This post has been a long time coming. But as this room is a very hard working kitchen, it has been hard to find a time when it was tidy or close to being tidy, with no meal times upcoming, plus a nice sunny day.
Finally this past Sunday as I was getting ready to make applesauce, I realized it was the perfect time to take a few pictures! And a few beautiful red apples made a nice accent.
So here it is, a completely trimmed out kitchen!
(I had also been waiting to finish up the last of the kitchen baseboard. We didn't quite have enough time to get it done in June when we did the bathroom.)
Oh how I love my windowsills! When I bought this little cottage, the kitchen was rather sad. It's last update was about 1950. It had forest green carpet, wood stained cabinets, tiny ranch trim around the windows and no baseboards! One of my pet peeves is mismatched trim, so when I was ripping things out, out went the ranch style trim. Once the new 1920s style trim went back in, new windowsills were also needed to look correct. They are now thicker and wider. Which means they are perfect for perching things on!
Doesn't it look like it has always been there?
Of course, with all the beautiful trim I had to have new curtains that didn't cover it up! Since I already had vinyl roller shades, I took the shades apart and re-used the hardware to make fabric shades. Isn't the fabric the perfect shade of Pyrex aqua?
I am still working on gathering little things for the shelves. This was just what I could find around the house. The shelves were original to the kitchen cupboards and at first I wasn't going to put them back up, but I changed my mind. They add a very vintage touch, don't they! Unfortunately, the original boards where so stinky I had to have replacements made. (They smelled very much like cat, though I am not sure how that is possible. No amount of sunning, bleaching or priming could get it out of the wood.)
This is the "other" side of the kitchen. It is very typical of 1920s houses to leave the refrigerator hanging out in space. Hopefully some day I can remedy that, but for now we are utilizing every bit of space around it the best we can!
The kitchen has always seems "not quite right" to me. There was always something about it bothering me, it felt shabby and not pulled together. I wish I would have realized what it was sooner! The minute we trimmed out the windows I let out a sigh! This is what it needed. Trim! It is amazing how finished and tidy it feels now.
Here is the kitchen when I bought the house, Just after we moved in, last year with new door trim and basement door.
I also wanted to get this post up before the end of the month when I do my annual anniversary post. It will be five years since I owned the little cottage and four since we have lived in it!!
Perfectly delightful! What a wonderfully charming kitchen with all the right touches. Good job!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. It has been a slow process at times, but we are loving it!
DeleteLove your kitchen!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
DeleteWhat a joy to have it exactly how you want it, the trim makes an amazing difference. You are blessed with a beautiful home.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I think it is beautiful too! And yes, trim does make an amazing difference.
DeleteWhat a lovely place to just be. I can see why you like using your kitchen. There is so much sweetness in your home.
ReplyDeleteAwww! Thank you!! We spend a lot of time in kitchen. Besides making, baking and eating there, it is a lovely place to start the morning!
DeleteWhat a wonderful job you have done in making it your own! It looks a little bit like my kitchen also.
ReplyDeleteIt has been a lot of work. But I love seeing spaces become mine! These old kitchens are all one of a kind. How old is your house?
DeleteOur house is over 60 years old. Pennsylvania red brick. In the kitchen, we tore out the old mudroom cement wall to make the room larger to be able to have the refrigerator inside the kitchen and not out in the mudroom. Plus just to have more counter space. We installed all new cabinets and even copied the tiny shelves on the side of the cabinets like yours.
ReplyDeleteYour kitchen is gorgeous! And it feels so homey! You guys have done a wonderful job.
ReplyDeleteHi Heide,
ReplyDeleteI’m the Community Manager with Anagram Interactive, where we specialize in connecting established brands with prominent bloggers. We’re currently working with Paperless Post, a company that designs customizable online and printed stationery, to show that communication can be personal and well-designed regardless of the medium.
Paperless Post has partnered with several world-famous designers and lifestyle brands, including kate spade new york, Oscar de la Renta, Jonathan Adler, and Rifle Paper Co., and has delivered over 85 million cards to date. Since you have such an engaging and beautifully-designed blog, we’d like to offer you 600 Paperless Post digital Coins (a $60 value) for free to try out our online service and write about your experience.
We really think you’ll enjoy Paperless Post and can’t wait to hear what you think. Please let me know if this is something you’d be interested in and I’ll show you how to get started.
Best,
Ann
ann@anagraminteractive.com
Wow, this is a wonderful kitchen. I really love it!
ReplyDeleteWe will be building a farmhouse in TN next year and I already have in mind what I want for the kitchen...I am looking for vintage white cabinets very much like yours. They remind me of my childhood except ours were metal. The red and turquoise is such a lovely combination. I just may be "borrowing" that idea as well!
ReplyDelete