Julie's Kitchen: Chalkboard Wall

We've got a lot of blank white walls in our kitchen that I'm still figuring out what to do with.  On top of that, our cabinets are pale maple, circa 1990.  I wanted to bring some darker colors into the kitchen to add dimension and bring the entire space a little bit closer to the 21st century.  When I stumbled across this picture from Anthropologie, I knew I'd found my solution.

I couldn't decide where to paint the chalkboard wall in the kitchen-- I considered doing an entire wall directly across from the window, but thought it might make the kitchen too dark.  I thought about doing the hallway leading into the kitchen, but again, was worried about turning the hallway into a cave.  I finally decided to do the small wall that hides the side of the refrigerator (it's the first thing you see when walking into our kitchen).  Previously, this wall was home to an iron spoon from Pottery Barn.

After picking up painting supplies from the local hardware store and a frame from Target, Sarah and I got to work. It came together really quickly-- the most time consuming part was taping off the walls.  We had to be pretty meticulous with taping, because I didn't exactly ask my landlord for permission before slapping black paint on my wall.  It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission, right?

I thought that a plain black wall might be a little boring, so decided to frame this photo of me with Granny, our dad's mom, in her kitchen.  She was an amazing cook and I love having a little reminder of her every time I'm in the kitchen.

I love the wall--I think it makes the kitchen more current/interesting and serves as a great place for inappropriate drawings love notes. Currently, it's featuring part of a quote from our wedding programs and a countdown until the arrival of Sarah's baby! Please excuse the iPhone pictures...we need a new camera!

In the Works

Check back soon to see what happens when we combine chalkboard paint with a picture of a massive infant (that would be me) chewing a chicken bone on her Granny's lap.

xo
Julie

Sarah's Living Room: Before

As Julie mentioned, our apartment-hunting weekend in Brooklyn was an adventure.   After viewing what felt like our thousandth overpriced, underwhelming apartment, we had started to lose our minds and were ready to start compromising on just about EVERYTHING. (Full disclosure: we actually put in an application for an apartment after the previous renters told us that they had had roaches.  I’m glad to report that we left the rental office, came to our senses, and retracted the application immediately.)

It was in this state that we came across a mess of an apartment that I knew would be our dream home.  The apartment was in the process of being renovated, but even full of dust, garbage, old appliances, and tools, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

This is what I get for trying to take a picture without asking Julie to move out of the way. Also, please note Devin in the background trying to ignore us.

The high ceilings, crown (and other) moldings, and huge windows stole my heart, as did the original wood floors that I could see peeking through.  I didn’t need to see the rest of the apartment to know that this was the one for us!