Kitchen Tour

Well friends, I’m doing something today that I wasn’t sure I’d ever really do. I’m doing a room tour of our home. I LOVE seeing these kinds of posts on other blogs, but never thought I had anything “showcase” worthy. Our house is not large and elaborate. It’s 40 years old; but has had major renovations. It’s our HOME and we LOVE it! We love hosting friends and family in our home. In our first year here, we’ve hosted over 125 guests in our home at various times. I’ve hosted 2 Bridal Showers, 1 Baby Shower, our church’s Ladies Christmas Ornament Swap, and SEVERAL family dinners. With each new person that comes through our doors, comes sincere, heart-felt compliments which are very humbling and yet make me so proud!

Our kitchen, like most everyone’s kitchens, is the center-point of the house…where everyone gathers and lingers. It’s my favorite room; my favorite spot. I absolutely LOVE my kitchen. I love walking in there when I first get home from work and sun is pouring in the glass door and window above the sink. I love walking in there first thing in the morning and seeing the back yard glisten with overnight dew. AND I love walking in there late at night when just the light above the stove is on. It’s not fancy but it’s ours!!

Welcome to our kitchen!!

This view is looking in to our kitchen from the hallway / foyer. I love that we can open our front door and see people turning into our driveway as they arrive!

The wall paint is Sherwin Williams Sea Salt cut to 50%. I LOVE this shade. It’s calming and clean and goes GREAT with everything!!

First up is my antique hutch. I purchased this right out of college at a local antique store. It reminded me exactly of the one in Aunt Bea’s kitchen from “The Andy Griffith Show”!! Probably one of the best $100 I’ve ever spent!! 

I use the bottom cabinets to store all of our plastic food storage containers; and the drawers hold my kitchen towels. Behind the glass cabinet fronts are where all the “treasures” lie!! 

I don’t necessarily love collecting antiques but I do love collecting pieces that are from past family members. This hutch stores so many family stories! The lunchbox belonged to Stephen’s dad when he was young. The yellow and red small pitcher is from France that Stephen’s mom gifted me with. The recipe card box was made by a friend. There are several “I Love Lucy” trinkets!! The crocheted piece, metal bowl and pan are from my Great Aunt Dora’s kitchen. The glass bowl on a pedestal was from my Great Grandpa’s house…I’ve been told he kept jelly in this dish and used it every day for whatever kind of bread he had to eat. The ceramic crock with pink heart on the front was my grandmother’s. (Stephen and I stashed our honeymoon savings in this before we got married. Haha, it’s empty now.) The dried flowers are a corsage from one of my Bridal Showers. I have several random cook books on the top shelf. The Watkins box is for my other grandmother, who is still living. When I was young, she sold Watkins products and I thought that was just so cool. She’s still the best! The rest are just odds and ends I’ve collected along the way. On top of my fridge, I have a couple more family items. ( I have a soft spot in my heart for flour sifters. I’m weird.)

Next to my stove, I keep this Pampered Chef Turn-About Tool Caddy….let me tell ya. This thing…is HANDY! I bought this several, several years ago; they since have come out with a bamboo one. I would like to swap out for that at some point. 

Before we got married, we decided to register for Fiesta dinnerware and I am SOO beyond thrilled that we did! I LOVE opening my cabinets and seeing ALL the color! I also love all the serving pieces and “extras” that Fiesta makes! Fiesta is also somewhat of a Stafford tradition. Stephen’s parents have Fiesta and his grandparents have Fiesta. It’s just so FUN! (What’s not so fun are the 257 j-hooks that the former owner left in EVERY. SINGLE. CABINET. I mean, really. How many coffee cups did that woman hang?!)

A random wish list item I had when house shopping was a window above the kitchen sink! We had lived here several months when I decided on a whim one day that I wanted to make a curtain for the window. MAKE A CURTAIN. Folks, I don’t sew. I have many talents. Sewing ain’t one. I can’t even sew a button back on!! So while this curtain looks impressive, just know it’s held together by heavy iron creases and hot glue. I’m just waiting for the morning  I come through the house and it’s all unraveled. It’s just a matter of time. 

Sometime during high school I started having a strong LOVE for Tiffany lamps. I don’t know why or where it came from. But it was intense. My parents TOTALLY SURPRISED me with this lamp for my high school graduation. Some girls get a fancy trip, some get a fancy car….I got a lamp. I also keep my weekly Menu Plan notebook here along with the cutest Scentsy warmer EVER and a Fiesta bowl with grab and go items…chewing gum, mints, mini chocolate bars, etc. 

When we bought the house I knew I wanted to add floating shelves to the empty wall in the kitchen. It would be an easy space to decorate and change out hints of seasonal décor. (Hence, the 4^th of July feel.) I found the print on Groopdealz and frame at Hobby Lobby. The shelves came from Lowes; the small ceramic colanders and fruit baskets are from World Market. The old hand-held strainers are from Stephen’s Great Grandmother.

I have had a chalkboard in my kitchen for the past 8 years; and I don’t foresee that ever changing. I often put Scripture on it; or something seasonal depending on the nearest holiday. If I’m hosting a shower, I’ll put something to go along with the theme or specific to the person we’re honoring. I stumbled upon this current design on Pinterest over the weekend and it just spoke to me for some particular situations we’re currently going through. I’ve repeated this to myself MANY times since finding it on Saturday. Our prayers and desires might not be answered the way WE want them to be answered….but God is still good. Things aren’t going the way I selfishly want them to, but God is still good. 

The aprons hanging below the chalkboard are some of my most treasured pieces. I have some newer ones that are just beautiful but the ones that my Aunt Dora, my Grandma Mildred “Mammy” Stephen’s great grandma wore, those are my favorites. All wonderful Christian women, all wonderful wives and mothers, all wonderful cooks…everything that I could hope to be. They spent tireless hours in their own kitchens providing for their families. I love having a piece of them and their examples with me in my kitchen! (We also keep bottled water & canned drinks in the floor below the aprons…it’s not the best look, but it’s real life. Haha.)

 

Finally, we have my baker’s rack which was a gift from my parents on my 30^th birthday. It was the perfect thing to get me!! It basically looks like this year-round. At Christmas time, I add a Snowman print painted by Stephen’s Aunt Jan and a strand of lights on the top shelf. Other than that, it looks exactly like this the rest of the year. It serves two purposes: to display & to store. I use the bottom racks to store Fiesta platters and bowls and all my table linens…cloths, napkins, placemats. I also have several cook books on my baker’s rack and a bowl where I throw coupons and random recipe cards into. 

 

Two gifts we received for our wedding are also on display. We have very talented friends! 

I love using my Fiesta pitchers when we have guests over. Otherwise, they stay put right here. (I also LOVE Ree Drummond. Probably in an unhealthy, borderline stalkersish way, but that's a totally different story.) 

And this is the view from our living room and door going out to our back deck. 

Like I said, it’s not fancy…but it’s me. The ABSOLUTE BEST compliments I’ve received about our kitchen are the ones that have said, “It just looks like Erica’s touch.” Heart melts. It’s all I ever wanted!! I cannot wait to make so many memories in this space with friends and family and hopefully one day kids of our own running through grabbing something to eat off the island or running out the back door to play!!

This is home.