This coming July will be 2 years since we moved into our little cottage. Two years already! We’ve done a lot of updates over the last 18 months but our cottage kitchen has seen the most change. I thought it would be fun to go back and see how far it’s come (and how far we have to go).

I loved this kitchen from the moment we stepped into this house. We left our beautiful, newly renovated kitchen in Illinois so I really wanted our new house to have a kitchen that, at the very least, had good bones. This one didn’t disappoint. Sure it needs work but most of the issues in this space can be fixed with a little bit (or a lot) of work.

This is where we started, before we moved in.  

An update on our cottage kitchen in our 1946 stone house that we moved into 18 months ago. We did everything from new appliances to paint.

An update on our cottage kitchen in our 1946 stone house. We did everything from new appliances to paint and DIY kitchen shelves.

This space looks good in photos but it definitely has issues. The floor tile needs replacing, the melamine cabinets are in rough shape (every door is chipping or peeling), the sink has big chips in it and the faucet wasn’t even attached.

Besides all of that, the microwave was broken, the electric stove was beyond disgusting and the dishwasher was rusty inside (and it didn’t work).

Some changes could wait, like new flooring and cabinets, but the faucet, stove and dishwasher needed to be replaced right away.

An update on our cottage kitchen in our 1946 stone house that we moved into 18 months ago. We did everything from new appliances to painting the kitchen island.

Before we could hook up our new appliances though, we had to run a new gas line. The new stove, the furnace we had to buy and our old dryer needed gas so we ran and hooked up a new gas line. It was a big job, and the first time we ever tackled something like this, but we did it (and saved a lot of money).

With the faucet, new stove and dishwasher all hooked up and working, I moved on to the next task, painting the kitchen island.

Such an easy change but it made a huge difference in the way the room felt. You can see all the details on how I transformed it here.

An update on our cottage kitchen in our 1946 stone house that we moved into 18 months ago. We did everything from new appliances to new paint for the island.

The next change on the list was the wine rack cabinet on the dining room window wall. From the moment we stepped into this space I knew it would have to go. I needed a place to keep my dining plates, and everyday dishes, and barn wood shelves were the perfect solution. Check out this easy DIY, here.

An update on our cottage kitchen in our 1946 stone house that we moved into 18 months ago. We did everything from new appliances to more storage.

An update on our cottage kitchen in our 1946 stone house that we moved into 18 months ago. We did everything from new appliances to barn wood shelves.

With the big things on the to-do list done, I moved on to a few cosmetic changes. The first one was fixing all the holes in the walls so I could paint. I went with Benjamin Moore Paper White, Regal Select, Eggshell. Love the new color!

I also went for a big change with our casement windows and painted them black, here. This project wasn’t a quick or easy one but the results are worth it. Best. change. ever!

An update on our cottage kitchen in our 1946 stone house that we moved into 18 months ago. We did everything from new appliances to painting the window trim black.

The last project we completed was the new ceiling light. We were going to wait until the renovation to tackle this one but…

Yeah, we just couldn’t stand to look at the florescent light anymore. This project was way more involved than we thought it would be (plaster ceiling, ugh), but we’re so glad that it’s done.

An update on our cottage kitchen in our 1946 stone house that we moved into 18 months ago. We did everything from new appliances to paint to a new ceiling light.

Once the window was done and the light was hung, I added my DIY farmer’s market sign over the window. Love the addition of the warm wood on this wall.

An update on our cottage kitchen in our 1946 stone house that we moved into 18 months ago. We did everything from new appliances to a DIY barn wood sign.

I think we’re done in here. Well, at least until the renovation.

We haven’t really discussed particulars but I have a ton of ideas already. Of course the floor will be replaced, as well as the cabinets, countertop, backsplash and sink. The microwave will go (we never use it anyway) and a new stove hood will be built in its place. Other than some new lighting, and maybe a new refrigerator, that will be it for this space. 

One last look at where we started 18 months ago…

And where we are today…

An update on our cottage kitchen in our 1946 stone house that we moved into 18 months ago. We did everything from new appliances to paint to a DIY sign.

An update on our cottage kitchen in our 1946 stone house that we moved into 18 months ago. We did everything from new appliances to new paint to a DIY barn wood sign.

Our cottage kitchen has turned into one of our favorite spaces. I do love it but I’m really looking forward to making more changes. Hubs…not so much. 😉

You can see how the cottage looked when we first moved in (there’s even a video!).

We’re Finally Moved In!

 

Cottage Kitchen Improvements

  • run and hook up a new gas line
  • new appliances, stove and dishwasher
  • new kitchen faucet – Moen (DIY here)
  • painting kitchen island – Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron, Regal Select, Pearl (DIY here)
  • DIY barn wood shelves – (DIY here)
  • painting casement window black – Rustoleum (DIY here)
  • remove and replace florescent ceiling light – Restoration Hardware (DIY here)
  • hang a DIY barn wood sign (DIY here)
  • painting the walls – Benjamin Moore, Paper White, Regal Select, Eggshell 


 

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If you’ve been following along the last several weeks, then you know I’ve been working on my combination kitchen and dining area. I recently finished the dining area and shared it, here, but the kitchen still isn’t done. We didn’t do a lot of work in here besides adding the reclaimed wood shelves and painting the walls, but the kitchen lighting definitely needed to be addressed.

No room for pendant lighting in your small kitchen? Here are 8 flush mount kitchen lighting fixture ideas that will add that farmhouse style to your space. | Chatfield Court

We have 3 can lights and one ceiling light in this space. The can lights are fine but the ugly florescent ceiling light definitely need an upgrade. This was a project we were going to tackle during the kitchen remodel, but the dislike of the light was too great. It had to go.  We weren’t sure what we would find underneath but, once it was down, there was no way it was going back up.

Farmhouse Kitchen Lighting | Chatfield Court

I cleaned the ceiling where the old light was and, after checking all of the wiring, we filled in the holes and patched them up. It’s hard to patch a ceiling, especially this big of an area, but it looks so much better than it did. I’m probably the only person who would notice that it’s been patched so I’m trying to release my perfectionist tendencies and let it go.

Oooommmmm…deep breath…

Farmhouse Kitchen Lighting | Chatfield Court

So, the ceiling is fixed and ready for a new, more modern light. Trouble is, I can’t find anything that I like in the perfect size (that’s in the budget). Our ceilings are pretty low so we need a flush mount that is no more than 12 inches high. Not ideal but you can’t change the ceiling height (yes…I have put some thought into doing that 😉 ). 3 light fixtures have been ordered, delivered and returned over the past several weeks…all failures.   

I’ve looked at tons of light fixtures so I thought I’d share some that I considered.

Farmhouse Flush Mount Kitchen Lighting Ideas

(Affiliate links used. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Please see my Privacy Policy for more info.)

8 flush mount kitchen lighting fixtures ideas that will add that farmhouse style to your space. | Chatfield Court

8 flush mount kitchen lighting fixture ideas that will add farmhouse style to your space. | Chatfield Court

I’m waiting on my fourth light fixture to be delivered. Let’s hope it’s “the one” so I can move show you the ceiling without a gaping hole in it. 😉 Fingers crossed. 

What do you think about flush mount kitchen lighting? Do you have a favorite out of the 8 fixtures I shared?

As always, thanks for stopping in. Happy weekend!

 

In case you missed it, here is the finished dining area that is part of the unfinished kitchen.

How we turned our small dining area into a welcoming dining room with paint and rustic farmhouse touches. | Chatfield Court

 Our Small Dining Area is Done and Ready for Guests

 

 

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Let’s talk about painted black window frames again (like we did here).

I know I’m getting ahead of myself. You haven’t seen my completed dining area yet, but I finally finished the painted back window frames in the kitchen/dining area and had to share. 

I owe you a tour of the completed dining area, and I promise I’ll share that next time, but you would have had to peek at the windows so I just thought we’d check them out first.

This is what we started with…

Looking for an easy and inexpensive way to add custom storage and a farmhouse look to your kitchen? Install reclaimed wood shelving for under $50. | Chatfield Court

Our house was built in 1946 and it had metal casement windows throughout. Most have been replaced but we still have 3 on the main floor. Two big ones in the kitchen/dining area and one in the “castle” bedroom (our nickname for the one guest bedroom). 

I love these windows and they are one of the things that sold me on this house when we looked at it. Besides letting in tons of light, they add so much character to the space. 

They were freshly painted white before we bought the house but I wanted to paint them black from the moment we moved in. My dear hubs wasn’t buying my vision…at all…but after talking about it for months, I finally did what any woman would do when she has her mind made up. 

I went for it (and got that look because he just couldn’t grasp my vision). 

I knew it wouldn’t be a quick project but I didn’t expect it to be as tough as it was. It wasn’t really hard, it was just time consuming. Four coats of paint, lots of scraping and several rounds of touch-ups to transform these beauties.

Although it took a lot of time, it was a very inexpensive project. I had a quart of paint and didn’t even use half of it for both windows. So, if you want a big change and a lot of bang for your buck, this a the perfect project.

Painted Black Window Frames | Chatfield Court

I tried to use painter’s tape on the first window but it was a bust. While I carefully tried to remove it (after I scored it), it pulled the paint off. Not good when you spend so much time painting.  I ended up having to repaint the outer frame again, with lots of touch-ups to the windowsill afterwards.

It’s all good in the end because they look great.

Painted Black Window Frames | Chatfield Court

There’s 70 years worth of paint on these windows which means lots of old drips and plenty of layers. They are old and it shows. The ideal thing to do would be to strip the old paint off and start fresh but that isn’t on my to-do list.

Change up the look in any room with painted black window frames. An easy and inexpensive DIY project. | Chatfield Court

Change up the look in the dining room with painted black window frames. An easy and inexpensive DIY project. | Chatfield Court

I did the dining area window first and then moved on to the beast, the kitchen window. 

Besides the fact that it’s bigger, it’s over the sink so it was harder to reach comfortably.

Change up the look in the kitchen with painted black window frames. An easy and inexpensive DIY project. | Chatfield Court

Change up the look in the kitchen and dining room with painted black window frames. An easy and inexpensive DIY project. | Chatfield Court

Here is the first appearance of the new addition to our family. Leo, the fiddle leaf fig. 🙂  I’m able to have him because of all that light shining through the windows. Is it weird or do you name your plants too?

Change up the look in any room of your house with painted black window frames. An easy and inexpensive DIY project. | Chatfield Court

I’m in love with the way the windows look! 

The black really brings out the character of the windows. It just adds so much to this room. I’m so glad I went with my instincts.

Oh, and hubs…

He loves them too! I knew he would even if he didn’t.  ðŸ˜‰

Transform any room of your house with painted black window frames. An easy and inexpensive DIY project to change the look of your white trim window. | Chatfield Court

Transform any room of your house with painted black window frames. An easy and inexpensive DIY project to change the look of your white trim window to give it a vintage, European look. | Chatfield Court

Transform your kitchen with painted black window frames. An easy and inexpensive DIY project to change the look of your white trim window to give it a vintage, European look. | Chatfield Court

I do love them but I’m glad that they aren’t through the whole house. It would take forever to paint them all. 

How about you? Could you see black window frames in your own home?

Change up the look in any room of your house with painted black window frames. An easy and inexpensive DIY project to change the look of your boring white trim window. | Chatfield Court

 

Check out more DIY projects we’ve done in the kitchen…

Open Shelving in the Kitchen for Under $50

Easy Kitchen Island Makeover

 

 


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I am one of those people that would crinkle my nose and shake my head whenever I saw open shelves in a kitchen. After all, I’m a neat freak and minimalist when it comes to kitchen decor. I knew that I would never, ever have open shelving in my kitchen. How do the dishes stay clean? Who wants to see all that stuff?

It doesn’t happen often, but I can honestly say that I was so wrong about them.

Beautiful DIY open shelving in the kitchen for under $50. A great way to add rustic, farmhouse charm instead of cabinets in the kitchen. www.chatfieldcourt.com

I loved my shelf in our Illinois kitchen and knew when we moved in that I would have them in this house.

There was a wine storage cabinet on one of the walls in the kitchen that would never get utilized (talk about a dust catcher), so I decided pretty quickly that it would have to go and wood shelves would take its place.

Beautiful DIY open shelving in the kitchen for under $50. www.chatfieldcourt.com

I had a barn wood shelf in our Illinois house, that we installed during our kitchen remodel. I loved how useful it was, so it wasn’t a difficult decision to do them again. This time though, we would do 2 and try to keep the budget under $50.

Open shelving in a newly remodeled galley kitchen. www.chatfieldcourt.com

I love this kind of project because it’s relatively inexpensive and it’s super easy to do. The hardest part was trying to figure out how to hang the shelves so that I could put my dishes on them without everything crashing to the floor.

The studs didn’t line up on the wall so that we could use shelf brackets the way they are supposed to be used, so we had to improvise. There was a lot of discussion back and forth with the hubs and I, and we finally decided to hang these shelves the same way that we hung the bathroom shelves, with a metal strap on the back of the shelf.

That way we could screw it into the studs so that they were secure.

open shelving

Before we hung the shelves though, I had a bit of work to do fixing the holes and painting the wall.

I went with Benjamin Moore Paper White, which is a very pale gray, and I love how it came out. So much better than the pale yellow that was on all of the walls when we moved in. We’ll talk more about the paint color when I share the whole room reveal.

open shelving

The kitchen shelves were going to hang a little different from the bathroom shelves, so we used shelf brackets, from Home Depot, to add a farmhouse touch. Since the metal straps are doing all the work, the brackets are mostly for looks.

open shelving

The metal strap is barely visible behind the wood and, from across the room you can’t see it at all. .

Beautiful DIY open shelving in the kitchen for under $50. www.chatfieldcourt.com

Just like the shelf in our Illinois kitchen, these hold our everyday dishes and glasses and a few plants. I didn’t want to be dusting a lot of stuff so 2 small shelves were the right choice for me.

Beautiful DIY open shelving in the kitchen for under $50. A great way to add rustic, farmhouse charm instead of cabinets in the kitchen. www.chatfieldcourt.com

The barn wood moved with us from Illinois so our only expenses were the metal strap for $10 and 4 shelf brackets, which were $7.95 each. That’s a total of $42 for just the shelves.

Adding beautiful DIY open shelving in the kitchen for under $50. A great way to add rustic, farmhouse charm instead of cabinets in the kitchen. www.chatfieldcourt.com

This is a super easy DIY that you can do in your own home. If you don’t have barn wood, you could easily use a piece of pine and stain or paint it.

How to install beautiful DIY open shelving in the kitchen for under $50. A great way to add rustic, farmhouse charm instead of cabinets in the kitchen. www.chatfieldcourt.com

So this is it for me. I’ve almost used up my whole supply of barn wood so I won’t be building anymore shelves.

I’m almost positive. 😉

How to add beautiful DIY open shelving in the kitchen for under $50. A great way to add rustic, farmhouse charm instead of cabinets in the kitchen. www.chatfieldcourt.com

Now I have to finish painting the rest of the kitchen and dining room walls. Once all the painting is done, I’ll be ready to give you a proper tour of the space.

How to hang beautiful DIY open shelving in the kitchen for under $50. A great way to add rustic, farmhouse charm instead of cabinets in the kitchen. www.chatfieldcourt.com

Hope you have a great week!!!

Other projects you can check out…

DIY faux floating shelves in the bathroom for extra storage. www.chatfieldcourt.com                                                                          DIY Faux Floating Shelves in the Bathroom

 Easy kitchen island makeover with paint. www,chatfieldcourt.comEasy Kitchen Island Makeover 

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We’ve been busy and I have a lot of projects (and some updates) to share, but I know that it’s the season for organizing so I thought I’d throw in my 2 cents with a few of my favorite organization tips for a small kitchen.

Our house is small so I’m forever trying to keep it organized and neat. The kitchen is one room that’s especially difficult. We have limited cabinet space and no pantry so we really have to be careful what we bring in. 

I’m not one to have things on my countertops, I don’t like clutter and I don’t want to clean anything extra, but, with this kitchen, we had no choice. After the remodel of our kitchen in Illinois last year, I had enough cabinet space so our counters were almost bare. I even got a few comments about how bare they were. 

Simple organization tips and tricks to keep a small kitchen organized and looking its best. www.chatfieldcourt.com

This kitchen though, doesn’t have all of that lovely hidden storage space. Sniff…I still miss our Illinois kitchen. All that hard work…

Simple organization tips to keep a small kitchen organized and looking its best. www.chatfieldcourt.comAnyway…I’ve found that if I corral my things in a pretty basket, jar or tin, I can have stuff out on the counters and I don’t feel like they’re (too) cluttered.

Crocks

Next to the stove I use a simple crock for a lot of my tall cooking utensils, that are too big for my short drawers. 

Simple organization tips using a crock to keep a small kitchen looking its best. www.chatfieldcourt.comDecorative Metal Bin

Also by the stove, I keep a pretty metal bin with the salt and pepper, a potted basil plant and a couple of cutting boards. 

Simple organization tips using a metal bin to keep a small kitchen looking its best. www.chatfieldcourt.com

Glass Jars for Food Storage

Now this is something that so many of you do and I have never, ever done it. Never…in any house we’ve ever had. I’ve never kept my flour and sugar on the counter before (it’s that clutter on the counter thing) but I’m ok with this arrangement. I have to be totally honest and say that although I like it now, it may not always stay this way. 

Simple organization tips using glass jars and a wooden tray to keep a small kitchen looking its best. www.chatfieldcourt.com

Tray for Oils and Vinegar

I found this vintage wooden tray at an estate sale and knew I would use it somewhere in the kitchen. It’s a little wonky but it does what its supposed to do…corralling the cooking oils.

Large Woven Round Tray for the Dining Table

We have a round dining table so, when I found this large round woven tray, I knew it would be the perfect centerpiece. Now I can have flowers, fruit and dishes on the table and when it’s time for a meal, just pick it all up and move it until we’re done. I’ve tried other things in this spot but I always seem to go back to this tray. 

Simple organization tips using large trays to keep a small kitchen looking its best. www.chatfieldcourt.com

Besides having pretty vessels to hold my kitchen things, to keep my small kitchen from getting cluttered, I watch what I bring in (including food) and purge when necessary. There’s no sense in having something on the top shelf, all the way in the back of the cabinet, that you never use. It’s ok…you can get rid of it. Donate it to someone who can use it.

None of this is earth-shattering or life-changing, but it helps me stay organized, and sane, in my small kitchen. What are your kitchen organization tips? 

Source List

(Affiliate links used. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Please see my Privacy Policy for more info.)

  • Metal bin for storage – H&M Home 
  • Crock – Bed, Bath and Beyond (3 years ago)
  • Black and white striped pitcher – Target Dollar Spot (2 years ago)
  • Cutting boards – HomeGoods
  • Large glass jars – Target (affiliate)
  • Round wood tray – estate sale
  • Mason jar lamp – DIY by me 
  • Preserved boxwood topiary – West Elm (affiliate)
  • Round woven tray – HomeGoods (several years ago)
  • White dishes – William Sonoma Apilco (affiliate)
  • Wire dome – thrift store
  • Ceramic fruit container – Target (affiliate)

 

 

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Yay, it’s Friday. I’m so ready for the weekend. It’s been slow going here trying to get back on a regular schedule after our vacation but we are making a little bit of progress as far as the house goes.

It may only be the first week of November but it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in our little stone cottage. Ah, the life of a blogger. I’m really excited to decorate for our first Christmas in the new house though.

Ask me how I’m feeling about it on week 5. 😉 

Progress in the new house, including putting up the Christmas decorations.

Besides Christmas, I’m pushing forward with some of my other projects. One that I’ve been dying to do since we moved in this past July, is the barn wood shelves in the kitchen. There was a beat up wine storage cabinet on the one wall and I’ve wanted to replace it with something that I could get more use out of, like barn wood shelves.

Progress in the new house, including taking down a wine storage cabinet. Not the best pic but it gives you an idea of what it looks like with the cabinet gone.

Progress in the new house, including taking down a wine storage cabinet to make way for new shelves. As you can see, the wall behind the cabinet was never painted so, after I patch the holes, I’ll have to paint that side of the kitchen. I’m really hoping to get this done in the next few weeks. Fingers crossed.

I also wanted to show you how the sunroom is coming along. The last time I shared it, we were just moving in. 

Progress in the new house, including cleaning up the sunroom.Not much done in here…yet. I did ditch the blinds and gave the whole room a good cleaning. It doesn’t look it in the picture, but it was filthy. 

We have grand plans for this room but it’s way down there on the bottom of the list. 

Progress in the new house, including setting up the sunroom.For now it’s a comfortable spot to sit and watch the leaves fall. This room is up in the air a bit so it feels like you’re in a treehouse. 

Almost everything in this room came with us from Chicago. The only new purchases are the pillow covers, the floor lamp, the checked throw and the rug, that I just got from the Pottery Barn Outlet. A source list for the room is at the bottom of the post.

This is the corner opposite the couch. It’s a cozy place to sit and read a magazine, or scroll through Instagram and Pinterest. 😉

Progress is happening in the new house, including setting up the sunroom.Progress is slowly happening in the new house.Sharing the progress and happenings in the new house.

So, that’s what’s cookin’ here.

What have you been up to? Are you ready to see Christmas all over the internet or are you like my mister…bah humbug?

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope your weekend is great!

Source list: (*Affiliate links used)

If you want a little perspective of the room before, I made a quick video of the house when we first moved in and the sunroom is the first space I shared.

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