Ikea Kitchen Part II – The Details

In a previous post I shared how we used Ikea cabinets in our new home  in order to keep costs down.  When I was planning this kitchen and looking at pictures on Pinterest and in magazines, those that were outfitted in head to toe Ikea often looked uber modern and a bit sterile.  I found that  I was most drawn to the ones where  lots of non-Ikea details had been mixed in.

For our kitchen, I brought in several old rustic wood pieces to relax things a bit -an old wooden box on the countertop to corral my favorite cookbooks and hide an outlet, along with a stack of wood bowls:

An old round wooden cutting board, strategically positioned to hide another outlet. I like its  round shape in contrast to all the hard edges in the kitchen and love the heart cutout in the handle.

An old wooden stool that I picked up at a yard sale.   This one is perfect for Jack when he wants to help me in the kitchen.

And then there is the area above the range hood.   We needed to “box” the ugly vent pipe that goes out through the wall.   We were fortunate to find several old oak boards on the property.  My husband built the cover using these old boards and offered to sand them to a smooth finish.  I gasped when he suggested sanding away all the telltale signs of the insects and worms that had once lived in the wood.  I think it is those things that make it so interesting!

 I also brought in some distressed brass details.  This wasn’t part of our original plan for the kitchen but our  used commercial range and hood that we found through Craig’s List happened to have brass accents.  At first we were going to replace the knobs and handles with stainless but as the kitchen began to take shape,  we decided to hilight the brass by bringing  in a few more distressed brass elements to complement the stove.

In addition to using distressed brass knobs for the upper cabinets and  brass euro rails for the lower ones, we installed two Pottery Barn Larkin pendant lights above the island that have the look of time worn brass.

I like using artwork in the kitchen for a less kitchen-y feel.  With the range being a focal point, I hung a $1 picture I found at a yard sale above it.

The shades of green in the picture are a nice tie to the counter stools that I painted using Lucketts Green milk paint from Miss Mustard Seed.

I also like using a small lamp on the counter.  It instantly adds warmth and again makes the kitchen feel more like a “living kitchen”.

The towel bar is intended for a bathroom but is really functional in the kitchen.  I found it at Habitat for Humanity for $3 – love that place!

I like a rug in the kitchen to cozy up the space and add interest.  But it needs to be functional too, especially with children.   That ‘s why I chose an outdoor rug  which can simply be taken outside and hosed off when needed.  I found this one on clearance at Pottery Barn.

I  have two old baking tins on display in the kitchen.  This smaller one hides yet another outlet.

The larger baking tray hangs on the side of a cabinet where it serves as a backdrop for photos.  Incidentally old metal trays make great message boards or photo displays because they are naturally magnetic.  And if the paint isn’t so nice, just spray it with the color of your choice!

Thanks for touring my living kitchen!

Debra