They make it look so easy!

I've been pinning photos of lovely kitchens with open shelving. Ones like this beauty

Jones Design company

Artfully arranged dishes. Simple stacks of plates and bowls arranged in a way that pleases the eye and complements the surrounding decor. Nothing about it contrived or complicated. Like it just happened.

Well, for me it didn't just happen.

I spent two hours Friday night, (yea, I need to get a life) arranging these two shelves.

I climbed up and down from a stool so much my legs were sore the next day. (I need to get a life that involves more exercise apparently)

I'd move a piece,  get down, step back and look.

It was too busy, too stark, too blue, too, too, too...

It finally came around, or else I just got tired of fooling with it, once I took all the blue dishes out. Either they looked to arranged or too haphazard. If I tried balancing equal amounts of blue on top and bottom, left and right it looked like I was trying to hard, if I didn't balance them it looked, well, unbalanced.

I really wish I had photographed each step along the way so I can share how exciting my Friday nights are. Kid you not, two hours arranging dishes, so that they wouldn't look arranged.

I didn't want the shelf to be full of stuff that isn't used to just collect dust and in the end, there are lots of things there as fillers.  Now that I really look, it's mostly fillers. I do use those coffee cups and the white dish on the bottom shelf is new but I will use it.

I need to quit looking at these pictures, it only makes me want to go change things.

The stuff in the cabinet, we do use that. No fillers here.

For a little Valentine love, the pretty felted heart from my sweet {former blogger} friend LLA. Former blogger, not former friend.

And a bird. Oh my! Have you seen this?

 

I got a new sink, but that's a story all its own.

Oh what the heck, as long as I brought it up.

When we built the house, we had a white cast iron sink. I don't remember why, but at some point I decided I wanted to change it. I think it was losing some of it's shine and was hard to clean. Anyway, I got a composite sink that closely matched the lovely dark gray formica counter tops. Blackish gray composite sink with darkish gray formica, not bad. Darkish gray with butcher block, not so good.

I told my loving husband that I wanted the white sink back. It was still here, behind his barn. Yea, it looks like hoarders back there. Not really. Maybe a little.  We live in the country.

I'm rambling. It used to look sort of like hoarders. Before Mitch, the loving husband took a huge truck load of junk to the metal salvage yard (he collects cars and car parts like I collect furniture and lamps) and since the sink was cast iron, it went too.  That was after I told him I wanted it back in the house. After he told me there was no way he was putting that thing back in. It nearly broke his back taking it out. He said I'll buy you a new one, an acrylic one. He said that to put me off, hoping I'd just get over it. I didn't.

Long story short I have a new sink and it's big enough to bathe in. I don't know how, it is in the same hole, but this baby is HUGE.  I love it.

So there you go, I walk on the wild side arranging shelves and putting birds on them and my husband buys me gifts in the plumbing section of the hardware store. Don't you wish you lived such a glamorous life?

Comments

[Joni]

You crack me UP! ;0)

We save things too, and I figger we have a right, ain't botherin' no-BODY. Heh! And I ain't no hoarder, I'm jes' thrifty!

I love your new shelves, and there's nothing about it that looks contrived. But I like your stories, so keep 'em comin'!

Oh, and would you mind making a trip to Michigan and arranging some "things" for me?!

XOXO
Joni

[Cheryl]

LOL Autum, all I can say is that it truly is the little things in life that make us happy. : )
Your shelves looks great and the sink looks great with the butcher block.

[Karen]

Hahahaha!!! I can sooo relate! I think I spend too much time on arranging things. Once I get it like I want it, I don't want to use what is on those shelves!

Ok, I'm coveting your sink right now.....mine is a 60's blue. That match my 60's blue formica counters. I showed my husband your kitchen last night, and he thinks he can do our countertops this spring. I'll be doing the painting.

Enjoy your Sunday!

[Sarah]

Do you know about barkeepers friend? It will keep the white sink white. In fact, I just scrubbed a huge rust stain out of mine.

[Autum]

Hello mama of 2!

I do know about barkeepers friend. My uncle told me about it for my stainless steel pots and pans. Works wonders. But the new sink is acrylic,  a fancy way of saying plastic. According to the info that came with it, it should just wipe clean with diluted bleach. It says not to use anything abrasive and if it does scratch, you can buff out the scratches. Well see. It was much much cheaper than cast iron and extremely light weight.

[Autum]

Yea, my husband figures he aint botherin nobody with his collection of cars, that according to him will be worth a lot of money one day. I keep telling him to go ahead and sell them, Id love to have some of the money they are worth now : ) He wont budge though.
You dont want me arranging your stuff. I take way too long.
xo Autum

[Autum]

Thank you Cheryl. When we installed the butcher block counters, I wanted the IKEA farmhouse sink, but #1 IKEA is nearly four hours away and #2 it wouldnt fit. I have been bugging him for a while to bring my old sink back in and he just tuned me out, hoping Id move on to another obsession. Youd think after nearly 24 years, hed know me better ; )

xo Autum

[Autum]

Are you doing butcher block? You should really check out IKEA. They have the best prices, but since I needed more than an 8 foot section I had to go w/ Lumber Liquidators. IKEA also has a great farmhouse sink much cheaper than youll find anywhere else. IKEA isnt paying me, I sure do with they were ; )

xo Autum

[Amber Carrillo]

oh my goodness - that Portlandia clip is too funny! Really wish we had an Ikea here but it's probably better we don't - I'd be broke! Love how everything turned out!

[Karen]

Not sure if we'll do butcher block, or if he will make them out of oak boards. He's researching it. Can you believe I've not been in an IKEA yet??? There's one in Charlotte that we plan to check out one day. I hear you need to set aside a whole day just to see everything in there.

I'm wanting a farmhouse sink, too. Thanks for your help! Hey, you never know, maybe IKEA will put you on their payroll. You'd be a great spokesperson for them. :o)

[Autum]

That clip was funny and disturbing at the same time. It made me cringe a little at the number of birds I have around here.

The closest IKEA is about 3 1/2 hours away, a blessing that we do have one, and a bigger blessing that its far enough away I cant go but about twice a year (if I get lucky)

xo Autum

[Denise]

I am new to the blog, (found you through Sew Mama Sew) but I have been debating the butcher block countertops in my house. We will be redoing the kitchen hopefully this year, big hopefully. And I love the look of butcher block, but i heard it does not do so well around the sink area. People have told me it gets discolored from the water. Do you have this issue? I also wonder about whether or not those people are putting enough coats of oil on it because their butcher block does not have the same sheen as yours does. Yours is gorgeous by the way. Fantastic job installing it.

[Autum]

Hi Denise,

Weve had the butcher block for more than a year and havent noticed any discoloring around the sink. I try to wipe up any spills and not let water stand.
I oiled them with watco butcher block oil. Initially I coated them every 12 hours, for several days. Then went to every few days then every few months. They need an oiling now. The sheen is less around the areas that get frequent wiping. The worst part about oiling is having to move everything off. Its really an easy job, just wipe it on with a soft cloth.

When they were pretty new, my son left the tea pitcher out overnight and the condensation left a ring.I nearly cried. I got online and researched ways to get a ring out. I tried several things, but what worked the best was covering the ring with a thick layer of mayonnaise. Why?  Not sure, but it worked.

IKEA has great prices on butcher block. I think they are all maple. I had to get mine from Lumber Liquidators because I needed more than and 8 foot section. They have maple and cherry. Mine are cherry.

Hope this helps!

xo Autum

[Bridgette]

Love your new header!

Open shelving, still can't talk my husband into it. It took 2 years to convince him of how nice the cabinets would look a crisp white. I won that war:)

How is your wood countertop holding up? Any tips?

I always prefer a BIG white sink too. However I damaged it by cleaning with softscrub! Now I use Clorox Cleanup with no problem at all.

I love love love your home:)

[Autum]

Thank you Bridgette. Im loving the white sink. I think the back was an attempt to make the formica less noticeable.

The butcher block is holding up beautifully. I oiled it pretty frequently in the beginning. Its due an oiling now. There are some places the sheen has dulled. Places that get more frequent use and wiping.

The sink I have is acrylic. The recommendation was to clean it with diluted bleach and nothing abrasive. I love how much brighter the kitchen seems with the white paint and sink. Cleaner too, but that may have more to do with some of the clutter Ive tried to eliminate.

My husband isnt so sure about the open shelving. Hes just sick of me moving things around. he never knows what cabinet to look in for a glass. Tonight he asked where the trash bags were and asked why I kept hiding things from him. I told him I wasnt hiding, I was just on a quest to find a more efficient use of the space we have. Im sure he rolled his eyes. I couldnt see him ; )

xo Autum

[Nancy L.]

You crack me up. Makes me feel better to know I'm not the only one with OCD-like tendencies to rearrange. I love the look of open shelving with all the neatly displayed dishes. Somehow, I just don't think all the brightly colored plastic plates & cups that are currently part of life here at our house would look very nice. (Not complaining - I am SO grateful for the children who use the brightly colored plastic - after 10 years of infertility, God gave us 2 little blessings.)

[Autum]

Thank you Nancy!

I know all about brightly colored plastic. I have a few Dora and Blues Clues plates, I just keep them in the tupperware cabinet.

Having neatly organized shelves doesnt hold a candle to the joy of what comes along with that brightly colored plastic. Im so happy that you have been blessed with 2 sweet little ones.

xo Autum

[Chris]

I love the look of open shelving...but I worry about the dust and keeping things look clean. I like being able to close the door sometimes.

[mijk]

You have dug a hole for yourself here I fear. He will never get rid of anything now!!!!

Mijk

[jeanne]

Holy Crap! Autumn. thanks for hopping over the bees knees bungalow. I am SO glad you did, it made me find your blog! LOVE IT! fab. so very fab. love your style.

xo jeanne.
http://beeskneesbungalow.blogspot.com/

[Autum]

Holy Crap right back at you Jeanne! I was exhausted after visiting Bees Knees Bungalow. You are one busy bee. And very talented busy bee. Love the stairs project. And the bathroom remodel. And the fireplace... All so wonderful!

xo Autum

[villa majorque]

Respected author i love the pics of your kitchens...All the pics shows that how well you have maintained your kitchen...Also congratulations on having a new sink in the kitchen....All the people here likes your post so i too love this one..Thanks for sharing..

[kim]

You are funny! I have these wretched glass front cabinets in my kitchen that need some major attention. Yours look wonderful! I am too afraid to start because it will probably take me 4 hours! Ha Ha

[Pamela Manes]

Okay, you are hilarious...you should be a script writer.! Love what you have done with the open shelves. I just know I can't go there, I would be obsessing about what is showing all day long. I know my limits.
~Pam
pamspaintparlor.typepad.com