This is the story of how I took a weird problem and turned it into a design feature.
I ordered our new laminate counters without that four inch integrated backsplash so they would look a bit more high-end. But our old counters had that backsplash, and we didn't know what was behind it.
It was a risky move. I expected I would have to do some wall repair (sanding and repainting), but I didn't expect to find this:
But I also didn't expect to find this.
Big gaps between where the countertops and the walls were supposed to meet. Nearly three quarters of an inch in a few places! Our countertops are square, but we discovered the room is not. Ah, old house. You got us again. So even if I had been able to patch the holes in the paneling, I would still have been left with the gaps.
I gave it a lot of thought, looked at a lot of photos for inspiration, and adding molding was the most elegant solution I could think of to solve both issues. Maybe not ideal, but making the best of the situation I got myself into.
I didn't want it to look like we were just slapping some lumber up on the wall to hide the ugly. Too obvious. So we added the decorative lip to make it look more intentional and to blend with the rest of the trim in the room.
My dad made all of this from some scrap barn wood he planed and smoothed out. (It's the same wood he used to make our cottage style shutters too!) I think he bought the decorative trim for under the lip, but all the other wood was from his stash. After he installed it all, I filled the screw holes and painted the trim and the lower half of the walls the same shade of white (Valspar's off-the-shelf Ultra White).
Throughout this entire process, I had my doubts. Would it look strange? Would it stick out? Truthfully, it wasn't until I got it all painted that I was completely sold. Now it blends right in with the rest of the trim in the room. Like it's always been there!
