Simple

Simple

Virtual Renovation: A Small French Country Kitchen


When I'm not searching the internet for articles, photos, ideas and inspiration about interior design, I like to check the local online real estate ads. I'm looking to see what homes in my area are selling for or interior photos of homes that I've been by, but have never seen inside. My soft spot is for diamonds in the rough, which I could imagine renovating to my heart's content with little worry about the budget, plaster dust or hidden problems with the electrical system. I'd take a home that many have passed by and transform it into a gem. However, I've already renovated my home (except the kitchen!) and although eight years have passed, I'm not in a hurry to do another.

While surfing the net one day, I found a small apartment for sale in Boston and thought it would be fun to do a virtual makeover of its tiny kitchen to turn it into a pied-a-terre. The photo seemed to call to me for some help (and the pink tiles were doing all the talking). By the way, my guess is that any realtor showing this apartment would acknowledge that the kitchen could use an update and this post is certainly not meant to criticize the current owner (whomever that may be!). This is just my idea for what I'd do with this space if I were to buy the property. With that said, my idea was to add a little French country influence to this kitchen.
This 19th century painted pine sideboard was my starting point. After tearing out everything and installing new walls, floors, etc. I'd put the sideboard in the small alcove on the right for extra storage.
I'd install wood flooring similar to these antique floor boards. The texture of this wood may be too rustic for the space, but the warm color is perfect.

For a some cushioning underfoot and to protect the floor, I'd use this small indoor-outdoor khaki and white diamond patterned rug in front of the sink.
Next would come these white cabinets, possibly with extra tall upper cabinets for more storage. As for appliances, I don't care for those huge, expensive stainless steel refrigerators that have become status symbols these days. Therefore, the dishwasher and refrigerator doors would be paneled in the same material as the cabinets. I do like stainless steel stoves so would choose a small scale version or just a basic white stove. Antiqued brass pulls would be installed on the cabinets. The color of the metal is similar to the hardware on the sideboard. The counter tops would be Lagos Azul limestone to pick up the blue-gray paint of the buffet. I'd leave the back splash untiled and paint the walls C2 Paint's Milk Moustache, a soft white. If tile were necessary, I'd probably use the ubiquitous white subway tiles. This Perrin & Rowe faucet would be paired with a stainless steel sink. I'd add myrtle topiary either on the buffet or counter to add some greenery. For an overhead light, I'd choose this simple antique black lantern. Task lighting would be installed beneath the upper cabinets. Lastly, I'd hang these Claude Lorrain landscape prints over the buffet or along the back splash. So, here are all the elements assembled together again. Now that I've gone through this process, I realize that this look would suit my own home and larger kitchen very well! It's interesting how that happened. Anyway, this was a fun project and I hope to do more virtual renovations in the future. Pine Sideboard: 1stdibs.com - Cabinets and hardware: Plain & Fancy Cabinets - Floor: Chateau Domingue - Rug: Dash & Albert - Counter top: Louis Mian Stone - Lantern: 1stdibs.com - Art: Art.com.

21 comments:

  1. Your dream kitchen ideas for the little french country kitchen are really beautiful! The limestone is so soothing! I think it would look amazing! I can even imagine something similar used for a powder room too. I also love putting ideas together for fun like this ... just wish I could create them in real life too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just love everything you picked. I especially love the lantern and prints and flooring. Very chic!

    ~janet

    ReplyDelete
  3. So lovely!! I would just love to see it finished someday!! Great taste and those prints are stunning!
    xx-Gina

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great job! Love all your ideas!
    I've never seen 'pink' tiles in a kitchen before... ever!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very pretty! Love all the pieces individually and together they look even better.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love your vision for this kitchen. What fun to dream about what something could be!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Looks great!! Do you know where the lantern comes from?

    ReplyDelete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Linda - The lantern is from Brown. They had a large scale and a small scale version on their site. I only see the large scale version on the site now.

    ReplyDelete
  10. inspiring post, love this and hope to see many more virtual renovations. you are very very good at this!
    debra

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love your virtual makeover! I'm especially intrigued by the Perrin & Rowe bridge faucet that has the middle pipe. It looks like it would allow someone with a sink/counter w/3 existing openings to get a bridge faucet look without having to change the counter or put in those stops/plugs for the middle opening.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Deborah I love the way you've given this virtual project such careful thought & planning. You've shown that Big is not necessarily better & Less is definitely more!
    Millie ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love your fantasy kitchen. Maybe we could start a fantsy decorating club like people do with baseball and the like haha, Your blog is lovely.cheers Katherine

    ReplyDelete
  14. You can come over and design my kitchen any time you're free.
    Love that cabinet. The wood is perfection.

    xo
    Brooke

    ReplyDelete
  15. Gorgeous pics! Would make such a beautiful kitchen! Have a sweet day!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Love your ideas and the pics. You have some great ideas...if it's something you really enjoy, you could probably make some money from it. Even if you don't really want to do the actual work yourself, there is a niche for creating virtual designs for people that they can then take to their contractor. Thanks for sharing...I enjoy reading up on kitchen renovations and people's ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi There,

    Really great ideas, we've just settled on a home and can't wait to re-do the kitchen. Do you have any advise as to what sites I should look at for French inspiration (besides yours).

    ReplyDelete
  18. Yeah your kitchen is great in real means.

    ReplyDelete
  19. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I saw many country style kitchens but this small and beautiful kitchen is an eye candy for small house owners. Well done!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment. Your comments are part of what makes blogging worthwhile! In an effort to control spam, comments are moderated and word verification has been enabled. Apologies for any inconvenience.