Trying To Decide How To Use These Now Empty Spaces
I want our house to be finished so badly. I’ve been working on it for so long, and I’ve had a lot of fun doing so. And as I’ve stated before, while our plans have changed drastically from what we originally planned in the beginning, I think things are working out perfectly. Our bedroom has ended up being in a completely different location than what we originally planned. The addition we have planned is quite a bit smaller than the original planned addition. But when all is said and done, I think it will be perfect for us.
But I’m ready to get it done. I want the interior of our house finished. Of course, I’ll always be redoing things. I can’t help myself. But there’s a pretty drastic difference between buying new pillows or trying out a new paint color on some cabinets and tearing a room down to the studs to remodel it.
So I’ve been trying to think of how I can reach that goal sooner than later. I started out with grand plans and the mindset of a person with an endless budget. But we don’t have an endless budget. And since I DIY as much as I can, things tend to take longer to get them finished. Plus, I’m finding myself running out of steam lately. I just want to be done. I want to enjoy our house rather than our house continually being a project. (Note that I’m only talking about the interior. I think I’ll be working on the exterior, landscaping, and all of those outdoor projects until I breathe my last breath, and I’m actually looking forward to that.)
So with that whole goal in mind, I’ve been trying to scale back my plans. Y’all already know this. Rather than moving the location of our kitchen into what is now the breakfast room and pantry, I’ve decided to keep it where it is now.
I would love to get new kitchen cabinets and countertops, which I’ve already shared in past posts. But if that never happens, I’ll be content with what I have.
And with that change in plans, that means that I’ll also keep the studio bathroom. When the plan was to move the kitchen location, the studio bathroom was going to become a walk-through pantry. But with the kitchen staying where it is, the studio bathroom will also stay. I’ll give it a quick makeover, and that will be that. I had already started doing a makeover on it, but then I stopped when the plan to move the kitchen came about. So I shut the door and left it in this unfinished state.
But again, I’ve already shared all of this in past posts. What wasn’t quite decided in my mind was whether or not I was going to keep the pantry. When we do the addition, I want a door from the new family room into the dining room, and that doorway will have to go where the freezer currently sits in the pantry.
But after giving it a lot of thought, and listening to your input, I’ve decided to keep the pantry as well. It will need a bit of adjustment because I still want a doorway right there. So that means that the freezer will have to go on the other side of the pantry to free up this wall. And that’s fine. I use the freezer a whole lot more than I use the cabinets on the opposite side of the pantry. And I honestly can’t even remember the last time I used the microwave. It’s probably been two years. I just simply don’t use microwaves, so losing it won’t be a big deal to me at all.
One thing I might do is widen the doorway between the dining room and the pantry since the pantry won’t only be a pantry, but will also be a passthrough to get from the family room to the dining room and kitchen. But I won’t remove the walls completely, and that leaves this wall space on either side of the pantry doorway.
This has never been space that’s actually utilized. For years now, I’ve had those benches on either side and artwork above them. But those benches have never actually been used. And as I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been poaching things from this area to use in other areas of the house for a while now. It started with those French doors, which I removed and then used to build this cabinet for our bathroom.
And then I moved the artwork into my new closet.
And one of those benches is going to be used in the foyer of our bedroom suite.
I’ll probably give away the other bench. I can’t think of where I could use it, and I don’t need the clutter.
So that leaves me with those two areas on either side of the pantry doorway that are empty now. And I’m not quite sure what to do with them. I would just leave the floor space open and hang some artwork on the walls on either side and call it good. Or I could actually add something useful on either side, like two pretty cabinets.
If I go that direction, I envision something like this arched display case on either side of the doorway leading to the pantry. This is from Wayfair (affiliate link).
But I also love the look of this china cabinet, also from Wayfair (affiliate link). I don’t love this color, though. And I would never pay that much for a china cabinet, especially since I would want to purchase two of them. But I do love the look of the doors, and I like the overall style.
So I’m not really sure. I’m just now starting to think about how I want to use those areas. Maybe I don’t even need more storage, especially since I’m keeping the pantry. And maybe keeping those areas open and just putting artwork on the walls would be the better option because it will keep the room feeling bigger and more open, and will also leave more room for a dining table. I plan to get a round table that expands into a large oval when we need more seating.
What’s funny is that sometimes, as I’m writing these posts, I’m actually working out solutions in my mind as I write. It’s like the process of writing out my thoughts helps to bring clarity. And as I’ve written this post, I’m now starting to lean towards keeping those areas open and just adding some pretty artwork on either side of the doorway. I really don’t think I need more storage, and I like the idea of the room feeling more open. Right?
I think, for some reason, I’ve gotten myself into this trap of always thinking I need more storage. But I have the pantry. I still have empty shelves in my walk-in closet. And we’ll soon have a whole storage room in our bedroom suite. I don’t know that I need to add even more storage here, especially if it will make the room feel much smaller.
I also have to consider that just on the other side of my studio doorway, I have this huge cabinet.
Not only do I have extra storage space in that cabinet, but that’s the same wall as the wall with the doorway to the pantry. So that means that if I have the studio door open (which I always do), I’d have three cabinets lined up on that same wall. That seems like a bit much to me.
So there it is. In the span of writing this blog post, I went from feeling pretty sure that I’d be purchasing two cabinets to flank the pantry doorway to talking myself out of it. 😀 Blogging is my therapy sometimes. Now I just need to find some beautiful and colorful artwork to go there that will coordinate with the picture ledges in the room because these will be staying.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
![Breakfast Room & Pantry Progress [Video]](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/breakfast-room-progress-August-2016.png)
Maybe artwork up top and some tall potted plants or plant stands with something like airplane plants or just pothos? I think all the straight lines (like the picture ledges) need some breaking up and organic shapes do that well.
I agree and was going to type that Haha, Great minds and all that.
Some greenery will help with cleaning the air, as well as look beautiful.
I think some built-in corner benches would be lovely there.
🤣 I love talking myself out of things I think I need and feel totally happy about it like you just did too !
Both of the cabinets you posted are pretty, I like the white one best. They are more for decorative items than actual storage. I would wait till after you’ve done the rest of the kitchen changes and live in the space a while before buying more cabinets. I like the idea of having artwork flanking the pantry door and more open space for a dining table.
If ou get a smaller table that expands for more seating, where will you place the extra chairs when not in use?
In regards to the extra bench, could you use it for additional seating at your table or possibly in your workshop?
I probably wouldn’t use it at the table, even though that was the intended use for those benches. I think people prefer to have a chair with a back on it. But maybe I can find another use for it.
I probably won’t get more than four actual dining chairs. I have plenty of other chairs that can be pulled up to the table when needed. They’re upholstered, very comfortable, and stackable. I will probably keep those in the storage closet off of the bedroom foyer.
I would leave it bare maybe use a faux tree in corner. Most people want to fill up every empty space with something. It’s too much and rooms start looking over filled and you can’t even focus on anything . I always go with less is better.
I’m so happy to hear you’d like to include an opening from where the freezer is right now to the future living room #2.
So I’ll be bold and suggest something completely different. Here goes: skip the symmetry (I know…) and create a passage area of the left part of the pantry, removing all shelves, cabinets and tiles. Then close off the remaining part (including the window) to create a smaller, separate pantry with a sliding door or cased opening from the new passage area.
So from the breakfast room there would be one cased opening on the left side of the wall, followed directly by another another cased opening (maximum width) into the new living room.
It would definitely mean more work, since the left side of the breakfast room wall would need to be torn down and the floor filled in, while the right side would be extended to close up the current opening. But I think the end result in terms of flow would be worth it. And you wouldn’t actually pass through the pantry to get to the living room when coming from this direction.
Thank you for letting us follow along on this amazing journey.
Oh, I like that idea! I’ll have to see if I can do a mock up of that and see what it looks like.
Cecelia, I get what you’re saying, just don’t understand why you would want to cover up the window.
What one has to store always expands to the amount of storage space available, so unless you have something specific to put in the cupboards, I think you’re right to skip them.
Good for you, sometimes, we just need to stop and really decide what do we really need! I know you need practical storage and not just “pretty” storage. I know you’ll make the practical “pretty”, once you decide what you really need.
Do you even need the pantry walls that had the bible quotes? You could include the pantry as part of the dining room, perhaps with a beverage center that will be convenient to the future family room also.
I don’t need the wall, but the challenge is that if the wall comes down, that creates a problem with the flooring. I built the wall first, and then installed the hardwood flooring. So if the wall comes out, that’s some pretty major floor repair that would be required. And I do like the idea of the freezer being tucked behind a wall.
Why keep adding things to the ‘to do’ list? Keep things simple, especially if you want to get your home completed. If, after all other things are in place, you feel a need for something, add it then.
My thought too! Don’t hurry into things you might change your mind on when you get to that area. Enjoy the work on your bedroom then move on. You don’t need to do anything to the pantry until an addition is complete.
I’m 100% in favor of opening up that wall into the pantry as much as possible. I really loved the breezeway feel of that space with windows on both the front and back and was sad to see the pantry close it off. For me, there’s something special about rooms with windows on opposite sides of a room. They feel so airy and I love the way the light changes over the course of the day and the year, whether the windows are north/south, east/west or something in between. I’d love to see your future dining room flanked by a pretty garden little garden area with a water feature out on the the front of the house and a view overlooking the new gardens in the back.
Fingers crossed for something like that but I know whatever you choose will be well thought out and perfect for you and Matt!
I like the idea of making the pantry area a part of the dining area, complete with the window. Also, having a nice garden feature outside the dining room windows would be nice to look at as it could feel like an extension of the dining room instead of maybe feeling blocked in by the walls out there.
I’m probably in the minority, but I am not a fan of people walking through a pantry (as they enter it, they’d be looking straight at a freezer). I’d rather have them go through the kitchen, it’s not that far.
Don’t you love how a plan comes together? I agree you don’t need any more storage like those cabinets. Glad you came to that conclusion.
Yippee, ALL really good decisions, truly! I am so glad that I can stop mourning the loss of that amazing kitchen.
I like your thoughts processes. The changes you want sound very reasonable.
If you’re going to open a passageway where the freezer is, my thought is to move the pantry doorway to the left, and fill in the existing doorway. This would create a larger wall on the right where you could have a table, or a seating area with a chair and end table. Having the doorway right near the one to the future family room avoids guests having to navigate through the pantry itself, and just get from one room to the other immediately. I know it messes with your symmetry, but I think the odd jog in keeping the pantry doorway as is would be strange.
What happened to finishing the bedroom?