The Heart of Our Home: The Kitchen!

Okay, I am by NO means an expert when it comes to interior design.  I just like to fill my house with lots of things that make me happy.  :)  I also don't have an endless budget, so I have to make careful, calculated decisions about what I bring into my house.  If I don't absolutely LOVE it, then it won't make it past my front door.  Ever.  (That's a lesson I learned the hard way at our starter home.)  Now that we're in our forever home, I am meticulous about everything.  Some rooms still feel really unfinished, some are coming along, and some of them truly make my heart go pitter-pat, but since I haven't won the lottery yet, and I don't anticipate winning it ever, I have to be patient and let my home evolve over time.  I can't force it, and I won't let myself make purchases that will stretch us far beyond our means.  So, I just plod along, and I keep on truckin'.  Ha! 

I still don't feel like this space is 100% finished, but it is one of my favorite rooms in our house.  The cabinets and the farmhouse sink were HUGE selling points for me when we purchased this home.  I really didn't like the generic, super vanilla polished nickel lighting fixtures above the bar and the eating area, but I knew that that could be easily changed.  It's really amazing what a few changes can really enhance a space.  The sink was definitely the starting point, but the rest of the kitchen is finally starting to feel like a cohesive space.  It's my little suburban farmhouse kitchen!  :)

I think I may have a slight obsession with white dishes, so I love being able to display them here. 

 I also love when I am able to use functional items and tie them into the decor.  My mixer got prettied up a little bit with a vintage dishtowel, and this cutting board makes a perfect makeshift "tray" for other items.  I love grouping items to create mini-vignettes. :)

This area is pretty simple. I added a few more whimsical items like a vintage lunchbox and a bowling pin for a little extra whimsy, but otherwise, this is a very functional space for food prep & cooking.

This is just another shot of our sink.  I am still so enamored by our canisters, but honestly, the little glass jar is my favorite piece.  I treat it like an apothecary jar, and I fill it with dishwasher pods.  Again, I am all about making my kitchen decor pretty AND functional.

Our pantry door was another big selling point for this house.  I fell in love with it's charm.  :) 

This clock face hangs above our pantry door, and I am pretty much obsessed with it.  I actually have a big obsession with clocks in general, but this little beauty had a little extra somethin' somethin' that I couldn't resist. I kind of love how understated it is against our walls, and how roughed up it is.

This is a view of our kitchen from the dinette.  You can see we have a cozy little bar area.  That's where the Mister and I eat most of our meals.  I am sure this will change when kids come along, but for now, it's how we eat on the run.  :)

At first, I was worried that we would never use this space.  Then I worried about overuse to the point where it got cluttered and ugly.  Fortunately, we found this really neat apothecary chest at a local antique shop last year!  It has a flip top to house pens, a notebook, and chargers.  It keeps everything tucked away out of sight, and that makes me happy!  It gets lots of use, AND it's pretty too!

I already mentioned how much I disliked our old pendants.  We are slowly switching out the fixtures in our home, and I was SO excited when we were able to snag these beauties on the cheap! We love how the Edison lightbulbs enhance the look and create such a warm glow.

This is just another peek at my cabinets.  I had a few awkward spaces,  at the tops of each cabinet, so I filled one with a black "kitchen" canvas that looks a lot like one I have seen in Pottery Barn's ads, and I filled the other with old tins as you can see below.  The Dundee Marmalade jars were a must-have for me.  I love their aesthetics!

I created another mini-vignette with a serving platter, a vintage scale, a measuring vase, paper straws, old Pyrex mugs, twine, a metal tray, and a faux plant.  :)  This little area has remained virtually unchanged for a while because I love it so much.

This little lady usually stays up in my display cabinet with our white dinnerware, but I just had to snap a few photos.  Isn't she the cutest cow creamer you've ever seen?!

Since there are so many rustic touches in the kitchen, I tried to balance it out with a more glamorous flushmount.  The glass beads give just a touch of elegance without being out of touch with the rest of the room.

Okay, and I know I already shared the dinette a few days ago, but this is one of my latest thrift shop finds.  I actually saw it last weekend, and I contemplated buying it, but I wasn't sure where I would put it.  Midway through the week, I knew I had to have it.  I originally thought I would put it on the top of a bookshelf, but it didn't really work in that space, so I played around with it, and ultimately, I ended up turning it upside down and using it as a display platform.  I don't know how long I will keep it like this, but I'm digging it at the moment. 

Well, there you have it!  That's the heart of our home.  :)  I hope that you have a happy weekend!