Beadboard Backsplash

I finished up my first DIY project the second week after moving in. The nice thing about moving into a house you’ve already lived in is that you already kind of know where everything goes. The bad thing about moving into a house you already lived in is that you already know everything that you want to change!

This brings me to the kitchen. We have done so many things to the kitchen with the biggest improvement being the painted cabinets. This is what the kitchen looked like when we moved back in:

Here is what it looked like after our first re-model:

And here is what it looked like when we first bought the house:

I love my blue walls but I feel like they are too dark. During the day the space is great and full of light and I don’t mind the dark teal walls. Once it gets dark it feels too dark. I want to try a few things to see if I can brighten up the space before resorting to painting the walls – which I am all for, but surprisingly the Mister wants the blue to stay. This is  really funny to me because he always challenges me on my color choices. he is the type to always pick beige. The teal was no different, he didn’t want it up, but now he wants it to stay!

My other problem with my blue walls is that I feel like it makes my accessories blend in. We never really got the  opportunity to live with the blue so I didn’t realize this sooner. The years that we have been gone I have collected lots of teal/aqua accessories. I now have quite a few lovely Pyrex Butterprint pieces, all of which are either teal with white or white with teal.

The first thing I have done is to add a beadboard backsplash:

This picture was taken during the day and you can see how lovely the blue looks. You can also see my teal dinner plates and my teal Pyrex bowl serving as the fruit bowl. You can also see the horrible lighting I have in the kitchen area. Those two little bulbs hiding inside that ugly fixture are not enough light in the evenings.

I used a paintable wallpaper from allen+roth which I found at Lowe’s for $20. It was super easy to do by myself and I was able to work on it whenever I found a few minutes of spare time. This wallpaper is pretty thick and spongy and has the ridges just like actual beadboard. It’s pretty convincing without the thickness and weight of real beadboard panels.

Here are some side by side before and after shots:

It’s not a huge difference but it definitely adds contrast and it did brighten up the space.

Plans for the future:
- board and batten walls
- trimming out the cabinets
- trimming out the window
- removing the trim over the window
- upgrading the light fixtures
- adding pendant lights over the bar area and sink
- replace countertops (butcher block?)
- replace flooring (would love wide planked wood)
- enlarging the dining area
- deeper sink (would love a farmhouse sink!)
- adding a chalkboard wall under the memo board

~ Norma