We love big kitchen renovations at Reader Redesigns, but sometimes updating just one corner is enough to spark a major change. Deme and her family transformed the breakfast nook in their dated kitchen into a bright, functional space. Here’s her note:
Hi Young House Lovers! Your blog is one of the highlights of my day and I wanted to share our breakfast nook with you. After removing a thick lacquered chair rail and scraping layers of fruit-patterned and 70s wallpaper, we were left with pretty ugly, untextured walls.
We started with a dark, closed-in corner and ended up with something bright, fresh, and incredibly practical for our young family of five.
I found an L-shaped bench on Craigslist to add seating—our previous table fit just four and someone was always left out at mealtime. We said goodbye to the honey finish and painted the bench bright white for a cleaner, more modern look.
Although the benches were a common style, they included seat storage, which solved our scattered art and craft supply problem. We lined the compartments with graphic shelf paper and now they hold the kids’ painting supplies, homework essentials, and learning activities for our youngest children.
For the walls, I wanted stripes to visually expand the corner but was also drawn to the ombre look. We combined both ideas with a subtle ombre stripe treatment that gives depth and a soft, modern feel.
We used a digital scrapbooking kit to divide one of our favorite Dr. Seuss quotes into four prints—“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” We framed them in simple white frames we found on sale. The prints help define the area as a spot for learning, exploring, and creating.
Overall, we’re thrilled with this small but impactful corner makeover. It serves multiple purposes for our family, and I smile every time I walk into the kitchen—even though the rest of the space is currently in the awkward mid-painting stage of a DIY kitchen renovation! ~Deme
This is a lovely, practical update. The storage benches are especially clever, and the ombre stripe treatment gives the nook personality without overwhelming the space. Thanks for sharing, Deme!