Welcome to my kitchen!!!! So great to have ya, friend.
When we started our farm six months ago, revamping our home's kitchen was not on the to-do list. Nowhere near it, actually. We quickly set our priorities and acquiring a dairy cow, meat chickens, laying hens, and building the garden beds were the big hitters. But as the summer has faded and the last of the produce has been harvested (by those danged free ranging hens, no doubt), I couldn't help but turn my attention inward (as is normal for this time of year, no?). It seems as soon as the sky grows grey and the air grows chilly, my list of interior projects skyrockets.
Mind you, those projects are rarely accomplished, but still. That's not the point.
After a quick visit from our fantastic landlords who mentioned they were happy to replace our teeny, mold-encrusted sink, the ball started rolling…
…and once a ball starts rolling in my mind, said ball will continue to roll until it's smashed to smithereens of accomplishment. It's a sickness. My drive can be a tad suffocating, even to myself at times.
Home projects are hard, aren't they? No matter how organized and efficient one tries to be, one always finds themselves amongst chalk paint, loose screws (in more ways than one) and chaos. It's just the nature of the beast.
That being said, I'm sure glad that we're on the other side of that battle now. After spending the last few weeks revamping our kitchen, I'm certainly glad that all has once again been put back into place. And more than that, I'm particularly glad for a few specific things which I shall now list out in an effort to organize my excitement:
1. A giant sink. And this ain't no ordinary sink. I'm talkin' cast iron. I'm talkin' a sink that will outlive my great grandchildren. I'm talkin' about a sink that'll hold a five gallon chicken waterer without blinking. Add in the tall, new faucet (complete with one of those squirty things) and friends, we're in business. If there was any object I loved more than breathing, it may be this sink.
Dramatic? Possibly. But true.
Old:
New:
It's 9″ inches deep. Not that size matters. Just sayin'.
2. New counters. Because we didn't want to mess with ripping out the old counters and replacing them, we invented a way of covering the existing counters with new, wood countertops. The pine boards took a bit of cutting to maneuver, but following THIS INSPIRATION we were able to piece them together quite easily. We did chisel and break out the old backsplash, which we replaced with new wood. Doesn't it look perty?
The new counters were stained and then sealed with polyurathaine, which helps make them super resilient and easy to wipe off. We haven't had a problem with anything sticking, damaging, or staining thus far (which was a horrible problem with the old laminate counters… everything stained!).
I like to pretend my counters are made from 200 year old pine planks that once were in the Ingles home. For what it's worth.
3. Open shelves. One of the greatest perks of a manufactured home is the amount of storage the kitchen has. I love it. But the two cabinets that sandwiched the sink made me feel pretty claustrophobic. They hovered over me while I washed dishes and added a heaviness to the room. So. We busted 'em out.
Retextured the wall and repainted.
And put up some open shelving for our most used items: plates, cups, mugs, and *ahem* wine glasses.
I also found these little ‘ol cow and rooster brackets which I love. They add a sweet touch of old to the kitchen. And old, well, old's my thing.
Opposite the open shelves, I simply hung a few brackets that house my food mill, cast iron skillets, ladles, and copper pot. They look pretty and are super functional. And who doesn't want to glance in the kitchen and see a copper pot? Now if only I had fifty more…
What can I say? I'm an old European at heart.
4. Freshly painted cabinets and new hardware.
Old:
New:
I don't know how old the hardware was before, but by my guess, it was pretty dang old. And there's something about living with your own crud versus living with somebody else's crud – know what I mean? At first, I tried to salvage the old hardware with some spray paint. But then, I threw caution to the wind, and purchased all new hinges and handles. It made such a difference in no only the warmth of the kitchen but also the cleanliness of it all. Getting to wash and paint over the cabinets made it feel so fresh and so clean, clean. I used my homemade chalk paint recipe to cover the cabinets (which took for-ev-er) and then did a clear coat of polyurethane over the top to help and protect them from dings and scraps.
And lastly, my new chicken wire light that I snagged at a thrift store to replace this beauty:
Old:
New:
It's not perfect. But it's ours. And it's about a billion times better than the kitchen we endured in Alabama (umm, cockroaches anyone?) so I truly couldn't be more grateful for the blessing of having such a wonderful space to create! I am after a food blogger… I gotta take important pictures… and cook fantastic dishes… and… and… stuff.
Now THIS inspires me to cook!
LOVE!!! If only I had your ambition and patience! and creativity!
So Cute!
My current sink lacks the squirty thing and I miss it terribly.
🙂
Ooooo…. I love it!! Absolutely beautiful!
Where’d you get those big glass jars with wood looking lids on the top of fridge/ cabinets??
Also where’d you get the one your kombucha is in with the stainless lid?
I’m just shopping in your kitchen… seeing things I’d love to have 🙂 hehe
It looks amazing!! What color did you use on the cabinets?
Love the countertops…. I clicked on the link for inspiration but it’s nothing found. How did you cover your old ones?? I want to do something similar. 😊
Your kitchen reveals your love of home, family, comfort, cozy, and all things nurturing. Beautiful reveal. Thank you for sharing your passion. You have a special way of making a ‘house’ into a ‘home’.
This is just perfect. I am so impressed with every detail.
I would pay good money for you to come redecorate my kitchen!! I LOVE that chicken-wire light!!!!! SOOOOOO CUTE!!!!
I <3 your kitchen. My goal is to do a similar style renovation to mine after the first of the year. You have inspired me to up the ante though 🙂
Your kitchen looks wonderful! I love the wood counters covering the old- genius. The chicken wire light is just darling and the paint color and the fabric are so pretty. Just love it all!
You did a fantastic Job!!!! It looks lovely!
Just love what you did with the kitchen. It’s so warm- and homey-looking. I feel the same way you did about the cupboards by my sink. Love how yours turned out! The counters are beautiful, too. I noticed you have a water filtration system sitting on your counter. Do you like it? I’ve been thinking about getting one to filter the chlorine out of our town water.
I have a quick question about the cabinets. Are they laminate? If so, how did you prep them to paint?
They were laminate. I didn’t prep them at all – that’s the beauty of chalk paint!
Beautiful!!
I LOVE it. and the colors. I think you inspired me with the counter tops. 🙂 LOVE THE IDEA!! I think soon you will have to describe what you have/ are making in those jars- especially if you are doing the perpetual kombutcha – I would LOVE to hear that 🙂
It’s beautiful!
oh wow!!! Love!!!
That is an awesome reno! Would you mind me asking what chip color/manufacturer name you used on the cabinets? I love the use of the iron brackets–I scored a bunch at Hobby Lobby for $1 each and saved them until I revamped my kitchen 18 months ago. I used them on the bottom of each wall cabinet to make it look like corbels. LOVE THEM! Thank you so much for sharing your work!
Looks so good! Living in a rental is hard on the creative home-making but you have done a beautiful job!
UGH. Gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous! The counters are both brilliant and beautiful. I love it. Love, love, love, love. Props to you for not settling with, “Eh, this is life. This is the norm. This is my ‘meh’ kitchen.” With a vision and a little elbow grease, you’ve transformed the bumble!
Wow! Love it, everything turned out great, I love the wood counter, and your faucet! Definitely love the copper pots too, loving all your little details like the turquoise chair, teapots, chicken wire, etc. All wonderful!!
Gee whiz, your new kitchen inspires me to cook too!!!
LOVE IT!!!
The open shelves, the cast iron sink with the skirt underneath, the light, the countertops… You have my dream kitchen!! I’m pretty sure I have everyone of those ideas pinned on a board on Pinterest. lol! I love it! What an amazing and cost efficient transformation! If only my landlord were so understanding…
We are very blessed, that’s for sure!
You and Stu are amazing!! It looks lovely!
Thanks girl!
I love it! I wish I had your ability to decorate. I see what I want in my head, but trying to get it to look like that never quite works.
Very pretty! What kind of bread is that?
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry bread 🙂 The recipe is in my cookbook From Scratch – available on Amazon!
Girl!! Your kitchen looks AMAZING!! Great job you guys. Love what you’ve done.
Thanks girl! I’m just glad to have it finished!
Love it!
Ooooo…. I love it!! Absolutely beautiful!
Where’d you get those big glass jars with wood looking lids on the top of fridge/ cabinets??
Also where’d you get the one your kombucha is in with the stainless lid?
I’m just shopping in your kitchen… seeing things I’d love to have 🙂 hehe
The jars on the lid are just glass jars that we rotate around constantly for our milk. The kombucha glass container came from Costco 🙂
Beautiful, beautiful kitchen! I might try that paint recipe…what’s the brand/color of the paint you got? It’s hard to find a good green! 🙂
What do the floors of your kitchen look like? Do you have tile? Hardwood? Laminate? Thanks!
It’s laminate that looks like tile 🙂
What a beautiful transformation and a wonderful nod to the past. I only recently found your site and am so HAPPY I did! You’ve given me some remodeling ideas – THANKS! My kitchen SO needs it! Oh, before I forget, what is the tall metal container by the sink and did you make the chicken wire lamp yourself? If so, it would make a wonderful DIY blog! (*hint-hint*)
I noticed the stainless steel container on your counter by the sink. Is that a water filter? If it is I would love to know where you got it.
I love the countertops! I’ve been remodeling my basement and tearing out old barn wood. We wanted to replace our countertops but our budget wouldn’t allow but I think this idea solves that problem! Old barn wood counter tops, brilliant! What stain did you use?
LOVE your kitchen. What color did you use? I’m attempting your chalkboard paint.. fingers crossed.
Ove, Love , Love your kitchen;)!! I got one questiion for you if you don’t mind. What is the huge stainless steel container beside the sink? Is it a fancy water filter? By the way Becky from AL sent me your way said I would LOVE your blog. She was right!! Great job on the kitchen and what an inspiration for my own kitchen revamp.
It’s a Berkey water filter!
Awesome kitchen makeover!!! Question on your counter tops [LOVE] – did you have to use a special poly/is it food safe? Again, LOVE IT!
Two words…kitchen…envy! What a transformation. I love the rustic and old-fashioned look. Your kitchen=AMAZING! One day I’ll gather the gumption to do that kinda work to my kitchen. 🙂
Hi there was just wondering if you had another link explaining how you did your kitchen countertops–the current link on your website is dead. 🙁
Thx!
Oh dang! I’ll see if I can find a new one to replace it!
Could you please send me the link for the How-To DIY kitchen countertops? The link is not working, thanks.
I can’t find it anymore! 🙁
What color is the chalk paint for your cabinets? Thanks!
I’m just now finding your link and LOVE your counter tops! I’ve been wanting to try something like this, but was afraid it wouldn’t work. Can you give me more details of what you did and how is it holding up?
Just absolutely beautiful! I love your idea of using wood for your countertop. Now if I can just convince
my husband to do this! 🙂