THE FARMHOUSE TOUR: PART 1

I thought it would be fun to feature a couple of rooms from our FARMHOUSE over the next few weeks.  As I have shared before, this house is a work in progress, so not every room is quite complete, just yet.  Another little fact about myself (and my friends and family will attest to this) is that I move furniture around the house on a monthly (or weekly) basis! 

So, this is a warning — you just may see this couch make it’s way back into the living room by June. 

 

All that being said, the Part 1 tour is going to start in the kitchen.  When Andy and I purchased this home, I thought for sure I was going to struggle with where the kitchen was.  I was unsure of the fact that the kitchen was not an open concept like the last home we owned.  We have talked for the past two years about knocking down a wall to open it up into the dining area.  The demo will more than likely happen someday, but for now, I am enjoying it as is.

Here are some things we did in our kitchen to give it a temporary facelift.

We painted the beadboard white. The walls were lined with pine, and of course, it was originally stained the same color as the cabinets, so I felt like we lived in a cave of pinewood. We brightened it up with many gallons of our favorite paint. Sherwin Williams makes a water based acrylic-alkyd paint which is a latex version of their oil based paint. Andy I have coated every wall in the kitchen with this semi-gloss paint, and honestly, almost every wall in the house with it too! The paint color is Extra White – and I love it for it’s true bright white coloring–it does NOT yellow or look too gray at all.

Next, we swapped out the light fixtures. The builder grade lights were replaced with some simple light fixtures to add a little “bling” and purpose. The fixtures are not high end, and again, when we do a complete renovation, then they will be replaced. I wanted functional and pretty to pay a visit into this space in the meantime!

 

 

We ditched the ceiling fan.  The tall ceiling in our nook had a palm tree inspired fan that was more appropriate for Key West, Florida. This pretty fixture was an upgrade all on its own!

 

 

We dropped in a moveable island.  This was a piece that I found at a home décor store and I fell in love with it immediately.  I met the lady who made the piece and she initially intended for it to be a gardening bench.  We have used it as an island, and when we have hosted parties in our home, it has moved into other rooms and the front porch serving as a food station, a bar, table for goody bags, and even a “donut bar”.

 

We also added a rug.  For us, it is perfect.  It is not a high end piece at all, but it keeps our toes warm on chilly mornings in January.  The kids often have snacks at the island, and it creates warmth to the space. (Literal and visual!)

 

Finally, our kitchen nook is always changing.  ALWAYS.  It has had a dining table in it, and our bookshelves have even lined the walls at one time. However, right now I am using it as a sitting room…and I love it.  One of our Crate and Barrel sofas has made it’s way into this room, along with a chair we found in antique store, and a little bench my son is refinishing (Yes, I have him hooked too!).  I have our cart full of springtime partyware in place, perfect to pull out for an impromptu get together.  This space is used for conversation, and I love it.

Whether it be my girls perched onto the couch reading their books to me, or Andy and I taking turns sitting while the other is cooking so we can catch up, it is our retreat.  It’s separate from the rest of our house, and for now, I like it that way.

There you have it folks, our first farmhouse featured room.  You can see that Andy and I did not make enormous changes to the space, but we made it our own.  We spent a small amount of money on the changes in this room, knowing that it will probably be transformed again. In the meantime, we will love it, and take our coffee to the sofa and draft some plans for our “someday” renovation.

Make it a great day!

Kellie