Coffee nook and open shelves

Right after we moved to our little white cottage, one of the first things I did was putting together this cute little coffee station here...

I really liked it for a while, but the space was a bit crowded and the furniture there disproportionated.  I needed extra available working space and a place where all necessities were found in one same spot.

All of our dishes were originally storage on our World Market Emerson Shelving, next to our coffee station.  

Most of them were and still are used on a daily basis.  

When we moved to our tiny cottage I decided to practically keep only what we needed... yellow, pink, blue dishes, I gave them all away, and kept only our everyday whites.  Open shelves are a great savings and they fit how I live and work in our tiny kitchen.  But as you can imagine, still I needed some extra space/storage...

It took me a long time to convince my husband to help me build some shelves on this wall where our little coffee station/dishes were.  "Husband" lacks my vision, you see ;)  He's usually very much comfortable with the way things are.  As for me...  nothing ever stays the same if I can make it look better or improve it in any way.

After I transformed this French Provinca chest (you can read the story HERE and make it into our new coffee station, "Husband" finally got enthusiastic and decided to help me build the shelves I was envisioning.  Yeah! 

We went to Home Dept and got a large board cut in three 5".  I painted the boards in my absolute favorite stain color, Kona, by Rustoleum.  "Husband" installed the brackets and boards, and this is what we came up with...

A nicer, sophisticated space that it is also much functional too!

The drawers hold an assortment of coffee related things... teacups, saucers, napkins, Keuric pods, tea bags, etc. 

I just love it!  

What a huge improvement those shelves made in our small kitchen.  They not only hold coffee supply, but I can now storage a lot of other kitchen necessities as well, that otherwise would had to go outside in the garage for lack of space in our very small kitchen.

...essentials within easy reach.  Love love love it!

Despite my preference for minimalist spaces and clutter free kitchen counters, the open shelving concept has always managed to escape this trend in me...  this really helps a small kitchen feel bigger. Having open shelving also help keep small spaces airy and help banish that closed in feeling.

I placed this old, vibrant rug in that area and love it so much!  This little corner is now another happy place in our little cottage to walk by and enjoy...  Love it!

Strange as it may sound, I have to admit that this humble little cottage thus far is my very favorite house ever.  Maybe it's the smaller size, less upkeep, more nature, more free, country days to enjoy... whatever it is, I'm just so in love with our little white cottage!

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