Farmhouse Kitchen & Breakfast Nook Tour
Today I’m excited to share a little tour of our kitchen and updated breakfast nook with you lovely people. But let me start off by saying that if you’re looking for a perfect, magazine worthy kitchen this is not it. Not even close. What we have is a cozy little kitchen in a 1980s fixer upper. The ceilings are low, the space is limited, and our sink desperately needs replacing. And even though it’s not my dream kitchen, we make it work and I’ve come to love its quirky design. I’m also sharing our bright and sunny breakfast nook, which has a new snazzy sign and a few other fun changes.
So after many months of eyeing this vintage inspired grocery sign, I finally caved and let myself buy it. I literally walked out of the store with the cheesiest smile ever. I adore this sign and it works perfectly it in this spot. I found mine at a local shop, but if you’re wanting one for yourself I’d suggest keeping a close eye on Decor Steals—they offer this sign on a flash sale from time to time.
This bakery sign was a DIY project I did last year when we didn’t have a lot of extra money to spend on decor. You can see the full tutorial here. It was super easy, you don’t need any fancy machine to do it, and it was practically free. Free is always good.
I finally moved my chalkboard out of this spot and replaced it with these wire baskets. I found these at Hobby Lobby, but you can find them everywhere. I love the contrast of the black baskets and the white planked wall.
If you’re curious about the shiplap, aka planked wall, head on over to this post where I shared the step-by-step process. I did it all myself, it was my first time even using a skillsaw, but I did it and I still have all 10 fingers. Winning!
This wall separating the living room and kitchen is on my to-do list of things to tear down. It’s a load bearing wall and will definitely be a big project. I’m hoping it isn’t too far off, but for now it stays safe from the sledge hammer. Lucky wall.
This island was something we had custom made not long after we moved into our very first home about 8 years ago. I’ve loved it ever since. It works perfectly in our kitchen now, especially since we don’t have a lot of space to work with. If you want to read more about it hop on over to this post.
See that big, white box over there in the corner? That my friends in an intercom system. Yep, we have a working intercom in our home. Not only does each room have a wall unit like this, so we can talk to each other, but it also plays the radio–which makes it easy to have spontaneous dance parties. You guys know I’m a sucker for vintage and I’d say this is definitely vintage. It’s actually one of my favorite things about our home. Plus the intercom works with the doorbell, so we can talk to anyone waiting at the front door. Pretty snazzy stuff. And very 1980s.
I hope you guys like this little tour of our updated breakfast nook and kitchen. I absolulty love our breakfast nook area, we’ve put a lot of work into over the past year, however I always find myself hesitating to share the kitchen because I know it’s not much to look at. But I’m a firm believer in loving the home you have and being grateful every day. Sure it’s not huge, I don’t have a big farmhouse sink with butcher block countertops, and the ceiling is only 7 feet high, but it’s a cozy little kitchen that’s full of laughter, dance parties, and sweet memories–and that’s all we need. I hope this inspires you to love the home you have, even if it’s not perfect. Perfection is boring anyway, right?
Thank you so much for stopping by. Let me know if you have any questions, I always love hearing from you in the comments. And I’m trying to get better about linking my sources, or similar products, for any of you that want to create a similar look. This handy-dandy slider has all the goods:
The Comments
Marilyn Soto
Very cute. The planked wall is perfect in that space and I love the wreath hanging from the cabinet door. We currently have dark wood cabinets, since they were custom made I’m hesitant to paint them (even though I desperately want to lighten up our kitchen ) I’m going to add a glass door to a few of them and fill it with my white dishes and glasses first -hoping that will help , and now after seeing how easy your wall was I think I’m going to plank our back splash.
Sarah
> Marilyn SotoI think the glass doors would be a great idea. I did that in our last home and I really liked it. And definitely plank your back splash, that is a great idea!! Send me pics if you do, I’d love to see it.
Joette
> Marilyn SotoSarah, love your kitchen and breakfast nook. Your taste is exactly what I crave. I am a little late coming to your blog. In fact, just found it. Can’ wait to devour!
Sarah
> JoetteYay, so happy to hear that Joette. Thank you SO much!!
Crystal
Love your kitchen…. I’m with you on being happy with what you have as chances are you won’t be happy with a bigger kitchen then either! Was wondering where your fridge is located?! š
Sarah
> CrystalThanks Crystal! The fridge is over to the right of the stove. I actually didn’t really photograph that corner, so I might have to do that and update the post! š
Donna
I love it! I think it’s just perfect!
Sarah
> DonnaAw thank you Donna!
Jodi
Thanks for sharing. I always enjoy your blog, but this was one I really needed. A year ago this month we sold our home in the country that my husband built for us 30 years ago. We needed to close a family trust and bought his parents home. There were many good things that came with this change. Downsizing and taking 400 miles each week off our commutes being the biggest. Making the change from a cape cod with dormers out the back to a flat 1963 ranch has been harder than I ever imagined. It’s like walking into 1960 every day. Golddust Formica and a pink bathroom. Anyway – it’s a slow process, and you reminded me that I need to appreciate the good things and the fun of renovation, instead of missing a place I loved to call home. We’ve completed the basement and will begin our upstairs demo this month. Again, thanks for your positivity and fun ideas.
Sarah
> JodiJodi, thank you so much for sharing. I can only imagine how hard it must have been to leave your home of 30 years. But it’s good to hear that you recognize all the benefits, that commute alone is a huge plus. There can definitely be joy in the process of renovating, but it is hard. Trust me, we still have plenty of rooms in our home now that haven’t even been touched yet. The basement in our bathroom has blue countertops. It ain’t pretty, but we’ll get there eventually. Thank you so much for reading and your support, I really appreciate it! xoxo
Sandy @ Shady Meadow Cottage
I love your home Sarah, and the changes you made to your kitchen and dining nook. I especially like the new sign.
Sarah
> Sandy @ Shady Meadow CottageSandy, thank you so much!
Pamela Martin
I enjoyed my visit. Thank you for inviting me to your beautiful kitchen.
*Smiles*
Sarah
> Pamela MartinHappy to hear it, thanks Pamela!
Mary
Love your new sign, ship lap and your other personal touches! FYI wood signs like your Grocery and Bakery sign can be ordered at etsy.com. Just put whatever type of sign you are looking for in the search box. I am deciding between a couple of Bakery signs for my kitchen š
Sarah
> MaryThank you so much Mary, I appreciate the tip!
Doreen Sulfaro
I absolutely love your kitchen. It looks so beautiful and farm style. No worries about it being small as it works so well. Luv it and the rolling pin exposure with the baskets and on your countertop is such a great idea.
Sarah
> Doreen SulfaroThanks Doreen, I’m glad you like it! š
Chelsey
Hi, I’m new to your blog, and am really enjoying it. We actually have a century home (circa 1900s), and we love the vintage farmhouse feel about it. Your blog has given me some great decorating tips. I’m curious – where do you find the metal tins with greenery I see in a lot of your pictures?
Sarah
> ChelseyThanks for being here Chelsey, I am so happy you found my blog. I find a lot of my metal tins at yard sales and auctions.Look on Craigslist too, I’ve seen them on there a lot.
Jeri
Did you paint you table and chairs? I have the exact same set only mine is in it’s original pickled oak (very light) finish. I am thinking about painting it so just wondering.. Your kitchen is so cozy and wonderful!
Sarah
> JeriThank you Jeri! Yes, I did paint the table. You can find how I did it here: https://sarahjoyblog.com/chalk-paint-dining-table-makeover/
Hayden Scharrer
Your kitchen is adorable! My husband and I bought an 1800’s farmhouse and although the kitchen was not what I had envisioned, small projects can add up to make you love it just as much! I also adore your pressback dining chairs. I am currently stalking Craigslist daily to try to find some of these!
Sarah
> Hayden ScharrerThanks so much Hayden! I totally agree–small projects add up bit by bit. And then you have a home that you love even more because you’ve put so much into it. Good luck finding your chairs. I found mine for free on Craigslist!
Marie
I love that your house has an intercom! My parents put one in our house in the 70’s and I absolutely loved turning on the music loud in the summer time so I had music everywhere. I’d love to have that in my home today ????
Sarah
> MarieThat’s exactly what it’s like around here Marie, music always playing! So cool you had one growing up, they are pretty cool.
The Kitchen Remodel Has Started! - Little Vintage Nest
[…] or over on Instagram, because it’s just…blah. (You can see photos of it in this rare post.) Now it’s not awful by any means, but I think the best way to describe it is mismatched. The […]
Amber Ferguson
Sarah this is so charming! I found your post via Pinterest when was searching for beautiful images for my Farmhouse Kitchen post. I have featured one of your photos in my post with a direct link to this post. If you would like me to remove it just let me know!
Love the sunshine in you kitchen!
https://followtheyellowbrickhome.com/five-easy-ways-to-add-farmhouse-style-to-a-kitchen/