Adding a limewash paint treatment to your walls can add a vintage, worldly aesthetic to even a brand-new space. It’s often used in living rooms and bedrooms, but DIYer and apartment dweller Teresa Rudolph added it to her kitchen — and the result is stunning.
When she moved in, the kitchen had crisp white walls, checkered floors, and a basic white kitchen setup on the lefthand side.
After replacing the old floors with wood, Teresa, whose style leans more minimalist and modern, wanted “to keep everything flat — no upper cabinets … so you don’t accumulate more than you really need,” she says. She also wanted “a mix of modern elements and vintage pieces.”
Limewash paint adds a vintage vibe.
To incorporate the old-world feel she was after, Teresa painted the walls. And she actually painted directly over top of white textured wallpaper that was already in the space — although in a perfect world, Teresa says she’d do this project over a blank wall.
“It’s a limewash paint,” Teresa says. I used Kalklitir; the color is called Elle. I can highly recommend it.” She also recommends adding a bit of water to the paint mixture for easier application — especially over an already-textured surface.
There’s also a vintage worktop.
Another element that incorporates the vintage feel Teresa wanted is her table on the right side of the room. “It’s an antique workbench,” she says. “I bought it many years ago for €300.” She bought it on Kleinanzeigen, a classifieds site similar to eBay in Germany, and restored it.
“Over time, it’s served every purpose you can imagine — it’s been a desk, a bookshelf — but I love it most in the kitchen as a work surface and herb shelf,” Teresa says.
A bold light fixture overhead leans more modern.
There are vintage details in the kitchen, but there’s also a piece with more contemporary flair: the new light fixture. “We had to improvise a bit because there’s actually no ceiling light — no power source — on the ceiling,” Teresa says. “But I didn’t want to go without a ceiling lamp … the cable runs along the ceiling and wall to the nearest outlet.”
A shelf in the window maximizes vertical space.
In addition to adding some open shelving on the walls of the kitchen to display glassware, Teresa added a shelf in the tall back window for displaying her houseplants, and a tension rod for some hanging ones.
“I’m happy it turned out exactly as I imagined,” she says of the room. It’s “not a sterile kitchen, but a cozy space that still fulfills its purpose.”