Painting Interior Doors: From Outdated Orange to Updated Gray

In the process of our kitchen renovation, we came across a minor dilemma recently. What to do about our pantry door and garage door? I had already painted all the surrounding woodwork white, but the doors were still that orange-y Colonial Maple stain.

It's worth noting that these are your average flat panel doors with no detail or interest whatsoever. Painting them white just seemed like it would be too much white, since the two doors are right next to each other. And I didn't want them to detract from or compete with my newly white upper cabinets. 

(Old picture before the cabinets were painted and the floor was removed.)

But buying some fancy new doors was not an option, so the solution had to be found in a paint can. After much debating, we finally came to our conclusion: the door to the garage would be painted to match the wall color, and the pantry door would be painted to match our dark gray lower cabinets. In my mind, it was somewhat of a bold move since all the other doors in our house are white (but they're also six-panel doors instead of completely flat). 

Bar Cart Styling Ideas for the Holidays

In case you hadn't noticed, bar carts are kind of having a moment right now.  It's easy to see why -- they add a touch of sophistication along with a fun way to display adult beverages and pretty accessories. 

I don't have a bar car (yet!), so unfortunately I have no pictures of my own to share. Instead, I scoured the interwebs to find some of my favorite bar cart styling ideas.  And with the holidays right around the corner, bar carts also provide another opportunity to show off your festive spirit! 

{image via Inspired by This}

I'm kind of obsessed with copper, so it's no wonder this bar cart caught my eye. Love the neutral, understated elegance for fall gatherings!

DIY Farmhouse-style Wall Organizer for the Kitchen

For quite some time now, this idea has been percolating in my head. With the ongoing transformation of our "modern farmhouse" kitchen, I knew we would need a new wall organizer customized for this space. (Here are a few kitchen de-cluttering inspiration ideas I posted recently.) 

The existing organizer, which hangs on the narrow wall behind our door to the garage, was very sad and outdated. Along with being a holder for our keys and dog leashes, it had become a dumping ground for random receipts, appointment reminder cards, gift cards, etc. Quite frankly, we had let it get pretty junky looking. 

At first I thought of just painting the wood frame white to give it a fresh updated look.  (That's pretty much what I've done with everything else around here.) But I still really didn't like the look of the corkboard anymore, and the three cubby holes were too small.  On to Plan B...