Author: Autumn
Well, as of today we have been in our new place three weeks, and only a few boxes are left to unpack. There is occasionally a worker dropping in to fine-tune something, and the painters still are adding some final strokes of genius to our walls.
I promised you on Monday that the next room to be revealed would be the kitchen. Please keep in mind that, other than “Lulubelle, The Cow” (read about her here), art work has not been added, but first we need to take another visit to the kitchen BEFORE we bought it.
The first two are photos I took on the day we first looked at the place. The owner was a single gentleman who spent a lot of money on new granite and stainless appliances, but they just didn’t speak to us. We were able to salvage the cabinets and move them to our new pantry. The wall on the left is now gone.
This is his kitchen eating area. Notice the red below the chair rail and the gold above it.
I took this photo after we had removed his Pergo floors but before the painters did their magic. The purple area is the pantry. I revealed the new/improved pantry in Monday’s blog here.
Now here is the new kitchen.
This is the full view looking in from the hallway. Though the light isn’t too good in this shot, you can see that we went with a bluish gray pennisula that is glazed white, a farmhouse kitchen sink, and carrara marble on all of the countertops.
We chose white cabinets, and the pennisula’s glaze helps it blend with them. It has a lot of features I think you’ll like.
For instance, I have shelves for my cookbooks. And the cabinet door there holds our candles.
Here is a close-up of the glazed door.
This is the side of the pennisula opposite the sink. The stools are from CSN.
There is a shelf area with glass doors to display some of my Hall’s teapots.
And there is a wine shelf. The door to the left provides more storage.
This shot shows it without the stools.
This is our eating area. The cow? She’s “Lulubelle”. I ordered her from an artist named Roz Art on Etsy. She had me at moo hello. A local shop framed it for me, and she has been waiting patiently for this remodel project to finish so we could move in and she could claim her spot of honor in the kitchen.
This shot shows our built-in hutch. Let’s take a closer look.
I think the copper pots work great here.
Here is another shot. We used the same cabinet hardware in the kitchen, wet bar, laundry room, guest room built-in, and all of the bathrooms. (Sorry about the sun’s reflection).
I’ve opened the door so you can get a better look. Some of the dishes are special, like my grandmother’s flow blue, the meat platter I got when staying with some nomads in Mongolia, and our old iron stone, and other things are there because they are blue or white.
That bottle on the right is an old Lestoil bottle from the 1950’s. My mother saved them because she thought they were pretty, and she gave me the blue ones. They also came in gold and green. The plate to the left was my grandmother’s and the plate on top is the one I got from the nomads. We had to use an interpreter to help us bargain, but when she served our meal on it, I knew it would be a great treasure.
I found that meat platter to match my grandmother’s flow blue on ebay. It is Princeton by Johnson Brothers. There is the second Lestoil bottle.
Here is another angle.
A lamp maker here in Lexington made this lamp for me out of an extra silver tea pot. I think it is so sweet.
I almost gave this tea/coffee service to Jordan (my blogging partner Spring), but decided the silver would look nice against the marble. I like a bit of silver in each room. It is like jewelry.
My brother bought this hydrant at an auction years ago for $2.50. That was before I had it refurbished. Every time he sees it, he regrets that he gave it up. I think the kitchen is the perfect place for a fire hydrant. Don’t you??!!??
This bench is very versatile. I like to move it around, but it works here for now. I bought the two silk floral pillows in Bangkok. They are by Jim Thompson, who revived the silk industry in Thailand and then mysteriously disappeared. The other two pillows were made by moi.
The rug is from Pottery Barn.
This is a view from the eating area out to our sun room, (here) which was sunny that day.
When we decided to sell our last house, my friends gasped because they knew how much I obsessed over enjoyed the six-burner Thermadore stove I had. Well, luckily, I was able to get another, except this one has only four burners with a griddle. It has gas burners with an electric oven and griddle. L.O.V.E. it!
The Alessi tea kettle looks nice against the marble back splash. I have boiled water in it for years, and it still looks new.
These are one of my favorite possessions. They are Dutch cannisters I bought on our first bicycling trip in Holland (here). The antique shop only sold old enamel ware. Unfortunately, I was on a bike.
Remember that wall I showed you in the beginning? It is now open to the great room, which as you can tell, still has some unpacking waiting in it. This opening made a huge difference with the amount of light the kitchen gets and with the flow. The architect and I were in total agreement on this. By the way, the kitchen color is Stucco by Sherwin Williams. I really like it.
This is another of my Jane Keltner rugs. You’ve seen three (pantry, sun room, and this one) now. I think this one has been to the rug cleaners at least 10 times. It was in front of the kitchen sink in our other house, too.
This is another cabinet area, but it hasn’t grown up yet. It’s still waiting to be accessorized.
About 30 years ago, my mother tole painted a bread box for us out of a mail box. Isn’t that clever? I just love it.
I am not really a fan of painted ceilings, (here) but I saw a kitchen in a magazine with white cabinets, carrara marble counter tops, creamy walls, and a light blue ceiling. I knew then our kitchen ceiling would be a soft blue. We selected Iceberg by Sherwin Williams. We really, really like it.
Here is a close-up of the sink. It is by Kohler. The blue wine bottle holds the dish detergent. That was one of Martha Stewart’s first “good things” years ago.
Here is one more view of our new kitchen. Stop in anytime, and I’ll make us a pot of tea.
Take care.
Linking to WUW at www.savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com
I was not paid to mention Kohler, Thermadore, or CSN unfortunately.
Pam @ diy Design Fanatic says
Your kitchen looks fantastic! I love the blue ceiling with the white cabinets! The backsplash is absolutely wonderful. So many awesome details!
Pamela says
Your kitchen is to die for!!! It turned out just beautiful and I love the color scheme and how you brightened it up with accessories! Thanx for inviting me over! I am sure to stop by again soon.
Rita says
Well, I finally have an idea for the mailbox I’ve had in the garage for 8 years!
Love your blue ceilings. All my ceilings are blue. What color did you use?
Elizabeth@BlueClearSky says
Your kitchen is very pretty with so many great details. We love cows at our place, and Lulubelle is definitely a keeper!
Laurie says
LOVE that painted ceiling. What a gorgeous shade of blue. The kitchen looks amazing, you did an awesome job :0)
Linda @Nina's Nest says
Beautiful kitchen makeover! So many wonderful touches. Linda
Kim says
I love your kitchen makeover. Great cabinet colors and who doesn’t love marble. I think Lulabelle needs to come live with me. I love it.
Janette@The2Seasons says
The kitchen ceiling color is Iceberg by Sherwin Williams.
Carolyn@Sweet Chaos says
Beautiful kitchen makeover! I love the oven, marble countertops and farmhouse sink, but my absolute favorite is Lulubelle! I am going to have to visit etsy now 🙂 Enjoy your new space!
Kathy says
I love this, that cow picture is just too fun! coming from kim’s
Jane @ Cottage at the Crossroads says
Your kitchen is amazing. Love Lulubelle and the double bowl farmstyle sink! All of your choices came together to make one outstanding kitchen.
Carolyn Rasnick says
Your kitchen turned out wonderfully! I can see the European influences everywhere that were no doubt inspired by your travels. Lullabelle is the piece de resistance! I hope she has some brothers and sisters because from the looks of the above posts, they will probably be adopted too!! I bet you are having a ball unpacking and decorating your new home!! Enjoy!!
Beth Harper says
Can’t wait to see you!
Teresa (Our Corner House) says
Cannot believe this is the same kitchen!!!! You did such an amazing job! Your hard work shows~ thanks for sharing!
-Teresa
PS would love to stop by for a pot of tea and to pick your brain…your ideas are fantastic!
Debbie@refreshrestyle says
I must tell you I came over because of the cow, but I must admit, your kitchen looks amazing! I love the counter tops, the backsplash, the floors, the everything! How can I follow you??
Thanks,
Debbie
Spring says
Debbie,
Thanks for stopping by our blog. You can subscribe to our blog and we send you a email when we have a new post. The subscribe button is on the right side near the top of the page.
Jordan
Becca says
Gorgeous … simply, gorgeous !! I love the cabinets … the glazed peninsula and the built in hutch !! This must be a favorite spot in your gorgeous home. Lulubelle is too cute! *Becca*
Pam says
Your kitchen is wonderful-love all the paint colors. And I love Lulubelle. I’m a fan of cows and I have photos on my blog of several that I have painted.
Jen says
Love this! Looks so fun and warm and inviting! Could you please share the paint color on the walls? I love everything about your kitchen, great job!
Spring says
Hi Jen,
I am answering for my mom The wall color is stucco by Sherwin Williams and the ceiling color is iceberg by Sherwin Williams.
Laura says
Absolutely gorgeous kitchen renovation and very resourceful of you to re-purpose the old cabinets. I’m drooling over your marble counters. Nice to meet your Lulabelle 😉
Suzy @ Worthing Court says
Beautiful kitchen! I love that you glazed the island with white.
Ashley says
Can you please share the color of the beautiful island cabinets?! I am dying to go greyish blue but every sample I have bought looks HORRIBLE in my kitchen! I saw this and squealed! I would be so thrilled if you could share the color with me! Thanks so much!
Autumn says
Sorry, but I don’t know the name of the shade of the peninsula color. I picked it from a bunch of color block samples the kitchen person had. If I can find it, I’ll post it.