Friday, November 18, 2011

House Tour: The Kitchen

Don't forget about the Harmony Farms Candle giveaway now through Sunday, November 20th!  Click here for your chance to win three holiday soy candles, handmade by yours truly.

Everybody ready for the weekend?

Mine started early with a midnight showing of the latest Twilight Saga movie, Breaking Dawn, last night.  I'm by no means a Twi-hard, but I read and enjoyed the books well enough.  It was my middle sister's 30th birthday, so she wanted to see it, plus it's become a thing for me, my sisters, and my friend Sara to watch the Twilight movies to laugh at the bad dialogue and at how constipated Robert Pattinson, an otherwise very handsome man, looks when playing Edward Cullen.  Anybody else know what I'm talking about?  :)

As far as the Twilight movies go (and mind you, they have fairly low production value with the bad wigs, white pancake make-up, and cheesy CGI, so this comparison is very relative), Breaking Dawn wasn't half bad. Probably my favorite of the series so far, particularly due the advancements in the storyline and lack of teenage emo-ness.  Kristen Stewart (Bella) showed genuine emotion in this installment and didn't mumble too much. (And she is stunningly gorgeous in the wedding scenes!)  And Taylor Lautner (Jacob) wore his shirt for most of the movie, which is a departure from the previous movies. Now I'm ready for the final movie next summer where (SPOILER ALERT!) Bella kicks booty and takes names as a vampire.  I think that'll be the best Twilight movie yet!

Okay, I know you're not here to read about teenage vampires and werewolves--I blame the above rambling on the major lack of sleep last night--so let's get on with the next room in the house tour: the kitchen.

Our house has a galley kitchen, not my first preference in kitchen layouts, but it is--as gallery kitchens are--a very efficient space.  Since we do a lot of cooking and baking around here, that's a good thing from an ergonomic perspective.  But I do dream of having a spacious country kitchen one day, where a farm table sits in the middle of an L- or U-shaped space.  'Til then, I'll make the best of what I have.


A local cabinet maker built all the cabinets for an exceedingly reasonable price.  He delivered them to the house while we were building, I painted them, then he installed them.

Now, these cabinets have been painted twice.  The first time, I painted them in Sherwin Williams Alabaster, freaked out at the starkness of the white, then glazed them to tone down the brightness.  That worked for awhile but then the glazed finish just looked dingy.

When we installed beadboard in a few places in 2010, and painted it a barn red, that ultimately exacerbated the dinginess.

Icky, yellowy cabinets right before getting a new coat of paint

The barn red beadboard before the update--oh so dark.


So, this summer, I repainted the beadboard a light gray and the cabinets in Benjamin Moore White Cloud. 

Laying on the first of two coats of  white paint to hide my glazing mistake--the glazing in the grooves of the beadboard made the doors look particularly dirty...bleck!

The change in cabinet color is subtle but it truly did brighten up this space--which has a tendency towards being dark as the only two windows open to a screened-in porch...which backs into woods.  Yeah, not a lot of natural light happening in this space much of the time.  White cabinets and light-colored walls were definitely needed.


The countertop is soapstone--not something you see very often in homes in the South.  We liked the farmhouse feel of it and the fact you can sit hot pots and pans directly on the counter surface.  It's what chemistry lab counter tops were/are made of (it's been awhile since I was last in a chemistry lab!) Soapstone does require routine wipe-downs with mineral oil to maintain the even, dark color you see here.


To further the farmhouse look, we mixed in open shelving...

These shelves are between the wall oven and refrigerator

Curtains in lieu of cabinet doors in some places...

Beige and cream ticking fabric skirts the farmhouse sink while drop cloth curtains disguise the contents of the peninsula

And bins and baskets provide more texture and storage...


This cabinet, which we use to store spice jars, is one of my favorite pieces in the kitchen.  We bought it at the Liberty Antiques Festival while building the house in 2007.  The panel in the door is a reproduction but the cabinet is made of salvaged beadboard.


Karan at Spruce Antiques and Interiors in Hillsborough, NC, gave me this idea to use rusted vintage wire baskets mounted on the wall above the cooktop for storage. I like the juxtaposition of the logs next to the lines of the metal.


So, there you have it...my narrow but functional farmhouse kitchen. :)


Have a great weekend!
Erin

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21 comments:

  1. I love your kitchen, Erin! Everything is so lovely and I really like all the various textures used. What a perfect farmhouse feel!

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  2. I love soapstone! And, when we finally settle down and move into our forever house that is what I want in my kitchen!

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  3. I just love your home Erin, it's all so cozy feeling and beautiful! And you know I love seeing the moomoo cow by your window :)

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  4. Your kitchen is stunning! I love the soapstone counters. Thanks so much for visiting L'Heure Bleue At Home.

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  5. erin! i love every inch. i dream of soapstone some day... i love your walls... your whole house. i tell ya' if we do not live in this old house forever i want to build one just like yours! : ) happy weekend!

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  6. Erin, The place is adorable. You are right we have many similarities to our kitchens. So funny, when I was looking for photos of white kitchens in log homes none were to be found. I like the wire baskets attached to the walls for storage, and what a unique way you used closing in a portion of the ceiling rafters for lighting (great idea). I think we have the same chandy in the dining room. Thank you for the tour of your fabulous kitchen:)

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  7. Love your kitchen Erin! I really love your wood floors, and your exposed rafters in the ceiling. Love that soapstone countertop also.

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  8. What a wonderful kitchen...absolutely LOVE everything about it...thanks for sharing your wonderful pictures :)

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  9. I really like your kitchen, Erin. I would die for a farmhouse sink but they were way out of our budget. I like the way you have used the curtains, too, and the ones in your windows...I am thinking of tiers for my kitchen window. The wire baskets are a neat idea, too! And the soapstone...I wanted that, too, but hubby was stuck on granite. I just did a post on my kitchen if you want to take a peek.

    Have a great weekend, Erin!

    XO,
    Jane

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  10. i love the skirts and the soapstone! i love soapstone countertops!!! you have done a beautiful job!
    and i can't wait to see the movie and yes, i know what you mean!

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  11. Oh my god Erin, the kitchen looks so good! These photos are magazine worthy. I love the little curtains on the cabinets. They turned out so pretty!

    Cindy

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  12. Your farmhouse kitchen is so pretty! I love the fresh white cabinets with the soapstone counters (Cloud White is one of my favourites.) Great soft touches with the simple white valances and cabinet skirts. One of my favourite looks in a kitchen, exposed wood/log home with white cabinets and you did it well.

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  13. your kitchen is incredible! i love it so much. you have lots of decorating talent!! i want to get a farm sink when we redo the counters in my kitchen...i just love a farm sink!

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  14. p.s. i have not seen any of the Twilight movies, but your description cracked me up!

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  15. Believe it or not, your kitchen is 2 to 3 times bigger than mine. I would love to have one your size and it looks so homey and user friendly. You did a great job repainting. It's a ton of work.
    Cindy

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  16. Love your kitchen! Your floors are gorgeous.
    Audrey

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  17. What a sweet space you created, Erin! We have a galley kitchen, too, and I dream of a large open kitchen with an island.....but we make do! Love all the white, the skirts, the whole thing! Great job! :) xoxo laurie

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  18. Love your kitchen along with the open shelving. I am following you now on Linky. Hope you will also follow me.

    Have a great weekend!

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  19. You have such a fabulous kitchen. In this kitchen provide all types of facilities. I also want this types of kitchen. Thank you for this amazing post.

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  20. I am loving everything about your home. I just stumbled upon your blog & I am so glad that I did. :)

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Thank you for taking the time stop by and say hello! I enjoy reading each and every comment left at Carolina Country Living.