DIY Breakfast Nook Reveal - Before + After

DIY Breakfast Nook Corner Bench Seat Desert Modern Geometric Art

When we first moved into our house, dark wood paneling was EVERYWHERE. It completely overwhelmed our small rooms and created a cavernous vibe. We knew the breakfast nook, a room right off our kitchen, was a space we would spend a lot of time and both craved light-filled minimalism.

We spent a few weeks debating the concept of painting real wood paneling. Were we ruining perfectly good wood? Should we just live with it? Can we take down the wood and use it somewhere else in the house? We came to the conclusion that the most important thing was us loving our space. And we love white walls. So we painted them white. And afterwards, we realized how much we love not only white walls, but white paneled walls. The texture is so cool and adds a dynamic visual. We loved them so much that we recreated a faux paneled look in our upstairs hallway.

DIY Breakfast Nook White Desert Modern Wood Paneling
DIY Breakfast Nook White Desert Modern Wood Paneling Leather Brass Handle Pulls

Here are the before shots of the breakfast nook. If you can believe it, these photos are actually much more light-filled and exposed than the room was in reality. If I were to put up a true representation, it would look like I shot this space at night.


DIY Breakfast Nook White Desert Modern Wood Paneling Leather Brass Handle Pulls Check out the full breakfast nook reveal after the jump!
DIY Breakfast Nook White Desert Modern Wood Paneling Leather Brass Handle Pulls DIY Breakfast Nook with White Desert Modern Wood Paneling Rustic DIY Breakfast Nook White Desert Modern Wood Paneling - Geometric Art DIY Breakfast Nook White Desert Modern Wood Paneling - Marble Island DIY Breakfast Nook White Desert Modern Wood Paneling Leather Brass Handle Pulls DIY Breakfast Nook with White Desert Modern Decor + Wood Paneling DIY Breakfast Nook with White Desert Modern Decor + Mid Century Lamp DIY Breakfast Nook with White Desert Modern Decor + Geometric Art

SOURCES:
Shellac-Based Primer - Zinsser B-I-N
Wall Paint - Benjamin Moore's Harwood Putty
Rattan Pendant Light - IKEA BÖJA
Jute Area Rug- HomeGoods
Table Legs - IKEA LERBERG (spray painted with matte white)
Bench - 2x4's, Thin Plywood, Cabinet Coat paint
Bench Cushion - MDF, Foam and Canvas Drop Cloth
Throw Pillows- Etsy, Anthropologie, Target, Homegoods and eBay
DIY Leather + Brass Pull Handles - A Brick House's tutorial
Table Lamp + Faux Skull- HomeGoods
Mirror- Pottery Barn
Art Print- Made by me
Frame- IKEA RIBBA

The hardest part of this DIY project was painting the paneling. We started by deglossing, lightly sanding, and then washing down the walls with soap and water. We let it dry for 24 hours and then began priming with very thin coats of shellac-based primer. As a warning, this stuff smells terrible, so you'll definitely want to make sure you have proper ventilation (we wore masks, too) before you begin. We did three coats primer, spot treating knotty areas where needed. After that, we painted two coats of Benjamin Moore's flat interior paint in the color Harwood Putty. It's the perfect color for textured paneling and one of my favorite white paints. Have a question about our breakfast nook? Leave a comment below! 

4 comments:

  1. Love this makeover!! May I ask which Etsy shop you ordered your pillows from? Thanks!

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  2. Your hard work has paid out in ten fold with such a wonderful space that is the heart of your home. The transformation astounds me.

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  3. This is such a beautiful space. Could you please share how the bench seating was made? Thank you!

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  4. I showed your nook to my five year old and he's excited to help me build one just like yours. Can you please tell me where you got that perfect table top?

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