Warm and Neutral Farmhouse Kitchen

Hi Laura! I hope you like what I’ve picked to help you finish out your space!

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The first thing I would do is update your lighting. The lantern would go over your table. I picked one with a chain so that it could be swagged to be centered over your table.

The glass light would look pretty above your sink. The lights are the same finish and the shapes look nice together without it looking too matchy matchy.

This is certainly not necessary but I linked to some nice aged nickel hardware if you wanted to add them to your cabinets. They are classic and pretty and would add a little more charm to your kitchen.

I saw this cute little shelf from target and I thought it would work well
in the corner but on the wall with the double window.

You could stage a
few things on there then balance the look out with the framed pieces on
the other side of the window to the right of the kitchen cabinets.

I know you said you don’t like how the blinds are white. I picked some bamboo blinds. They’re pretty reasonably priced and would make a huge difference. I would do the kitchen windows first and I think it’s ok to keep the ones in the living room white. You could disguise the difference by putting curtains up over in that space and / or could do that room eventually. 

OR, and probably most cost effective, you could not do any art on the walls and add curtains to both windows around your breakfast nook. These off white and taupe ones will soften the wall, add texture and be a good balance between the white blinds and cream cabinets. Unless you need the blinds over the sink for privacy, I would just take those ones down.

curtains via

If you choose to go the curtain route, I would buy the 96″ and hang them as high as you can and as wide as you can. To let them fill the wall space and not block the light coming through the window. That also means for the big window you’ll need a curtain rod that goes to 120″. They’re a little more expensive but you want to make sure you have about a foot on either side of the window, for the curtains to hang. Use curtain rings to hang them, instead of the pocket. They will move easier and hang nicer. Here are some but you can get them at walmart or wherever. Buy them to match the rod color you choose. I’d either do oil rubbed bronze to match the lighting or nickel to match the cabinet hardware and your stainless steel. I’ve also used flat sheets as curtains for an even cheaper fix (that post is here). I’d do the off white ones at walmart to help you blend the cream and white you have.

You talked about being willing to paint your table. I’m thinking I would stain the top a darker color.  I love the minwax color “provencial”. It’s the perfect warm brown. I would polyurethane the top with a satin finish. A glossy finish doesn’t give the casual farmhouse look I feel like you’re going for. I would just spray the dining chairs a fresh coat of solid white to match the table base.

I know you have little ones so this might not be something you want to deal with but I picked a rug for under the table. We’ve always had one and while the girls were really little I used bath mats under their chairs so that I could just throw that in the wash when needed. It’s a busy pattern so it will hide some of the everyday stuff. Rugs are just so good and making a space look complete. They are also awesome for cutting down noise.

Let me know if I missed something you were wondering about specifically.

I hope I’ve addressed the areas you’re wanting to spruce up. Thanks for letting me work on your space!