Bulkheads: Uncharted Territory

Bulkheads. Whether you love them or hate them, sometimes you have no choice but to live with them. It’s where builders tend to hide electrical and mechanical runs. Most people wouldn’t think to explore this uncharted territory some of us have above our kitchen cabinets. 

Holey Bulkheads

When Hubs cut exploratory holes into our bulkheads months before our kitchen renovation to see if we could take them down, we were disappointed to find out the answer was ‘no’. Since we’re renovating soon, he didn’t bother to repair the holes in the drywall. It left an eyesore that immediately drew my attention whenever I walked into the room. It drove me absolutely crazy. Well, that and our perpetually messy kitchen: especially right before the holidays! I couldn’t leave such an eyesore. I needed a temporary solution – and fast!

To remedy the situation until it was time to renovate, I thought why not utilize this often overlooked space by creating something fun and whimsical to hide the holes?

Hubs and I don’t like to take ourselves too seriously (afterall, laughter is the best medicine!), so I’m immortalizing our day-to-day antics. Right before Christmas, I surprised Hubs with a series of 17 kitchen-themed cartoon canvasses, placing the on the bulkhead right above our kitchen cabinets.

Canvas Art

I always keep blank canvasses on-hand so it was a great way to upcycle them (tutorial to come after Christmas)! Here’s a closeup of just one of the canvasses I mounted on the bulkhead. They all had a ‘film-strip’ effect border because I butt them up against each other to look like a movie of our day-to-day lives in and around the kitchen.

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I had fun creating them using the Bitstrips app on Facebook, but Bitstrips has since been removed😔. I’ve been in withdrawal ever since; anyone else miss Bitstrips?

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Hubs and I love to pull out the board games over the holidays. Do you do that too?Scrabble is one of our favourites!

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I realize that cartoons are not everyone’s cup of tea. But this project really adds quirky personality to the bulkhead and is a real conversation starter. And let’s face it, it’s only temporary so why not have some fun? I think life’s too short to NOT inject a little humour into your living space every once in a while.

Bulkheads Before and After

Here’s a comparison of the before and after.

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Isn’t this much nicer to look at than tape covered holes? It certainly got us through the Christmas season!

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Since this makeshift project, the holes in the bulkhead are no more! If you’ve seen our kitchen storage improvements, you’ll know that the cartoons are long gone from the bulkheads, serving their purpose. While the kitchen now has a more sophisticated look, we’ve redirected our sense of fun to other areas of the house!

Anyway, a little food for thought. Next time you look up and see that blank space staring back at you, think about all the creative ways you might add a little interest to YOUR bulkhead.

Craft Rehab

Now that most of the common areas in our house are complete, I’ll be turning my attention to craft projects. If you haven’t already explored my new craft category, visit Birdz of a Feather ~ Craft Rehab. I’ll soon have a post on how to print on canvas!

Follow us right here on Birdz of a Feather if you’re interested in upcoming home renovation, decor posts and sustainable craft ideas. You can also follow us on PinterestFacebookYouTube and Instagram.

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6 thoughts on “Bulkheads: Uncharted Territory

  1. You are the best Sara. I love the way your mind works. What a very special idea. Now I’m curious, did you ever find a replacement for Bitstrips coz I neeeeeed to do something like this on our holiday home.

    • Thanks Michelle; you’re too kind – lol! I looked high and low for a while and never did find a replacement. If you ever do, you MUST let me know (and I’ll do the same). This would be awesome for a holiday home! I really enjoyed ours while they were up. They really were quite the conversation starter; people would hang around the kitchen just to read them 🙂

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