Home | Kitchen Renovation
When we moved into this home almost 3 years ago, I fell in love with so many parts of it. One thing I did want to change was the pink/beige kitchen backsplash. It isn’t horrible, but it was something that we agreed would be swapped out in time. This spring we decided to give it a go and make some minor (well, I thought they were minor updates… Mark knew they weren’t) updates to our kitchen. I had no idea that taking the backsplash down meant the wall was going to come with it.
That being said, what started out as a small project turned into a larger project. You know the books “If You Give a Mouse a Muffin?” Well, that is basically what happened in the kitchen. We are thrilled with how the space turned out, though, so we feel like it was worth all of our hard work. Here’s what we ended up doing in this space. Buckle up, because this is going to be a long post…
- Removed tile backsplash- Replaced with Eased-Edge Shiplap
- Removed upper cabinets to open the space up and allow light to flow in from the windows- Replaced with a single open shelf
- Removed the 90’s style shelf/desk area (not pictured)- Replace it with an Antique cabinet/hutch when I find one
- Add Sconces over the open shelving
- Remove the Window trim- Replace with a craftsman/colonial trim plus a windowsill
It doesn’t seem like much, but it is time intensive to do things the right way. Mark had to move some outlets and rewire a few things to allow for the larger window trim. We are still on the hunt for the perfect antique hutch, but all-in-all, we are enjoying the open, bright kitchen.
A huge statement in the space is the sconce I chose to go over the open shelf. I will, eventually, hang a piece of antique art above the shelf, which will draw even more attention to the sconces. I searched far and wide for the exact look I was going for. I wanted something that was simple, but had an older flare to it. The Greenbrier sconce from Kichler Lighting was exactly what I was going for.
I decided to go with a downturned sconce, which I’ve seen in many English cottage kitchens online. I was going to go with a black metal, but due to everything happening this spring production was low and they were sold out of the black metal. I loved the shape of the sconce so much that I decided to mix my metals to give a less fussy feel to the space. I figured that if I grew tired of the brass I could simply use a black “rub-n-buff” later on to give it a black finish. Needless to say, this sconce brought the open shelving area together exactly how I had envisioned it.
The window trim is another show stopper in the space. Mark knocked it out of the park with the craftsman style trim. This wasn’t even something I had on my list of things to change, but he knew how much I loved kitchen window sills and worked it into our budget to create one in our corner sink area.
Now, onto the shiplap. I have seen beautiful shiplapped kitchens, but I was hoping for more of an English cottage feel, so I wanted an eased-edge shiplap. This shiplap comes together as a “v” and not as a square, nickel gap. I think it lends itself to a more historic feel and I am so happy I stuck with my guns and went with this look, even though a regular farmhouse shiplap would’ve been much easier to find and work with.
The eased-edge was a bit time intensive because it only comes it a raw wood finish and not many places carry it in the Midwest. I sanded each piece 3 times, primed them twice (sanding in between priming), and painted 2 top coats. It was a lot of work and a slow process (over 30 pieces of shiplap were tended to), but in the end it was exactly what I was wanting.
That is the process we took in taking our already lovely kitchen and elevating it a bit into an updated English Cottage Kitchen. The entire process took us 8 weeks (mostly weekends) to complete and now we plan to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
Love it all. I’m curious if your island is painted a diff color then the other cabinets and if so what color is it?
It is a different color, but it came this color, so I’m not sure what it is.
I love that v groove shiplap you used – I am hoping to use the same in my laundry and 2 bathrooms when we renovate. The open shelf is gorgeous and those lights and the window trim – gah! You’ve done an amazing job on this kitchen renovation Liz 🙂
Thank you so much, Gail. The v groove shiplap is so “english” and I have loved having something different. 🙂