As many of you know, I recently snagged some affordable drinking glasses that we love so much, which spurred a full fledged glass-fronted cabinet makeover here at Casa Petersik.
Here’s what our glass fronted corner cabinet looked like before my little spring update:
We love that it was full of plates, glasses and bowls that we use all the time (we’re all about enjoying our servingware on a regular basis so nothing feels too precious or underused) so of course when I picked up those new glasses I made a promise to John that they wouldn’t be tucked away for “special occasions” and that we’d use them on the regular. And what better way to remember to use something all the time than to have it easily in view behind the one glass cabinet door in your kitchen, right? So here’s what the cabinet looks like these days:
Isn’t it nice and fresh and light for spring? We love that you can much more easily see that the back of the cabinet is painted the same blue tone as the walls (the colored glassware really brings that out). And we also love that our new drinking glasses inspired a whole new palette that still accommodates our white dishes but allows us to showcase a few more colorful glass objects that make the entire kitchen feel a bit more vibrant and cheerful.
On the top shelf you’ll see our tall Ikea glasses (picked up a while back on a dime) which used to hide in the cabinet to the left of this one. We love that they’re out on display and that their soft celery green and yellow designs work so well with our new green and blue World Market glasses. These guys are our oj and smoothie glasses (we actually use them quite often, and surprisingly in nearly half a year we haven’t broken one yet).
And instead of displaying our initial mugs among our stemless wine glasses, we moved them to another room (stay tuned for those details) since they can function in oh so many ways (as pen cups or q-tip and cotton ball holders for example). And in their place we plopped some cheap blue Ikea vases (also purchased a while back on the cheap) just to hammer home our cheerful new light and airy palette.
On the bottom shelf you can see that we added a few objects that we already had (a green glass votive holder, two mini Pellegrino bottles sans label, and a cheap-o blue glass Ikea bowl)- again just to tie into our new lighter spring color scheme. And the basic white bowls that used to flank those plates are now just stored in the cabinet to the left (along with the clear drinking glasses and wine glasses that we offset with our new arrangement). Thankfully by bringing over those fun skinny glasses on the top shelf we freed up enough room for those other items in the nearby cabinet so nothing is left without a designated “spot.” So that’s how our kitchen got a bit of a pick-me-up for the mere price of our six new drinking glasses from World Market.
Sometimes I get too busy to switch things out like this, but whenever I take the time to play around with the items that we already have I’m always amazed by how fresh and fun it can be. There’s nothing like a work-with-what-you-have makeover. We’d love to hear what you guys are swapping out now that warmer weather and sunnier skies are upon us. Any spring makeovers going on in your house? Any new dishware and glassware coming out from hiding (or being introduced on the cheap thanks to stores like TJ Maxx, Target, World Market, and Home Goods)? Do any of you have a glass fronted cabinet (or some open shelving) in your kitchen that’s begging for a little presto-change-o? Let’s chat.
harmony says
I don’t know if you guys already have a list a mile long of topics to cover or not, but if you’re looking for ideas I think an awesome post would be on lighting fixture options and their pluses and cons :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Harmony,
That’s actually on the list! Unfortunately that list is verrrrrry long, but we’ll get there sooner or later!
xo,
s
beabee says
It boggled my mind when I first read that you had extra decor in your cabinets that you could go ‘shopping’ for when you wanted a change, but when we recently bought a buffet for the dining room, I started one and I haven’t looked back! I have to stop myself from looking for things to stock it, because I’m sure they will accumulate on their own all too soon!
Hannah @ The Nanner Republic says
Looks great! I would kill for glass front cabinets. One of my friends has some and at Christmas time she puts vintage ornaments in the bowls and cups and it is so cute.
Maya says
Beautiful! I love how light and colorful this is (without being overwhelming). How does it look with the door closed?
Julie says
So cute. I loooove loooove those glasses you have at the top now. My mom got some as a gift for Christmas and they are just my favorite! She got them in the blue color though. :) I think they rock!
Charlotte says
oh my gosh it looks so pretty now! Before was definitely more wintery, and it just looks dreamy and summery now.
I so wish I had a cabinet with a pretty glass front like yours. Our cabinets are knotty pine, but everyone says we shouldn’t paint them because they are solid wood. It seems like everywhere I look cabinets are white or painted–but is it just a fad? What are your thoughts on that issue? We have also thought about staining them darker to make them more modern.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Charlotte,
We definitely think painted cabinets are here to stay. It’s a very clean and classic look, especially when you’re painting over knotty pine (which can look very dated to many people – even real estate agents suggest painting it these days). In fact, we had knotty pine cabinets and we painted them in a heartbeat. The room instantly looked cleaner and more current. Here’s a post all about cabinet painting for more before and after photos to show you how crisp and lovely painted cabinets can be: https://www.younghouselove.com/2008/11/how-to-paint-your-kitchen-cabinets/
xo,
s
Liz says
I love the transformation! It’s perfect for spring/summer and very vintage, it reminds me of something I would have seen in my grandmothers home.
Chelsea says
Love it! Great colors for spring! I think my kitchen needs some color…
mary says
I have those same ikea glasses in turquoise. Love ’em (did break one, though — not the most heavy duty of glasses)!
Lisa sp says
We have those glasses and similar ones from Pottery Barn, Pier One and Anthropologie. We use them as everyday glasses and in the past week, my husband broke one and sliced open his hand which required stiches, and had another one cut his lip. Sadly they have been retired as special occasion glasses only.
Catherine says
Cabinet remixed looks great.
Callie says
I know this is kind of late (better late than never right :) but there was a mention about how to get lables off of glass bottles. A trick that my grandmother taught me and I have found myself using more and more is Mayo. Weird, I know. Just put of gob of it it on the lable and let it sit for a few and then start scrapping away and wash the extra off. Works like a charm!
SP says
I have a lot of dishes and cups that are in 2 huge cabinet. And although I say I’ll use them all, I only use some of them. Most of them are just taking up space but I cannot get rid of them. What do you suggest?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, well we’d suggest getting rid of every single one except for the ones you use regularly. That’s what we’re doing right now as we pare things down in preparation to move. Have a garage sale or donate them or consign or craigslist them! You can even take a photo of the ones you feel attached to (which is a lot easier to store than all those dishes and cups that you never use!).
xo,
s
Jordan says
Beautiful! I love the airy colors!