Vintage Door Chalkboard {organisation in the kitchen}

Good evening ladies. A black and white post for you today. And the white is not coming from the snow outside. Can you believe we had another 10 inches of snow over the weekend. Me neither. And there is talk that we will actually have a white Easter this year. Crazy, I tell you, crazy!

But inside it is warm and I bask in the glow of a finished project.

Look here what I did in the kitchen:

 

Vintage Door turns Chalkboard for Kitchen via Songbirdblog

 

I made us a new message center for the kitchen. From a vintage door. Remember that salvage store from Heaven I told you about? Well this is what we got there. An old door, to turn into a blackboard for our notes.

I had this project in mind ever since I saw Sarah’s kitchen chalkboard door. Two years ago I added some chalkboard vinyl to the inside of one of our kitchen cupboards so that we could keep a running grocery list on there. It worked great and we loved it. Then a year ago I turned that kitchen cupboard into our pantry and the inside of the door was used for our herbs and spices rack. We did not have a place to jot down our groceries anymore.

Needless to say that the result was that we came up empty handed a lot of times when we tried to grab the mustard or the peanut butter or the rice (but never the chocolate).

My kitchen is small, it is tiny really and I do not have a lot of wall space. The only wall space I have is the one at the end of the kitchen, next to the entrance. Anything I would put there would have to be skinny and not stick out a lot. A nice big old door seemed the perfect idea.

 

Vintage Door turns Chalkboard for Kitchen via Songbirdblog

 

So I set out to hunt for a vintage door, with nice big panels that could be transformed into our organisation unit for the kitchen. Let me tell you, that door was hard to find. Sadly I live in a country were it is illegal to put big pieces of trash at the curb, so no chance of a roadside find. Thrift stores hardly ever have building materials and whenever I spotted a chippy old door at a flea market, the vendor was clearly aware that he had gold in his hands, and he would ask for it too. 

 

Vintage Door turns Chalkboard for Kitchen via Songbirdblog

 

So it took me months and months to find my perfect door. And then I did. And she was perfect, and heavy as an elephant. And not vintage chippy in a good way, but just painted badly in an ugly color. So white paint to the rescue it was.

This baby is so heavy that I’d think I’d be seriously liable for grave bodily harm if she ever would fall over and hurt someone. So I needed a little extra security.

We found these neat little thingumabobs at the hardware store.

 

safety device for leaning door

 

 

And now with two of them she is so secure and safely attached to the wall and will withstand a heavy earthquake (not that I live in earthquake territory, but you never know). 

 

Vintage Door turns Chalkboard for Kitchen via Songbirdblog

 

 

I found the little houses twinkly lights at Ikea during Christmas time. I love them here. Usually at night we don’t have a light on in the kitchen, just this one. Gives just enough light to find the wine in the fridge (and the chocolate) without illuminating the dirty counters and the unwashed dishes. Gotta love me some sparkly lights. 

I have run the light cord behind the fridge and plugged it in the socket on top of the cabinets. The cord is hidden beautifully but getting a ladder out each time I’d want to turn the lights on or off would be quite a hassle, so I added a little switch.

 

adding a light switch to Christmas lights

 

I have no idea why all those twinkly lights never have a light switch, only a plug. And I didn’t know if it would work to add a switch. But it did, and it was easy and it only took my ten minutes. I am going to add light switches to all my little light cords.

 

Vintage Door turns Chalkboard for Kitchen via Songbirdblog

 

Now I am no master in writing on the chalkboard yet. And my drawing skills are seriously lacking. But I did manage a little Dutch scene.


Vintage Door turns Chalkboard for Kitchen via Songbirdblog

 

I kind of love it, if I say so myself.

But just in case I want to join the crowds of chalkboard artists I have started to gather some inspiration and tips in my Chalk Board Pinterest board. 

 

Pinterest board chalkboard inspiration

 

But for now, I am quite pleased with our groceries station. Oh and in case you were wondering why I put groceries in English on our definite Dutch board….

The Dutch word is “boodschappenlijst” and that was too daunting and long to put on there. On the other hand the Dutch for chalk is ‘krijt’ and I quite liked that for my little chalk pouch. Oh we are so international at my house 😉

chalkboard on a vintage door in the kitchen via Songbirdblog

I am loving my new organisational center in the kitchen, so far we have not had a grocery mishap yet. The chalkboard is working fine for us. And I love leaving little messages on it for My Love to read, if only he would remember to look there…..

 

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Marianne Songbird is the founder of Songbird, where she hopes to inspire everyone to create a home they love, one DIY project at a time. She shares anything from craft ideas to home decor inspiration and from DIY projects to decorating hacks. Originally from the Netherlands Marianne and her husband Lex are currently renovating a 250-year-old farmhouse in Germany.

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9 Comments

  1. I love it and those twinkly, little house lights are the perfect touch.

  2. I just love your chalkboard door Marianne – what a great idea! The canvas chalk sack is perfect too. I must repin on my Pinterest board. Your posts are also so much fun to read.

  3. cindy jones says:

    I love your new message/organization board, especially your little Dutch scene. I might suggest you use a bin pull (demi-circle or rectangular drawer pull) placed upside down to hold your chalk. It’s perfect for holding the chalk. You could place it on the band right above your cute little scene. A short piece of crown molding works for holding the eraser. The little house lights fit perfectly. I love night lights in a kitchen.

  4. I love your kitchen, and this door is the perfect addition!

    xo, Tanya
    twelveOeight

  5. Ellie Van Caster says:

    That turned out so beautifully-I love every bit of it!

  6. I love it Marianne! I love the mix of English and Dutch (I went and looked up “chalk” before you translated it for us. 🙂 And I love your cute little Dutch scene. Looks like fun. I hope your weather improves soon. In the meantime, have fun creating!

  7. Hi Marianne, oh how wonderful, and so functional too!! I really like the way you put three separate portions in chalk paint. Also, I love your Dutch scene. Thanks for sharing. Blessings and smiles, Emilou 🙂

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