Refreshing Your Home Starts with Cleanliness

I read recently that the first place to start when a person desires to have their home feel fresh and new again is to start by cleaning it.

I agree.

I don’t know about you, but when I empty spaces out to clean them, not only do I discover things I’ve been missing for months (!), I can also step back and try to imagine putting it back together in a slightly different way.

That’s what I did with the kitchen the other day.

As I worked and scrubbed away, I tried to look at each space and think of ways I could help make it function even better and make it feel fresh again.

Here it was when it was first done (about 3 years ago!).

and here it is now:

It’s really quite the same…but a little different. {Can you spot the differences??}

Once I removed the curtains to wash them (here, before):

I decided to leave them off and just go with the white shades. The yellow “Seaside” sign perches right into the space between the cupboards.

I also wanted to lighten and brighten up the telephone desk corner. It had just too much goin’ on over there…

I removed the old window, took out the panels, and white washed some paint on it.

Ahh…much better.

A friend had given me some white Ikea curtain panels (that I love!) a few years ago, but they were more than a bit short for the sliding glass doors.

Another friend (thanks, Linn!) left some beautiful striped fabric when she moved away, and I sewed it on the bottom to make them the right length.

The table top flower box that I made here ended up on the fridge to disguise the strange window behind.

While searching for inspiration in magazines, I noticed how many people use wooden cutting boards as part of their countertop display.

Pretty…and practical!

So, there it is…the “new” old kitchen!

Thanks for stopping by!

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