Hi, Friends,
I hope that you are well.
As soon as a holiday is approaching, I begin to think about how I am going to decorate for the next season or occasion. Do you do that? There are times when I don't even wait for the day to pass before I'm planning the next decor go-round. The Easter stuff was all assembled on the dining room table by Easter afternoon. The brunch casserole, which we were eating for dinner, wasn't even in the oven. I didn't decorate too early. I wasn't sick of the decor but bunnies in suits aren't suitable after Resurrection Day, in my humble opinion. I knew the direction that the decor would take by Easter evening.
After a quick run through of some of my favorite YouTube channels, it became clear that it was time for an overall design reset. It was perfect timing because Bill was headed into the office the next day.
I could make as much clinking and clanking noise as I wanted.
Exactly what gets overhauled in a design reset?
The curtains, dishtowels and other linens, accessories and transferware. Some wall art is replaced as well.
For a year or so, the kitchen's accent color has been cornflower blue.
Blue ticking striped valances offered a farmhouse feel. They read gray which went well with the lighter blue accents. I remembered that I had a set of red toile valances in the front hall closet. I've never used them. I pulled them out and found some red buffalo checked valances in the closet as well. What can I say? I collect valances. They are affordable and they are easy to store.
My curtain sets coordinate with my transferware dishes.
I was in the mood for red. It's been a few years since we have had red accents in the kitchen. Since Bill was already asleep, I tiptoed to my pie safe to unearth a new container for the silver plated utensils that sit next to the stove. Getting those in place would let me know if I was headed in the right direction. Any wrong clink and Bill would be up wondering what in the world I was doing.
"Midnight decorating." I am a night owl.
The next morning, I hung the cream and red valances and they were a-go. The Waverly red toile was a little too 2003. I found them at the thrift store last year before the crazy started. I'd planned to make something out of the fabric but I hate to cut them up. The Faux Chateau had the same pattern on the walls. It's a classic but it was everywhere in the early 2000s.
The walls are a custom color that is very close to Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams. For some reason it reads almost like a neutral. Every color goes with it.
A shade from another light fixture was put on this pendant fixture. The previous squirrel cage shade was a little too American Farmhouse rather than European Farmhouse.
I love this shade. It has a very vintage look to it.
I still love the cafe´ curtains made from an old voile tablecloth. I made those at the start of the virus last year. This corner sink area is a pain to clean because it's so hard to reach, but it is darling and it's fun to decorate.
Our French scale is perfect in the corner.
I was feeling chickens and roosters for a spring theme. I even had some little chicks from Hobby Lobby. They didn't get used for Easter so it was time for them to get out of the tote for a little while. It's a fun theme that goes well with Country French decor.
I downloaded this antique postcard graphic from the Graphics Fairy. The Easter caption was easily removed in Photos. We have antique postcards but I'll download a new one if we don't have one in the theme that I want.
It's been about a year since the awkward area above the cabinets was cleaned. Lining the top with wax paper makes it easier to clean but each decor piece needs to be washed since they get greasy and dusty.
A rooster echos the deep red in the valance. I'd given the rooster to my step mom years ago and brought it back home when she died in 2019.
The counters, floor, and stove got a good cleaning.
A few bits of our red transferware were tucked in around the white ironstone in the niches. The niches are so fun to decorate.
Let's talk about the little clock. Oh my. I saw it about a year ago at our local antique mall. It was in the booth which raises money for Multiple Sclerosis. Dealers can put things that haven't sold in the booth and all proceeds go to a M.S. charity. It's one of my favorite booths because the stuff is cheap. The clock and a coordinating vanity set didn't have a price. I never asked about it because I didn't think that they'd have any idea since it was in the M.S. booth and it was Covid. The other day it finally had a price. The little clock came with a dresser set. I didn't want the dresser set but I was willing to purchase it in order to get the clock. I started to carry it around and realized something was going to fall off of the tray if I wasn't careful. I set it down to rearrange and the clock went tumbling to the ground. A small corner chipped off. 😩
I painstakingly glued it back on, caulked the seam and did an almost obsessive color match with paint.
Bill said he would have never known it was broken, if I hadn't told him.
This little rejected clock just has my heart. It doesn't matter that it's chipped because it doesn't run.
It is so darling.
The printed postcard stands in a flower frog. I picked up the egg cup last year but I cannot remember where I got it. I found it in a tote of lemon stuff. The lemon stuff hasn't been touched since last summer so... I guess, I got it last summer. I didn't really go many places last summer so it's a mystery.
The glass hen on nest is a candy container. It was a dollar or two at the thrift store.
It is my favorite chicken accessory.
The French mustard pot came from the Old Gruene Flea Market in New Braunfels, Texas. I think it was $10.00. It's the only one I've ever found that was that cheap which it's why it's the only one I have.
A porcelain candy mold may have been the impetus for the chicken and rooster theme.
It was an antique store find recently.
Some of my red dish towels hang on the stove and the island.
The one on the island is French. Judith from Botanic Bleu had it at her Christmas event. Judith lives not too far from me.
A rolling pin and a few spatulas carry out the color story.
The pie safe curtain was swapped out as well.
I forgot how cute the red looks behind the rabbit wire doors.
There you have it. Our refreshed kitchen.
Hopefully, this gives you a glimpse into a design reset. I don't know why I love change, but I do.
I hope it inspires you to do switch things up in your home.
Have a wonderful day.
Katie
