Kitchen Upgrade - Wall Shelves

Finally an upgrade to this wall in our kitchen that I've been trying to avoid direct eye contact with for years now. :)

Blessed shelves have entered the building. These shelves and brackets are from my second home, Ikea. But let me go back to the before. In this space we used to have a random wire rack that Rob and I acquired at some point. Maybe it came from my first apartment with my friend? I'm not sure. But overall it's been around for a while, sticking out like a sore thumb.

As you can see, we used it to put our microwave and toaster oven on. Also recycle would kind of build up down there as well. The plan is to purchase a new microwave that hangs over our stove, and then to put the toaster on the countertop where those metal tin cans from the above used to be. The true motivation for this project (besides just making the space look better) is in the name of baby proofing. And stretching our space in this little galley kitchen doesn't hurt either.

So I started by taping everything out. Just to get the measurements and the placement.

This is why it takes me forever to get moving on hanging stuff...it's one of my least favorite things to do. All the measuring and leveling, bleh! And hanging stuff like art and shelves feels like a commitment similar to getting a tattoo. No take-backsies...or at least that's how it feels in the moment. So all that to say again, it can take me a while to hang stuff.

But once all the tape was up there and the holes were marked, things started moving. Still some griping, but thankfully we got the things up there and looking pretty shiny.

SUCH a welcomed difference...

I'm sure that the items on these shelves will continue to evolve. I kinda just threw this together using various stuff around the kitchen. That piece of wood is actually from when I had to trim down these shelves and I'm thinking of painting a silhouette on there. Not sure exactly what, still mulling that over, but I'll be tackling that soon.

So the plan is to have our trashcan tucked under these shelves, but the exciting part is that we're looking to get a new trashcan. (never thought I'd say the words "exciting" and "trashcan" in the same sentence) I found a rectangular, stainless steel (fingerprint-proof) trashcan with clean lines that don't quit that we might get.

But for now I'm just basking in the newness and beauty of the view.

Oh and here's our big boy walking around Lowes shaking little packages of screws while daddy was looking for anchors for the shelves...

Love our sweet boy and so excited to experience the holidays with him. And I'm SO ready to splash some Christmas decor up in this house.