Cottage Renovation: Kitchen

In the kitchen we changed the paint color and added a mud room where there used to be a bathroom off the side of the kitchen. It wasn't really in the plans to update the kitchen, but we figured it was the perfect time to update the wall colors and improve on our table and eating area.

I'll share some photos of the entire kitchen soon, but for now take a look at our new kitchen table, custom built-in benches and new-used chairs!

During the renovation there was a little problem with some measurements for our windows in the master bedroom. We were supposed to reuse some of our existing windows, but the openings were a tad too small. So we bought two additional windows and weren't sure what to do with the originals. Just when we were thinking about donating them to Habitat for Humanity my mom came up with a great idea... take out the small, half size windows in the kitchen and replace them with the larger windows from the bedroom. Props to her, because it has opened up the kitchen and allowed SO MUCH beautiful light to shine in! I knew I wanted to turn that area into a booth of sorts, and my awesome grandfather, Pa, helped me out with that. He custom made these beautiful built-in benches that open up for storage! I can't thank him enough, they are perfect!

During one of my softball games at Back Road Inn, Bubba and my friend Kelli made their way over to the Vintage Source who was having their annual summer sale. I couldn't believe my ears when he came back with the news that he saw a table that might work perfectly in our kitchen. Though it's a little big and we had to raise it up about an inch or two, it ended up being exactly what we were looking for! A great mix of country farm style and the streamlined, modern metal.

These sweet little chairs were funky, old and filthy when I found them at the Bargain Barn in Hughesville. And with the help of my grandparents and mom we cleaned them up, primed, painted and waxed them, and then we cut out new seats, new cushioning and new fabric that accents the bench cushions.

I found the bench cushions in a store called At Home in Florida while I was down there visiting my brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law. I'd searched everywhere in Southern Maryland with no luck, so when I walked into At Home and saw 4 huge aisles chocked full of  cushions I couldn't pass them up. Shoved them into an extra suit case and flew them home with us, and they were a great fit. I underestimated how many I'd need, so my sweet sister-in-law is working on getting me another one. :)