My Farmhouse Kitchen

When we first moved into our circa 1875 farmhouse more than 15 years ago, I wasn’t a big fan of the kitchen. I wasn’t too sure about the green Mexican tiled floor or the lack of cabinets. The trim was painted kelly green and the walls wore a splash of lemon yellow. Ugh. Too big and bold for a farmhouse kitchen. The kitchen has seen several changes over the years until it finally decided what it wanted to be …

… a bright and airy farmhouse kitchen with the charm of nostalgia tossed in for good measure.

That built-in cabinet is one of the architectural aspects of our kitchen that I’ve always loved.

 

We added white bead board to the walls of our farmhouse kitchen, along with open shelving.

A newer sideboard purchased from a friend, adds freestanding storage space.

 

The kitchen is located on the north side of the house and I feared it might get dark and gloomy.

To brighten our farmhouse kitchen, I chose a mostly white pallet.

The bead board and trim is painted in Ultra White Cabinet Paint.

Using cabinet paint on the bead board proved to be a wise choice, because it cleans up easily.

The walls are painted Vanilla Custard (all paint is from Lowe’s except for Vanilla Custard which is by Behr).

 

The working side of the kitchen has a few standard cabinets, which are painted Tortilla by Martha Stewart.

I’m often asked how I keep a white kitchen clean. It’s really quite easy.

Since it’s white, you see spills easier … so in my mind, it’s easier to clean than a dark kitchen.

I mean, you’re still gonna wipe up those spills regardless of what color your kitchen is, right?

 

We added open shelving in the kitchen above the stove using standard wood boards and brackets.

I felt closed cabinets would be too heavy and almost claustrophobic in our cottage style kitchen.

 

What really stole my heart when we first toured this house, was this trio of farmhouse kitchen windows.

I’d never seen windows like this in a house before … and they capture wonderful, morning sunshine!

 

The bead board cabinet on the floor wears the same Tortilla paint as the other cabinets.

This cabinet once hung on the wall but it was in an awkward location and we’d sometimes hit our head on it. So down it came and now it serves a better purpose by providing a bit more counter space. Since this picture of lilacs in the kitchen was taken, I’ve moved my microwave oven onto the top of the cabinet. And that shelf now holds more white ironstone pieces that I’ve collected.

 

Another perk to having a mostly white kitchen, is that you can add any color to it depending on the season.

Here, the kitchen breakfast nook is decked out for spring.

I now love my kitchen, despite the fact it lacks a dishwasher and garbage disposal.

It’s a bright and airy farmhouse kitchen, and I wouldn’t trade it for a modern one!