Home improvement, one slow step at a time

This is my pantry.

Don carved this area for me from an odd nook in the living room years ago, since cabinet space in the kitchen is at a premium. Because I’m short, I can’t reach higher shelves in the kitchen without a stool, so he made the pantry with shelves comfortable for my height. (Love this guy.)

One of the things Don jokes about is how he does home improvement projects to the point of functionality, and no further. What he means is, he makes something juuuuust to the point where it can be used, but never gets around to finishing it to the point where it’s beautiful. Fortunately I have a high tolerance for such things, so it doesn’t bother me.

So whenever we DO finish a project, we’re inordinately pleased with the final results. Makes for a high “joy” concentrate.

A couple weeks ago, I looked at the pantry and brought up a subject we’d discussed a few times before: “Can you make doors to close the pantry?”

It seems like a simple thing to do, but in reality it wasn’t. Folding doors, hinged doors … almost any configuration was either awkward or complex or simply wouldn’t work for the corner where the pantry is tucked. So Don came up with a brilliant idea: “What about curtains?”

Perfect! We could choose a heavy fabric in a complementary color, and curtains would be a snap. Don said he would make a barnwood frame around the front of the pantry to hide the gap at the top.

We happened to be going into Coeur d’Alene shortly thereafter, so we stopped at a fabric store to look over their inventory of upholstery fabrics. Most were checks or plaids or florals patently unsuited to our “cheap chic” décor, but one stood out that we both liked (the store’s fluorescent lights make the fabric look more yellow than it actually is):

However the price per yard was heart-stopping.

Discouraged, I searched the internet for less expensive alternatives, but found no fabrics that appealed as much as the one in the fabric store. However when I looked at the fabric store’s own website, there was the identical fabric — for almost half-price. With free shipping. Go figure.

So I ordered the yardage needed to make curtains for the pantry.

It was a simple matter to measure out the proper lengths, and put grommets at one end of each length.

(The yogurt cup holds my straight pins.)

I used plain plastic shower-curtain rings to hang the curtains on the rod. Once Don installs the barnwood frame, these rings will be hidden. (Right now the barnwood is under three feet of snow, so the frame will have to wait until spring.)

The result is a rich, luxurious-looking heavy curtain that covers the clutter of the pantry contents and makes the living room look far more finished and tidy.

I wanted to get the curtains hung before our neighborhood potluck (Friday evening) so I didn’t have time to hem them. That will be this weekend’s task.

But meanwhile, it’s the first home-improvement project I’ve done in a long time, and I’m absurdly — disproportionately — tickled with it. I keep interrupting random tasks to stand in front of the curtains and admire them. It’s the little things in life!