How was your weekend? Did you watch the Super Bowl? Me neither. Anyways, let’s cut to the chase. Here it is! Our kitchen command center…
I’m so pleased with how it turned out. It doesn’t look out of place at all. The cabinet and butcher block go with the rest of our kitchen and the wicker chair and baskets on the open shelves look right at home in a kitchen.
The shelves are perfect! They fill the space nicely with the perfect balance of function and flair.
The print of our house was a Christmas present from my brother and sister-in-law and it’s one of the best gifts we’ve ever received. What could be more appropriate after a year spent focusing all our time and energy on this place? It’s beautiful and I’m so glad it’s in a place of honor. The middle frame contains a page from the book Eat, Pray, Love that spoke to me and the smallest frame a print from Etsy.
The metal anchor was inherited from our home’s previous owner. If you remember, I gave them a little makeover here. The small “antique” camera is actually a pencil sharpener but seems fitting in the space I’ll edit my photography for this blog. And finally the baskets from IKEA house all my camera equipment.
All of the accessories I had. This cute topiary, a flower pot for markers, an old silver vase for pencils. The chalkboard clipboard is perfect for notes, holding recipes to try, or inspirational pics from magazines.
A couple of drawer organizers from HomeGoods helped corral office supplies and keys in the top drawer.
The bottom drawer has plenty of space for magazines, catalogs, and my design inspiration clipboard.
Now I’m never one to discuss money in public. Frankly, I find it incredibly rude. However, I know a lot of bloggers break down projects in terms of cost and I have been asked by several readers about our budget for certain rooms so I thought that for this project, I’d share.
I wanted to complete this desk area for $500 and am happy to say, I went over by a mear $14. The bulk of the budget was spent at IKEA where we purchased the cabinet, counter top, two table legs, the two shelves, and the two baskets. I typically shop around but in this case, since I wanted to match our kitchen cabinets and countertops exactly, IKEA was the only option. The shelves and table legs were a fantastic deal there so those came home with us that day too. I got the wicker dining chair at Pier One using a 20% off coupon. Most of the accessories and office supplies I already had and the lamp is from Target years ago. But I did spend about $20 on the drawer organizers, some new Sharpies and pencils, and the clipboard.
This command center adds so much to our home. I’m able to edit and organize my photos so much easier with everything right there and writing blog posts at a desk is so much more comfortable than perching my laptop somewhere throughout the house. I also think it will become so essential as our family grows and I can keep track of kids schedules and family paperwork as it inevitably comes into the house. Happy to command our home (with my hubs) from this kitchen command center!
Very nice Julie. We have been following your blog since the beginning and see how beautifully you have transformed a house into YOUR HOME. We hope to see it in person later this year.
Thanks guys! Have you started your blog yet? Can’t wait to hear of all your adventures!
Your command post is just like your home–functional, tasteful, cozy and welcoming.
Do you think the bottom drawer could be used for hanging files?
What a great job you two have done to transform this space to a beautiful home.
Thank you! The cabinet is meant to be a kitchen cabinet so the bottom drawer isn’t quite designed to house files but it would be a great idea! We try to be as paperless as possible and keep files on our computers although I can’t break my tangible magazine habit. Nothing quite like a glossy mag on your lap!