelves instead.
I painted the shelves with the same Olympic kitchen and bathroom paint (Amazon link) that I used when I refreshed the walls a few months ago.
I have a stack of plastic cups that I always use when I’m painting or staining wood. It allows me to paint the top and sides of a board and work on several at the same time. Once the tops dry, I flip the boards over and paint the other sides.
Now comes the fun part – dressing up the shelves!
Right now, I’m using the top shelf to display some of my ironstone pitchers. Eventually, I plan to put storage baskets on the top shelf, but I haven’t found any I love yet.
I wanted some flowers to put in the largest pitcher, but when I found these “green trick” dianthus stems, I had to get them.
They look like moss puffballs on stems and are so springish, and I’m craving anything that looks like spring right now.
The lower shelf holds a canning jar filled with coffee beans and a woven basket to hold wooden spoons.
And there’s a glass jar filled with candles with a vintage image transferred onto the front of it (tutorial HERE).
Under the lower shelf sits my large antique stoneware mixing bowl. It’s big enough to hold a 10 lb. bag of potatoes, so it earns the space it takes on the counter.
At the very top of the wall, I hung a chipboard welcome sign that I painted black.
A vintage cutting board is behind the mixing bowl to hide an electrical outlet. I just pull it out when I need to plug something into the outlet.
I’m loving how useful and pretty the wall looks now. It’s exactly what my white kitchen needed all along!
If you enjoy what I share at Knick of Time, I’d love if you would share it on social media or forward it to a like-minded friend. Thanks so much!
Very pretty, Angie…love the brackets!
Thanks Linda – I love the brackets too – they look so pretty against white walls.
Fabulous idea! Looks so pretty, too!
If you want a wire basket, stop by a Dollar General store! I saw a beautiful basket last night–black with brass colored handles. The largest one was only $8!! I had to hold back! Hopefully they have them where you are!
Thanks for the Tip, Lois – I’ll have to check our store to see if they have them!
I love it! I especially love the wrought iron brackets…. I love the artisan look. I also love that you shared some of your experiences with paint colors….. I like color too, but I am beginning to realize that I tire of the bolder colors and it’s a lot of work painting entire rooms. Changing out accent pieces against a white back drop is so much easier. Be blessed today and always. M
Thanks Michelle! You are right. White is such an easy backdrop. Everything goes with it
Linda Arredondo says:
I’m just barley going to start on some farmhouse decor I really appreciate all your ideas.
Thanks Linda – have fun with your own farmhouse decorating. I can never get enough of it.
The wall looks fantastic!
Thanks Dottie – I know I’ll constantly want to change out what I put on the shelves, so that will be fun!
That’s exactly how I felt about white walls. Didn’t have any for years because of all the apartments we had lived in. Now the last two rooms we painted have been white!
It’s funny how our tastes change over the years, Ann. Who knows, I may end up back with country blue some day!
I’m looking for jute rug also. I Would love one with blue border, I have a gorgeous antique blue and white ginger jar lamp so decided to decorate around it!I have2 camel back sofas I’d like to get slipcovers for. Do you know any good websites for slipcovers?
Donna, I know many people who buy slipcovers at Ikea and are happy with them.
The shelves are perfect there! I agree about the white walls. After my oldest daughter moved out, I painted white over her Pepto Bismo pink walls. She was disappointed, but I just wanted something clean and fresh. Now that we moved into our new house, guess what I painted the whole house? White! I just love that any kind of decor will go with it. Love seeing all the wonderful decor and ideas you share!
Yes, that’s the wonderful thing about white walls, Pam – you don’t have to worry about anything clashing with it, because everything looks wonderful against white, even other shades of white.
I like antique white for the walls of my country farm house, it goes well with the dark wood trim my husband put up and my kitchen is a very soft light green, just a hint of color. I do like the black and white combination of the brackets and walls, Angie. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Sue! 🙂
Looks great! You did a great job! I love All things farmhouse!! I’m the one who bought the burlap old mill runner from you! I still love it!
So glad you love your burlap table runner, Cindy! I made another one last week, and am thinking it’s time to add a new design on a table runner.
Farmhouse perfect! I love how you styled everything on the shelves. The shelves fill up that space on the wall very nicely!
Thanks Jamie – I just need to make sure they don’t become clutter shelves, like our counters so often do!
Your shelves look absolutely gorgeous Angie and I love the tips you shared about the plastic cups. That’s going to make my life so much easier. Thank you
Thanks Michelle. I keep a stack of those cups in the cabinet under my counter, so I can easily pull them out when I’m painting or staining wood.
Lovin those green moss stems and of course the shelves are too cute. Sharing on G+. Thanks for linking up at #MerryMonday!
Kim
Thanks Kim!
Love your shelving, Angie! I’ll be featuring it tomorrow at Vintage Charm 🙂
Thanks Diana!
LOVE!! Where did you purchase your shelf brackets??
Jami – 50% off at Hobby Lobby! 🙂
Love how your shelves turned out Angie! Those brackets are perfect!
Thank you for sharing your project with us over at Waste Not Wednesday!
Looks good, Angie! Keep doing what you’re doing!
Looking forward to Spring also!!
I admire everything you do with your decorating skills!