Bringing Warmth to the Kitchen Nook

Sometimes the smallest changes can make the biggest impact. This past weekend, I lucked out on a buy-and-sell find of two beautiful antique wooden chairs that I could immediately envision in our eat-in kitchen. This little nook, though very far from perfect, is one of my favourite spots in our home. When we first moved in and needed a table, I sourced the beautiful round table from our local buy-and-sell and painted it with a deep charcoal chalk paint. I added an old church bench (which I purchased when my childhood church put the pews up for sale a few years ago) and an existing set of (poorly) painted chairs from the Habitat for Humanity Restore. This little space of collected furniture has served us well for the nearly two years we have lived here, but I always knew that I either wanted to refinish the tired old chipped chairs or find something new that could bring some warmth to this little corner.

After

Before

The thing about collecting and curating furniture is that it takes time - a process that makes it both deeply frustrating and incredibly gratifying. I have found many of my favourite home treasures secondhand, but it’s not as easy or instantaneous as decorating with new. There have been times that I have missed out on my dream piece by inquiring a moment too late or have questioned whether or not the blurry image before me was an accurate representation of what I hoped I was purchasing. But I have learned that my gut has more often than not been a pretty good guide - if I feel pulled to something enough to reach out to the seller, then I can be confident that it will fit perfectly in my home. And why is that? Because it is something I truly love and that is what a home should feel like - a place you feel in love with.

These chairs I purchased were that exactly. When I saw them, I reached out to the seller and expressed my interest because I instinctively just love them. They are beautifully warm with a rich wood finish. They are inviting with their unique curves and embracing shape. They are interesting with a mixture of understated textures. They are nostalgic, bringing back memories of my grandmother’s home just beaming with beautiful antiques. They are perfect and we are ready to give them a second (or maybe third or fourth) life right here at our kitchen table.

Once I wrap up the fireplace built-in project, I’d like to move on to sprucing up our kitchen - a phase one redo, of sorts. That process will definitely include bringing even more warmth to this little corner, but for now, this is a really happy start. It’s amazing how one little change can make you feel completely re-inspired with a space.