Our DIY Kitchen

So this is the BEFORE picture of the 1940’s kitchen. The stove was a button stove with a chicken roaster that was pretty cool on the left of the oven. It was hot wired in the wall and set off fire alarms! Scary!!! Craigslist Dutch DoorAfter Josie jumped through my screen door going after critters, a handful of times,we decided we weren’t going to replace the screen any more. We found this old Dutch door on Craigslist and refinished it.

I won this slab of quartz when I spun the wheel at a home and garden show! Score! I could NOT afford fancy counters all over, but I have it as an accent on my drink area and I also use it to roll pie doughs and cookies to keep a cool surface.
Breakfast nookSo we opened up the arch and used old barn lumbar to open up the area. We planked the ceiling. Made open shelving to keep the galley kitchen larger. The table was bought at Marshalls and it was dark brown. I just sanded it & painted it with milk paint. The chair was an antique brown chair and I wanted it to match my anthro plate. 🙂 The flowers are free from the garden here at Corner Cottage!


Josie loves hanging out in the kitchen and waiting for something to be cooked!

My kitchen ceiling lights are mouth blown & made in West Virginia.

Open shelving, Flowers from my garden…

I was born in the 70’s and raised in the 80’s so I LOVE wallpaper. It gives me warm fuzzies and reminds me of my childhood. I wallpapered 1 wall in the kitchen that leads to the dining room.

I am married to my best friend, a fur mom of 2 naughty terriers, and a Southern transplant to the Pacific NW. Money doesnt stretch as far up here to buy a dream home, thats for sure! With a little open mindness and a lot of DIY projects, we purchased a 90 year old home and are tackling it room by room. We truly have poured our heart into every project in this home. It‘s located in the beat of the city & within walking distance to coffee shops, a farmers market and some great interior design shops! At the end of a vibrant street, we are the Corner Cottage. Come look inside!

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21 Comments

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    Thank you for your comments!
    *Dutch Door was purchased on Craigslist for $65.00. It required a light sanding and to be painted, but it solved the problem of my Airedale jumping through the screen door to go after critters that don’t belong in HER garden. 🙂
    *Planked Ceiling was purchased for approx $250.00 from a mill outlet. They are recycled floor boards. Far from perfect, but that gives it charm right? New boards were quoted at $1500 for this project. The colour is Ocean Air by Benjamin Moore
    *Lighting. I fell in love with Eastmoreland Semi Flush shades on Rejuvination. At $265 each, I knew hubby wouldn’t approve of me getting 3 of them. With a bit of creativity I captured the look I wanted. I purchased the Ogee Clear schoolhouse shades from Rejuvination for only $60. each! Then I went over to an online antique lighting supply and bought the bases for $35 each! You do the math and the savings. It’s practically all 3 for the price of 1 light fixture. Just make sure you get the bases with the wiring already attached inside so all you need to do it screw on the shade!
    *Wooden beams were purchased for $50 from a lumber yard to open up the mud area into a nook. We had to scrub the dirt off and let them dry but that’t it. All cabinets were built by hand as well and our remodel was about $2000 including appliances by Whirlpool that we had chosen from House Beautiful 2012 Dream kitchen. Our humble galley kitchen was built from mostly recycled materials and made in the USA and was featured as one of the top 25 American kitchen remodels in This Old House competition 2014.
    Thanks for the comments. Ya’ll are my first comments… I am tickled pink! X

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      You have real talent Nila! I’m really looking forward to seeing more of your projects and learning how you do it all! BTW, I think the imperfections in the ceiling make it better! Feels like summertime in there!

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    You have done an amazing job! I can’t wait to see more of your home. I hope you don’t mind but I think I am definitely going to copy your light idea – I have been looking for something exactly like that without the hefty price tag. Genius!

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    Wow, you guys did an amazing job! I, too, love that dutch door and blue wood ceiling. Everything….. such a warm welcoming feeling. Love your cute little pup too.

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    Tonya, I would love for you to copy my light idea! 😀 This is all about us sharing ideas and saving each other some $; while we try to make our homes as inviting as possible. Remember you will need to get up there and dust and windex a lot more than if it were white. On the bright side, you can see right away if a bug is in the shade instead of waiting until a light needs changing and you have an unpleasant surprise! lol

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    Well colour me impressed! You did an amazing job and it is indeed a charming looking home. Dutch doors set a tone don’t they? The personality of your dog sells it too! He looks so proud and happy 🙂
    I adore your little blue table with the interesting pedestal…a treasure to be sure.

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    love your kitchen! I want to use that blue paint somewhere! While I loved the archway in the original kitchen , the squared opening with the raw wood looks amazing!

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    beauty. you should feel very proud! great work.
    also, dutch door related (i love them!) –you can make your own. we made one from our plain, builders standard front door, painting it a thick oily black, and it looks killer.

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    Nila, I adore the eating nook you’ve created with the painted table and chair, and you’ve got great natural light there. I could definitely while away the time sitting there sipping coffee and nibbling your delicious egg-in-toast.

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    Hi Nila! You did such a beautiful job with your Kitchen makeover! From the ceiling, the open shelving, wood floors, cabinets…… everything! Your kitchen nook is so cheerful and very creatively done with the color choices you have made for your table and chair. Your bench seat, decorative pillows and colorful dish display just makes everything pop! Wishing you the best in your new home! Adorable doggy too!

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    Thank you again for your comments. I am really glad to read that it looks bright and filled with light, that was the goal I was going for. I noticed while living in WA , natural sunlight in the home is a constant battle! I originally painted the walls a light grey but looking out at the skies I felt depressed. I vowed at that moment to be rid of grey even though it was a current design trend. I repainted my entire house 3 times! In the kitchen I went w/ Mayonnaise by Ben Moore because it had a pale creamy yellow undertone, that was barely visible, but tricked my eye to thinking it was natural sunlight on the wall. I instantly felt the difference! All fabrics were ordered by the 1/2 yard on Etsy & are from Amy Butler. I am not a seamstress but managed to make easy sew cafe curtains and pillows for the nook area.

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    Your home has so much personality and pizzazz. You may not have been able to afford your dream house, but this one absolutely sparkles with your wit, charm, and hard work.

    Also, your dogs are adorable.

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    I am swooning over your kitchen! I want to visit right now and hang out on the floor with the dog! You did an incredible job, and I want to live in the adorable breakfast nook on the pretty bench. I feel like my house is clean (sort of) but lacking in the layers of personality and charm. Thanks for sharing your inspiring pictures!

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