Summer is here and it’s time for a simple and sunny summer kitchen refresh!

 

Today I am excited to share my Simple and Sunny Summer Kitchen Refresh as part of the annual Summer Home Tours hosted by my friend Marty of a Stroll Thru Life!

 

Today wraps up a week of thirty amazing summer home tours that are full of stunning summer ideas and inspiration. You will find the links to each of the tours at the end of this post. If you are coming over from This is Our Bliss  or if you are just stopping by for a visit, I am so happy to invite you in to my simple, sunny summer kitchen!

 

But first, the garden!

Here is where I have been starting each and every summer morning since school let out, in the backyard inspecting my newly revamped herbaceous border island bed. The heirloom annabelle hydrangeas always come into bloom right in time for the Summer Home Tours!

 

 

 I definitely live a garden-inspired life, bringing the outdoors in with garden-themed decor and flowers. Here in the side entry, I am using a simple lavender wreath for the summer months.

 

 

 

I am still getting used to photographing this side-entry since we gave it a makeover last fall. There are many strange angles and it’s hard to really show how pretty it is and to help readers get a true sense of the space. In this photo taken at the top of the basement stairs, you can see how you come in the side (back) door and go up a flight up three stairs which leads to the kitchen on the left  (sharing today) and living room on the right (upcoming summer tour.)

 

Before heading into the kitchen, I wanted to quickly share the vintage cottage-garden inspired styling of the narrow built-in cabinet and shelf on the right as you come up the side entryway stairs.

 

I just snapped a couple of photos with my phone, but I will share better photos taken with my blogging camera in an upcoming summer tour.

 

Sunny Summer “Island Dreams” come true…

As we head into the kitchen the first change you might notice from last summer is my new island! My husband finished it in time for the holidays, but I didn’t do a full Christmas or spring kitchen tour this year, so this is the first time sharing the island in a post.

 

 

I designed the island in the style of an old European work table. We needed something long and narrow for the space, rather than a wider traditional island. I also wanted the ends to be open and open  space underneath to allow as many views of the pretty brick floor as possible.

 

I normally keep quartz top  (love it!) clutter free since we use the island off and on all day every day, but to refresh the kichen for early summer I am using just a few fresh and bright accessories. They are all are “easy-squeezy” to move out of the way when needed. 

 

 

A bowl of lemons is one of the simplest ways to brighten up any table, and of course lemons are quintessential in cottage summer kitchen decor too.  In this case, I have put my signature “twist” on the look using a vintage thrifted green glass pedestal dish.

 

I don’t think there has been a summer in recent years that I haven’t decorated with lemons in one way or another. A few years ago I used a small whitewashed dough bowl with lemons on the farm table in the dining room.

 

 

 

After a hectic school year that seem to never have ended, I am craving simplicity and “less is more” indoors, especially since I am spending so much time garden these days. On the 1920’s style built-in, a candle in a cloche with a mossy grapevine wreath looks simple and elegant for the season, while a very realisitic-faux pothos plant in a favorite cast iron urn brightens up the corner.

 

I keep the battery-operated flicker candle in the cloche on all day and throughout the evenings. I love the calming and welcoming effect no matter what time of day or season.

 

Yes, I am a crazy plant lady and I do have a very green thumb. However, I have an allergy to soil molds so sadly I can’t keep indoor house plants. Instead, I spend a little extra on realistic faux plants that will last and last without watering! As an added bonus, no pesky gnats! 

 

 

In the opposite corner window nook a beautiful vase of freshly cut Annabelle hydrangeas adorns the bistro table with simple summer style.

 

 

Lightweight green velvet, pillows , black ticking stripes and my favorite French pillow are used on the benches for most of the year. All that was needed to change up the look for this simple sunny summer kitchen refresh was a DIY no-sew accent pillow made with the same fabric I used for my French Lemons Tablescape placemats.

 

 

 

 

Last year I gave the kitchen corner nook a Summer Refresh with a vintage “French Citrus Twist” using oranges and limes mixed in with my beloved summer lemons. 

 

The oranges theme was inspired by this gorgeous pillow and the orange tiger lilies growing like crazy this time of year.

 

Green is my favorite color, so whatever “theme” I am using each season, green is certainly my go-to. It’s a fun challenge to see how I can change things up but still keep green as a prominent color. It just so happens that the old-fashioned orange lilies always bloom right in sync with my Annabelles hydrangeas, so this free-to-me bouquet coordinated beautifully with the orange European tapestry pillow.

 

 

 

Here is the full view of the kitchen nook last summer. It was easier to photograph without the island, but I have no regrets adding the island whatsoever. 

 

It certainly makes cooking much easier, with the island close to the stove for prepping and serving food. *No worries: I always remove the vintage frame before cooking!

 

The kitchen feels complete now and it’s much more function. It’s also fun to decorate specially for blog tours and to use when entertaining family and friends.

 

 

Speaking of entertaining with family and friends, last year my son made some strawberry roses around the fourth of July and I shared them in a blog post. Cottages and Bungalows Magazine loved the post and featured a story all about our “Son-Sational” Stawberry Roses in their June-July issue!

 

You can pick up a copy to read the full five page spread or check out the original stawberry roses post here.

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed my Simple Sunny Summer Kitchen Refresh and a few peeks at my cottage garden-inspired mini-mudroom entryway. I will be sharing part two of this year’s summer home tour next Friday, so I hope you will stop back by for another visit. Now it’s time to continue with all the summer decor inspo “brimming with countrified charm”  over at County Road 407! Don’t forget to visit all the other stunning summer home tours via the links below. 

 

Thanks for visiting and have a happy summer ahead!

Amber

 

 
 

Monday – June 6th LineupA Stroll Thru Life – Our Southern Home – Grace In My Space

Hymns & Verses – Southern Hospitality – Chalking Up Success

 

Tuesday – June 7th Lineup

Calypso in the Country – StoneGable – 11 Magnolia Lane

White Arrows Home – RemodelaCasa – Pink Peppermint Design

 

Wednesday – June 8th Lineup

Designing Vibes – Cuckoo4Design – Whispering Pines Homestead

Decor to Adore – Thrifty and Chic – Clean and Scentsible

 

Thursday – June 9th Lineup

CitrineLiving – Southern Home and Hospitality – Worthing Court

The Stonybrook House – Southern State of Mind – This is our Bliss

 

Friday – June 10th Lineup

Follow The Yellow Brick Home – Country Road 407 – Quarters One

Shiplap and Shells – Simply2Moms – Pasha Is Home