The Easy Way I Brightened Up the Kitchen in My 200-Year-Old Farmhouse
Designing an old home comes with a few unique challenges — chief among them figuring out ways to combat some common old-home woes, like dark rooms, low ceilings, and worn finishes.
When my husband and I first purchased our 200-year-old farmhouse in the Hudson Valley in 2020, we knew we wanted to give the kitchen an aesthetic refresh shortly after moving in. The good news was that the space functioned great as-is — the layout was streamlined, and cooking in the kitchen was easy, with plenty of counter space for meal prep and lots of cabinetry for storage.
The pitfall? The room was dark, and all the finishes in the kitchen (see also: lots of stained wood) weren’t doing much to combat its shadowy, cave-like feel. Lighter cabinetry was the first thing on our wish list, but we knew a few added splurges — like new countertops and a tile backsplash — would go a long way toward transforming the kitchen into a charming and airy cook space.
Ultimately, we settled on three key changes that transformed the space into a historically appropriate yet totally modern kitchen, with the functionality our young family needed — and the beauty our old house deserved!
A bit of paint made the biggest difference.
One of the first things we did before even moving into the home was hire a paint crew to coat the orange-tinged cabinetry in a mushroom-y taupe color, Benjamin Moore’s Natural Cream. While we’re avid DIYers, we knew these cabinets would experience a lot of wear and tear, so we opted to get them professionally painted for the most durable finish possible.
Before the cabinets got painted, I did a little makeover on them myself. I removed the bottom piece of trim on the upper cabinets that I felt made them a bit too heavy visually, which allowed more of the backsplash to be visible. That small tweak made for a more proportional space, and the cabinets felt lighter almost instantly.
Shimmering tile was the key to adding more light.
Because a lighter, brighter space was the main goal, I knew I needed to swap the kitchen beadboard backsplash for something with a little more shine. I’ve always loved the natural look and variation of zellige tile and knew it would be the perfect match for our home, which boasts a lot of its own patina and history. I opted for 2”x6” zellige subway tiles from Riad in Natural White, which boasted a high shine and subtle color variation. Bonus: The lack of formal grout lines made this a cinch to install ourselves — we tackled the whole space in just a day.
The coffee bar and dining nook got a pop of dramatic color.
Our kitchen is on the smaller side, so ensuring that our coffee/dining nook had its own “feel” was essential to helping the space live beyond its petite footprint. We carried the marble countertops over to this space to keep them sleek and functional, but opted for a dark green paint color for the built-ins instead of a creamy white. The end result was a cozy and comfortable dining nook for our family that paired perfectly with the garden beyond the window.
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