Furnishing & Accessorizing That White Farmhouse Kitchen

The best part of renovating our kitchen was finding and arranging furniture in it, organizing the cupboards and shelves, and decorating the walls.  I still have some boxes in the attic to sort through that are filled with items from our house in the South that I haven't used since we moved nearly eleven years ago.  But for the most part, I am finished moving things into our new kitchen for the time being.  I'm intentionally leaving the tops of the cupboards bare and saving room in the cabinets for future items that I pick up through the years.  Throughout this post, I'm sharing what I've done with our white farmhouse kitchen so far.

I love wooden benches, and I love window seats.  After rearranging the layout of the kitchen slightly, there was plenty of space along this wall, so I decided to create a sunny sitting area here under this window on the east side of our house.  I went to a local antique mall and looked at dozens of benches.  Some of them were extremely rustic, and others were rather ornate.  When I found this oak bench made of reclaimed wood with its imperfections on top, I knew it was the one.  Once I brought it home, I realized how closely it matches the stain on our floor and the kitchen table.  I now sit here and browse through magazines while I'm letting things simmer on the stove for dinner.

This corner of the kitchen has been an eyesore for years.  It started out with a cheap computer table here that was cluttered and full of electrical cords, paper, a printer, office supplies, etc.  After moving our "office" to the landing upstairs, it harbored a small Christmas tree for about six weeks every winter.  The rest of the time it was vacant except for a stray chair waiting to be used when we had guests for dinner.  Our old house had a built-in hutch in the dining room, and I filled it with china plates, glass bowls and cake stands, wine glasses and holiday items.  When we left that house, I really had nowhere to put many of those things, so they remained boxed up in the attic.  I've spent the past two years searching for a china cabinet or corner hutch for this room.  My husband spotted this one with the built-in wine rack at the Amish Furniture Connection in a nearby town.  At first I wasn't sure that it would fit with our other existing kitchen furniture.  Then I feared it would be too big for this corner.  I considered paying the business to make it look distressed, but then I figured that after a few years with our family, it will become distressed enough naturally.  I finally agreed to buy it when nothing else suited me, and that wine rack was very enticing.  Once the movers set it in the corner, I knew that I made the right choice.  It really adds a lot to this kitchen, I think.  And now my new plaid dinnerware from Home Goods has a home, as well as all that stuff boxed up in my attic. 

It was my goal to not allow the kitchen to get cluttered again.  While there is still a lot of essential stuff in sight on the shelves and countertops, it's an improvement compared to what these open shelves looked like before (see last post.)

I filled those canisters that I found at Home Goods, and I used old Mason jars to store unpopped popcorn and salt.  I may do the same with other items like baking powder, cocoa powder, and quinoa since we have dozens (maybe hundreds) of Mason jars filling our basement.  I'd rather see those on the kitchen shelves than various open bags tied shut with twist ties.

At the antique mall, I also found this handmade wood cutting board that hangs nicely on the outside of the shelves next to the sink.  I needed another cutting board since my last wooden one got thrown away after using it to cut up a bunch of strong onions from our garden.  I tried all kinds of methods to get rid of the odor to no avail.  Every time you walked into our kitchen, you could smell old onions until I got rid of it.  I'll remember to use the glass cutting boards for pungent foods from here on out.

As you can see, this cabinet isn't yet full, and although there is a bit more stuff on the counter than I'd like, it's definitely an improvement.  I'm using a wire egg basket to store miscellaneous items that we use often, and that white ceramic crock I bought at Bed, Bath & Beyond is coming in handy for holding the kitchen utensils that I use the most frequently.  That freed up our junk drawer quite a bit.

Finally, I hung a few pictures on the walls.  I really want this room to be bright and simple, so there isn't a lot of decorating going on...by choice.  I decided to leave the tops of the shelves and cabinets bare and to not hang any curtains or valances over the five windows in this room.  The above print I picked up at the same antique mall, but the rest of the walls hold only a few items, all of which I had before.

I do believe this concludes my month-long posting on our kitchen renovation, and I think I am officially finished getting that room back in order.  Our youngest daughter told me this morning, "Mommy, I think you are too anxious about this kitchen and us messing it up."  I had to admit she was right.  A lot of living goes on in this house, and I must relax and stop following people into our kitchen to ensure they don't put a hot cup on the countertop or spill milk on the floor or crack a cup in the cast iron sink.  No one but me has washed a single dish in this house in nearly a month because I've been too afraid someone will "ruin my new kitchen."  Mind you, they're not complaining about the break from dishwashing, but my husband is rolling his eyes at me and sighing when I greet him at the door to remind him to take off his shoes before he takes another step into my new, beautiful kitchen.

I really don't know how these decorating bloggers with their Pinterest-perfect kitchens survive without a medicine cabinet full of Xanax.  

Ending on that note, I wish you all a terrific Super Bowl weekend!

Our Farmhouse Kitchen Facelift

 

 Our 1886 farmhouse kitchen has undergone a renovation.  No walls were torn down; no addition was constructed; and no cabinets were replaced.  But to me, it looks and feels like I have a brand new kitchen.  

 

 If you recall, this is what our kitchen looked like a week after Christmas.

 

 Four days later after we moved everything out, the kitchen looked like this.

 

Here we are on day three of the renovation with painting well underway.

 

 Week two began with the white pine floors being sanded and broken boards replaced.

 

By the end of week two the floor was nearly finished.

 

As we entered week three, finishing touches were made, the new white cast iron sink was installed, and the floor received a second coat of polyurethane finish.

 

When everything was finished after two and a half weeks, our contractor and his assistant were kind enough to move the appliances and furniture back into the kitchen for us.  I was too afraid of marking up the walls and floor, not to mention that what took us three hours to move, they did in twenty minutes.

 

So this was before...

 

 ...and this was on the last day when they were finishing up.

 

Before...

 

...After (I love that this sink is twice as deep as the old one.)

 

Before...

 

...After 

 

A month ago, our very lived-in kitchen looked like this.

 

But today it looks like this.

 

Then...

 

...And Now.  I lowered the leaf in the table so there is much more space in this room.

 

Earlier this month...

 ...and at the end of this month.

This facelift was the best thing I've ever had done.  It is everything I envisioned, and this construction business was superb.  They took my list of what I dreamed of and made it a reality.  I wasn't sure how these old pine floor boards would look once they were stripped and sanded, but they're beautiful now---even with their lasting imperfections.  I'm not sure they'll make it through another refinishing project though.  Once the countertops were sanded, we opted for no stain or varnish, but we're coating them with oil instead so they are safe for placing food on.  Our contractor purchased the paint, stain, and satin polyurethane finish from Sherwin Williams.  The Kohler sink we bought at Home Depot.

I love this room so much that I often sit on that bench in front of the window and read a book or blog at the kitchen table.  It's become my favorite and brightest room of our house, even on these gray, cloudy days of winter.

  Now if only I could relax and not fret that my husband and children are going to destroy it every time they walk through.

Organizing Those Open Shelves in the Farmhouse Kitchen

I have a love/hate relationship with the open shelves in our kitchen.  As the renovation continues, I debated whether or not to have solid cabinet doors made so everything could be hidden inside. I finally decided that they don't need to be enclosed, I just need to better organize our stuff.  So I have been on a quest to find organizers that will match our newly renovated kitchen and hopefully cut down on the messiness and clutter that our big family generates.

Much of what I was looking for could be found at Home Goods.  I brought along most of my children after school one day and we perused all the aisles and shelves of this store, along with Pier 1 and Michael's.  I love the white canisters with the chalkboard labels on the front, and these were the last two on display.  The metal basket with another chalkboard label will be used for storing boxes of teas and other miscellaneous items.  The glass canister with the wood lid will hold rice or quinoa so we don't have bags spilling out over the front of the shelves.  I would have preferred to buy a few more of those, but this was the last one.

Earlier this month, I picked up this white ceramic crock at Bed, Bath, & Beyond for holding various kitchen utensils instead of keeping them stuffed in a very cluttered drawer.  The three-tiered bamboo spice rack was purchased at Weis, and I may get a few more of these because this is only a small portion of the herbs and spices I regularly use.  I found the basket at Target and am using it to hold medicines, vitamins, bandaids, and first aid supplies that we always need to have on hand.  There are some really cool spice racks made from pallet boards on Pinterest that I might try to persuade my husband to build for me during his many hours of leisure.  (Just kidding, Hubby.)

I think that we might be moved back into our like-new kitchen by the end of the week. Time to start deciding what to hang on the freshly painted walls.  I might just leave them simple, clean, and bare for awhile.  I think the rest of the family would rather I spend the week planning what we'll have for dinner the first evening I have access to the stove and oven again.

I'll leave you with another peek at the kitchen project in progress.

Fall Has Come to Our Farmhouse Kitchen

 

While the children were at school yesterday, I dug out the fall decorations---new and old---and began embracing the upcoming season.  The near 90 degrees outside reminded me that it is still officially summer, but in my kitchen, it looks and smells like autumn.

 

Keep in mind that this 130 year-old farmhouse is a work in progress.

 

Our free time is limited, but I do what I can to spiffy things up here.  These wooden-wick candles really do crackle when they burn, making the kitchen smell like fall spices and sound like you've got a campfire going. 

 

With a household of seven and only one closet in the house, much of our stuff is on display.

 

Like this little stand that holds our phone books, schedules, and numerous papers that come home daily that I have to sort through.  For lack of a better place, all of the lunch bags tend to get stashed here too.

 

My dinner menu chalkboard hangs here, but it's also holding fall leaves for the time being.

 

I'm not sure how many days we'll get through before someone spills chocolate goat's milk all over the new table runner.  There's a good reason why my decorations come from Kohl's, Michael's, and even Dollar General.  My sanity remains somewhat intact if a $6 item gets ruined, as opposed to something much nicer that requires dry cleaning.

 

I still haven't done anything with this kitchen corner.  Instead of a secretary's desk, I think I need a corner hutch more, but I feel like we really must refinish the floor in here first.

 

My kiddos tend to eat more fruit when they're out on display like this.

 

A few years ago, I was ready to get rid of our electric stove/oven and replace it with a wood-fired one like the Amish have.

 

What was I thinking?

 

We do have this wood/coal burning stove that not only keeps the house warm in the winter, but it also serves as a backup for cooking if we lose power---which happens quite a bit.  It gets hot enough to simmer soup, boil water, and fry some eggs.

But it seriously needs cleaned and polished several times a year.

 

I don't know about you, but this is making me feel like warming up some spiced apple cider and baking some apple crisp or pumpkin cobbler.  

Thanks for meeting me today in our not-so-preppy farmhouse kitchen.

Fall Decor for Under $100

I'm making this a shorter post since we are having tech issues at our house this week...during the first week of cyber schooling for our tenth grader.  So not fun.

Since school has started, and tomorrow is the first day of September, I am eager to start decorating for fall.  I know many of you can relate.  However, I'm making myself wait until after Labor Day to put anything out.  That hasn't stopped me from making purchases, however, and there are also plans to create a fall craft this weekend as well.

I found all of the items in the picture at Kohl's, Michael's, and Dollar General for under $100.  These will be supplemented with items from our farmhouse attic and all kinds of stuff found in nature (lots of pinecones, acorns, and apples here.)

So from the top left and moving clockwise, this is what I found: 

1. Plaid fabric tablerunner from Dollar General, $6.

2. Wooden wick candle (it's supposed to crackle when lit) from Kohl's, $23.

3. Metal basket (to be filled with nature's bounty) from Kohl's, $15.

4. Brown candlesticks from Michael's, $4.19 for 2.

5. Metal leaf design candle wrap (not sure what exactly these are called) from Kohl's, $6.

6. Kitchen towels (2) from Kohl's, $5.59.

7. Wooden Fall in Love sign from Michael's, $7.

8. Bathroom hand towel from Kohl's, $6.

9. Baking cups (for my traditional pumpkin choc chip muffins) from Michael's, $2.

And in the center are the materials for my craft project, totalling $13 from Michael's.  It's Pinterest-inspired, but I'm branching out on my own a bit with it, so we'll see how it turns out.  I'll share it with you either way.

The Multi-Purpose Room (aka. the Dining Room of a Large Family)

OK.  So today I'm going to be honest and real with you dear readers about my endless quest to create just one grownup room in this old farmhouse.  If you're looking for cool decorating tips, this probably isn't for you.  If you like DIY projects, I am including one super simple project that I sat on the floor and did yesterday in about half an hour while watching old episodes of Once Upon a Time with my kids as the snow fell outside (in April!).  If you want to hear the ramblings and frustrations of a mom of eight concerning her tremendous desire to have a house that looks like it was featured in Country Living, but can't seem to succeed without evicting all other family members, this post IS for you!  Be prepared to see some clutter, plenty of childrens' belongings, along with dust and dead ladybugs on the floor.  You've been warned.

Three years ago, I decided we would convert the dining room from a playroom back into a real dining room.  I was done having babies, all animals were moved outside, our youngest was turning four, and I was going through a mid-life mommy crisis.  I thought if I didn't have one room that looked like adults actually resided here, I would go crazy.  I told my husband I would get rid of all the kid clutter, help him paint, and take care of all the decorating.  All he had to do was show up for the painting and move the piano for me.  He said he could have the room painted in a weekend.  I made big plans to entertain by the end of that April.

As with most of our projects around here, the painting took a little longer than anticipated.  Like 4-6 weeks longer.  In all fairness to my husband, this is in large part because it took not one, not two, not three, but four coats of paint to cover up the huge loopy "artwork" that our youngest created on one of the walls when she was a toddler.  Magic Eraser does not erase black permanent markers, by the way.  And if you look closely, you can still see that masterpiece under the four coats of paint.  This new sofa helps hide some of it.

I hesitate to admit that I did very little of the actual painting.  Instead, I filled garbage bags with stuff to take to Goodwill, and I had to sneak a few things out while the kids were asleep to avoid a total meltdown.  Then I bought insulated curtains from Bed, Bath, & Beyond, along with chair cushions and new pillows for the futon that we had at the time.  I got the bright idea to bring our old dining room table and chairs in from the loft above the outdoor shed.  At first I thought I could refinish them myself, but I need some serious instruction before I tackle that project, so I bought a new tablecloth to throw over it instead.  My mom surprised me with curtain tiebacks that she made herself.  After purchasing a new futon mattress and cover since the old one had been peed on numerous times by either the beagle as a puppy or a toddler or two, I felt like we had a brand new room.  I went shopping in our attic for some wall hangings not currently being used, and we finally had a grownup room.

Fast forward three years, and here we are with an invasion of kids' stuff again.  When the 20 year old futon finally bit the dust for good, we had to go out and shop for a new sofa last week.  Funny how a new piece of furniture makes you see a room in a whole new light.  What happened to my neat, uncluttered, adult room?  I realized that I still don't have a dining room.  No one actually sits in there and dines; but all kinds of other activity occurs in there.  The teenagers sprawl on the couch and browse Pinterest or Instagram on their phones or sneak in some "game time" when they think no one is looking.

The bookshelves have become filled once again with children's games, artwork, and our six year old's attempts to decorate for every holiday and season.  (You have to admire her zeal for decorating though.)

Other shelves hold children's books, craft supplies, and my cookbooks.  Stashed beside and around the bookcase are musical instruments: a mandolin, trumpet, clarinet, and violin.

Another shelf still holds all kinds of homeschooling stuff because we still have one homeschooler in this house.  Did I ever mention this old farmhouse has only two closets?  That's right.  One linen closet that's in the bathroom, and one closet that's in the boys' bedroom.  That's it.  What was I thinking ten years ago when I fell in love with this house at first sight to purchase a house with only one main bathroom and two closets?  The private location, the mountain view, the wide open space, and the colonial decor of this farmhouse reeled me in.  But I clearly wasn't thinking about where we would put all of our stuff!

The boys practice playing their instruments in the "dining room."  Um, in case you're wondering what's on our youngest son's head, that's a paper brain with all parts labeled that he made in science class.  And yes, he has actually been known to wear that out in public.

Our youngest daughter practices her violin in this room too.  

And at some point every day, someone decides to play the piano.  Sometimes two or three children try to play simultaneously, which never ends well.  Does anyone else have a house full of people who play different instruments...all at the same time...and all playing a different song?  

This room is also housing a number of house plants, and it's been known to hold trays of seedlings owned by my husband who is itching to start planting in the garden but has to wait until the threat of frost is over.

Speaking of my husband, even though there is this great designated office space at the top of the stairs where there is a desk, printer, file cabinet, and a terrific view from the window above, he still insists on having his morning coffee and browsing the Internet in my "dining room."

Finally, for whatever reason, this is the favorite room of our behemoth black cat, Star.  Yes, this is the one who threw out my back during Winter Storm Jonas when I tried to grab him before he went to the bathroom on a stack of backpacks.  If you haven't read about that, it's in my blog archives under the month of January.  And no, he really isn't supposed to be in here.  I am a glutton for punishment.

As my frustration mounted this week at the state of this room that really isn't a dining room, and never really was, I finally made my peace with it.  I don't know how other big families manage to have kid-free zones.  Maybe they don't.  I just know that in our house while there are still more children than adults living here, their things, their interests, their personalities can be found in every room, including this one.  I stopped fighting it, and decided to just accept that this is the multi-purpose room.  And then I decided to create something to make myself feel better.  So I went to Michael's and picked up plain wood boards glued together with twine attached at the top.  And my little girl helped me decide which alphabet letters would look and fit best on the wood since there are a gazillion different sizes, colors, and styles of letters to choose from right now.  And then I pulled out my hot glue gun and went to work.

Then I hung my finished project on the same wall that held the "artwork" that we painted over three years ago.  Above the new couch.  And above the portraits of our 8 blessings taken when they were all toddlers.  And I reminded myself that some day when this house is empty and quiet, and I'm sitting in the actual dining room having a grownup meal with my husband, we'll probably be reminiscing teary-eyed about the days when this room was filled with four musical instruments being played at once while teenagers texted on the couch, the black cat was sleeping on the chair, and my husband and I were popping Tylenol for our migraine headaches in the adjoining kitchen.  Or maybe we'll just sit there and eat in silence and relish the quiet in the room that is no longer used for multiple purposes but is actually used for dining.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.