I keep seeing this pretty kitchen from Midwest Living pop up on Pinterest. It’s a gorgeous photo of a very visually appealing kitchen. What is it that makes this kitchen so popular? Well, obviously the crisp, white cabinetry is right on trend. The open shelves displaying pretty dishes and jars are classic farmhouse. Those orange stools catch my eye in a big way: they are a fun pop of color that really takes what could be a run-of-the-mill country kitchen to a whole new level of fun design. And the pairing of aqua blue vintage canning jars along with the orange flowers and stools is the color team we’re all rooting for, right now. It all adds up to some serious kitchen envy.
Take a closer look, though, and you’ll see that it doesn’t take a bundle of money and a designer to recreate this colorful space. I challenged myself to find at least five tutorials for projects that might help me replicate the look of this room. Want to see what I found?
1. Build Your Own Microwave Shelf
An off-the-countertop solution to microwave storage doesn’t require a kitchen tear-down or new cabinetry. The folks at Young House Love have a great tutorial on retrofitting existing cabinetry to house a microwave.
2. “Vintage” Tinted Glass Bottles
At It’s Overflowing, you’ll find easy directions on how to give glass jars and bottles that coveted vintage blue tint. Instead of scouring flea markets and antique shops for pretty glass, you can recycle your own glass jars to make a lovely collection of your own.
3. Paint Cabinets Like a Pro
If painting cabinets seems like a daunting task, don’t be too frightened to try: there’s lots of guidance, out there. For instance, All Things Thrifty offers some great tips on painting cabinets the way a pro would.
4. Getting Bar Stools that Pop
The happy orange bar stools pictured in my inspiration photo are simply stunning. Finding bar stools in a bright color, like orange, might be a challenge, but it’s no challenge to find inexpensive wood bar stools. That’s why I think this guide for painting barstools from Being Brook is so helpful.
5. Add Beaded Board to an Island
Notice the added texture of beaded board on the island in the inspiration photo? I love that look so much that I transformed my own kitchen island in a similar way! You can view my tutorial for spicing up a builder-grade island with beaded board and board and batten HERE.
Challenge met! What do you think?
One more thing…if you love the fresh flowers in this kitchen, I found some great ideas for arranging inexpensive supermarket florals at A Cup of Jo .
Love this kitchen! Just looking at mine and seeing that there is a place I could do a microwave shelf and I would have room underneath for my Kitchen Aid Mixer just like she has done hers.
Simple ideas to add farmhouse fresh, Becki — great post! I’m especially taken with those awesome bar stools. Thanks for sharing!
xo Heidi
Beckie, I love this series! Great kitchen- thanks for pointing us in new directions to get the look for ourselves!
Yeah! thanks for taking time to comment. I am trying something new for my Saturday posts. I am glad you liked it.
This came just in time! I gathered a couple of branches to install in the center of my vegetable garden to make a bottle tree. Then comes the task of finding colored bottles to place on the ends of the branches. I can make all I want in any color with the Mod Podge technique. So excited!