EAT-IN KITCHEN MAKEOVER

A new home provides a blank canvas which allows the owner to express their creativity through decorating! That fact can be very intimidating or an exciting challenge, depending on the self confidence of the one decorating.  Personally, I love to decorate but since I have no formal training, I developed a step by step guide to help me through the process.  After lots of research, I’ve come up with a strategy that works for me but I am not sure what a real designer would think of it!!  So, let’s jump right in and let me show you my eat-in kitchen makeover! 

How to begin an eat-in kitchen makeover

If I had an unlimited budget, I could easily design a beautiful room. Unfortunately, I don’t have an unlimited budget. Therefore, I have embraced a DIY lifestyle. That means I brought a lot of old furniture with me to Florida. The only problem is I want to decorate in a completely different style than I had in Kentucky. Maybe you need to update a room and feel the exact same way. So, to get started on my eat-in kitchen makeover, I’m going to ask myself two very important questions.

ANSWER TWO QUESTIONS

Before I start to decorate a room I ask myself the following two questions.  “Do I have a décor style?” and “Do I have an inspiration piece or color?” 

Do I have a decor style?

After looking through lots of magazines and books and tons of pictures on Pinterest, I have determined that I am drawn to French Country Farmhouse decor. From here on out that’s the style I am going to try to incorporate in the main living areas of my new home. I will only purchase items in that style.

Do I have an inspiration piece or color to work from?

Yes, I chose the light fixture below which I think looks like something out of a home in the French countryside. It has a lightly distressed finish, which I love, and think it strikes a great balance between casual and elegant.

I also want to incorporate the antique look corbels shown in the picture below. We’ll be making a shelf out of them.  I adore the look of antique corbels and thought that they would add a touch of old world into my brand new home. 

Seven steps to achieve my eat-in kitchen makeover

Now that I’ve answered those two questions, I have a definite direction to head in.  But when a room is completely empty or you want to change or update everything about it, where in the world do you begin??  This is the natural progression that I determined worked for me. After decorating several spaces, I came up with seven easy steps to makeover my eat-in kitchen.

Window Treatments

When you move into an empty house, the first thing you realize is that you need curtains for privacy. Unless, of course, you have no neighbors!!   We were not able to use any of the curtains from our old Kentucky home because the ceilings and windows are much higher in this house. Needless to say, all of my curtains were too short. I wish I would have spent more time researching French country style curtains before I made a purchase. If I had, I would not have bought grommet style curtains.  But when I bought them, I didn’t have my decorating strategy worked out yet. So please learn from my mistakes and follow my strategy!!

I do think these curtains are beautiful though and I do love the white rods that I chose. The curtains are very practical and give us the privacy we need, although those grommets can make it difficult to close the curtains sometimes.

Lighting

Our first DIY project started here, changing out the builder grade light fixture that came with the house. Light fixtures set the tone for the style of a room and this one does not say French country!! Do your light fixtures match the style you love??

I fell in love with this light fixture and really feel like it completely changes the space to look French country. I purchased it from Wayfair, put it together, and helped Rich hang it. Stay tuned for a DIY to teach you how to switch out light fixtures all by yourself!!

Wall color

Every room in this house is painted the same color of gray.  Which I would never have chosen.  I’m just putting up with it because it was an upgrade to the builder grade white walls.  I want to paint a light beige but that will have to wait until next year! My priority now is to lighten up my furniture, so I chose to paint the table and chairs instead of the walls.  So, for know, I’ll live with the Sherwin Williams Silverplate on the walls.

Floors

I love the wood floors in our house.  That is one of the main reasons we bought this house because most Florida homes have tile in all the main living areas.  I would love to add a rug to this area but it’s not in the budget right now. I’ll add it to my list for next year!!!! Look, Barkley is posing for you!!

Furniture

The next step is to address the furniture in your space. The plan was to use our old table and chairs in the kitchen until we could purchase a new set. I wanted to buy a round pedestal table and Louis XIV chairs to complete the French country look. However, we decided we needed gutters and a screened in lanai more than we needed a new table and chairs. Since we’re stuck with it for a while I knew it needed to be refinished. You see we had been using this set on our back porch for several years.  Notice in the pictures below it’s in terrible shape! Do you feel a DIY coming your way?

If so, you’d be right! Here’s DIY number two! The table and chairs blended in with the floor and I wanted this area to have a much lighter and airier feel. Chalk paint to the rescue! Originally, I planned to refinish and stain the wooden seats and tabletop and just paint the metal white.  Once I started painting, I decided I wanted it all white and then I’d antique it with dark wax to make it look older! I just love how it turned out! It really stands out now instead of blending in with the floor!!

pictures/mirrors

Next step is to decorate the walls. I had this mirror in KY and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hang it here or in the living room.  It ended up in the eat-in kitchen however, it looked silly just hanging there by itself.  It really needed a piece of furniture or a shelf to anchor it.  The only thing I had to put under it was a small table which the mirror dwarfed. When I found the antique corbels I spoke of earlier, I knew they would make a beautiful shelf under that mirror. Enter DIY number three!

I am so excited about the shelf that Rich and I built! It’s the perfect size and scale for the space. We’ll be adding a post to show you how we did it soon! What do you think, isn’t it gorgeous?

Accessories

Now the real fun begins!  Its like putting the icing on the cake.  The cake is so boring by itself but the icing makes it look beautiful!  Here are the accessories I added to the space to add beauty and my personality to the room.  As you can see, it’s February so I have used touches of pink and added a few hearts here and there! 

Sure hope you enjoyed my eat-in kitchen makeover!  In just seven easy steps, I have a whole new room!  What do you think? Did I capture a French country farmhouse feeling?? Let’s take one more look at the before and after!

Hope this inspires you to do some research and find out what your décor style is!  Do you have a room you’d like to makeover?  Let me know in the comments below!! 

If you’re interested in seeing more Valentine’s decor then click on the links below:

Decorating Ideas for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Decor Ideas for Your Mantel and Home

Blessings, Donna and Rich