Simple Kitchen Update
I’ve had a few of you ask about my kitchen you see in the background of a lot of my videos (mean, I do share a lot of cooking recipes). So today, I quickly whipped up this blog post to share some of the items I bought (spoiler alert, I pretty much bought everything from Home Depot or Amazon).
This post about my Kitchen Update may contain affiliate links. That means I may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Affiliate Disclaimer
I’ve had a few of you ask about my kitchen you see in the background of a lot of my videos (mean, I do share a lot of cooking recipes). So today, I quickly whipped up this blog post to share some of the items I bought (spoiler alert, I pretty much bought everything from Home Depot or Amazon).
Before…
When we first bought this house it was an interesting mix of the ’90s and the original home from the 1950s/’60s. Needless to say, the Cabin-midcentury-farmhouse vibe was not our thing at all.
Yes, there was also a fan in my kitchen, yuck! As you can see it was a lot, and I mean a lot of browns. Now, tearing down and redoing the entire kitchen was not an option, at all. So we thought a little paint and some new hardware would go a long way.
Attempt One:
In a blind attempt to update, I went with a sort of gray farmhouse style to try and embrace that look (which was also trending when we bought the house). I painted the walls gray and the cabinets blue.
Unfortunately for me… I actually hate gray in a kitchen. I don’t know what I was thinking. The farmhouse vibe wasn’t really working with the midcentury of the home either. I wasn’t happy with it at all and wasn’t really sure where to go with it. But my husband and I didn’t really want to keep spending money on things we didn’t like a month later either. We are not designers and I’m definitely not going to pretend like I’m an HGTV star and can make my house look perfect in 6 months.
Starting Over
One day during the pandemic, my husband found a podcast on Home Decorating for Maximum Comfort and talked about picking your style and color scheme first, then going from there (I know, some of you might be like well obviously but, we’ve moved a lot in our lives and we’ve always tried to figure out the style of the home, not change the home completely). Then I found a podcast from Jeremiah Brent on refocusing and blending your style with the home.
That’s when we realized, we need to really hone in on not just the home style, but a style we both really like. All while finding something that lasts more than a typical trend. My husband like clean lines, simplicity, and natural colors. I like color and mood, and old things. Enter the inspirational photo that started it all…
Midcentury Modern the Smith Way
We decided to go with a Midcentury Modern style, leaning more towards Midcentury focusing on wood and nature. The first thing we did is decided that we wanted to house to be a nice white canvas. So the entire main living area is a monochromatic white from walls to ceilings (even the trim and doors are the same colors). Then we decided that the paint for the cabinets would be that dramatic color.
The Paint
As you saw above we went with dark emerald, rusty orange, and brown. So the drama is coming from this dark hunter green paint by Behr available at Home Depot.
A little Brass
We also decided gold/brass would be our accent in the kitchen. But I am a huge fan of mixing metals so it’s gold/brass with silver/nickel/chrome since I knew I would be buying stainless steel appliances and keeping the original sink.
For those last little details, there is a huge blank wall in our kitchen, so I decided to put up a fun gold and white geometric wallpaper (a play on my husband’s mathematics college degree). Then I added a poster I created with kitchen cooking information on it, and I do actually use it. Coming soon to my shop!
The Backsplash
We also wanted to do a nice backsplash, but to be honest am, not a tile expert and my husband has so many other projects, I wanted to find something that it didn’t need to really take him away for too long from his other things. We did these pull-and-stick glass tiles (and they are glass, not faux). It took us about 3 days to get both sides done. They actually look really nice and if you’re looking for a quick and cheap update, this is a nice one to use.
Links to Everything I Bought
Below I have included all the links to paint, faucets, and even the pulls I used. If I couldn’t find the exact item (or it was no longer available), I put the next closest thing.
| Beverage Faucet in Polished Brass | Zurich Single-Handle Pull-Down Sprayer Kitchen Faucet with Deck Plate in Matte Gold | Air Gap Kit with Skirted Brass Cap in Polished Brass | Frost Glass Decorative Tile Backsplash | Behr Semi-Gloss Enamel Interior Paint & Primer in Hunter Green | Champagne Bronze Drawer Pull | Geometric Hexagon Wallpaper Peel and Stick Wallpaper | Kitchen Guide Poster by Always, Jenn Smith |
The Podcasts
These are the podcast my husband and I listened to that inspired and helped us get organized, hone in on our design, and really decide the direction we wanted to go.
domino Design Time:
Jeremiah Brent on the Rituals of Family Life, the New Neutral Paint Color He Can’t Live Without, and the Budget-Friendly Reno Hacks He Learned on TV
Jeremiah Brent is on a mission for the original. Known for his megawatt career and likable television personality, Jeremiah’s design approach is rooted in the ritual of living in a home you love and comfort without sacrificing an ounce of style.
NPR’s Life Kit:
Home Decorating for Maximum Comfort
The spaces we live and work in have a big impact on our mindset. And creating a calm, restful space can provide stability in times of change and uncertainty. It’s called “comfort decorating.”
If you have any questions about anything we did, comment below! I try to answer as quickly as possible.
Want More Peaks into Our Life?
Check out:
- Family Theme Nights: Panama
- My Top 5 Go-To Recipes
- Family Theme Nights: Scotland
- Greatest Photography Moment Thus Far!
- Another Day in the Country
Want to remember this post? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest Board!
Photographs ©2022 Always Jenn Smith; Jenn Smith, LLC FKA Smith Country, LLC
This Blog Post is ©2022 Always Jenn Smith™; Jenn Smith, LLC (FKA Smith Country, LLC) See below for details
Please Be Respectful
All photos are copyrighted by Always Jenn Smith™; Jenn Smith, LLC (FKA Smith Country, LLC) unless otherwise noted. Please do not (in any way repost) sell, trade, share, redistribute or claim my photos or any of my content as your own. You may NOT use any of my photographs for your site (unless you are using the title photo in a list post directly linking back to the original blog post, or you receive explicit permission from Jenn Smith of Always Jenn Smith™; Jenn Smith, LLC (FKA Smith Country, LLC)).
You may link any blog post to a list post as long as you give credit for the content to Jenn Smith of Always Jenn Smith™; Jenn Smith, LLC (FKA Smith Country, LLC), and link back directly to that blog post.
This site displays third-party ads and contains affiliate links, See terms and conditions for ALL affiliates.
Jenn Smith of Always Jenn Smith™; Jenn Smith, LLC (FKA Smith Country, LLC) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As well as the Apple affiliate program now called the Performance Partners Program.
If you have any questions feel free to comment below or e-mail me directly.
Thank you for visiting!
