Saturday, January 1, 2011

Ringing in the new (IKEA Ramsjö butler's pantry)

We said goodbye to 2010 quietly. The past two days were not soaked in auld lang syne and champagne. Instead, bleary-eyed after an intense two days of IKEA cabinet building, we paused for a quick prosecco toast, surrounded by stray screws and a massive cardboard mountain.

This morning, we awoke to 2011 and our new butler's pantry.


Like the kitchen proper, the butler's pantry needs more finish work, but for now, it functions. You can see a peek of the Farrow & Ball Farrow's Cream (the wall color for both pantry and kitchen). Below is the pull-out pantry. Fantastic for organizing pantry staples and canned goods.


Can I confess something?

I'm tired of making design decisions. Between refreshing our old house for sale and renovating this one, I'm on my third straight year of renovations. I'm crispy. Many of you have been renovating your older homes for years. I don't know how you do it. Many, many kudos to you.

So. I just wanted the butler's pantry done. No angsting over details. I did have a few requirements. 1. I wanted wood. My butler's pantry is at a junction between kitchen, dining room, mudroom, and back hall. It's high traffic, and I thought wood would hold up better (and be easier to paint or redo if dinged). 2. I wanted to complement the already existing finishes in the house. 3. I needed for it to be done relatively inexpensively.

The black-brown Ramsjö is more transitional than my eclectic, vintage-looking kitchen. The color echoes the black Aga, the dark soapstone, my black dining and breakfast room chairs, and the black painted paneling in the powder room. It's also a beautiful kitchen cabinet door and finish. To boost the vintage factor, I'll add a Vermont Danby marble counter (we're using a butcher block remnant for now). I'm also on the hunt for an antique mirror to use as a backsplash, and maybe...if I'm feeling ambitious, I'll wallpaper the interior back.

Of course...I put mixed pulls on the cabinetry.


The pull toward the rear is the polished nickel Bistro from Restoration Hardware. The knobs are all from Anthropologie (from left to right, the Ceramic Melon Knob in linen,  the Chronograph Knob, and Mercury Glass Melon Knob). Whew! I love having fun with hardware.

I hope that you all had a wonderful 2010. Here's to many adventures (and only a few misadventures) in 2011!

7 comments:

  1. BEAUTIFUL! And I love those knobs. I should've guessed Anthropologie. For what's known to be a clothing store, they have the cutest knobs that I've seen anywhere! I need to remember that more often.

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  2. Thanks! I *heart* Anthropologie. I also love their clothes, but they rarely fit me well. I don't think I'm properly sylph-like.

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  3. Wow! I guess I missed this post. So glad I am trying to play blog catch up. So....how are you liking your butler's pantry? Looks great. Love love love your knob choices! I always wondered why nobody uses Anthro hardware. Stuff is so adorable. I almost used some in my kitchen but, like you said, too many decisions!

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  4. Thanks, Deva! Yeah...like you didn't have a very good (and adorable) little reason to miss some blogs! I love the pantry. It's so very useful, and the pullouts make everything visible and easy to access.

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  5. Your pantry looks beautiful! We are just beginning an ikea kitchen remodel, so I really appreciate this blog! :) Can I ask a weird question- the tall cabinet in your butler's pantry: is it the 15" wide one?

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  6. Becca,

    So sorry I've been slow in responding! It's not a weird question at all. Yes, it's the 15" wide tall pantry, and it holds a surprising amount of stuff.

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  7. Hi! I just found your blog by searching for pantry ideas... I need one too! Love your quick simple Ikea fix. I HEART IKEA too. Especially when I'm painted out!
    thanks for the inspiration!
    Deb ( Dandelion House )
    come meet my little blog community sometime! I think you'll love them!

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Thanks so much for commenting. I love reading your thoughts and responses.