Since the last update on my breakfast nook makeover, I’ve made a bunch of progress! Fairly subtle progress, but it was stuff that needed to get done before the project is finished. I did some painting, picked out fabric for the cushions, and found a new shade for the light. Oh, and re-styled the shelves a bit.

There’s still a bit to do, but I’m really loving how it’s turning out so far!

If you’re just jumping in, here are the previous posts about my breakfast nook makeover. It’s already come a long way!

Breakfast Nook Makeover Series

Before & Inspiration

Floating Shelves.

Inexpensive Mini Gallery Wall

Light Update

The easiest part of this progress was updating the light. Replacing the whole fixture would have been a lot more expensive than my solution, switching the copper shade to this plain glass shade. Although it was tempting to go for something a little more showy, ultimately I decided I wanted something timeless that didn’t compete with the shelves or art in the room. The classic white shade fit the bill perfectly.

Paint

It may not have been super noticeable in the before photo, but the built-in benches desperately needed a new coat of paint.

Not just because the color didn’t match the room, but also because the paint was super chipped and worn. This was after I had already started adding filler to some old nail holes, but it didn’t look much better before that.

The “after” might not seem very dramatic, but in person the new paint makes a huge difference. Right after I finished painting I was literally looking at the “before” photos on my camera and marveling at the improvement. 

I countersunk some old nails, filled various holes and dings, and sanded everything. At the bottom of the benches there was textured dried glue from long-gone old molding that someone had glued on, so I did my best to sand that down. I tried not to go too crazy on it, though, because I knew that white paint would minimize it, and it’s under the table, where no one but me will even realize it’s there.

Fabric

Last but not least, I figured out the fabric I’m going to use for the cushions. For durability and stain-resistance, I knew I wanted to use an outdoor fabric, and I spent hours staring at choices online. Cushion Source has a ton of options, but the samples are $3 each, and no local stores carried the ones I wanted. Through some Googling, though, I learned that Wayfair sells custom outdoor fabric cushions, AND they’ll send you free fabric swatches! They have a lot fewer options, but there were several that looked good. So I requested five different samples…and only one arrived. I have no idea what happened to the rest.

Luckily I thought the one I got, Sunbrella Cast Silver, was the perfect taupe-y gray for my cushions. Unfortunately Wayfair doesn’t make custom cushions long enough for my benches, and the ones from Cushion Source would have been quite expensive. So I ordered the fabric, and I’m going to sew my own bench cushions. I’ll save the rest of the details on that for a separate post, though.

Breakfast Nook Makeover Progress

• Shelves! – The inspiration image that set me off on this path has great shelves that I want to copy. If you follow my Instagram stories, you may have seen that I’m already working on this part. Built floating shelves.
• Cushions – Definitely new seat and backing cushions, at least. Maybe a variety of throw pillows with quiet patterns.
• Artwork – Maybe even a mini gallery wall with black-framed-art. Added a mini gallery wall.
• Black hardware – There are hinges on the benches that I could strip and paint, but they’d be hidden most of the time, so I’m not sure if that would be worth the work.  Nixed this one.
• New light – I’m not sure if the copper shade works in the room I’m picturing, but I’m loathe to buy a whole new light. I have some ideas on a DIY way to make this one work for what I have in mind! Switched out the shade for a classic white glass one. Love it!
• Natural elements – Just a touch of something organic will help keep the white from feeling too sterile. Added the woven basket art to the wall.
• Accessories – Obviously there aren’t any now, and that’s because there aren’t places to put them (other than on the table.) The shelves I’m adding will help solve this problem. Styled up the shelves, adding plants, rocks, and pottery.