Hey everyone! I had planned to have this blog post live weeks and weeks ago and it just didn’t happen because, you know…. life + never ending quarantine + virtual home school.

But today, I’m back with some more Refined Farmhouse Kitchen remodel details as well as some of my favorite no-fail tips and tricks to style your kitchen. And since it’s been a while, or if you haven’t seen the before and after reveal of The Refined Farmhouse Kitchen, you must go check it out. And then make sure to keep scrolling here because I will be sharing a lot of the sources for the project as well as some other great tips to bring your kitchen to life. Even if you’re not ready to do a whole renovation you’re sure to find great ideas to decorate your kitchen and make it shine all in time to cozy up for fall.

To recap, the Refined Farmhouse Kitchen was a major remodel project right outside of Philadelphia, PA. The original space was very outdated and needed to be rethought completely with a full gut renovation. The house is an old farmhouse, and one thing I always do when designing a space is to make sure to take the architecture and the style of the home into account when creating the design. The final space is a bright and clean kitchen with a perimeter of white shaker cabinetry, white quartzite countertops, white crackle subway tile, accented with blue touches, throughout to create subtle interest and contrast.

The fixtures and finishes were chosen to feel classic and refined, but still to tie in with the farmhouse feel. The handmade terracotta tile was brought in to add some color and create old-world interest behind the stove, and layered with the custom vent hood creates a really beautiful moment. The blue is carried into the island and contrasts beautifully with the quartzite countertops. A mixture of brass hardware pulls and knobs add warmth throughout and tie in with the light fixtures. A touch of polished nickel on the beautiful bridge faucet creates more subtle texture by mixing metals and the style adds to the classic feel of the room.

Shop The Look

How to Style Your Kitchen

When it was time to add accessories and style the kitchen countertops, I kept most of them neutral or natural with very thoughtful pops of color as well as the use of natural elements in the wood, rattan, greenery, and natural elements. Although styling comes last in the design of any space, I would argue it can be some of the most impactful decisions you can make in a space. A little styling can go along way, and a lot of styling can go overboard fast. So editing is important. So, today I’m sharing my 5 top tips for styling your kitchen.

Group Functional Items

One of my favorite tips to decorate your kitchen countertops is to first think of functional spots in the kitchen and group useful items together. Next to the range is a perfect spot to gather supplies for cooking that are functional and pretty, like wooden spoons, pepper grinders, olive oil cruets, salt cellars, and little bowls look great grouped on a tray.

Bonus Design Tip: Trays are your best friend, you literally can put anything on a tray and it will look better. Use trays often and all over your house not just in the kitchen. They are tray chic

Vary the Materials and the Height of the Objects

Try to vary heights of the objects when decorating your kitchen, use a little bit of color and texture in each grouping. Glass is a nice way to add subtle texture and color without taking up a lot of visual space looks really pretty juxtaposed with something more textural like a wood tray or a something more rustic like a vintage vessel.

Leaning cutting boards against your backsplash is a beautiful way to add warmth and showcase some natural texture and breaks up the backsplash tile. They are easy to access when you need them and layering a few in different sizes, shapes to give you that something extra.

Make Your Sink Pretty

Expanding on the idea of grouping functional items, this carries over when you decorate your sink area. Some pretty soap and dish brushes along with a nice hand towel can make your kitchen sink area look real purrrdy. Does it make dishes more fun? That’s a hard no, but at least you will have nice soap and a pretty towel to dry your hands Ammi right?!?

Add Greenery and Flowers

To make your kitchen beautiful, use vases, crocks, or pitchers to add fresh greenery or flowers. And it doesn’t have to be fancy, just grab some scissors and go snip something that’s growing in the yard even a small vase of herbs. Kitchens are filled with hard and sometimes cold materials so the addition of something natural can do wonders to soften it up. Plus your neighbors will think you are fancy and it will be our little secret that it took very little effort. And remember if you don’t have anything to snip, and don’t have time to run to the florist, when it comes to greenery, “faux” is better than “no”.

Decorate Your Island… Sparingly

I usually like to keep the island simple when decorating, as not to overwhelm the functional space, in case you actually want to COOK in your styled kitchen. Not only are kitchen islands a perfect spot to add greenery, but adding a simple low bowl or tray of fruit adds to the look and the function of the space. PSA, even though faux greenery is allowed, do not use faux fruit… it’s not the same… and yes you can tell.

Try Not to Clutter

My last tip of the day is to resist the urge to clutter, little groupings and a few functional items will go along way in making your kitchen look beautiful. An excess of appliances or cooking gadgets will just overwhelm the space. So, stick with the things you need out and tuck everything else away. Consider using jars to store flour or other food items or just get takeout so you can hide everything away forever. ;)

Thanks for following along on this project, next I will be sharing the laundry and bathroom space. Stay tuned for more.

And as always, if you are looking for some help with your kitchen or home renovation, I would love to talk. Reach out here. Or find out more about Services and how we can help you with your kitchen remodel.

Real Life. Well Designed.

Sharp + Grey Interiors is a full service interior design studio specializing in creating beautiful yet highly livable spaces that feel as curated to how our clients live, as they are to their personal tastes and style. Sharp + Grey offers a wide variety of flexible design options, from full-service interior design where we do it all, to consultations and custom E-design services that give you the ideas or design plans to install your design project yourself. With a focus on creativity and collaboration, Sharp + Grey Interiors can help you create a home you love with fresh and inspired design made for real life.