Thanksgiving Day is just around the corner and I can’t wait! Not only is it my favorite holiday, but this year I have a “new” kitchen to cook in and enjoy just in time for Thanksgiving! While there are still a few details to finish up before turkey day, the kitchen is finally cleaned up enough for “virtual company,” and I have even added a few Thanksgiving touches. Today I am excited to have you over for a look at how our kitchen renovation is shaping right up!

It’s perfect timing since I am hosting a fun Thanksgiving-themed blog hop today! I am gathering together with several talented friends during “A Season of Thanks” to share all kinds of Thanksgiving inspiration.  Be sure to check out all the links at the end of my post for 20 other fantastic Thanksgiving ideas.

A Kitchen Makeover with Touches of Fall Part 1 (mid-September)

In September I shared the first look at the progress on our kitchen makeover in a post which focused on the sink and stove area. With the exception of the grout on our brick floor and some touch up paint here and there, not much has changed about this view, but that is fine because I love it! I do have a new light fixture for over the sink which I will share in the final reveal post in a couple of weeks.

For our renovation we removed the huge island which ate up the middle of the kitchen and repurposed the cabinets as the base for our new 1920’s style china cabinet/butler’s pantry built-in. While a new window seat was also being built, I temporarily used my adorable marble topped bistro table from World Market in place of the island just to have a place to sit and snack.

A New Kitchen in Time for Thanksgiving!

Here is the current view looking into our kitchen! I think the built in cabinets and corner nook turned out fantastic! We still need to build our custom island, install vintage wood plantation shutters on the windows, possibly add cabinet hardware to the doors and drawers (still deciding,) and dress up the cabinet bases with trim. Nevertheless, I am so happy with how everything is looking so far! Oh…and my dream brick floor…how could I not mention it? Installing it was a bit of an ordeal for a few different reasons (another post for another time) but in the end it was worth it! 

UPDATE as of Sunday:

The cabinet trim is finished! If you scroll back up to the picture above this one and compare, you will see the difference trim makes. I love how the base cabinet valances/feet turned out!

I think the new built-in looks totally original to the house, but previously there was a low window which looked out to the side of our garage and a low cabinet that was added sometime in the late 80’s which just looked awful. I came up the idea to cover up the window with the new built in cabinets and put the old island base in this spot to free up the center of the kitchen, yet retain storage space. I showed my husband my Dreamy Kitchen Built-Ins, China Cabinets and Butler Pantries Inspiration post to give him an idea of the kind of 1920’s cabinetry I wanted. Well, he nailed it!

I honestly didn’t know I could “have feelings” for kitchen cabinetry…but I just truly love this new built-in, and get all giddy every time I walk in the kitchen! I think the authenticity comes from the 1920’s wavy glass cabinet doors I found at an antiques store back in Sept. I added French vintage style cremone bolts and faux leaded glass strips to the doors for extra vintage cottage charm. The beadboard wall inside the cabinets and backsplash also creates that original 1920’s kitchen look.

The doors were previously painted light blue and they were pretty dirty. A really good cleaning and several coats of paint revived their beauty.

Even though all the details aren’t finished and more messes will be made soon, I didn’t want to miss out on enjoying some Thanksgiving decor in my new kitchen. I came up with just a few simple vignettes that can easily be moved out of the way when work resumes. By the way, what do you think? Add drawer and cabinet pulls, or keep things as they are? I have to admit I love the suprisingly simple elegance of no pulls, but it isn’t really practical as the doors and drawers aren’t that easy to open. Decisions, decisions…

This is the first time decorating all these new spaces in the kitchen! I wasn’t sure what I was going to do exactly so I shopped my house for inspiration. It turned out that my French graywashed basket tray was the perfect size for the corner where the new built-in meets the run of cabinets. 

I filled the basket with beautiful faux evergreens which will transition perfectly to Christmas. Various gourds, pumpinos, dried apple slices, orange slices, lime slices and bittersweet pieces are tucked into the greenery.  A faux ceramic lumpy white pumpkin fools the eye among the real gourds.

The “Be Grateful” decal from Dollar Tree on a very old ironstone platter is one of my Thrifty DIYs from a couple of years ago. The rustic pilgrim couple was a thrifted find from last year.

The cabinets are filled with ironstone treasures collected over many years. I didn’t want to cram them as full as my  corner cabinet in the dining room that is overflowing with ironstone, but there is still plenty of ironstone goodness in the kitchen.

Just a few small fall and Thanksgiving items add holiday vintage charm to the cabinets without distracting from their simple elegance.

I love how much countertop space we have now! I have decided to keep this long run of countertop relatively clutter and decor free so it can actually be used for food prep and serving. There are 4 outlets down the wall which means plenty of space for plugging in crock pots during the holidays. Normally we will keep the toaster and air fryer on the counter too.

The built-in cabinets were designed so that there is still enough space in front of them to use to serve and prepare food. To celebrate almost being finished with the kitchen I am serving myself some allergy-friendly pumpkin spice “cheezecake” to enjoy after I finish this post!

The cheesecake just fits down inside my Rae Dunn “Thankful for Pie” plate. By the way, I am not “done with Dunn!”  My Rae Dunn collection was previously displayed in a small 1940’s cabinet that sat right about where the center of the new cabinets are.

At first it was hard to change this cute cabinet and previous breakfast nook set up, but I have no regrets now! I have since found a new spot for my favorite Rae Dunn pieces over in a new coffee station area by the fridge that we are finishing up soon. The Rae Dunn Cabinet was super cute and fun to decorate, but the new built-ins are part of my kitchen dreams come true and I am so happy we made the changes.

The open area in between the new cabinets will be fun to style seasonally too. Right now I am loving this French farmhouse-creamy whites fall display (even if my battery operated votives stopped working right as I was taking pictures!) The turkey platter tucked in behind the cloche will be used to serve gluten-free pumpkin bars on Thanksgiving morning.

I still need to make a comfy pad for the window seat, but that hasn’t stopped me from sitting on the benches every free chance I have. I love sipping tea and enjoying the beautiful fall foliage and wildlife in the forest across the street.

Most of my turkeys are trotting around in the dining room, but I brought this one into the nook for today’s hop. I   filled it with mums, sage, and thyme from my garden.

I made the bouquet at lunch but by the time I came back in to take more pictures, the sage had wilted. Some faux rosemary in a rustic little olive bucket replaces the missing green herbs in my styled vintage tole tray vingette. As soon as the mums wilt I will move the turkey back into the dining room with the rest of it’s feathered friends. We are going to have to move the table anyway to get the plantation blinds installed soon.

To see more of my vintage turkey and pheasants, check out my Vintage-Traditional Thanksgiving Dining Room Tour from last year. 

I hope you have enjoyed seeing the changes to our kitchen and some Thanksgiving touches! There is still a bit left to do and I am excited with how things have turned out, but overall I am just grateful for family, friends, and a safe place to call home during such uncertain times. 

 Over the next few weeks and into the Christmas season I will share more kitchen updates, so I hope you will stop back by soon to see how things are wrapping up. I always enjoy your visits!

Update 12/7

Here is an update of how the corner nook is looking for Christmas! It’s the perfect place for sipping coffee or    . Be sure to stop back by soon for a full Christmas kitchen tour hot cocoa !

Now it’s time to continue on with today’s hop by heading over to visit Marty at A Stroll Thru Life. She always shares such chic and elegant holiday inspo! Don’t forget to visit all the other blogs on today’s hop via the links below. You are sure to be inspired.

Thanks for visiting today and have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!

Amber

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