kitchen tour

Lately I've been spending quite a lot of time in the kitchen, and have been attempting to document it more. As I've been posting more of this room, as well as more tours of the rest of the house as it currently is, I've started getting a lot of requests for more. I know that I've already shared a tour of the kitchen with sources, but I thought I would walk through it again. For now, I will go over the details that still need to be finished and then tomorrow, I will show the inspirations for what the rest of my plans are for it's design.

Currently our appliances are in place, but not finished off. I am on the hunt for a larger piece for between the fridge and stove. It will serve as mainly storage, but also a workspace. I'm hoping to add a runner down this side of the island and we're hoping to be able to build the fridge in, and add a cupboard to the top for storage. This will help draw the attention away from the fridge.

We will also add open shelves above my baking counter and I need to find shades for these windows, as this one in particular is Western facing, and the sun is extremely bright when we sit down for dinner.

Lighting wise, we are waiting to order two pendant fixtures for above the island, as well as two sconces for the back wall, on either side of the picture window. I actually ordered two different sets of fixtures for here, and neither came in the right finish I wanted. Eventually there will be bench seating under the window, but for now, it's fine as it is. I also want to add some peg hooks beside the door to the porch.

I have some salvaged floorboards, from the original floor we had to remove, and I'm saving them for a vent hood above my stove. It will be in raw wood, to match the exposed beams.

I'm also still waiting to find four stools for this side of the island. This was an old one we had, but unfortunately, Ikea no longer carries this same style. I had found two sets of nearly identical wooden stools with cane seats, but I wasn't sure about painting them. We'll see.

This is the view of the kitchen from the living room couch. I always think it's a pretty one.

Quick Kitchen Island

[All Photos - The Grower's Daughter]

This is my baking table in my kitchen. Because I have so little counter space, I asked my husband to make a top for an old cabinet that was found in a local barn (it was previously a mauve-pink!).

I painted it a creamy white and kept it rough because I love all the character.

Now, I love this piece, and it fit perfectly underneath a pair of shelves with my canisters on it. However, after time, and a few attempts at bread making, I realized that having my canisters on it limited my amount of workspace. As well, where it was situated was on the opposite side of my kitchen so there was a lot of empty space in between.

One day, on a whim, I decided to pull it out into the middle of the kitchen and see how it looked as an island. I must say, I rather like it. It's so much more functional and it really becomes a great focal point, which distracts you from the rest of the not-yet-touched room.

I wanted to post a few photos to get some feedback. Having the cabinet in the middle does make the whole kitchen feel smaller, but the increase in functionality is so much greater. I, personally, would rather have a smaller, more functional kitchen, than a larger kitchen with lots of wasted space. But that's just me.

Anyway, let me know what you think!

This is the me standing at the island. Behind me is my sink, and my window. (As you can see, in the right of the photo, the stairway going to the basement has yet to be painted!)

This is behind the island. Previously, the cabinet sat tucked under the shelves where the stool is. Through the left is the dining room.

This fabulous stool was picked up the other weekend at the Amish Auction! She was a steal and I couldn't have been happier to take her home. I've been looking for the perfect industrial piece to throw in the mix.

This is the  view from dining room as you walk into the kitchen. You can see the sunroom beyond. The stove and sink and fridge are all to the right.

I stored the canisters and found these great jars at Target. I filled them with my sugars and flours instead. I love the look of them and it feels so much more simple.

This is where I moved my collection of ironstone pitcher to, in the dining room. They were previously where the new canisters are.