Hi, friends! Today I'm excited to welcome you into my kitchen for a little tour. 
These are a couple photos from our house listing. This is how the kitchen looked when we purchased the home. It's not super big, so we knew we needed to optimize the space. At the same time, we wanted to create a more open, airy look.
The first things we did were remove the large built-in cabinet from the wall (I felt it was too big and bulky) and remove the countertop that was covering a doorway. It was tough to lose that extra storage, but we didn't want to block the second entrance to our back porch. After removing the counter, we learned that the door was actually permanently sealed shut. So we had to remove it completely and replace it with a new door. This ended up being a blessing in disguise because we found a door with more windows, letting in more beautiful light!
We chose to keep the cabinets and paint them to save money. After a few coats of paint were on the red walls and wood cabinets, the room started to take shape, slowly but surely!
When we first moved in, my mother-in-law was kind enough to volunteer to come paint with us, and we tackled most of the kitchen together. I was full of butterflies, and it was special to me that she shared our excitement! (Thank you, Pat. I love you!!!) After a few months, I felt like the cabinets needed a little extra somethin'. So we painted the insides of the top cabinets a bold teal (Sea Swell by Valspar). Since we collect white dishware, it really made them pop. To this day I love this little detail every single time I open the cabinets. It was such an easy update, with so much impact. Emma did the same thing in her kitchen.
We saved a lot of money by keeping the existing cabinets and painting them, but we splurged on the countertop and fridge. A year later, I am SO happy we opted for something that isn't prone to staining or scratching because the counters still look brand new and they are super easy to clean and maintain. We added a simple subway tile backsplash and wire baskets above the cabinets for extra storage. ETA: My countertops are Quartz. They are from Allen & Roth via Lowes and the color is called Powderhorn.
Our Big Chill fridge was Jeremy's special moving in gift to me. I love it SO much. If you aren't familiar with Big Chill, they make new appliances with a vintage look. They come in a lot of beautiful colors—choosing wasn't easy. But I picked Jadite Green. I love it because it's pretty and still large enough to hold everything we need.
I painted the inside of these shelves for a little extra organization. It's been super helpful, especially the "snacks" drawer as we have a lot of guests and people working in my home right now.
My mom talked me into this double oven and I am SO glad she did. It's super nice to have a warming oven and a baking oven, or just more space to bake quickly.
I always thought knife magnets looked kind of scary, but when I saw one in the Enjoy Cupcakes kitchen filled with colorful knives, I changed my mind completely. It's one of my favorite details in our kitchen now, and SO convenient for cooking.
I thrifted this basket for our everyday kitchen utensils. I still love shopping at flea markets a couple times a month and little accents and useful storage pieces like these are my favorite things to hunt for.
The clementine statement wall is our most recent update. I didn't feel the room was missing anything before, but it adds SO much! I love that people always ask where we found the wallpaper too, since it's totally not wallpaper!
We chose unfinished open shelves to store glassware and serverware. I like to collect glassware in small quanities (usually 4 per set) because I love having a variety, but I don't have enough space to store a dozen 8 piece sets. I also have tons of cake stands, pitchers and beverage dispensers for parties, so this is a good spot to store things like that.
I'm weirdly obsessed with lining up my glassware on the shelves. It's SO fun. Open storage is totally a hot or cold thing because it looks incredible when it's styled. But it can easily look like a hot mess when it gets overstuffed. It's totally worth it in my opinion, but something to keep in mind if you're considering trying it.
My favorite thing about our new kitchen is that it's bright and cheerful. The bright whites and happy colors make me smile, even when it's messy…which is often. 🙂 Thanks for taking a look! Elsie
Credits // Author: Elsie Larson, Photography: Janae Hardy.
Kitchen Source List: DIY/Clementine Statement Wall, Colored Kitchen Cabinets, Kitchen Organization, House Shaped Cutting Boards. Wall Art/Anek, Wire Baskets/Amazon, KitchenAid mixer color is Pear, Cross Tea Towel/A Sunny Afternoon, Ceramic Mason Jar/Fishs Eddy, Refrigerator/Big Chill, Blue Rug/West Elm, Gold French Press/Bodum via Anthropologie. If you have any other questions about sources let me know in the comments!
To see more of my favorite home projects, click here!
NOTE: A glitch happened with our servers, and we lost the original post with all your wonderful, sweet comments. So we had to reupload the post. If you have any questions at all, we will still be checking and replying to comments.
22 Comments
I had wondering where you got the arrow spoon! It’s so adorable! Or even better… a DIY!
may i ask where you bought the colorful knive?
I’d love to know where you found the wire baskets on top of the cabinets. What a great idea for extra storage!
Ha! love that you have the Handsome Coffee bags sneaked in on the top there. Good taste miss.
I love seeing all your lovely house renovations. But this kitchen is my favorite, actually its probably one of my favorite kitchens of all time. Everything about it is cute and original but not too overdone. I am in the process of renovating my own kitchen (on a teeny tiny budget though!) and I hope it comes out with a similar vibe as yours. Haha I have actually gone back to this post many times just to fawn over the pictures.
Love the mix of colors! What’s the green paint color on the door?
What is the color on the inside of the cabinets?
Just stunning! I love how this kitchen it perfectly “you”.
Perhaps a bit of a boring question, but where is the stove from? I’ve been looking for one just like it. I love the grates, especially.
I LOVE your kitchen!! So, so jealous 🙂
Such a happy space! LOVE IT!
Where did you get your subway tiles?
ohhh nooo! No wonder! I had asked about the cabinet pulls/hardware – Sorry you lost everything, but if you check this, would you mind sharing what they are and where you found them? Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful kitchen and the entire source list!
Swoon! i love everything about this kitchen! x
Your kitchen is wonderful!! The clementine wall is so clever..I thought it was wallpaper.
What brand and color of white paint did you use for the cabinets?
where on earth is that white turner/spatula from?!
i love the idea of all wood, white, or glass untensils, etc.
im working on adding some more personal design touches to my living space. the kitchen is the hardest when you are renting but i sure can have whatever linens, plates, and artwork that id like!
Your kitchen is totally awesome. Still can’t get over the before and after pics!!!
Such a fun, cheerful room! I love the idea of all the white cookware and dishes – they look great together 🙂
Bailey
Hi !
Yes, like the young lady in a previous comment, I’m wondering where the baskets above the cabinets came from. They are so great.
Kim
Love your green door! What color is it?
Great post. I’ve been commenting a lot on a few blogs recently, but I hadn’t thought about my approach until you brought it up. (Other than trying not to sound like an idiot and actually participating in the conversation)
Hello,
Where did you get your fruit bowl?
This kitchen felt like home