Chicken Wire Chic

Finding its way from the barnyard into the main house, chicken wire has some homeowners crowing.

When we were building our cottage I mentioned using chicken wire on the doors of two hutches in our kitchen. I was met with a blank stare from the cabinet maker. Would it have sounded better in French or Italian?  Probably not with my southern accent. Whether it’s fabric backed or as-is, chicken wire is being used for cabinet door panels in room with many different styles.  The khaki-green lake house guest bath [top] is by designer Barbara Westbrook.  She created a casual sink cabinet with visible towel storage, nothing especially countrified.  The marble top mimics a vintage washstand with the shelf and side brackets. And there’s chicken wire on the front of the vanity which lets air circulate around the towel storage.

An antiqued French-blue armoire is another bathroom piece but it could be placed in any room of a home whether the overall style is country, shabby, eclectic or coastal.  Ceramic canisters and a woven basket help hide clutter.

This soft gray built-in armoire features gathered fabric to conceal hanging clothes and lined baskets in a little girl’s closet. Fabric also can be used to hide electronic equipment, allowing it to breathe without blocking infrared remote access.

One incentive to stay organized is to keep everything out in the open.  A vintage wooden cabinet has a pair of full-size doors. The frame is relatively lightweight. With doors of this size it’s important to remember that the larger the piece of chicken wire required, the more carefully it will need to be installed.  While the openness of these doors are attractive if they are accessed (or pushed on) by children or pets, the wire could stretch.

Many are choosing to use chicken wire inserts on cabinets for store tableware storage.  A common question on kitchen/decorating forums is “just how dusty do those items become?”  Having wire on our pine hutch doors, I can attest that dishes do become dusty if not used regularly and glassware does become coated with that greasy film if it’s only for display. As long as you know going in that extra cleaning (or regular usage) of items displayed behind chicken wire will be required, it’s not a big deal.

Our black coffee station hutch has a small pair of doors hinged on top sp they lift up to open.  I decided to knock the shine off the wire with leftover cabinet glaze.

(Sources: House Beautiful, Country Living, internet, Kyandra, Velvet & Linen)

If you would like to see both of my hutches in our French Gray Island Kitchen, click and scroll down to the last two pictures.

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