Adding brackets and shelves to the brick wall
After the brick phase was finished, we moved ahead with adding the storage that we desperately needed. While we do have a lot of storage in our kitchen (thanks to our beautifully high cabinets) a lot of the storage isn't practical for my 5'3" stature. We had Ikea shelving left from the previous owner that did not go with our aesthetic of the kitchen.
We had fallen in love with the idea of using live edge shelving with industrial piping in the kitchen. We loved the way it was natural, rustic, and a subtle touch that would really add a lot of impact. Here are some of our favoirtie images that we were using for inspiration:
Unfortunately, do to budget restrictions and a few set backs with potential dealers for the wood, we decided to use part of the wood we purchased for the butcher block countertop and that we would spray paint brackets instead!
We started by cutting the wood top down to size on my dad's table saw for both the countertop and the shelves.
Then, I spray painted the brackets a nice brass to go with some of the other hardware we have throughout our condo. Even though the kitchen faucet and cabinet handles are chrome, I like the look of mixing metals.
From there, after testing about a billion different shades of stain, we decided on Early American by Varathane for the color
After everything was all stained and set, I installed the brackets to the wall and attaching them where the studs were (still marked from when we installed the brick). An interesting thing I learned, that apparently everyone else already knew but didn't tell me, is that when installing the brackets, the larger circle is for putting the screw in and then sliding it down, securing it in place... HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW? Oh well, I guess that is why I am using this blog as my learning tool.
After installing the brackets we put the wood on top and called it a day!
Please notice: my shelves are not styled in any sort of way because I am not that organized of a person. Why set myself up to APPEAR organized in real life when we all know that ain't the truth? I believe one can never have enough mason jars on hand and that you should always have cookbooks readily available.
The last steps we will take for the shelves will be putting a matte poly coat to seal the shelves and prevent from any staining in the future. I want to do this in the summer though so that they can breathe and set outside.
Happy Saturday!
L
