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Before: Outdated and Visually Choppy
Multiple wood tones gave this large farmhouse kitchen a mismatched look, while the green walls divided by a bank of cabinets felt disjointed.
After: Pretty and Polished Farmhouse Kitchen
Singer-songwriter (and serial renovator) Holly Williams preserved her farmhouse kitchen’s original layout opting only to reconfigure the placement of the refrigerator and cooktop. She coated the walls and trim a crisp white (Delicate White by Porter Paints) and installed ceramic subway tile for added texture. For a slight bit of contrast, she chose light gray cabinets which she paired with open shelving. An inky black ceiling (Tricorn Black by Sherwin-Williams) grounds the room, while patterned roman shades add hints of blue without blocking too much natural light. Rather than undertake a pricey floor restoration, Holly opted to paint the hardwoods a barely there shade of pink (Pink Ground by Farrow & Ball).
Before: A Mess of Everything
A low sloped ceiling (a mere four-foot-tall clearance on one end!), cobbled together cabinetry, and dated linoleum flooring added up to one unappealing kitchen.
After: A Handsome Coastal Kitchen
Before: Blah and Boring
White cabinets and appliances and beige everything else felt builder basic and lacked charm or cooking inspiration.
After: Warm & Inviting Kitchen
Before: Stuck in Time
The old kitchen felt cramped due to dated cabinets, patterned wallpaper, and layers of linoleum on the floor.
After: A French Farmhouse Kitchen
Maria Carr (@dreamywhiteslifestyle) The airier space feels significantly larger thanks to crisp ceilings with exposed rafters and wide shiplap planked walls, white cabinets newly crafted from scrap wood, and a sea of marble, including Carrara marble countertops (bedrosians.com), handcrafted marble-and-wood shelving, and a marble subway tile backsplash (emser.com). The couple also replaced linoleum floors with a herringbone patterned alternative in black oak, which they were chagrined to find out has a tendency to turn pink when staining. Thanks to a call for help on Instagram, they found a crowd-sourced solution: Woca oil (wocawoodcare.com) French standbys including ironstone breadboards, vintage baskets, copper pots, and an old French sieve that hangs above the range.
Before: Not Cook Friendly
While large, the layout was winding and inefficient kitchen with a super-small sink and low countertops.
After: A Farmhouse Kitchen with Patina
Austin-based architect Cindy Black of Hello Kitchen changed this kitchen’s floor plan to have the sink in front of the new larger bank of windows and a central island ideal for entertaining. To offset the preserved wood walls, the ceiling and trim were painted a crisp white and the wood countertops swapped for easy-to-maintain quartz from Wilsonart. Special details like the wood vent hood, reclaimed wood on the island front, and striped pendants give the white kitchen both patina and farmhouse personality.
RELATED: Best Kitchen Island Ideas for Kitchens Large and Small
Before: Dark and Cramped
A tight galley layout with no natural light source made for an unappealing kitchen.
After: A Modern Vintage Kitchen
Designer Kate Marker’s merged circa-1920s nostalgic charm with pure circa-2020 sophistication for the update of her kitchen remodel. To open up the small cramped space, she knocked down a wall to open it to the adjoining family room, raised the ceiling, and added rustic whitewashed pine beams. An antique blue-gray island paired with rustic tripod stools juxtaposes the room’s more modern Amish-crafted flat-paneled cabinetry and finishes, but all eyes go immediately to the coral vintage-style Big Chill fridge, which provides the kitchen a punch of happy. Because she loved the existing checkerboard floor, Kate had a specialty painter mimic the stained design onto the newly added wood floorboards.
Before: Awkward Storage
While the basic perimeter layout worked for this 180 square-foot bungalow’s kitchen, a return vent made for an inefficient corner space.
After: A Cheery British-Inspired Kitchen
Before: Dark and Dull
Over the years, this kitchen (which had only one small window) had lost all of its original farmhouse charm.
After: A Bright and Airy Farmhouse Kitchen
DIY homeowner Claire Zinnicker carved out openings in the kitchen by adding antique windows. A new larger row of windows instantly brightened the kitchen and provides views of surrounding landscapes. Two halves of another antique window hang higher on the range wall to allow room for open shelves (which Claire made from salvaged wood) that play up the vintage vibe. Painting the shiplap walls and ceiling white additionally opened up the space. Salvaged finds like the circa-1950s O’Keefe & Merritt enamel stove and Mexican pine island reinforce a layered, acquired-over-time feeling, while large domed pendant lights add modern styling.
RELATED: See more of the amazing renovation of this charming Texas farmhouse.
Before: Decades Old Everything
A faux-brick backsplash? Dark cabinets? Formica counters? This room boasted every 1970s kitchen cliché.
After: A Beautifully Bright Farmhouse Kitchen
Before: Drab and Dark Finishes
The counters and cabinets in this kitchen needed a chic update, but the vintage stove had tons of charm the homeowners loved.
After: A Crisp White Kitchen
The kitchen’s vintage Chambers stove remains front and center and actually looks more at home with its now all white surroundings. On a small budget, the homeowners kept the existing cabinet frames, but gave them a modern update by replacing the doors and painting everything Benjamin Moore’s Patriotic White. They jettisoned the dated laminate counters and dark backsplash in favor of marble and white subway tiles.
Jennifer Kopf is the Executive Editor of Country Living. She also covers antiques and collecting.
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