Eclectic Vintage Modern Farmhouse Kitchen

It’s time for the “What’s Your Style” series: Kitchen edition. Last month when discussing my style and our family room in the Living Spaces edition, I explained that my style can’t really be described in one word {unless the word “mutt” counts} so I’d describe our kitchen as a mix of classic, vintage, modern and eclectic and still a work in progress. 

DIYShowOff kitchen

Future plans include removing the bulkhead and replacing the upper cabinets and installing a real range hood. We’re saving for a new gas range and refrigerators. Yes, two refrigerators. My husband loves to cook and grill. And we have yet to come up with our kitchen island. Sometimes I use desks…

farmhouse kitchen

and because I like to change things up and rearrange, we’re currently using an old vintage dresser which provides storage for serving trays, paper plates and napkins, etc.

DIYShowOff kitchen

More vintage and eclectic: an old mail sorter is now somewhat of a butler’s pantry…

DIYShowOff kitchen

DIYShowOff kitchen

A small painted dresser next to the French doors leading to the patio stores grilling and Big Green Egg supplies as well as a ‘drop zone’ drawer right inside the door for hiding keys, mail, the contents of my husband’s pockets. 

DIYShowOff kitchen

We enter our home through the French doors in the kitchen…

DIYShowOff kitchen

so having a small coat rack and seat for putting on shoes is helpful (future location of 2nd fridge). 

DIYShowOff entry

DIYShowOff entry way

Here’s a look at our kitchen when we bought this old house…

kitchen-before-and-after

and after some DIY (painting cabinets, installing marble subway tile, wide plank antique distressed bamboo floors (which are darker than the pictures show), Virginia jet mist granite counters, paint, etc.)…

DIYShowOff kitchen 

DIYShowOff kitchen

DIYShowOff kitchen

There’s a small pantry cupboard that we use for pots and pans with a clock embedded into the door, a sliding ladder for reaching the spices displayed on wall-mounted lazy Susans and an over-the-doorway the cook book library (repurposed old chicken feeder).

DIYShowOff kitchen

DIYShowOff kitchen

DIYShowOff kitchen sliding ladder

Modern: We have a super deep under mount stainless steel zero radius sink and a modern/vintage-industrial inspired faucet. 

DIYShowOff kitchen faucet

We replaced the old windows a few months ago. 

DIYShowOff kitchen

And hey, were’s the microwave? We recently expanded some kitchen storage into what we call the open pantry right behind the kitchen. More rustic, industrial and a little eclectic farmhouse style…

open pantry at diyshowoff.com

(You may have noticed a little switcheroo with the decorative accessories in the photos above. I do love to re-decorate and re-arrange every time I clean. It’s sort of a reward and motivation…whatever gets it done, right?) You can see more of my home here

Kitchen Before and After

My kitchen reveal in reverse!

I just found some pictures from when we bought our house. I know you’ve seen the after shots but I thought you’d enjoy seeing a few before and ‘now’ pictures for comparison. This is one of the reasons I started blogging – watching the transformation of this old house and while I tend to see all that we have yet to do, these pictures are a reminder that we’ve come a long way, baby! Of course a really ugly before makes anything look like an improvement. So, even though our kitchen isn’t quite done, I have shared these after photos (there aren’t any super new ones) but it’s a reveal in reverse…before pictures to prove that we’ve made some changes. 🙂

Warning: The before photos are very scary and a lot of ‘yuck’ from neglect/previous owners. Our home sat empty for awhile. A year or two maybe? I don’t remember. But it’s the location and size and character of this old house that won my heart…not the dirt and outdated/cheap finishes. I saw past the grime. I had a vision.

Kitchen before – it’s love at first sight, right? ha! love the Mr. Yuck stickers on the bottom cabinets, don’t you?

farmhouse kitchen before

kitchen now

farmhouse kitchen

Kitchen before: that’s a ceiling fan pull cord hanging down.

kitchen before

Kitchen after…

farmhouse kitchen

Kitchen before – what is that on the wall? I’m guessing the location of the previous owner’s kitchen garbage can? We don’t really want to know, do we?

kitchen before

kitchen now

Kitchen before…I’m amazed how much smaller this door makes that wall look!

farmhouse kitchen before

See the ugly sidewalk and rusty grape arbor in the background below? French door installation in progress:

kitchen French door installation

Kitchen now…let there be light!

I know…these aren’t really “now” pictures as in “today”. They are at least six months ago before the move to WordPress as you can tell by the watermark. But, I did just return from Haven so you know my kitchen isn’t photography-worthy but thanks for looking – I was happy to find the before pictures!

{patio & grape arbor after too}

So, what do you think? A better idea of where we started and our home is a fixer upper for sure! If you haven’t already, you can see more in our home tour. 🙂

Now if only the upstairs bathrooms still didn’t look like the before pictures. I’m doubting it, but was your house move-in ready or did you have to work at cleaning some filth?
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My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

All things {farmhouse} kitchen

There are two small DIY projects in the kitchen this week that I want to share with you. 🙂

Russ enjoys cooking outside (Big Green Egg is his other love) and we entertain and dine on the patio often when the weather allows.

The dresser stores his BBQ and smoking tools near the door and patio. The numbers will be helpful in reminding him where things are.

farmhouse kitchen

I painted our “microwave cart” dresser a pretty shade of dark distressed red and numbered the drawers. The wood tone shows through…

aged distressed red dresser

I also made a “Farmer’s Market” sign for the bulkhead above the kitchen sink and windows.

farmhouse kitchen

Farmhouse kitchen details:

farmhouse kitchen collage

  1. Cow canvas (wuslu.com)
  2. Area rug (OneKingsLane.com) – with DIY red detail
  3. DIY distressed Farmer’s Market sign (tutorial coming soon)
  4. DIY door clock
  5. Two teacher’s desks create a temporary island/eat in area
  6. DIY lazy Susan spice rack, DIY sliding ladder and antique chicken feeder cook book library 
  7. Numbered red/glazed dresser {microwave cart and storage}

(more links to painting kitchen cabinets, marble subway tile installation and more kitchen DIY at the DIY Show Off home tour)

And since the kitchen’s clean, I couldn’t help sharing some updated pictures:

desks as a kitchen island

Still on our DIY to-do list:

  • baseboard trim
  • stove/range back splash
  • a DIY taller kitchen island with storage and seating
  • work on the pot rack
  • pantry in another area of our home
  • framing a window
  • kitchen curtains

Kitchen when we bought the house:

Kitchen now:

farmhouse kitchen

From all angles…

DIY farmhouse kitchen

farmhouse kitchen

farmhouse kitchen

mail sorter, butler's pantry

farmhouse kitchen

farmhouse kitchen

farmhouse kitchen

farmhouse kitchen

DIY farmhouse kitchen

desks as a kitchen island

farmhouse kitchen

desk island

marble subway tile backsplash

eclectic kitchen

I’m entering the contest at WhisperWood Cottage!

Funky Junk's Sat Nite Special