Hello friends. I’m so excited to be here today so share the first project of the year; a little update in our pantry area. The butler’s Pantry as I’ve referred to it (even though it’s technically not) is the little pass-through pantry space off the back of our kitchen that leads to the laundry and mudroom area.
It’s a great little space that we use hard every day but the back wall has been bugging me for a while. We’ve tried a number of solutions from a home command center to a dog accessory storage area so an extension of our mudroom.
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Because you can see it from the front of the house, using it as part of our mudroom wasn’t working because this area often looks, well, cluttered and messy. That’s real life, my friends.
Last year I started toying with adding some character with some trim or wainscoting or something and was going to use the same vertical panels like I used in our first floor powder room (check that out here).
One one of B’s long work trips I decided to get to work and realized that we had a small amount of beadboard left over from the bedroom loft ceiling at the beach house. I decided to make use of that instead of buying something else so I got to work.
This is an exterior wall in the main part of our house so the wall is three layers of solid brick. It’s framed out on the inside so to make sure I was attaching to those studs, I removed the old drywall where the new beadboard was going to go.
I cut all my beadboard panels to length (they are tongue and groove boards) and then got to work nailing them in place.
For the horizontal trim board at the top, I ran a leftover piece of shiplap from my brother’s bathroom through the planer and using the table saw, cut the sides off where the boards overlap.
Some calk, a few hole patches, primer and paint and suddenly this wall went from blah to interesting; but I wasn’t finished yet.
Months ago I fell head over heels in love with this wallpaper from Pottery Barn and even though I feel it’s a bit pricey, I was prepared to splurge especially because so far, the only project cost was a quart of paint.
I decided to research “toile” wallpaper just to make sure before ordering and found this wallpaper available in several colorways. I wont say I loved it more than the original choice, but my gut was telling me that the black and white would tie into what we already have going on in the house and the style of the print has a more classic, old world feel that feels more like our home. At less than half the price, the savings was also a plus.
The paper is honestly even better looking in person and is a nice, heavy paper that was very easy to install. We inherited a lot of wallpaper accessories from B’s grandfather so I had everything I needed to make this project super easy. The prepasted wallpaper simply needed water and up it went. Yes, this was a tiny space for wallpaper but I’m officially a big fan of prepasted paper. I see more wallpaper in my future! I like this much better than the expensive Whale wallpaper we hung in the bathroom at the beach house from Serena & Lily.
The wallpaper adds just enough pattern and interest without being too overwhelming to this space. I absolutely love how it looks especially with the dark, moody, saturated green paint!
I added shaker pegs all along the horizontal board painted in the same color as the beadboard and for a little elegance hung this faux brass wall sconce.
This wall sconce is from Amazon and it came in a black finish even though I wanted brass. I chose it because it was only $20 compared to $80 for the brass version. Some rub n buff did just the trick to give it an aged brass look and I absolutely love how it turned out. Let me just say, my friends, that these sconces do not look or feel inexpensive at all! They are beautiful and heavy like you’d expect from a more expensive light fixture. The shade that comes with them looks a little on the cheap side but I’m looking at recovering it or buying a replacement shade at some point. I love these so much, I bought three more!
Nothing else in the space has changed yet though my mind is constantly debating on where else to use this beautiful green paint color. The pantry door, the base cabinets, the trim, the kitchen island?
Because this pantry space is a high-traffic area, I am keeping the accessories to a minimum to control the clutter. I added these pretty hanging basket bags to add a little natural texture and I added this lovely printed rug runner with lots of lovely colors.
For winter, I also added this little basket with the tree and linens just for some interest but this won’t be a permanent fixture here. I could maybe see a small wooden stool or narrow bench in here but I want to love it the way it is for a while to see if we want or need anything else.
Our Classic, Bold and moody pantry area didn’t get a complete makeover but the update to this one wall has made a huge impact proving once again that making a big impact to your home doesn’t have to take a lot of time or money to achieve. By using leftover materials from past projects I was able to put my money into the extras and accessories that make it even better.
Sources:
Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Lafayette Green HC-135
Tongue and Groove Beadboard: Similar from Lowes https://www.lowes.com/pd/5-5-in-x-8-0-ft-Unfinished-Pine-Wall-Plank/1002793926
Shaker Pegs: Amazon
WallPaper: From Home Depot, also available here (Amazon)
Sconce: Amazon
Rub N Buff: Antique Gold
Hanging Basket Bags: Amazon, Large Here, Medium Here
Rug Runner: Amazon
Basket: Old, thrifted
Prelit 3’ Christmas Tree: Magnolia Home via Target, old
Tea Towels: Gifted, Similar here
Schoolhouse Light: Vintage, public sale
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