Wednesday, February 8, 2017

A Farmhouse Kitchen {In the Making...}

Hello, I hope your day is going well.

We are in the process of planning some updates for our kitchen, and I wanted to share with you some of the details. We've been gathering information and comparing products, including new countertops, a backsplash, farmhouse sink and faucet. 

The driver for us to renovate the kitchen is our countertops. 

But before I get into that, let me tell you what I love about our kitchen...


(Some affiliate links have been provided for your convenience.)

I love the three double-hung farmhouse-style windows that let in lots of light. I also enjoy  the large range for cooking. I like that the kitchen opens up to the family room, and am thankful there's enough room for all three of our boys to eat at the counter (especially because we don't have an eat-in kitchen apart from the counter).


I can't say enough about our kitchen stools. We've had them for three years, and use them daily. They look exactly like they did the day we bought them. With three growing boys, that's saying a lot. You can find our French Bistro Barstools here. Or, if you're looking for counter-height stools, you can find those here.

Now, back to the countertops... 

The picture below was taken just before we moved in three years ago. I knew we didn't have a budget to update the dark green formica countertops right away. We were just so happy to be here, that I decided to look away from the counters. ;)


We lived with the formica countertops for about 18 months. When I couldn't take them one day longer, I decided to paint them. What did I have to lose? I hated (sorry, but I did) them as they were, so could it really be worse? 

It wasn't! I loved the effect.

While I knew that painted formica wasn't a long-term fix, it completely lightened the kitchen and took the focus off of the (dark green) countertops. And no, the paint was not food-grade, though it was non-toxic. This means that I don't do food prep directly on the countertops. Think of it as you would a painted dresser. ;) Cutting boards have been my answer.


 Fast forward a year-and-a-half. Our countertops have lots of scrapes, scratches and stains.  
It's getting to the point that it's hard to even feel like the kitchen is clean, even after I clean it.


The antique olive bucket was an anniversary gift. You can find similar ones here.

Do you see the Antique White 3-Tier Glass Drying Rack? You would not believe how affordable it is! And it's perfect for keeping on the counter, letting people help themselves to a glass - especially little ones who can't quite reach the cupboards and shelves. It would also make a great gift. You can find the Antique White Glass Drying Rack here.


I've started to strategically place items on the countertops to cover scratched, peeling paint. :) 
Yet would I paint the green countertops again? In a heartbeat! 

But, we are ready (or at least getting ready) to find a more permanent fix.


For so long I had my heart set on Carrera Marble. Nothing, in my mind matches its beauty. 

But for our home, I've changed my mind. After three years of having to be careful of the countertops, and not being able to use them fully, I don't want to have to worry about the countertops. We eat a lot of red sauce around here, we drink cranberry juice, and we don't always wipe the counters dry. 

 
(Similar clocks can be found here.)

I don't want to be concerned with staining marble. For some people, it works beautifully. I've also heard that stained marble can be fixed. But that's just not us. We have good intentions... but we also have our hands full. Any more required maintenance would probably just not get done in the time it should.


So we're leaning towards a quartz that looks like marble. If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear!

Have you renovated a kitchen, or are you planning to? I'd love to learn from your experience. 
What were you most happy with? Anything you would do differently?

Xo

Shop the Farmhouse Kitchen Look

16 comments:

  1. We completely renovated our farmhouse kitchen here in France, or rather we built it from scratch in what was the dining room. Pure white which is mixed with the old terracotta tiled floor, old wood beams and natural wooden kitchen table; it all works rather well. You will love your new counters but the paint job looks as if it did rather well

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    1. Your kitchen sounds beautiful...an authentic French one at that! Xo

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  2. I was blessed enough to have completely renovated our kitchen this year. For the countertops I chose Formica. My husband is really tough on surfaces and I am NOT a great housewife. So I knew we needed what was the most durable. I found a barnwood pattern and had the edges made to look like planking. It looks so real and I have had many compliments on it. We love it.

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    1. I bet that is a great feeling Pamela, to have it done! So glad you're happy with the results... the barn wood pattern sounds nice!

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  3. I adore your open well-lit kitchen! So pretty!
    Brenda

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  4. I love your kitchen now. When we remodeled our kitchen 3 years ago these are the things we did:
    Quartz countertops-i HATE them
    New cabinets with open shelves-I love them
    New casement windows-I love them
    New hardwood/oak floors-I love them
    New ceiling-love them
    Pendant's over the counter, sink, stove area-love them
    Pot filler-love it
    Single copper sink-love it
    New black appliances-love them
    Left the original pantry, just added mouldings to the top and painted them white.
    I mixed dark cabinets with white open shelves-love it
    Put in pull out wire baskets in the almost all of the lower cabinets and the pantry cabinets-love them!
    Well, I know that's not all, but you will notice the only thing I don't like is the counters. Ours aren't the marble look and that could make a huge difference. Good luck, MaryAnn

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    1. Wow MaryAnn! You did so much to your kitchen... it sounds wonderful. Dying to know what you don't like about your quartz countertops?! The color, or something else? Thanks for sharing.

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  5. I did renovate my kitchen over ten years ago, but chose a formica for the countertops. At the time I didn't think my little, low-end ranch house deserved any kind of expensive countertops. They now need to be replaced because of various stains and knicks, but all in all I've been satisfied with them.

    My sister, however, remodeled her farm house kitchen and chose quartz countertops and couldn't be happier with them. They are less expensive than marble and quite low-maintenance. That is, they don't stain and don't have to be maintained or conditioned periodically as does marble. If I had the budget for it I would probably replace my own countertops with quartz, although I've not seen many light-colored examples of it, which is what I would want in my kitchen.

    Good luck in finding the perfect material for your kitchen countertops. If you choose quartz I am pretty sure you will be happy with it.

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    1. Thank you Naomi. I appreciate your feedback and love hearing about other people's experience. So happy you stopped by!

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  6. There are some granites that have the look of marble but not the maintenance. We have had our granite for about two years and I love it.

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  7. What about concrete? I don't have it, but I would do some investigating...or perhaps butcher block (real, not Formica version!):-)
    Cost is a consideration, but if I could, I think I'd lean toward concrete!

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  8. Just found your site and I love it! Your kitchen is absolutely stunning! You did an amazing job. 

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  9. This kitchen is absolutely fabulous!! Love everything about it,  thanks for sharing

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  10. It looks SO GOOD! your kitchen Like a picture from a magazine! thanks for sharing and keep sharing more blogs.

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