Upgrade Your Living Room with Stock Cabinets & Butcher Block Shelves

Transform your living room into a place that you'll love

The thing about space is that too much of it invites the collection of things that should have long ago been purged.

Yet, too little of it forces ridding of things that are hard to let go of—or, in my case, an accumulation of boxes, collecting dust in makeshift closets and corners that deserve to be more than mere cardboard decor. 

Having moved many times, I’m no stranger to removing things that no longer serve me, nor losing things that I once held most dear. What has managed to stay over the years is a mix of memories and special moments carefully packed, sealed, and labeled with permanent markers. A lot of books, unsurprisingly. CDs and DVDs that I have recently discovered come in handy when technology (Wi-Fi) fails me. Printed pictures of loved ones and handwritten letters from my youth that from time to time I peek through as a reminder of how far I’ve come and who has remained with me along the way.

shaker cabinets LAROYAL champagne bronze cabinet pulls FRANKLIN BRASS butcher block shelves HARDWOOD REFLECTIONS limousine leather cabinet paint (black) BEHR gold and glass wall sconces HOMARY

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And, in smaller quantities, things collected in my efforts to make my house a home (I once discovered that the mini pumpkins that pop up at the grocery stores around September are actually real, and thus, not meant to be kept for longer than a couple of months. I had them for a year *face palms*). 

What I appreciate about my new place of living is that there are plenty of nooks and crannies to neatly break open boxes and put items in their proper place. There are also endless opportunities to make the space my own. Though many people loved the formally lime green cabinets that flanked the fireplace in my living room, I found them to be a bit off-putting on the outside, and dilapidated behind the too-obvious DIY doors. I temporarily had them painted Limousine Leather when the fireplace wall got its makeover, but I always had a grander vision for the space. 

I’m often asked what I use for mood boards. I take the ideas from my Pinterest boards and bring them into Milanote to flesh them out in more detail.

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Aided by my mood boards, I had the confidence to move forward with ripping out the old in preparation for the new, which of course, was met with some surprises. Electric wiring that needed to be stuffed back into the walls. Even the light switch was installed upside down. In its place, bathroom vanities were wedged between uneven walls, floating shelves hammered into custom-sized mounting brackets, and swirls of white paint dripped and swooped through black epoxy for a less expensive marble countertop look. 

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“I take time to ask myself occasionally whether the storage space I’ve set aside for them will make them happy. Storage, after all, is the sacred act of choosing a home for my belongings.” — Marie Kondo

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Going in, I wasn’t quite sure how the end result would turn out. That’s the thing about designing with only your vision in mind— it requires a level of trust within oneself and the acceptance that if it turns out bad, you’ll just simply have to start over. No biggie.

“Caring for your possessions is the best way to motivate them to support you, their owner. When you treat your belongings well, they will always respond in kind . . . I take time to ask myself occasionally whether the storage space I’ve set aside for them will make them happy. Storage, after all, is the sacred act of choosing a home for my belongings.” - Marie Kondo

I think my possessions are smiling.