So there you go! The kitchen is FAR from finished. It needs some homey touches for sure, but now we have a great blank slate to start with! Can’t wait to throw a chalkboard in there, as some vintage finds from the Alameda Antiques fair. Time to go a-hunting π
Our Home | A Little Kitchen Update
It’s time for a new home update. Since moving in at the end of February, we haven’t touched the kitchen. It’s a rustic, country kitchen, as you can tell from the pictures π Being renters we didn’t want to take on a huge renovation, so we did a little cosmetic overhaul. I received a little help with the kitchen makeover for being a part of the Lowe’s Creative Ideas Network.
First things first we coating the whole kitchen in a couple of coats of bright white (and clean) Valspar paint from Lowe’s. I forgot to take pictures before we painted, so you won’t be seeing the “true” befores, but let me tell you, the paint was DINGY! It’s much, much better now.
In the eating nook I bought two Waverly Black Toile curtain panels and cut them down and hemmed them to size. I was able to make a third panel for the bay window as well as a valance for the window over the sink.
We updated the hardware in the whole kitchen as well, since the cabinet hardware was completely mismatched. We chose these gorgeous pewter pulls from the Allen + Roth collection. Can you believe that there was a total of 26 (!) pulls in this kitchen?! We also updated the inside of the cabinets with some new magnetic closing mechanisms, since the old ones had been painted over years before and no longer worked. You won’t believe how luxurious it is to have cabinets that close π
This house was built in 1909. Obviously the yellow laminate counters are not original to house, those will have to wait awhile to be replaced π But being that the house is so old, we couldn’t be sure that there wasn’t lead in the plumbing. I could have bought a $25 water testing kit, but decided to find a $40 water filter instead! I tried to find one for under the sink, but must of those needed another smaller faucet to dispense the water. And this large, white enameled farmhouse-style sink didn’t have another outlet. So we decided to go with this sink-mounted filter from Pur instead. Although it’s not the prettiest thing in the world, the water sure does taste yummy (and lead-free!). Totally worth it.
Here’s a close-up of the terrarium I made with some goodies (moss, sand, plants) from the Lowe’s garden center, as well as a bowl full of home-grown tomatoes. I also bought a cute mini 3-pot planter for herbs and plants that makes it home on the window sill above the sink. And a command hook makes hanging Arden’s bibs to dry so much nicer.
Katie Rose says
Great update! Love that terrarium!
Reichel Broussard says
Thanks Katie! It was fun to make π
Tile and Stone by Villagio says
Love it! Awesome update!
Anonymous says
Love how white and bright it looks!
Nancy says
Your kitchen looks beautiful but I'm dying to know where you bought that bib!
Reichel Broussard says
I got it off of sale at Fab.com awhile ago. Cuteness, huh? π
The Vintique Object says
I love your vintage kitchen, yellow counter tops and all. It's nice to see an original kitchen when so many gut and redo the whole thing. Coming from Emily Clark's today. I've visited your blog before, but didn't know that you are also in the Bay Area!
Camille
Reichel Broussard says
Thanks for saying hello! I love vintage too, why fix it if it ain't broke? π
Erin - Dwell and Tell says
Reichel, where did you get that little ledge that you attached to your windowsill to give you some room for the pretty pots?
Erin @ Dwell & Tell
Reichel Broussard says
It was actually already installed π
Erin - Dwell and Tell says
It's a clever little installation, isn't it? I'm sure you enjoy it!
Hugs,
Erin