It’s finally time for sharing the heart of our new home with you: our kitchen!
For those of you who are new following along with me on this journey from the Blacktop to the Dirt Road, here is a very brief back story on our family and why this home is so precious to us….
In January of 2014, our family moved from the suburbs of Kansas City to the farm in Nebraska for my husband to follow his dream of carrying on the family farm. With this move meant so many changes and months of transition for our family. Not only was I pregnant with our second child, but we were entering our first year farming AND my husband and father-in-law built our home. With their bare hands. Just the two of them. Please, just think about that for a moment….
…….
Anyways, we moved in this past Easter, just a few months ago, and nothing has ever felt more like home than this place does. Even with many parts of our home not finished, we still moved in and have been finishing it off room by room as we go along. I can’t wait to share our home as it continues to come to life, and the first room I get to share with you is our kitchen.
Enter my sanctuary, friends…
I will warn you, this is a long post. Not only did I want to show you the finished product, but all the small ins and outs of my kitchen and what make it so wonderful and functional! As a new wife, I had no idea how to put my kitchen together, I needed all the help I could get. Then, when we were designing our home and the intricate details of our kitchen, I was able to figure out what I wanted from snooping around other blogger’s kitchens and really figuring out what was the most functional and special about each one. So now I’m just sharing the love and hopefully this will inspire some of you to make your kitchen a special place for you, too!
So let’s begin!
One of the things that I love about our kitchen is the coffered ceiling. It gives the room so much more height and gave some extra head space for a ceiling fan, something that I have always wanted in my kitchen; I always get SO HOT while I’m cooking! I purchased my ceiling fan from Lowes and the color of the coffered ceiling is Mindful Grey by Sherwin Williams
The color of our walls is Repose Grey from Sherwin Williams, it’s the grey match from Benjamin Moore’s Grey Owl. The color is a soft, whitewashed grey; it’s not blue, not purple and definitely not brown. Just a soft, farmhouse grey. It’s perfect and I couldn’t be more happy with how it brightens the room.
The color of our cabinets comes from our cabinet maker here in Nebraska and it’s a Linen color; not stark white and not yellow-white, an off white. A stark white was too modern looking for me, but the Linen color gives it a “not perfectly clean” appearance and I love that.
I have a farmhouse kitchen sink. It’s a smaller one, 24 inches, but plenty wide and deep enough to wash pans and pastry mats with no problem. It’s one of the most functional pieces of my kitchen and the ONE thing I was most set on. The color is a stark white, but it does not stand out too terribly much from the Linen cabinets. I love that our sink is an undermount. It’s wonderful being able to scrape food and water right into the sink and not have to worry about the lip of the sink accumulating crumbs and grime.
I am also so proud of this sink because it was NOT easy to install. And my husband worked so hard on it and totally rocked it. What a guy.
I digress…
The light fixture above the sink is another favorite of mine. I love the galvanized metal and cord rope. I found this from Barn Light Electric. They were phenomenal to work with and their website made for easy designing and ordering.
Our oven/hood was the second thing that I was set on when we made our kitchen plans. I was very specific with what I wanted for the hood, so our cabinet makers custom made this hood for me. It’s very square, along with most of the other angles in our home, and has a shelf that is actually made from the crown moulding atop the cabinets. I love the way that this turned out as well.
My guilty pleasure in my kitchen is my pot filler, by Delta. I said for the longest time how badly I wanted one, but that it wasn’t quite practical, but my sweet hubby pushed to have one put in. And I’m so glad he did!
The glass corner cabinets were my husband’s thing. He just loved the way it looked and I think the glass really adds a touch of fancy to the kitchen.
My fridge. I love my fridge. One day I will write a post just on my appliances and how wonderful they are. Another day, another post.
The cabinet piece that encloses our kitchen and really holds it all together is our cleaning cabinet. Just wait until you see what’s inside! Keep scrolling down 🙂
Ever since watching “The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire” I have always wanted a plate rack like the Banks’. Not only do they display my dishes beautifully, but it’s BEYOND functional when I’m grabbing plates to set the table or serve food. I love it!
My everyday dishes are the set we got for our wedding, they are by Mikasa. I loved them because they reminded me of the dishes from Cinderella. They are a beautiful off-white color and I can use them for any occasion and not be set off by a vibrant color.
My countertop. Oh, my countertops. For so long I wanted granite that was leathered in texture. I didn’t want glossy or shiny, but something dull and dark. We went through Custom Countertops in Lincoln and they were just phenomenal to work with. They listened to exactly what I wanted and took me out to pick out the exact piece of granite that would be in our home. It’s by far the thing that sets apart our kitchen and gives it the feel we were going for. It’s a deep black with very small traces of silver and brown speckles. It’s everything I had ever hoped for and wears so well.
Our backsplash is bead board, painted to match the Linen color of the cabinets. At first, I was a bit worried it would be too much white, but the dark countertops break up the white well.
And that pretty yellow floral bread box in the picture above? It’s one of my most favorite antique store finds here in Lincoln! I searched for YEARS (I’m not joking) for the perfect bread box and found was so happy to find her so close to home. I literally (ask Eric) gasped out loud when I saw her and proudly scooped her up and brought her to the front to pay right away. When you know you found the perfect piece, you just know!
So now for the more detailed parts of our kitchen….
From left to right
This piece. This piece, friends. Eric and I saw this gorgeous vintage coffee grinder at an antique store in Kansas City and walked away from it. We came home and ranted and raved about it to my mom, kicking ourselves for not buying it. When we went back, it was gone.
Turns out my mom had gone and bought it as a Christmas gift for us. That sly, sneaky, wonderful woman. It ended up being the very first thing we hung up once we moved in.
I love the little bit of color in the blue design and the roughness of the dark wood and handle. It makes me smile whenever I look up at it. That’s when you know you’ve found a good piece for your home 🙂
Our farmhouse sink is by Renaissance Group and the faucet is a stainless steel Mohen from Lowes. All of the handles on our cabinets are from Menards. The faux potted ferns are from Nell Hills.
I mean, it’s just so pretty isn’t it? Sometimes I just sit there and run my fingers over the sink. Love at first sight.
My upper cabinet to the left of my stove and just to the right of the sink is my hodge podge cabinet.
But everyone has to have a hodge podge cabinet, right? Don’t judge me.
This keeps my bottle/formula supplies, Tupperware, bibs, oven mitts and the coveted box of Cheerios. I love having my Tupperware next to my sink when I’m cleaning out serving bowls and putting away leftovers. It’s just so nice to have them right there on hand.
This utensil holder. My word, I love it so much. I found this beauty at an antique store outside of Springfield, MO and it holds the utensils I use on a daily basis. It has for so many years been such a sweet part of the kitchens in the homes we have lived in. Now it sits to the left of my stove.
To the left of my stove is the spice rack drawer. At first I thought that this was just optional, but Eric was convinced that it was a must. I’m so glad he pushed for this, as it has turned out to be a really easy way to organize and assess what I have. It’s also great because it’s at a kid’s height, and Nora really likes helping me get spices out and putting them back in.
And then there is my sweet cow again. My cow bust and fern wreath are the perfect addition to the middle of the hood. I purchased my fern wreath from Nell Hills years ago and I got sweet Bernice from Antique Farmhouse. Now go to their website and spend gobbs of money 🙂
For the space to the right of my stove, I keep my salt and pepper, butter and cookbook stand, along with my coffee spoon/spoon rest that I use to stir my cup through the day (I’m one of those people who drink coffee all day long). I have a teeny obsession with vintage scales, so I decided to have a scale that holds my S/P and butter. My cookbook stand is from Nell Hills in Kansas City and the cookbook pictured is my most favorite wedding gift I received from my mother-in-law. When we got married, she gave me a hand written cookbook of all of her and Eric’s favorite family recipes so that as a new bride, I could learn to make all of Eric’s favorite meals. It was a true gift of love and I have enjoyed adding our new recipes to it as the years have passed. My coffee spoon is my Grandma Louise’s, the only piece of china that I possess of hers, and the spoon holder belonged to Eric’s Grandma and Grandpa Eberspacher with a picture of their farm hand painted on the body. Each are so special and I love that I get to use each of them on a daily basis.
The cabinet to the right of my stove holds our coffee cups and everyday baking items; my liquid measuring cups, oils, flour, sugars, sprays, etc. I love having all of my baking goods right near the stove and in front of where my cook book is.
My silverware drawer, directly to the right of the stove, has been the one drawer that has stumped me. I’ve had to figure out exactly how to organize and arrange all my pieces. Because when the top layer slides back like this….
…the below layer is revealed and I have had to figure out how to fit everything in so that it doesn’t hit when the drawers close. I think I’ve figured it out, but it’s a work in process.
My pots and pans below the silverware drawer are all in one cupboard with two gliding stand drawers, and I think that this is one of the most functional parts of my kitchen. I have always hated rummaging through my pots and pans, trying to stack them all the right way, but these gliding drawers make everything so easy. And I love easy.
I also love the sound that they make when they glide out to meet me. Wheeeew.
My upper corner cabinet holds many things. I keep a lot of my glassware, coffee supplies and glass salad bowls here. For my sister-in-law’s shower, I had glass jars wrapped with laced burlap for décor and they found their permanent home in my glass corner cabinet to give it a more finished look.
The corner cabinet is huge and I needed it so badly! During planting and harvest, we take a lot of meals out to the field, so most of our meals have to be transported and kept warm, so I have LOADS of Tupperware, random storage containers and casserole carriers. This is where I keep all of my water jugs, pitchers and my good old fashioned CD player.
My baking and Pyrex cabinet is so wonderful. The organizational piece of this just gives me goose bumps (because I love anything organization) and it’s wonderful to have all of my Pyrex dishes, tops, cookies sheets and pie dishes in one place.
And my rolling pin. Never forget the rolling pin.
My upper cabinets just to the left of the plate rack near the fridge holds all of our cups (I promise, they all get used!) and kids plates and bowls.
The drawers are filled with a plethora of other wonderful things. In one I keep all of my tin foils, wax papers, bags and sealers, clips, measuring cups and spoons, pastry cutters and electric knives.
And in the other I have all of my “not everyday” utensils.
My lower gliding drawers are peg board drawers, and I honestly could not be happier with how well these work! I keep my every day bowls, small plates, salad bowls and potholders in one drawer.
And my serving and Pyrex bowls in another. It’s amazing to be able to not have all my bowls clanging around in a cabinet and to not have any fear of them breaking or sliding. If one type of cabinet was a must for me, this would be it. And I love that as time goes on and my dishes change, I can move the pegs around.
Now back to the cleaning cabinet that encloses our kitchen. The bi-fold doors open to hold our brooms, mops, rags and all of my other cleaning supplies. I wanted none of my cleaning supplies under the sink and to not have to walk out to the garage to get my broom. Problem solved.
And that little girl standing next to it in her pajamas is SO DARN CUTE.
So there you have it. The broad and the itty bitty. I love my kitchen, everything about it. And my wonderful husband did everything in his power to give me what my heart desired for my favorite room in our home. I hope you have found something you can add to your kitchen, something that makes you smile or makes your cooking experience more enjoyable. Everyone’s kitchen is different and unique, so what works for me might not be right for you, but if you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them! Thanks for stopping by and taking a look at our home 🙂
The next two rooms I will be sharing are:
The Pantry
and
The Living Room
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What's all the hutch about?
love the peg board drawer!!
It's beautiful! Perfect and just so you!
Lauren, it's awesome! Your kitchen makes me happy! 🙂
I totally agree with you! The coffered ceiling is very good in establishing the height of your kitchen. The ceiling fan fits that hollow part and with lighting on, the ambience simply transform dramatically. Also, Repose Grey matched with Benjamin Moore's Grey Owl is really a good color scheme, since the two colors complement one other. The fact that the house was made by your father and husband, you must be proud and happy to live in a beautiful home like that. Thank you for sharing, Lauren! Kudos!
Fred Richardson @ SGK Home Solutions
Thank you for detailing the different kitchen design photographs. I always like to see high ceilings in a kitchen. I had no idea about the beauty of coffered ceilings. The extraordinary height does make a kitchen feel bigger. When I purchase my home, I will pay attention to each ceiling.
Shantelle @ Tiffany Hanken Design