Create a cafe...

I recently helped a friend of mine create a cafe for her little girl.  It was so simple and turned out very cute!

The design problem I encountered in Angela's home was that her little girl's kitchen had been displaced from the play room when it was converted into a bedroom.  The kitchen had found a new home on the landing upstairs.  You may have one of these awkward spaces in your home too- where the landing is not big enough to be an actual room, but it is too large to sit empty.  

The kitchen furniture was definitely the right size for the space, but it looked as if it was sitting there waiting for a home.  That is when I decided to create a home around it.  

First I found a rug which determined the rest of the color palette.  The soft pink and celedon green look great together in front of a neutral background.  

Next, I took a very large chalkboard that Angela already had and cut it down to size, reusing the frame.  I painted the frame celedon green to match the rug.  The chalkboard quickly became the cafe's menu board.

I bought a couple 1 1/2" wooden dowels, 4 finials and 4 hanging brackets and painted them white.  After assembling the curtain rods, I hung them on either side of the menu and hung up cafe length curtains (42" long).  

Using a red shelf Angela already had, I painted it white and hung it up under the menu.  I added some stainless cookware, so the chef would be ready to create her masterpieces.

I centered the rug and put the kitchen furniture back into place.

 

Added a couple more cute accessories...

And the cafe was complete!

The coolest aspect of this project was how big of an impact could be made with so little cost.  I was able to recycle a lot of the items Angela had in storage.   If you are willing to get your hands dirty, a lot of the things you are tired of can have a second life.