French Farmhouse Kitchen: Kitchen Remodel Made Fun and Easy!

With the kitchen being the proverbial heart of the home it’s important to most of us women to have one that’s cozy, inviting and updated. Don’t you agree? Probably more than any other room in the house we need the heart of our home to be pretty, warm and welcoming. A pleasant, enjoyable place to be – whether alone or with friends.

I’ve lived in my home for thirty years this May and I’ve had three totally different looks.

While I don’t have pictures of my kitchen from 30 years ago to share with you suffice it to say it wouldn’t be the look one would go for now. LOL. My countertops were white laminate, my cabinets were golden oak and my wallpaper was navy blue with little roses all over it. BUT…..I can assure you….at the time it was rockin’! My look then was a type of English traditional with a bit of a twist.

Much, much later I gave it a whole new look with a facelift of sorts. The white laminate was replaced with Baltic Brown granite, the cabinets were changed from golden oak to a dark, rich walnut with a wood gel technique and the backsplash was changed from the white laminate to a beige tile. Again, unfortunately no pictures to be found which is incredibly baffling to me. But, the look was a rich, cozy “Old World” theme. I loved, loved, loved it till I didn’t. The light switch of love for my Old World look flipped off and I couldn’t get it updated soon enough.

Which brings me to my most recent update….my French Farmhouse kitchen. This kitchen remodel was fun and easy just by changing a few details. Some big, some small.

The overall look of my French Farmhouse kitchen with white cabinets, white walls and painted blue doors.

I’m sure I loved my first two kitchens amply as well, but I really feel this is my favorite. I was so tired of the dark Old World vibe with beige walls and dark cabinets I was more than ready to lighten, brighten and freshen up this space. So while the former me would have never even considered white walls in my kitchen I was now more than ready. White walls and white cabinets….yes, please! My wall color here is Sherwin Williams Canvas Tan. Even though it has the word “tan” in its description it’s actually a warm white. Which is what I wanted. The cabinets are Sherwin Williams Dover White and the blue doors are Sherwin Williams Debonair Blue.

What makes a kitchen French Farmhouse?

Design is in the details and French Farmhouse is no exception. One particular detail you will see in a French Farmhouse or French Country kitchen is the use of glass front cabinet doors. Originally these were solid wood and I had my carpenter cut out the inner panels and replace them with glass panels. It was a quick and easy, rather seamless thing to have done. They came in, removed the panels, added the glass in an extraordinarily short amount of time. But, the change it made to my kitchen was incredible. Just that one detail alone made a huge impact on the personality of the entire space. And notice the shelf in the center above the vent-a-hood? This was originally a cabinet. I had the doors removed to create a little alcove here so I could accessorize it to lend itself to my French Country theme. I also had my old metal vent-a-hood removed and replaced it with this wooden box shape vent-a-hood cover. All quick and easy changes that helped create my new French Farmhouse look.

Here you can see a more up close look at what I did. Aside from the traditional rooster and accessories for a cozy French look I added shiplap peel and stick wallpaper from Walmart. Only $30.00 for the entire roll and easy to apply. Perfect for that added “aged” look.

You’ll notice here that we used tumbled marble subway tiles for the backsplash. A refreshing change from what came to be a very boring beige to me in my Old World kitchen. This, along with the white walls and white cabinets, really helped to lighten and brighten this entire space. You’ll also notice here that the granite wasn’t changed for this particular refresh. My hubby wasn’t quite prepared for the cost of the marble and/or quartz I was interested in so we decided (reluctantly on my part) to stick with this. Because of this decision I wanted to tie in the cooktop area to the granite. I found these fun tiles at Floor and Decor and they were the perfect accent to blend the old look with the new look. In the end I’m very happy with the overall look in spite of the darker granite.

Here is a closer view of this pattern. Notice it’s trimmed out with this tumbled marble pencil trim? That’s a detail you don’t want to overlook. Trimming out a cooktop design like this rather than having the two tiles butt right up against each gives it a much more finished look.

Another way of adding French details in your French farmhouse kitchen is with your kitchen island. Here are a few quick, fun and easy changes I made to this piece:

1) First I removed the doors

2) Next I added another shelf to extend the storage capabilities. The original design just had one skinny shelf at the back of the cabinet. This allowed me the opportunity for more storage.

3) I covered the base of the cabinet and the shelf with Walmart’s peel-n-stick shiplap wallpaper to give it the look of aged wood like the alcove above the stove top.

4) I added baskets for easy storage. Easy to remove, sort through and replace.

5) And then last, but not least I added the towel bar to the side of the island and hung some fun interchangeable decor on it. It’s fun to switch out some of the pieces for the various seasons and holidays here.

Another decidedly French detail is a good old pot rack. Adding this above the island definitely lends itself to the French Country Farmhouse vibe. Not only that – it’s handy to have all your working pots and pans at arms length. Now I’ll admit I actually had this up in my Old World kitchen, but it fits the French Country Farmhouse theme so well I kept it here. All it needed was a little fresh paint and it made an easy transition to my new look.

More French Country Farmhouse decor details

To further your French Farmhouse look – again- it’s all in the details. There’s always an element of charm, textures and cozy little touches here and there. You will usually see wood tones and textures mixed with a splash of color and/or flowers….maybe baskets, dish towels, aprons, plates, etc. In this view you will see all those details. You’ll also many times see collections of items clustered together. Here I have my collection of charcuterie boards and white pitchers. Just sort of a mish-mash of charming “things” that look as though there is a story behind them.

Close up views of the some of the French Country Farmhouse details in my kitchen:

Here is my collection of charcuterie boards as well as my white pitchers, blue and white plates, a wire basket and flowers topped with this wooden kitchen sign.

Here I have an accordion peg rack with a mix of textures and greenery.

These plates are just part of a broader collection I have in my kitchen. You’ll see blue and white pottery and dishware in a lot of French Country Farmhouse themed spaces.

My towel bar added to the side of the island. This creates a place for more flowers, baskets, dish towels, etc.

Another wooden sign with an aged patina designating my pantry.

This is a metal rooster than used to be oil rubbed bronze. This took on an entirely new personality when I painted it SW Debonair Blue to match my doors. Flipped it from Old World to French Country Farmhouse in an instant.

A buffet and plate rack always adds a French touch especially depending on the way it’s accessorized. Both of these pieces were originally dark walnut. The plate rack is a flea market find from Round Top, Texas and the buffet is a hand me down from my mom. Tying the pieces together in Dover White to match the kitchen was the key to creating a cozy French look here. That and the addition of the wispy flowers and greenery, the plates and the Buffalo check knobs. All in the details.

And, last but not least is my kitchen nook area. These window treatments are authentic coffee bean bags from Columbia that I hung on rings to create a unique, European touch….hence, in my case…rather French don’t you think?. I found these at a flea market for $1.50 apiece. Yup….a total bargain! In addition to that bargain I recently scored these French chairs for $8.00 each at a thrift store. They were the perfect addition to my kitchen nook to finish off my French Farmhouse vibe.

Conclusion:

In conclusion these are the steps to create your own French Farmhouse kitchen or French Country Farmhouse kitchen. Whatever you’d like to call it.….it’s a fun and easy way to create this cozy theme. Yes….some of it requires the bigger task of painting and/or backsplash tile, but a lot of it is in the smaller details. Simple details that can transform your space. You may have to pick and choose what you’re able to do at this time….like I did with my granite. But, if you can finish out the simpler, fluffier details you can still begin to create your own farmhouse kitchen. I love every single detail in mine. There is nothing I would go back and change (except of course the granite). But, even with the original granite, the transformation of all the other details transformed my kitchen into one that’s updated, fresh and one that I love spending time in and entertaining in.

Won’t you please join my friends and fellow designers below from our blogging group “Designing Women Tell All” for more kitchen transformation inspiration. Click their name under each of their kitchen photos to view their blogs.

Crystal with Sweet Valley Acres

Lynn with Living Large in a Small House

Krisy wih At Home With Kristy

You will no doubt find lots of ktichen inspo from these talented designers. And be sure to check back the second Tuesday of every month for more design inspiration from each of the “Designing Women Tell All”

Happy Life by Design and Happy Decorating my friends!