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It’s always an exciting day when you can write a blog post with the word “reveal” in it! Sure, there are some things that never seem completely done in my eyes, but here it is. I’m calling it. Our French Country inspired kitchen is finished!
The photo below was taken while viewing the home for the first time. I can’t exactly say we purchased the home for the kitchen, haha, but I knew that we’d be able to spruce it up because we’ve done it before.
For some reason, we keep buying 70s fixer-uppers haha. Below is the kitchen of our first home.
You can check out this post to see a finished shot of the kitchen above.
But back to the kitchen in this post! Like most house things, it was a lot of work. But I liked what we were able to do with it on a budget.
This isn’t an HGTV type of reveal where we tear down walls, get chef-grade appliances, custom cabinetry, and completely transform a kitchen. This is a budget-friendly version. We kept the layout the same (which can be the most expensive thing to change) and instead of replacing cabinets, we painted. Cabinets are usually the second most expensive thing to change. By keeping those two things the same, we had to work with what we had, but it did save tens of thousands of dollars.
Mostly everything else got replaced or made over. This is a home that we enjoy, but don’t plan to be in super long term, so our goal was finding the balance of improving the space and personalizing it, all without investing too much.
I’m pleased with how it came out! And yes, I know my style is not “typical” and it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but hey, I still have to live here too. 😉 Might as well enjoy it!
Time for some pictures though, right?
Real quick, I don’t want to repeat myself, so make sure you check out this post first. It’s the kitchen progress update and I give all the nitty-gritty and details about the actual work, such as removing the bulkheads, painting, doing the backsplash, etc. But I will talk about some things in this post that I didn’t mention in the first one.
Now, let’s get to the photos!
As a reminder:
If you look closely at the photo above, you’ll see that the trim above the window is too short and cut wrong (not by us). We actually *just* put in a custom bamboo shade to cover it up and provide privacy to the street-facing window. So I guess that’s one thing that didn’t make it in these photos! And now the chandelier doesn’t fit properly with the new shade so we’ll have to switch that out too. That’s just how these things go…
There are many things that are different since the update post. First, I ended up painting the open shelving white instead of keeping the rustic lime-washed look. The photos don’t portray it super well, but the kitchen is actually pretty dark and since we weren’t going to add or enlarge a window, little things like paint were the way to go!
You may also notice the new farmhouse sink & faucet. Such a great statement for any country/cottage/farmhouse kitchen!
We were going to enclose the fridge with a custom surround but didn’t get to it in time before we had the countertops measured. Secretly, we were both a little relieved haha. I’m sure it would have looked more custom, but we weren’t up to the build and it wasn’t worth it enough for us to hire out.
For countertops, we went with Blushing Ivory quartz from Lowes. I love them! Simple and neutral, yet classy with the subtle gray veining.
The new appliances and floors definitely improve the room too. For the floors, we went with Burlap Birch engineered hardwood from Lowes. Big improvement over the old-school laminate. I think laminate can definitely be cool, but ours were the cheapest option.
Now, these next sets of photos are my favorite to see. Direct before & afters!
Sources:
Cabinet hardware
“Antique” chandelier
Rustic flush mount
European (hidden) hinges
Hanging rod w/hooks- Ikea (similar)
Copper measuring cups + spoons
Hanging garlic
Farmhouse Sink
2 Set soap dispenser (Castille soap in one, dish soap in the other)
My dress
Will’s sweater
Countertops- Blushing Ivory Quartz, Lowes
Floors- Burlap Birch Engineered Hardwood, Lowes
Appliances– Lowes
And there she is. What’s next for us in this home? As of now, not much! Not because the house is “done”(if that can ever actually happen), but we are just focusing our energy on key rooms and projects instead of trying to do it all.
The exterior has to be my favorite transformation though. If you haven’t seen it yet, then click this link!
