Before & After: An 80-Year-Old Cottage Kitchen Gets a Storybook Makeover

Before & After: An 80-Year-Old Cottage Kitchen Gets a Storybook Makeover
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Kitchen before and after renovation.

For starters, it was “too small” for Kirsty’s family of four (plus three pets!), but it wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing room to her, either. Overly plain and modern, she wanted to give the kitchen a vintage feel while incorporating character and texture, and creating more space. 

Kitchen before and after renovation.
Cozy kitchen with gray cabinets, colorful tiled floor, vintage decor, and sunflowers in a vase.

“I’ve always had a love for anything old-fashioned. We furnished our space with antique pieces, including an inherited wooden display cabinet and a vintage wall unit I found on Facebook Marketplace,” she says. “I also discovered a beautiful wallpaper that reminded me of a book I adored as a child — the inside cover was illustrated with cottages and open fields. To complement it, I chose wall panelling in a soft buttermilk shade and laid pamment floor tiles to bring in some warmth and rustic charm.”

Modern kitchen with gray cabinets, brick wall, wooden countertop, blue kettle, and colorful dishware on shelves.
Cozy kitchen corner with a wooden countertop, decorative bowl of apples, potted plants, and a floral curtain.