I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner. As a person who works from home, I love my tea station. I had so much fun choosing my own perfect tea collection and organizing everything.

In this post, I will share the exact organization items I used and lots of ideas for creating your own drink station at home.

Organization Ideas: 20+ Ways To Keep Your Home Organized, How I Organized My Fridge In One Afternoon, 10 Organizing Tricks I Learned from The Home Edit.

Tea Bag Organizer:

My favorite storage option for tea bags are these bamboo tea organizers. They come in a variety of sizes so you can find the perfect match for your drawer. I used two tea bag organizers and a set of bamboo drawer organizers to fill in the empty space.

Tea, Coffee, and Sugar Canisters:

Here are a few smart ideas for storing tea, coffee, and sugar in your drink station or home office.

• K-Cup Drawer Organizer
• Countertop Tea Organizer
• Sugar Canister
• Coffee Canister
• Loose Leaf Tea Canister
• Acrylic Tea Organizer
• Bamboo Tea Organizer
• Decorative Glass Jars

Home Beverage Station Ideas:

In my home office, I keep a variety of hot teas, some canned and bottled beverages in a drink fridge, and frozen coffee in my freezer.

Key items for a tea station:

• Tea bags or loose leaf tea
• Hot water kettle
• Mugs to serve tea
• Sugar

Key items for a coffee station:

• Coffee maker
• Coffee grinder
• Quality coffee
• Cups and glasses for hot and iced coffee
• Cream and sugar

Here’s a full tour of my home office.

Elsie’s Favorite Tea:

My favorite teas in no particular order:

• Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice
• Tazo Glazed Lemon Loaf Tea
• Yogi Egyptian Licorice Tea

I’d love to hear your favorite teas as well! xx. Elsie

So, I purchased my faux marble countertop kit and set aside a two-day window of time to work on it. In this post, I will share everything you need to paint your own countertop, tips for painting the marble, and a list of pros and cons for this project.

Spoiler alert: I’m so happy with the results!

But first, let’s talk about the before and after real quick. These are unfiltered, unedited phone pics.

When I moved into my home, the island counter was one of the main things that stood out to me as “not my style.” However, with a kitchen remodel a few years off, it did not make sense to pay for a new counter that we wouldn’t even keep in the final design.

After our first Christmas in the house, my mind began to wander back to DIY solutions. Was there anything I could do that was inexpensive, but could also hold up to our family’s traffic?

This is a high-traffic counter—our kids sit here to eat several times every day.

Anyway, I finally caved and bought this faux marble countertop kit and it was the PERFECT solution I was looking for. I love how it looks now—it makes me smile every time we walk into the room. It’s easy to clean as well. I am so happy I tried it!

I promise to be brutally honest because even though I love my results, I know this is not necessarily a good choice for all homes.

DIY Marble Countertop Tips: 

A lot of people have asked me if you need to be artistic or a good painter to do this. I don’t think so. I would say that you need to be patient and detail-oriented, but it’s better if you aren’t a perfectionist.

Since I am not a perfectionist (and I’m honestly not that good of a painter either), I had so much fun just getting messy and trying to emulate the look of real marble from photos I had saved.

I was surprised how FUN this was. In all my DIY years, this was probably my favorite DIY I’ve EVER done. I had so much fun doing it and I was surprised by how easy it was.

I spent about three hours doing all the marbling for my counters. By the end, I was starting to think they looked really bad. Then, I stepped away for an hour and when I came back I was happy with them again! So if you start to feel frustrated, I suggest taking a quick break.

Before starting my counter, I watched this 18-minute YouTube video. It’s made by the makers of the kit and it’s very detailed on all the steps. Watching the full video is essential before you begin.

It will probably clear up any questions you have. We followed their instructions. In addition to the kit, the only supplies we needed were a pair of tweezers and painter’s tape.

How Do You Make the Marble Look Real?

The most important tip I have for making the marble look real is to save some photos of real marble you love and try to copy the look as you paint.

That was helpful for me to try to get a good level of imperfection. If I wouldn’t have kept looking at the photos of real marble, it would have looked more fake.

One thing I did differently from the video is that I found it easier to do the edges as I went along. I think keeping your edges coherent so each vein looks seamless is very important. If you have a backsplash ledge, I would follow this advice there as well.

Tips:

• If you are nervous, go for lower contrast. It’s easier to get a lower contrast marble to look real than a high contrast.

• Don’t be afraid to mess up—it’s so easy to wipe a section off and start over anytime you need to.

• If you go too dark you can lighten them later by blending in a little more white paint.

• You don’t have to buy the kit to practice and see if you enjoy (or can do) the faux painting. Just try it out on a piece of white foam board with some paint and brush (watch the video above and try to do the technique).

I didn’t think to try this in advance, but the fear that I wouldn’t be good at the faux painting was a HUGE obstacle for me. So there’s a low risk way to try it out!

Pros and Cons of This Project:

Pros:

• It’s affordable. For under $200, you can complete this counter project.
• It takes 2-3 days to complete this project, and it makes a huge difference in a room.
• It was so much fun! One of my favorite DIYs I have ever done!
• It’s easy. On the spectrum of counter DIYs (for example, this concrete countertop), I would say this is very easy.

Cons:

• Faux painting is scary for many people.
• You cannot set hot pots on this surface. Use a trivet instead.
• You cannot cut vegetables on this surface and you should not serve food directly on it. Use a cutting board, plates, etc.

Who Should Do This Countertop DIY?

• Anyone who wants marble counters but finds them inaccessible for budget reasons.
• Anyone who has vinyl countertops in poor condition.
• Anyone planning to remodel in a few years or looking for an easy phase-one makeover to love your space more in the meantime.

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How did it hold up?

We used this painted counter for about two years before replacing them just before we moved. Our family used this island HEAVILY- including daily meals for our kids at the island. In the almost two years that we had this counter we only experienced one small scratch. Overall I felt the project was a huge success and a great way to love our kitchen more when we were not yet ready to fully renovate. I definitely recommend this kit and method.

Looking for more ways to makeover your kitchen? Check out …

• The Best Paint for Kitchen Cabinets
• Faux Marble Painted Countertop
• How to Paint a Tile Backsplash

Let’s talk about different types of paints as well as classic and trending colors for this year. Here is everything you need to know to choose the best paint for kitchen cabinets.

Related: Sherwin Williams Marshmallow and Here’s What Happened When I Painted My Countertop Faux Marble.

Types of Paint:

There are many different types of paint, but the main thing we recommend is something high quality and hard drying.

As you’ll see below, the steps to painting your kitchen cabinets require a lot of prep work and labor. So, don’t use cheap, low-quality paint because after all that hard work it’s just going to chip off over time and use.

You also want to use hard drying paint because kitchen cabinets are different from interior walls since they get a LOT more wear and tear. Think how often you touch your cabinets (to get things from the drawers or put things away in the cabinets) while you likely don’t touch your walls very often at all.

The Best Paints for Kitchen Cabinets:

• Behr Semi-gloss Enamel Interior/Exterior Cabinet, Door & Trim Paint (lots of color options)
• Valspar Semi-gloss Cabinet & Furniture Paint (lots of colors available)
• Magnolia Home Semi-gloss Cabinet & Furniture Paint Enamel (eight color options)

Can I Use Chalk Paint?

Yes, you can use chalk paint on kitchen cabinets, but we recommend reading Painting Cabinets with Chalk Paint (Pros & Cons) first.

Favorite Kitchen Cabinet Paint Colors:

• Behr Swiss Coffee – a creamy white with just a hint of beige, like coffee with a LOT of cream.
• Sherwin Williams Marshmallow – a perfect, classic white that Elsie uses all the time.
• Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog – a soft, creamy evergreen.
• Behr Black Evergreen – a deeper, richer evergreen for when you want a darker green.

How to Properly Paint Kitchen Cabinets:

Step 1. Remove the doors and drawers from the cabinet boxes. Take off any hinges, handles, or any other hardware that may be in the way of painting.

Tip: Number the doors with a sharpie underneath the spot where the hinges go and cover with a small piece of painters tape. This will make it easier when rehanging the doors.

Step 2. Clean your cabinets. One of the most important steps in the process is ensuring that all grease, grime, and gunk is removed from all of your cabinets. If there are any especially greasy cabinets, we recommend spraying the surface with Krud Kutter Degreaser.

After excessive grease is removed, wet a clean rag with Liquid Sandpaper/Deglosser and wipe down thoroughly. (We recommend wearing rubber gloves when using liquid sandpaper.)

Step 3. Sand. All surfaces must be thoroughly sanded using a fine grit sandpaper (180 or 220 grit).

If you have one, you can also use an electric sander to help speed up the process. There is no need to sand the surfaces down to the bare wood—you just want to make sure that the surfaces are thoroughly scuffed.

Step 4. Remove dust from all cabinet surfaces. To remove the bulk of the dust, you can dust with an old paint brush. If you have an air compressor, you can blow the dust off with a blower nozzle.

Next, while wearing rubber gloves, get a clean rag and apply some denatured alcohol to it. Wipe the remaining dust off the surfaces with the rag.

Step 5. Cover up the floor, countertops, backsplash, and walls as needed. To do this, you can use painters tape, plastic, paper, canvas drop cloths, or a combination of all.

Step 6. Prime the cabinets. Now that the cabinets are prepped, it’s time for a coat of primer. If you have a paint sprayer and are comfortable using it, the most durable primer is shellac.

The downside to this primer is that it needs to be sprayed using a respirator, as it’s very odorous.

The product can be cleaned up with either denatured alcohol or an ammonia and water mixture. For all the DIYers out there that are using a brush instead of a sprayer, the second best product to use on your cabinets is a high quality water-based bonding primer.

Do your research on this and be sure you purchase a primer that will bond well to high traffic surfaces.

A paint sprayer gives the smoothest finish, but you can also brush or roll on the paint. A rolled and a brushed finish can turn out very nice. There is no difference in durability between spraying or hand painting.

Recommended Sprayers:

–TrueCoat Airless Paint Sprayer
–Pro Cordless Airless Paint Sprayer

Tip: When spraying, we recommend using a Graco 308 FFLP or a 410 FFLP size tip.

Step 7. Lightly sand. After the primer is fully dry, lightly sand the surfaces with 220 or 320 grit sandpaper. Remove any additional dust, and then you’re ready to paint.

Step 8. Paint. Once you have prepped and primed, the cabinets are ready for the first and second coat of paint. Do not cut costs on your cabinet paint. It is very important to purchase a high quality and hard drying paint (urethane alkyd enamel) that will withstand daily usage.

Recommended Drying Time:

Be sure to allow plenty of dry time between coats of paint. Most paints recommend 2-4 hours of dry time between coats. Dry time can be sped up by using fans, and being in a low humidity environment.

Step 9. Remove all masking and tape.

Step 10. Reinstall doors and drawers. Most modern hinges can be adjusted if necessary to ensure the doors are hanging properly.

What Not to Do:

There are several things that may cause your paint job to not last:

• Not cleaning and sanding your cabinets properly or thoroughly. We can’t stress this step enough. Prep is key to long-term durability.
• Not using a bonding primer before painting.
• Using a latex paint instead of a urethane enhanced enamel. Traditional latex/water-based paint will never dry hard enough to withstand constant touch, and will become sticky and eventually start to peel off.

Don’t let this overwhelm you! The project will be very rewarding in the end! Follow the steps outlined above and you can be sure your newly painted cabinets will look great and last for years.

You can use the same steps for painting furniture—like wooden dining chairs.

Is it Better to Spray or Roll Kitchen Cabinets?

Spraying is a better painting method for kitchen cabinets than rolling because it will not leave a texture, (while rolling will). Spraying is also faster, but requires quite a bit of prep work and equipment. Keep in mind you can rent a paint sprayer if you do not wish to buy one.

Once you’ve painted your kitchen cabinets you might look around and want to update your kitchen backsplash or countertops. Here are some related posts:

Backsplash Ideas:

• Removable Tile Backsplash – how to properly install peel and stick tile.
• How to Paint a Tile Backsplash
• How to Tile a Kitchen Backsplash – when you’re ready to take your DIY to the next level!

Countertop Ideas:

• Faux Painted Marble Countertop
• Concrete Countertop DIY – an inexpensive way to update laminate countertops
• Tiled Countertop DIY – no saw required

Let us know if you have any questions or if you use this tutorial! xo.

Let’s just say that years (and one toddler) later, the paint job had gotten a little dingy and worn in places, and I kept wondering when I’d ever have the time to refresh my kitchen cabinets, since the original act of painting them was such a big process.

When I really sat down to think about it, I realized that it may not actually be as big of a job as it seems. And, once I made a plan, I realized that I could actually do a full cabinet refresh in just one afternoon!

That sounded way more doable than devoting a weekend to the job and once it was done it made a huge difference in how fresh the space feels—I’ll show you what I did!

You can see above in the before pictures that we were definitely in need of a refresh. Years of daily use really does leave a mark!

Clean and De-Grime the Cabinets

This step may sound like just a preparation for the real change later, but I was amazed at how much better the cabinets looked just by doing a thorough cleaning with a magic eraser.

I could still see the spots where the paint was worn through, but it felt so much cleaner overall, and showed me where the paint was still in good shape.

I knew if I ran out of time, I could skip repainting those areas. It’s also a good idea in a kitchen to use some dish soap and water to wipe down areas before repainting.

Any grease from cooking that’s still on the paint may keep your touch-up paint from adhering properly, so you want to use some soapy water or degreaser product to get it off first. They also make these magic erasers that have soap in them so you can do both jobs in one!

You can see above that the left side has been cleaned and the right hasn’t … even though there is still some chipped paint, they look so much newer already!

Give the Cabinets a Light Sanding

Once your wood is clean, use some fine sandpaper (I like this brand) to gently rough up the paint in the areas where you want to do a paint touch-up. You don’t want to sand through down to the wood, so don’t feel like you need to sand very hard.

A light scuffing of the surface will help the new paint stick a little better. I also like using a sanding sponge with a foam back so I can sand an area and then wipe off the dust with the soft foam part.

Add some Touch-Up Paint to the Bare Spots

I like to use a brush (this is my favorite one) for hard-to-reach areas of the cabinets, but painting wherever I can reach with a foam roller really gives you the best look overall. Use that where you can on any flat areas (make sure to take off your cabinet knobs and pulls first).

I was just going to paint the most worn areas of my doors, but once I got going, I realized that it’s actually pretty quick to do the full door or drawer when you’re just doing a touch-up coat of the same color.

So, I just painted all the fronts and it really didn’t take much longer. And if you can take out your drawers first, that can make them a lot easier to paint as well.

As you can probably guess by now, I’m assuming you know what paint was used on the cabinets last time they were painted so you can get more for a touch up.

So, if you don’t already have a way to keep track of what paint colors you use in your home, I highly recommend writing it down somewhere so you can reference the list as needed!

If you don’t know the exact color, you can bring home a million paint swatches until you find one that looks super close, but you’ll probably need to paint the full cabinet door rather than just one corner in case the color isn’t a 1,000% match.

Also, if you have a “kick plate” area like I do at the bottom of your cabinets (it’s where your baseboard/quarter round is near the floor), touching that up while you’re painting is a great idea. It gets kicked and scuffed a lot with your feet (hence the name)!

It’s a relatively small area and it only took 4-5 minutes to repaint mine, but it definitely helped the whole thing feel new again.

Replace Old/Worn Hardware (Or Clean It)

It was pretty obvious to me that tarnished hardware was another reason that our kitchen was looking a little grimy. So if that’s the case for you as well, giving your hardware a cleaning or a polish can also really help make them look as good as new.

And, you can work on this while your paint is drying, so it won’t take any longer either! It may also be a good time to do a hardware upgrade if you chose a more budget-friendly option the first time around.

I personally love Schoolhouse hardware and find it wears really well over time.

How much better does that look in just a few hours?!

  If you have extra time, another thing that can make cabinets look new again is changing out the hinges that attach the cabinet doors to the wall.

That is definitely more of a time consuming task if you have to do a lot of them, but if yours are in bad shape, just make it a goal to switch out one or two doors a day with your power drill and that will make it feel more doable.

It’s way more work to switch them out with different hinges that have different hole locations (you’d have to repair, fill, sand, and paint all the old hole locations), but if you’re using hardware with the same hole locations, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal.

There you go!! It really is amazing to me how much newer the cabinets look after just one afternoon of work—totally worth it! You can also pop a cute pan on the counter or new kitchen rug into the space to freshen it up.

It feels like I spend most of my day in the kitchen, so it’s definitely worth the effort to make it look its best. I’ve also organized my fridge and closet in one afternoon so take a few days and really get your place together! Hope this project idea helps to brighten up your kitchen too! xo. Laura

P.S. Looking for more kitchen content? Check out …

• The Best Paint For Kitchen Cabinets
• Elsie’s Removable Tile Backsplash
• Emma’s Kitchen Must-Haves

I wanted to make a woven rag rug that was cute, woven, relatively easy for a first-time rug maker. After a bit of research, I found the perfect woven rug that fits all my needs!

If you have a few old bedsheets around, this is the perfect way to use them (and get an adorable rug out of the process).

Related: Make Your Own Rope Rug, Easy Stenciled Outdoor Rug, Washable Rug DIY, and Weaving for Beginners.

Supplies:
-3 king-size flat cotton bedsheets
-piece of cardboard (23″ x 43″)
–fabric scissors
–masking tape
-marker
–clear ruler

Step One: Use your ruler and marker to make a mark every 2″ across the longest side of each of your bedsheets. Use fabric scissors to make a 2″ cut at each mark.

Step Two: At each cut, rip the fabric apart (it should tear evenly all the way across the sheet). Repeat this process until each sheet is ripped into even strips. Separate strips by color and pattern.

Step Three: On each of the short ends of your cardboard, start 2″ from each end and mark 2″ long lines every 1/2″. Use scissors to cut 2″ slots at each mark. 

Step Four: Gather three fabric strips of various colors into a group, fold the group in half lengthwise, and place one end into the first slot (it should hang over the edge a few inches).

Place the other end into the corresponding spot on the opposite side. If you have a lot of strings hanging off the sides of your strips, try and pull the big clumps of strings off before you place into the cardboard slots.

Repeat this process for each strip across the cardboard. It will get pretty full after you have a few groups placed, but just keep going until you are done.

Step Five: Designate one color as your weaving strip, and wrap a piece of masking tape around one end to make it easier to weave through the strips.

Starting about 2″ in from the end of your cardboard slots, begin to weave the weaving strip under and over each group until you get to the other side.

Make sure to leave a 6″ tail at your beginning spot (you’ll lengthen this at the end). Because the cardboard is so full, the first row of weaving will be the hardest since it’s difficult to tell one group from another.

Just do the best you can—if you get a few strips into the wrong bunch, it won’t make a difference at the end.

Once you get to the other end with your weaving strip, make a U-turn by going over or under the last bunch (whichever is needed depending on where you end up), and weave your way back to the other side (it should be much easier this time).

As you finish each row, straighten out the weaved strip with your fingers and slide it as close to the row before it as you can.

Repeat the weaving process until you’re about 2″ from the cardboard slots on the other end of the rug. Make sure to pay attention to the width of your rug as you go, and keep it as even as you can.

This type of weaving gives you a lot of control over your width since you can simply tighten or loosen your strip as you make the turn at each end.

When you get to the end of your weaving strip, you’ll want to join a new strip to the existing one so you can keep on weaving.

Cut a slot into the end of your weaving strip and the beginning of your new strip, and pull an inch or two of your new strip through the slot on the existing strip.

Pass the tail end of your new strip through the slot on the new strip and pull tight. Now you have a longer strip! Keep doing that each time you need to extend your weaving strip.

Step Six: To finish the ends, make a U-turn around the last bunch where your weaving ended, and thread your weaving strip down through the first exposed section of your last row of weaving (see above photo).

Pull tight. Again, cross over to the next exposed weaving and thread down through that section and pull tight. Continue until you reach the end, and tie your weaving strip onto one of the strips in the last group of strips.

Repeat process on the opposite end (you’ll have to join a strip to lengthen the tail of your beginning weaving strip first).

Step Seven: You’re almost done! Just place a ruler or a piece of cardboard inside of where you want to trim your ends and use fabric scissors to trim the excess pieces. Once the ends are cut, you can remove the cardboard backing.

You did it! You just made a rug!

I’m pretty proud of my first attempt at rug making. I think it’s just what our space needed (the color looks so nice with the DIY concrete countertop).

If you prefer to buy a handmade rug, check out Elsie’s favorite rugs on Etsy. xo, Laura

Print

Woven Rag Rug

How to make a woven rag rug from torn fabric pieces.

Keyword DIY, rag rug, rug, woven rug

Author Laura Gummerman

Cost $25

Equipment

• pair of fabric scissors
• masking tape
• marker
• clear ruler
• piece of cardboard 23" x 43"

Ingredients

• 3 king-size flat sheets cotton

Instructions

• Use your ruler and marker to make a mark every 2″ across the longest side of each of your bedsheets. Use fabric scissors to make a 2″ cut at each mark.
• At each cut, rip the fabric apart, and it should tear evenly all the way across the sheet. Repeat process until each sheet is ripped into even strips. Separate strips by color and pattern.
• On each of the short ends of your cardboard, start 2″ from each end and mark 2″ long lines every 1/2″. Use scissors to cut 2″ slots at each mark. 
• Gather three fabric strips of various colors into a group, fold the group in half lengthwise, and place one end into the first slot (it should hang over the edge a few inches).

  Place the other end into the corresponding spot on the opposite side. If you have a lot of strings hanging off the sides of your strips, try and pull the big clumps of strings off before you place into the cardboard slots. Repeat this process for each strip across the cardboard. It will get pretty full after you have a few groups placed, but just keep going until you are done.
• Designate one color as your weaving strip, and wrap a piece of masking tape around one end to make it easier to weave through the strips. Starting about 2″ in from the end of your cardboard slots, begin to weave the weaving strip under and over each group until you get to the other side.

  Make sure to leave a 6″ tail at your beginning spot (you’ll lengthen this at the end). Because the cardboard is so full, the first row of weaving will be the hardest since it’s difficult to tell one group from another. Just do the best you can, and if you get a few strips into the wrong bunch, it won’t make a difference at the end.
• Once you get to the other end with your weaving strip, make a U-turn by going over or under the last bunch (whichever is needed depending on where you end up), and weave your way back to the other side (it should be much easier this time). As you finish each row, straighten out the weaved strip with your fingers and slide it as close to the row before it as you can.

  Repeat the weaving process until you are about 2″ from the cardboard slots on the other end of the rug. Make sure to pay attention to the width of your rug as you go, and keep it as even as you can. This type of weaving gives you a lot of control over your width since you can simply tighten or loosen your strip as you make the turn at each end.
• When you get to the end of your weaving strip, you’ll want to join a new strip to the existing one so you can keep on weaving. Cut a slot into the end of your weaving strip and the beginning of your new strip.

  Pull an inch or two of your new strip through the slot on the existing strip. Pass the tail end of your new strip through the slot on the new strip, and pull tight. Now you have a longer strip! Keep doing that each time you need to extend your weaving strip.
• To finish the ends, make a U-turn around the last bunch where your weaving ended, and thread your weaving strip down through the first exposed section of your last row of weaving (see above photo). Pull tight. Again, cross over to the next exposed weaving and thread down through that section and pull tight.

  Continue until you reach the end, and tie your weaving strip onto one of the strips in the last group of strips. Repeat process on the opposite end (you’ll have to join a strip to lengthen the tail of your beginning weaving strip first).
• Place a ruler or a piece of cardboard inside of where you want to trim your ends and use fabric scissors to trim the excess pieces. Once the ends are cut, you can remove the cardboard backing.

To help narrow the field, we’ve compared some of the top non-toxic cookware brands to let you know their performance in our real kitchens.

Whether you like to cook stir fry, delicious brunch items, burgers, or fried rice at home, having a great nonstick pan is the key to easy cooking.

From the all-popular Always Pan to the Caraway Fry Pan, Great Jones Pan, and GreenPan Fry Pan, here’s our honest review of how each one holds up at home.

Related: Is the Beast Blender Worth It? and How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet

Our Place Always Pan

The Always Pan: This pan has an exclusive non-toxic and nonstick ceramic coating made without potentially toxic materials like PFOAs, PTFEs, other PFAs, lead, cadmium, toxic metals, and nanoparticles.

And it comes with spatula and custom stainless steel steamer basket. It has a sturdy aluminum body for fast, even heat and a modular lid that lets off steam when you want to (and lock it in when you don’t). This 10″ pan has a 2.6-quart capacity.

Pros: It’s compatible with all cooktops (including induction), and has a nesting beechwood spatula with an integrated spoon rest.

My favorite thing about this pan is the spruce steamer that fits inside perfectly. We use it at least once a week to steam dumplings and bao buns.

Cons: The bottom and sides of the Always Pan get stained pretty quickly (especially on the lighter colored ones) and while it is very easy to clean, it’s impossible to keep it looking pristine.

So, you do have to accept that it will look “well loved” pretty quickly. We use our pans very frequently (nearly daily) and for me, they start getting build up inside the nonstick pan that I can’t get rid of within one year.

I have had my oldest one for about two years and it doesn’t have any chips. Essentially, I wish they looked brand new for longer, but functionally, they really do last.

Special care instructions: These pans are very easy to care for by hand washing. They are recommended for medium heat (not high heat) and you are not supposed to put them in the oven or the dishwasher.

Overall rating: Overall, I am a huge fan of this pan! I love it so much that in our vacation home in Missouri, it’s the only pan we have there—and it truly is all we need.

Caraway Fry Pan

Caraway Fry Pan: This Caraway pan uses a mineral-based coating that won’t leach toxic materials into your food, and it releases up to 60% less CO2 when produced compared to traditional nonstick coatings.

Naturally slick pans require less oil or butter for cooking and less scrubbing for a spotless clean, and their coating doesn’t include potentially toxic materials like PFOA, PTFE, other PFAs, lead, cadmium, or toxic metals.

Pros: These pans are the most aesthetically pleasing and easier to clean than the Always Pan. This fry pan is also less expensive. Overall, I think this is my top choice.

The thing I like most about these pans (I have the cream color) is that you can clean the bottom side (NOT the cooking surface, but the bottom of the pan) using Bar Keeper’s Friend when it gets brown.

I love that there is a solution to keep them looking fresh and new. I have been using this pan for about one year, and it’s lasted really well and still looks (and functions) like brand new.

Cons: Honestly, I don’t think I have a con to list. The only thing is I will say is that I splurged on the set and I mainly only use the fry pan, so in hindsight … I really only needed the fry pan.

Special care instructions: Similar to the Always Pan, you are only supposed to cook on low and medium heat, you need to hand wash the pan, and you are not supposed to put it in water right after you cook (let it cool first).

Overall rating: One hundred percent love mine and recommend.

GreenPan Fry Pan

GreenPan Fry Pan: Engineered for high performance, these 8″ and 10″ are coated with diamond-reinforced Thermolon Minerals and ceramic nonstick surfaces for healthy cooking, as well as easy release and clean up.

Constructed with heavy-gauge, hard-anodized aluminum, the pans have even heat distribution and oven-safe stainless steel handles with corrosion-resistant gold finishes.

The pans are highly heat-resistant and will not release toxic fumes, and the coating will not blister or peel. They’re also free of PFAS, PFOA, lead and cadmium.

Pros: It’s great to have both sizes of this pan for cooking, as I use them simultaneously quite a bit (eggs in one, bacon in the other, etc.). The gold handles and color choices also make them stand out from any other pans I’ve owned, and they are super easy to clean.

I also love that you can put these pans right in the oven, as they are oven safe up to 600° (which you can’t do with other pans like the Always Pan), so it’s easy to sear something like fish or meat and then transfer the pan to the oven to finish cooking.

This pan is also safe to use with metal utensils (which is nice if that’s all you have), but I still use wood or silicone when I can to “baby” the nonstick coating a bit. This pan can also be used on gas, electric and ceramic stovetops.

Cons: The pretty color on the bottom of the pan will start to brown over use (especially on a gas stove), but the pan still looks pretty overall, even with some discoloration on the bottom side.

The off-white inside of the pan will also probably brown some over time (I can see it starting to happen a little after several months), but the speed of discoloring will probably correspond to how much you use them.

I love the built-in spoon rest and the pour spout of my Always Pan, so I do miss that when using these pans, and I wish the pans came with lids. But, you can buy lids separately, if desired.

Special care instructions: Make sure to allow the pan to cool before washing. The pans are dishwasher safe, but hand washing is recommended. The manufacturer also discourages the use of cooking sprays with these pans, which is fine for me, but may be a downside if that’s what you like to use.

Overall rating: Overall the user experience of these pans really is great (they have really good reviews online, and I can see why).

The nonstick lives up to its name, they are easy to clean, the ability to put the pan in the oven is also a huge plus, and they also happen to be really pretty.

Great Jones Fry Pan

The Great Jones Fry Pan: This 10.25″ nonstick frying pan is made with a non-toxic ceramic coating that’s healthier for both you and planet Earth. Large Fry is great if you cook often for a group or simply want to enjoy a large personal pancake.

It’s safe for all stovetops (including induction) and it has a welded handle with no screws, rivets, or seams to trap food or unwanted bacteria. The pan is also free of PTFE and PFOA chemicals.

Pros: Of all the nonstick pans I’ve tried, this one performs the best in my opinion (Emma speaking here). I’ve made stir fried rice, sausage patties, fried eggs, and lots of other things in my Great Jones Fry Pan and it’s been amazing. Since food truly doesn’t stick, this also means the pan is very easy to clean.

In addition to working SO well on the stove top, you can also pop this pan into the oven up to 500°F. The pan (compared to others a similar size) is lightweight and the handle is comfortable to hold/move.

Cons: Although the Great Jones Fry Pan is certainly not ugly, it’s not my favorite looking pan. I prefer the look of my Always Pan, but I do think this one performs better.

The lids are sold separately. Maybe this doesn’t annoy anyone, else but I think it’s a bit silly. I still bought a lid though, so I guess the joke’s on me.

Special care instructions: Although their website does say you can wash this in the dishwasher, so far I have always washed by hand. It’s so easy to do when a pan is truly nonstick.

Plus, I feel this will help the nonstick coating last longer. But it’s good to know it’s OK if one morning I open our dishwasher to see my partner has loaded this pan in the night before. No biggie!

Overall rating: After trying this pan, I became a true believer. I have already bought a Great Jones Fry Pan for a friend as a housewarming gift.

Note about nonstick cookware: Even though these pans are “non-toxic,” we highly suggest only using them as long as the nonstick cooking surface is in good condition and isn’t chipping or wearing away in areas.

If the pan’s coating is starting to disintegrate or is damaged, then the nontoxic promise of the pan could be compromised and it is time to replace it. These pans are not meant to last forever.

So, there you go! An honest review of the top pans the internet has to offer and how they hold up to our everyday lives. Hope this helps make your pan buying experience a little easier to know which one is right for you!

When I saw the listing photos of the kitchen before we bought it, we fell in love with the huge windows to the backyard, but I could tell the actual kitchen was not my aesthetic.

From the pictures, it looked like it was in decent shape, but once we drove up to see the house in person (after buying over Skype) it was apparent that the photos really didn’t show the actual state of the room.

Besides the tile floors that had been installed incorrectly (the spacing was all over the place and tiles were popping out all over the house), there were parts of the laminated countertop that were attached with Scotch tape and the dishwasher was installed so close to the oven that it hit the oven door every time you opened it.

A lot of the faux wood cabinets were warped/peeling/water damaged, the “tile” backsplash was simply stick on plastic sheets, it had a dropped acoustic paneled ceiling (like in an office building), and the pantry was small (and wasted half the space because of how the shelves were laid out).

Oh, and the baseboards/wood trim came together in a way that looked like an M.C. Escher staircase. You can see more in my “NotHowYouDoThat” highlight on my Instagram. It was a hot mess. It also had a plastic stained glass window of a sailboat in the kitchen wall, so that needed to go as well.

We knew we would want to totally gut the kitchen and start from scratch, but we waited until we worked on all the flooring that run throughout the main floor so we could demo the kitchen, have all the white oak flooring run throughout, and then put the kitchen back together on top.

In redoing the kitchen, the only thing we kept were the windows and the marble window sill underneath. The ceiling was removed to show an orange metal ceiling underneath (!!), but we took that out as well and drywalled instead to gain a lot more height in the space.

I got white shaker-style cabinet doors mixed with flat front drawers for a trendy-yet-timeless look, and used these drawer handles and pulls to add a touch of gold. I don’t usually splurge on hardware for every spot in the house, but I usually do for kitchens.

The handles get used the most, and when I buy cheaper gold/brass options they always start to tarnish after just a year or so. I’d rather start with something good quality and use them for a long time.

We also added in a double sink that has a 60/40 split so we have a bigger area to wash dishes and a space for drying what we wash by hand throughout the day. I also got this faucet to keep the gold colors going, and I like that it has a pull down feature as well.

I used quartz in our last kitchen and was really happy with it, so I chose that again in this pattern.

For the “real” tile backsplash, I picked this gorgeous star and cross pattern from Fireclay (Elsie has the same pattern in her office coffee bar) and I love how it adds a subtle pattern to the space without being overwhelming.

The tiles are handmade, so they are all a tiny bit different, which gives the backsplash an organic feel as well.

For our appliances, I’ve been dreaming of getting Café appliances since I saw them hit the market a few years ago, and I’m so glad we decided to use them for our kitchen.

This is the fourth house we’ve lived in, and I’ve actually never had a new kitchen appliance in any previous home, so I was thrilled to actually pick out something I would want.

Not only is our Café dishwasher, French-door fridge, and gas stove beautiful, but we love using them—you can connect them to your phone, so we’ve been able to preheat the oven when on the way home, and little things like that make it feel like an extra luxury.

My husband got me the matching Cafe toaster last year for Mother’s Day and their beautiful coffee maker completes the set.

We also replaced the pantry cabinet with one that was a little taller, and had deep drawers and shelves put in throughout to really maximize the pantry space, which has also helped a lot in everyday life.

I bought the same light fixture from our last kitchen and I feel like it fits this room really well, too.

It took me almost a year to get this pink velvet banquette built into the space, and while it’s one of the trickier DIYs I’ve completed, I really love it and it makes the area feel extra special.

I hung this whimsical print by one of my favorite artists above the seating and added these gorgeous sconces to either side. The kitchen really didn’t have much lighting at all besides giant can lights in the dropped ceiling, so I really wanted to add layers of light through the room.

You can find more cute & affordable wall art for a kitchen in this post!

I added under mount cabinet lights, task lighting in the ceiling, a flush mount in the middle of the room, and sconces on the wall so we can turn on/dim areas of light as needed. So. Much. Better.

I changed the twine on that cute hanging plant to a white rope to match the kitchen better, but I love having some permanent greenery in the space. And since it’s faux, I don’t have to water it (which is a plus with its location).

I got a small bistro table (similar here) and it’s the perfect size for having a snack or breakfast. It gets used a lot by my daughter to color while I’m making dinner when she wants to be nearby.

To keep our little family life organized, I got this customized calendar to hang in the kitchen and I love it. It’s a great way to keep track of appointments and events and the central location of it means that I see it often so I don’t forget what’s coming up for everyone.

I also like that even though it’s large, I got it in a lighter color and use lighter color chalk markers—so even when it’s full of writing, it doesn’t stand out in the space in a negative way.

I also added some black and white family photos to the top of the stairs since you can see it from the kitchen as well (similar gold frames here). These are three of my favorite photos.

I had the hardest time finding a rug that worked for this room. Originally, I wanted to get something with color to add another pop to the space, but most flat weave rugs just aren’t my style (a lot of traditional or oriental prints). I was pretty stuck for about nine months until I found this neutral star pattern rug.

While it doesn’t have the pop of color I was hoping for, the neutral colors fit perfectly in the room and the star/constellation pattern fits with the backsplash (and makes it a little fun, too).

Coffee Maker / Gas Range / Brass Pulls / Brass Knobs / Family Calendar / Refrigerator / Star Rug / Toaster / Globe Sconce / Dishwasher /Brass Faucet

The overall feeling in this kitchen is overwhelmingly different from when we first moved in. The new white oak floors, higher ceiling, bright and open feeling with the light cabinets and countertop, and the pop of pink in the corner make it all feel so modern, yet homey. And, the giant windows really stand out as a feature.

It feels like I finally got a dream kitchen on our fourth home since we’ve been married, and if you ask me, it was totally worth the wait! xo. Laura

Want to see other room makeovers in my house? Check out …

• ’70s Pink Living Room Makeover (Before + After!)
• Laura’s Pink Tile Bathroom Makeover (Before + After)
• Laura’s Dining Room Tour (Before + After!)
• Laura’s Organization-Focused Entryway (Before + After!)
• Laura’s Pink Star Bedroom (Before + After!)
• Lola’s Room Tour (Before + After!)

Café appliances c/o Café

I knew I wanted some kind of breakfast nook since we had a corner of our kitchen that didn’t make sense as cabinets or extra countertop area.

When the idea of a banquette came to me, I knew I wanted to do it in the same vibe as the lovely (and very Pinterest-worthy) Sketch restaurant in London. Pink velvet was a must, and I thought I’d throw in some channel tufting to make it feel a little more special.

Thankfully, I was familiar with Mandi’s Channel Tufted Storage Banquette from a few years back, and I thought that would be a great start to the project.

Having the booth sit in an L-shaped corner with exposed ends (rather than cover a straight wall section end-to-end like Mandi had) posed its own challenges.

But after enough trial and error—and I was able to get it all figured out—you can take or leave whichever steps you need based on the shape and area you are adding a banquette to.

Supplies:
-velvet upholstery fabric (I used between 6-7 yards of this fabric in Bowie pink)
–batting to go between your velvet and foam
-6″ pine boards for backing of each half round bolster
–half round bolsters (I used 6″ wide bolsters and you can email them to ask them to cut them in half for you)
–metal strap ties (I used 8 with 4 on each section)
–upholstery foam (comes in different thicknesses but I used the 3″)
-plywood for base of seat
-sewing machine (optional depending on shape of cushions you need)
–jig saw or circular saw for cutting straight cuts on a plywood seat base or 3/4″ boards
–miter saw if you have a corner banquette to cut your 3/4″ boards at a 45° angle
-staple gun (electric recommended)
–construction adhesive (optional)
-L-shaped corner braces (I used several of these 1 1/2″ brace packs)
-3″ or 4″ trim boards to trim out your banquette (optional)

Make the Seat Base: First, I needed to get a large plywood board and cut it down to the shape of my L-shaped seat area. We had the base cabinets installed when we got the rest of our kitchen cabinets put in, so I just built on top of those (Mandi’s banquette post shows you how to build a bottom if you want to build your own).

I wanted the seat to hang over from the front and side edges of the seat about 1″, so I made sure that overhang was there as well. Then, I cut out the shape with a jig saw.

You can also use a large piece of cardboard to make a cardboard template first (like I did to trace onto the wood) if you want to, but be sure it fits before cutting the wood. Highly recommend!

Once the wood was cut, I put two pieces of seat foam next to each other to make an L shape and marked where they should be trimmed with a marker to fit the shape of the seat.

For cutting foam, either an electric bread knife or a standard bread knife are the best for slicing through the green upholstery foam.

Cover the Seat: Once the seat was shaped, it was time to cover it in velvet. If you have a straight bench with no corner to turn, you can basically flip your seat upside down and place it foam side first onto the underside of your velvet fabric with some batting in between the velvet and foam layers.

Your fabric will be face down on the floor with batting on top, and then the upside down seat will be on top of that.

For a no-sew option, you can simply pull and wrap the fabric up and over the sides of the seat and staple in place on the plywood every few inches to keep it in place. Then, wrap the corners like a present. You can see how Kara did that in this DIY Color Blocked Velvet Bench tutorial.

You can see that my L-shaped cushion has a seam where the two sides meet in the middle at a 45° angle, so I had to pin and sew my fabric together along that line first and then wrap and staple it to the underboard.

That meeting point where it waterfalls down the front of cushion can be a tricky point, but you can either fold and staple the excess under to get it as smooth as you can, or you can try and pin the excess on the back side.

Then, sew a seam down the front like I did so you can cut away bulk excess so it looks a little smoother. It’s not perfect for sure (I wish I was a master seamstress in times like this!), but it works well enough to get the job done.

I wanted the exposed corner to look more finished on mine, so I did the wrap-and-staple method I mention above on all the hidden corners. I pinned and sewed a box corner on the one exposed corner to give it a more polished look before folding the extra fabric under to staple.

*Note: Remember, if you use velvet, pay attention to which direction the grain is going when attaching it so it’s all flowing the same direction when attached!

Cut the Wood/Foam Sections: Once the bench bottom was complete, it was time to move onto the channel tufted section! I took my 3/4″ thick boards that were the same size as my half round bolsters and cut them to the lengths of my left and right top sections (3 for each side).

Since I have a corner to deal with, I also mitered the boards at a 45° angle on the edges where they would meet in the middle.

Then, I laid the half round bolsters on top of the boards (you can use some tape to get them to stay on the board temporarily) and cut them down to fit the boards. I cut the straight outside edge first (or just lined it up with an existing end of a bolster).

Then, for the mitered 45° angle side in the middle, I would cut it straight, hold it up where it was going on the wall, and then use the knife to eyeball a 45° angle cut like you see above.

Wrap the Sections: Once the foam was cut for the channel tufted pieces, I put strips of velvet I had pre-cut on the floor.

The strips were long and wide enough to to cover the front and could be wrapped around the back to staple face down. Then, I added a layer of batting, and my board with the foam (foam side down).

For the mitered edges that meet in the middle corner, I folded the fabric several times and stapled it underneath.

I also did the same for outside edges that wouldn’t be seen (the right side of the banquette runs into our cabinets), but you can do this wrapping method for any seen edges as well if you don’t mind the look.

For my edges that were visible, I decided to sew those instead of fold and staple like above for a cleaner look. I made a half circle piece a little bigger than my foam bolster semi-circle and pinned and sewed that onto the edge of my fabric (right sides together when pinning and sewing).

I left extra fabric under the semi-circle when cutting the template so I had extra fabric to fold over and staple.

Once it was sewn and flipped right side out, it looked like it does above and I could fit that over the end of the foam. Then, I folded/stapled the extra fabric underneath for a cleaner end look.

You can do either method depending on your sewing skills, but if your ends are hidden, I would definitely do the faster folding/stapling method rather than sewing.

Attach the Back Sections Together: Once my three sections were covered in velvet, I used my metal strap ties to attach the sections together for each grouping of three.

I let the strap tie hang over at the bottom so I could screw that part into the wall to hold the bottom section in place.

Prepare the Wall: Then I used painter’s tape to mark about where I wanted the top of the banquette section to hit (I was trying to make it even with the marble windowsill ledge on the right side of the banquette).

I put some L-shaped brackets there to hold the top of the banquette in place and give me something to attach my final wood trim to.

Attach Back Sections to Wall: It would be easiest to screw in the back sections first and then slide in your seat cushion, but I had to put my seat back in before the back right section. My kitchen counter was in the way of angling it back in properly after the back was on.

Add Wood Trim (optional): You can see that my back section is in and the top L-brackets are holding the top in place, but the walls in our older home are not exactly straight, so there was a gap where the wall curves inward quite a bit in that area.

Besides rebuilding the whole wall properly, my best option was to hide that gap with some wood trim that goes up the side of the banquette and follows the curve of the wall (and painted the same color as the wall) to help hide the issue.

I put a 4″ board on top of my banquette and used a compass that was fixed to the dimensions of the widest part of the gap to trace along the wall. Then, I scribed a line onto the wood of where I should cut it with my jig saw for a perfect fit.

This is a great video that shows you exactly how to do it with just a pencil or small block of wood.

Once I had the top board scribed, I could use my miter saw to cut the other pieces to fit the other gaps I wanted to cover, glued them together with wood glue, painted it white, and then installed it on top of the banquette brackets.

You could screw/nail it into the wood backing of the banquette sections or even glue it onto the metal brackets as well.

Note: If you don’t need to cover any wall gaps like I did, you can simply use construction adhesive to attach these panels to a wall or refer to Mandi’s banquette post if you are going from one side of the wall all the way to the other for best practices there.

I will say that this was a marathon of a project for me and a lot of problem-solving with our particular space and the corner component, windowsill on one side, countertop edges in the way, and uneven walls.

The whole thing was dragged out for almost a year in between other projects in the area/kitchen, but I can’t tell you what a relief it is to have it done and it came out so beautiful that it really was worth all the work that went into it.

Just this morning my daughter was sitting on the banquette and coloring in her pjs, and it just gave a little shot of joy to my morning to see her there (and I love it with that star rug right in front of it.

Hope this inspires you to make your own banquette or to go for a DIY project that will brighten up your home! xo. Laura

Love a good kitchen makeover? Check out these posts …
–How I Refreshed My Kitchen Cabinets In One Afternoon
–Holiday House Kitchen Before & After
–Laura’s Kitchen Tour (Part 2!)
–Elsie’s Kitchen Tour (Before & After)

These are the most-used items in my kitchen that I love. If I had to start from scratch with nothing in my kitchen, this is what I would buy first (beyond major appliances).

And after you see what’s on my most-loved/most-used list, I’d love to know what’s on yours! Leave me a comment with your most-used kitchen items and you can see My Most Used Kitchen Utensils (and What I Got Rid of) here!

Handheld Immersion Blender

A must-have for all types of cooking!

If you don’t already have an immersion blender, then you don’t know what you are missing!!

If you’ve ever tried to blend a piping hot soup in a blender, then you know that an immersion blender is worth it, even just to avoid that potential burn hazard.

This handheld immersion blender is perfect for soups, smoothies, and sauces. And you can froth, whip, and blend food and beverages quickly and easily.

The slim design also allows you to reach it into small cups and bowls and the detachable blending wand is dishwasher safe as well.

Use your immersion blender to make these delicious soups!

• Potato and Cream Cheese Soup
• Cafe-Style Tomato Soup
• Baked Potato and Broccoli Soup
• Curried Lentil Soup

Quality Knife Set

Make sure to get a set with kitchen scissors!

Having a good knife set with options is a key to making cooking easier.

This set includes a chef knife, slicing knife, santoku knife, utility knife, paring knife, bird’s beak paring knife, steak knives for eating, a sharpening steel to keep blades sharp, and all-purpose household shears.

And if you haven’t had a pair of kitchen scissors before, they are a great tool to easily cut up food and super helpful to cut things like pizza into bites for smaller kiddos.

Kitchen Aid Mixer

The gold standard of mixers!

This classic mixer is a classic for a good reason!

Besides the coated flat beater, wire whip, C dough hook, and pouring shield that the beater comes with, you can get lots of other attachments from pasta rollers and cutters to grinders and ice cream mixers, as well.

Whether you are making cookies, bread, or pasta, this mixer will stand the test of time (and all the color options mean it will look cute while doing it!).

Ground Beef Chopper

The secret to cooking ground beef easily!

This 5-blade chopper makes cooking and breaking up things like cooked ground meat a snap, and you can use it to mix and mash softer cooked foods, like potatoes, yams, pumpkin and squash.

It’s dishwasher safe as well, so you can throw it in with the rest of the dishes after dinner.

Always Pan

Not just a pretty face; this pan lives up to the hype!

Besides the 10 trendy colors you can choose from, this Always Pan is a team favorite, and we love the ease of use, the spot on the handle to hold your included wooden spatula, and the nested steamer basket that it comes with.

If you are a dumpling type of household, you can also add the bamboo steamer that cooks dumplings, fish, and veggies to perfection.

Glass Food Storage Containers

A healthier way to store your food!

When it comes to storing leftovers, using glass storage containers is the way to go.

Hot food can be transferred to them right away, and you don’t have to worry about chemicals in plastics leaking into your food.

These glass containers are dishwasher safe, and when you see all these cute containers lined up in your fridge, you’ll feel like you have one of those celebrity kitchens.

Food Processor

Even a small one will be your new kitchen’s best friend!

Food processors can be your new kitchen’s best friend to help you make dips, soups, dressings, and sauces.

If you are cooking for a lot of people, most of the time you may want a larger model, but even smaller ones like this 3.5 cup version will get most jobs done, and take up less space on your counter, too.

Here’s a mini version for even smaller households.

Coffee/Spice Grinder

Use your grinder for double duty (with a removable bowl!)

Having a coffee grinder is a must, but getting one with a removable bowl so that you can wash it out properly (this one is dishwasher safe) means that you can also use it for spices, herbs, grains, and nuts!

Air Popcorn Popper

What’s better than fresh buttered popcorn?

Freshly popped popcorn is just one of those movie night treats that can’t be beat!

Make the ultimate snack a snap with this cute popcorn popper (it will even melt the butter for you on the little tray above the popcorn).

Insulated Can Coozie

Keep your hands dry and your drink cold!

If you love a cold drink, then your next beer or LaCroix is going to love being in one of these insulated can coozies.

Made of stainless steel, just slide your can into the metal sleeve, and your drink will be as chill as you are. Not to mention, they are also so pretty!

Air Fryer

Go for a double basket fryer for large families or frequent “frier miles!”

No joke, this is currently my most used kitchen item! If you haven’t used one yet, then you truly don’t know what you are missing.

This this double one with two frying baskets is my go-to for larger recipes, but I also love the smaller size, sleek look and the color options. It also comes in a double size!.

Need some ideas? Check out our favorite air fryer recipes!

• Air Fried Okra
• Basic Crispy Air Fried Wings
• Air Fried Breakfast Potatoes
• Air Fried Pickles
• Crispy Air Fried Brussels Sprouts

Stackable Drinking Glasses

They come in six colors!

I love these stackable drinking glasses, as they are everyday enough for a glass of water, but cute enough to hold your wine or iced coffee.

The color choices (we love the sunset and sunrise colors) and shape add a little retro flair to your table and your guests are sure to ask “where do you get those?” They have tableware as well!

Matching Flatware Set

Comes in three metal colors!

If you have a silverware drawer full of mismatched items, it’s time to up your game and snag a matching set for your dinner table.

And, you don’t have to be throwing fancy dinner parties for cute silverware—they even make weekend brunch at home feel more special!

Timeless Plate Set

Always in style, and they will last for years!

While it can be fun to have some specialty dinnerware (Christmas tree plates, etc.), having a modern, yet timeless everyday plate set is a must.

And when it’s a classic like this set, they will also fit right in at a fancy dinner party.

This collection also comes with a smaller salad plate and a dinner bowl so you can match all the way through each meal of the day and they are dishwasher, microwave and oven safe (up to 350 degrees).

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13

There you have it—all my must-have kitchen items. What’s on your list?! xo. Emma

I knew right away I would be painting the kitchen cabinets and I planned to try out chalk paint to see how easy it was to use and how well it might hold up in our kitchen over time.

Related: The Best Paint for Kitchen Cabinets and Sherwin Williams Marshmallow – SW 7001.

My husband Phil and I were able to turn a profit on our last home, which allowed us to pay off our student loans (woo hoo!), have a down payment for our new house, as well as a reserve budget for immediate renovations.

Since we were working with cash for this renovation, I wanted to be as careful with spending as possible. No going over budget allowed!

I would have loved to equip our kitchen with brand new, custom-made cabinets to fit the new footprint I designed for this space, but a more budget-conscious choice was to reuse our existing oak cabinets, rearranging them to fit the footprint and using spacers between cabinets where necessary.

And, of course, you knew I’d want to paint it all white! We seem to be crazy for white kitchens here at A Beautiful Mess.

I have the unique perspective to be able to share two different methods of painting kitchen cabinets, since the last time I painted our kitchen cabinets, we used latex paint and a traditional method of sanding, priming, wet sanding, priming, and painting (all using a spray gun). It was A LOT of work!

But this time around I wanted to try out a different method, mostly out of wanting less work, but also out of curiosity and a duty to the world to blog about the pros and cons of each method.

So, I decided to try Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint on our cabinets. And I have a lot to say about it! (You can scroll to the end of this post if you just came here for the pros and cons list.)

This is how our stove wall used to look before rearranging the cabinets to move the stove here, giving more space to the dining area of the kitchen. We discarded the old countertops and are relocating the upper cabinets to the basement and garage.

Our new countertops are Corian Solid Surface in Arctic White, and we made the countertop of our kitchen island bigger so we can eat here, too.

We outfitted it with the same countertop we had used in our last kitchen renovation—a maple butcher block slab we sealed with Waterlox, like we did here.

ABOUT CHALK PAINT

Chalk paint is different from chalkboard paint. Chalk paint is a specially formulated flat paint that will stick to almost all surfaces without sanding or priming. It has a matte finish and needs to be sealed.

Other brands have formulated their own versions of chalk paint, but Annie Sloan is the original. I used their Pure White paint, and it really is a neutral white without warm or cool tones to it.

First, I thought I should show you what our kitchen looked like when we first got the keys to the house. We completely removed all of the cabinetry on the right wall, and I’m working on building a shallow shelving system to go in their place, in order to make more room for seats at the island and around the dining area.

We moved the stove to the far wall, to make more room in the eat-in area of the kitchen. This required running a new gas line to power the stove (the old stove was electric) as well as rerouting ventilation for the hood vent.

First, we pulled everything out. I had rearranged all of the cabinetry digitally on AutoCAD first to make sure I could get the footprint I wanted without physically rearranging them in place.

There was one spot we had to glue in wood spacers because I didn’t have a cabinet wide enough for the space and didn’t want to go through the trouble of fashioning a new (albeit useful) narrow cabinet to fill the gap.

FILLING OLD HARDWARE HOLES

Next, I removed the hardware from the doors and drawers, and filled the holes where the drawer pulls and door knobs used to be, since we planned to use new ones with different attachment points.

To fill the holes, I used Plastic Wood brand wood filler, which dries within 15 minutes. So you have to work quickly, but you’ll also be ready to sand it smooth without waiting for too long.

The most important step of painting your cabinets is cleaning them very well first. Use a degreasing detergent in your water and a non-scratch, yet abrasive pad (something you might use to clean a non-stick skillet), and really scrub hard!

I thought I had cleaned my cabinets very well, but after painting, I noticed a few grease dots that were showing through the paint.

I had to cover those areas with more than 10 coats of paint for the grease spots to stop finally showing through! Even primer wasn’t working to cover up the grease. So, please take it from me—make sure your cabinets are super clean before painting.

After rinsing and drying the cabinets, I began painting with the chalk paint, without sanding or applying a primer.

PAINTING AND SEALING

I was surprised at how thick the chalk paint went on, and how quickly it dried. I was able to paint a coat, and immediately begin another.

It took three coats to cover everything, and while it has the oak grain, there was the texture of the brush left on the surface, so I lightly dry-sanded it with 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper.

After the light sanding, the paint finish was so silky smooth—you’d never know there was oak underneath! Traditionally, chalk paint is finished with wax, but because kitchen cabinets receive such heavy wear, I wanted to use a finish that wouldn’t need maintenance.

My go-to wood sealer is polyurethane, but it’s a finish that notoriously yellows. Not the look I want with white cabinets. So, I used a water-based Polycrylic instead which doesn’t use urethane as a hardener, so it won’t yellow over time.

I brushed three coats of Polycrylic onto the cabinet bases, and sprayed three coats onto the doors and drawers. It took two 1/2 pints to cover the cabinet base and island, and three bottles to spray the doors and drawers.

FINISHING TOUCHES

I used the original hinges on all of the doors, but replaced the hardware with little wooden knobs that had a modern silhouette. They came unfinished, so I used Minwax Natural Stain and sealed with a few coats of polyurethane.

I used polyurethane rather than Polycrylic, because it isn’t water-based and will stand up to being wiped and handled constantly, while I am a bit concerned about how Polycrylic may possibly become tacky after years of wiping and handling.

PROS AND CONS

Now that I’ve finished all of the painting, and because I’ve done it before a different way, I thought it would be really valuable to share a pros and cons list for each process—latex paint versus chalk paint.

CHALK PAINT PROS:

• Chalk paint dries quickly.
• Chalk paint is thick and requires less coats of paint.
• There’s no need to prime.
• If painted over already sealed wood, tannins of the wood will not seep into the white paint, causing brownish stains.
• Chalk paint will hide heavily grained wood like oak.

CHALK PAINT CONS:

• Chalk paint is thick and leaves brush marks. (Latex paint will also leave brush marks, but last time I used a spray gun for the latex paint.)
• You can’t have custom colors mixed with Annie Sloan paint, though you are encouraged to mix them yourself. But this requires you to have extra on hand for touch-ups.
• It is hard to hide the tannins when painting over areas that have been freshly sanded and not sealed, like the areas around the hardware holes I filled. These areas required a few extra coats of paint, though primer may be more efficient at doing this.
• Because of the thickness of chalk paint, it can build up quickly and diminish the dimensionality of decorative routered edges.
• Chalk paint can’t be brushed on as evenly as latex paint can be sprayed on. Some edges of my doors and drawers have thicker coats of paint and almost globby areas, though I was careful not to put it on too thick.

LATEX PAINT PROS:

• The paint finish will be very smooth and even, if done the proper way. (Check out all of the steps I did to achieve the perfect finish for our last kitchen renovation.)
• Latex paint is relatively inexpensive, and a little goes a long way when spraying.
• You can have your paint color custom mixed and if you need more paint mixed for touch-ups, you can purchase the exact color of paint again at a later time.
• You do not need to seal latex paint, and a satin or semi-gloss finish is easy to clean.

LATEX PAINT CONS:

• Spray painting requires a lot of extra tools. Renting or buying them is expensive, and even if you own them, it is tedious to set up and clean up.
• Latex paint requires all cabinets to be sanding and primed. If done right, you will prime, wet sand, then prime again, which is very labor intensive. Sanding also requires more materials, therefore more expenses.
• If spray painting, you will need a large area to lay out all of your cabinets and shelves, and will have to protect a large area around your workspace because of overspray.
• If you are painting over raw wood (especially oak), you may have some trouble covering the tannins which cause brown staining in your finish paint. Chalk paint can be done over already sealed wood, which takes care of this problem.
• Latex paint is not great at hiding wood grain. You will need to do extensive priming and wet sanding first to accomplish this.

CONS FOR BOTH LATEX AND CHALK PAINTS:

Time: Both painting methods are time intensive. I had thought chalk paint would be faster, because it had less steps. No wet sanding after priming and then priming again to tough up after wet sanding.

But brushing on chalk paint was time intensive, and I could never get it quite even, like you can with spraying.

Spray painting latex paint was much faster, though it requires more coats, since you thin the paint before spraying, and spray it on lightly.

Also, I think all the sanding I did for our last kitchen was much easier then it would’ve been this time, because those cabinet doors were flat, whereas these ones have routered raised panels that would have been tedious to sand.

Paint chipping: I’ve had experiences so far with both types of paint chipping off if you are rough with it, such as knicking it with a sharp metal object.

I don’t think the lack of primer contributes to this happening, because I have experienced this with the latex painted cabinets as well.

Note: This post was updated in 2021— click here to see Mandi’s full kitchen reveal!

We’ve done a lot of kitchen cabinet projects on the blog, so be sure to check out how Laura refreshed her cabinets in one afternoon and Elsie’s tips for painting cabinets. Elsie swears by this method! xo, Mandi