Kitchen Before and Afters!!

The heart of the home, our kitchen, is the coziest, most frequented place in our house. The cabinets aren't updated yet, and there's more art and decor to come, but it has molded beautifully into the place I envisioned. Are you ready??
To remind you, here's what our kitchen looked like
Before:

The empty BEFORE:


And AFTER:

Before:

After:

The painting should look familiar. You see it every time you come visit my blog!

I found this baby blue pitcher at my favorite flea market for $8 to hold kitchen utensils.

The first step in the transformation was a new coat of paint.

The color is "Hot Chocolate" by Olympic. It's rich, warm, and comfy.

Next, we removed what Sean called the "Tom Sawyer" window treatments. Black and white, with a touch of toile. Nuh Uh!
My cousin Phillip worked with me to remove the 86 thousand staples.

I found 3 yards of this beautiful fabric at my favorite flea market.

Mine for $5.
Phillip and I recovered the cornice boxes with a staple gun and the windows got an instant face lift.

Our resident tall boy hanging them.

My farmhouse kitchen table was my Meemaw's.

Before:


After:
A coat of creamy white paint and clear gloss made it charming and chic.


The chairs are a collection of garage sale, street-side, and fall-in-my-lap finds, each recovered in a different fabric.

1. On the street in Sean's old neighborhood, free, recovered in Hobby Lobby remnant fabric.

2. Bought at garage sale down the street from my dad's house for $7, recovered in an old dress of my Meemaw's.


The other chair was left in the house by the owner and covered in leftover window fabric.

In the sitting area of the kitchen, is this adorable settee. It's an antique and was in my room as a little girl. Here's what it looked like sitting in the attic.

Before:

I picked out fabric and Joan reupholstered it using the cushion as a pattern.

After:It was a beautiful transformation!

Dad gave me this antique china cabinet that use to display my porcelain doll collection.

The feet remind me of a claw-foot tub.


I love the curved lines and character. I put my old white dishes and wood sign on display.

My "Southern"sign and a vase of cotton sit on top.

Our backsplash and countertop is our favorite aspect of the kitchen. It's more interesting and cozy than granite and is pretty much fool-proof...No worries about scratches, burns or stains. And I love that!

I had never seen this same tile in a kitchen before, until just after we moved in. I was snuggling up for a Food Network night when I noticed a familiar look...

The Neely's from Food Network's "Down Home with The Neely's" have the same in their kitchen. How beautiful are those white cabinets against it?

Our own piece of Memphis made it on the wall. Our signed Rendezvous menu:

I was going to refinish this old secretary of Meemaw's, but went ahead and pulled it inside to begin using. That spot was made for it and we're able to come home and drop mail, checks, and papers in an organized way. We've labeled the slots for unpaid and paid bills and keep our mail sorted.

I love having the chalkboard in here. Just a few weeks ago, I went through the kitchen drawers of my great aunt's house. She is now in a nursing home and the family is clearing our her house to rent. I found these TRUE vintage aprons and couldn't think of anything I would rather have found. She made them all herself and they are adorable.

My little house key rack was the first item to be hung on any wall in our house.

Although a cabinet redo was originally one of the first projects on the list, priorities shift like a crazy carousel when you move into a house. I haven't even entertained the idea yet. And while it is still my vision to have them white, they will stay as is for now. I'd still like a coffee table for the couch and maybe a little tv, but I love how it's all come together.

Mangia! Mangia!
Katie Follow @ktgray13