This is a loooooong post, so be prepared haha! When we moved into this property a few months ago, the kitchen was tired, it had a really good solid kitchen, but there were unfinished parts like the tiles, all the edging was worn, all the woodwork hadn’t been painted for two decades, the windows were misted, the french doors were nearly 40 years old and the walls were either black green or 5 different shades of magnolia. But the main thing was that the kitchen itself was great, once you looked by all the details, it was clear to see how amazing this room could be.
We started by repainting all the walls and ceiling, those dark walls took 6 coats, but gosh it immediately looked better. The tiles never looked finished off, there was nothing on the top, no trim, no neat edge, I actually hated them. I’d have never have picked smaller square tiles, but once I found these vintage style tiles to go across the top, it completely changed my view. The tiles we used were actually large tiles made up of smaller ones on a mesh backing, I cut them into strips so we could use them across the top. It was actually a really cheap way to add detail to the tiles, I think we used 3 of the tile sheets, which I got here from B&Q, it was a lot cheaper than purchasing decorative individual tiles, plus the sizing was just perfect to go across the top of the white tiles. We then had the french doors (not shown here) replaced, and it made the extension look new, plus it made it a lot warmer in the kitchen, and in a big old house, keeping warmth in is important! We then replaced all of the trim around the floor and filled in any gaps, in an old house, filler is your friend, fill around the windows, the skirting boards, it just makes it look tidy and finished. Then came all of the gloss painting, which instantly lifts everything once all the skirting and picture rail was painted.
I felt like that kitchen needed something a little special, I knew I’d always wanted an all white/neutral farmhouse rustic kitchen, but the more time we spent in the house, the more I was wanting to use Victorian style decor and really capture that Victorian style. I searched all over for a wallpaper for the chimney breast and high extension wall, I wanted a design that I felt could have been found, hidden underneath the decor in the house, put there over 100 years ago. A lot I saw, the designs were too bold or quite clip art like. Then whilst searching Amazon I came across the wallpaper we have used in the ktichen, it is beautiful, it has a slight sheen to it, but its the subtle texture that I love on the design, giving it that vintage feel. This wallpaper actually came from China, which lets admit, was a pretty risky thing to order, not only did I not know what the quality would be like, but shipping wallpaper around the world is risky in itself, I was so worried the ends of the wallpaper would be all squashed. So I actually ordered from Aliexpress as it was cheaper than amazon, had more colour choices and also more reviews. If you follow me on on instagram, you may have seen how I waited quite a few weeks for it to arrive, and only one roll turned up, when I ordered 5, however thankfully the seller was amazing and refunded all 5 rolls for me to order again, and this time it arrived within 2 weeks, and all 5 rolls – thank god! The wallpaper is such high quality, it is thick and so much better than any of the other wallpapers I have purchased for the house. I am so pleased with it, and I would literally put it everywhere if I could, I. AM. IN. LOVE. It’s just completely perfect, and exactly what I wanted.
Once the wallpaper was finished, it was onto changing the lights, we switched up the black lights that were left by the previous people to these beautiful gold lights. I wanted glass on the lights, and not metal as to not block any of the light. The main light is from the Range, but I think it may now be discontinued, a I saw it on sale in the store a few months after I purchased ours (typical) and the wall light is from B&Q here. I think the gold really compliments the wallpaper, I was a little worried it would clash with the silver on the hob and taps, but it actually doesn’t, and I have brought a lot of metals into the room with copper, gold frames, silverware etc, so I think the mix of metals works.
The room was really starting to get its own personality by this point, and the last touch (for now)was to add the shelves onto the wall. We used scaffolding boards cut down and stained for the shelves, as we wanted that rustic feel, and it looks so beautiful. I feel the photos do not do them justice. I love how they turned out. I made sure to leave enough space either side to allow the shelves to breathe and not dominate too much, plus I plan on creating a large sign to go between the shelves, above the cooker, like a french vintage market sign, but for that I need to find the perfect piece of wood or sign to upcycle to create. Then of course I dressed the shelves with all of my vintage kitchen finds from charity shops, and it’s everything I’d always envisioned my dream kitchen to be.
We still need to dress the other half of the kitchen, where the kitchen table will sit, once we have one, but for now I hope this post didn’t bore you too much, and you’ve actually made it to the photos- the good part – haha! Let me know what you think of our kitchen and don’t forget to check the last photo in my post showing the before!
Much Love
