The Cottage Kitchen Reveal

Hello! And welcome to the cottage kitchen makeover reveal post!

We've come a long way from the dirty brown kitchen with ugly track lighting and stained window shade that we got when we moved in to the cottage.

This weekend, we painted the kitchen and hung new cafe curtains, and it has really transformed this space for the better.

Originally, I was not a fan of the wood cabinets or the tile back splash. But since we've painted, it really does a nice job of tying in the colors of both.

We chose the Benjamin Moore paint color Wythe Blue (HC-143), which is actually one shade deeper than the Palladian Blue (HC-144) that we used in the adjoining great room. I love how this blue looks with the red accents in the kitchen. So cottage-y and cute!

The kitchen has an eating area which serves as our dining room. This is the first house for us that has not had a separate formal dining room since our 900 square foot starter home. But you know what? We are making it work just fine.

Here, you can see where the two paint colors meet in the corner.  It's very subtle, which I like. I found this print on ebay just before we moved back home to Michigan. I really wanted a ship painting to commemorate our move back to the Great Lakes state, and this Kolene Spicher print is lovely!

The kitchen island is really handy. I wish I could keep it this clean every day! It seems to be the place where everything lands when we come home.

I sewed these cafe curtains yesterday. We had one leftover panel from our Illinois dining room. This panel was an "oops" that my husband spilled stain on when he was finishing the woodwork. So I cut from the useable sections and made a valance and two panels.

It does block light, which is not ideal, but it also blocks this view of the side of my neighbor's house. It's a little too close for comfort. Without a curtain, I can see what they're watching on television...and consequently, they can see me in my fuzzy bathrobe pre-coffee. No one should have to see that!

I started by hanging them from the rod pocket, but after some fussing, I found they really needed the clip rings to hang nicely. And the benefit of adding the rings is that I can easily push them apart when I need more light.

So there it is! A simple makeover. It's the little things that make it work: the new schoolhouse light fixture, the new curtains, the color, and vintage decor.

There's still room for improvement. Soon, I plan on switching out the hardware on the cabinets. And one day, I'd like to get new appliances. But for now, I'm happy in this cozy little kitchen. Everything has a place, it is very functional, and it works well for our family.

It's not a chef's kitchen. But then again, I'm not a chef! Just a wife and mother who is happy to cook in this updated space.

Thanks for visiting the cafe today!