built-ins in the dining room

we recently finished painting and caulking the ikea pax built-ins in the dining room

and we love them

if you recall...

here's what it looked like before we moved in

and here's what it looks like now

and the fireplace side

now covered

and currently holding our large chalkboard we found at a thrift store

although i'm considering building and mounting some long picture ledges

to hold a bunch of framed pictures

but we'll see

we already owned the ikea pax system because it was our closet in our master bedroom in utah

so it's really nice to get more use of out of it

and it takes up the exact amount of space with just a little gap on either side that we (michael) covered with moldings

we aren't quite done installing our new baseboards on the left side

but we plan on doing that very soon

we are so happy with the look of the pax and the enormous amount of storage they give us

we currently keep extra pantry items and diapers in the left side

extra glass dishes in the middle

and art supplies, the wireless printer and a few extra dishes on the right side

it's an amazing feeling to have so much extra space 

after years of cramped kitchens and tiny dining rooms