7 things i love about my parents Vermont Farmhouse Kitchen

If you’ve been following me on Instagram , you know that I recently was in Vermont helping my parents who have been working nonstop on building their dream farmhouse. While there is still much to be done, the kitchen is nearly complete and I am blown away!  I think it just may be my favorite kitchen ever.  Here are 5 things I absolutely love about it…I lied…how about 7?  There are more than that but I don’t want this post to turn into a novel!

1. I’m crazy about the Veddinge IKEA cabinets that my dad put together himself! They look so clean and bright against the rustic wood floors.  I love the self-closing drawers and doors that are decked out with wood cutlery holders and plenty of storage space.  What a great idea to customize the island by putting horizontal planks on the ends.  A brilliant and affordable choice!  The counter tops are Caesarstone in Pure White.
   

   Clean white IKEA cabinets and Caesarstone counters

2. The flooring that is in the kitchen and throughout the downstairs is hemlock that was reclaimed from an old warehouse.  My parents wanted the floors to feel like they could have been a part of an old barn and something they didn’t have to worry about. They are 6 ½ inch tongue and groove boards that still have paint on them and also some holes that were so big, they needed to be filled in with a clear epoxy. I think they work perfectly in this little farmhouse!
   

   Reclaimed floors add so much character to this kitchen

3. Can we talk about those lights?  How gorgeous are they?!  There is also one in the breakfast nook.  I was able to visit the local shop where my mom found them and loved the floor to ceiling vintage lights and bits.  Brad Andres, of Green Peak Elements, can customize the lights for you and is very knowledgeable about all manner of lighting and placement.  He also has an Etsy shop, bradandres .  I highly recommend.
   

   I’m obsessed with these vintage barn pendant lights

4. The refrigerator is something I was asked about on Instagram.  It’s hard to believe it is a GE refrigerator but here’s the secret to making it look so much more expensive.  My parents had commercial handles added to it.  Fabulous!  The  stove is from GE’s cafe line.  After 20+ years with an electric stove, my mom got her gas range at last!
   

   Can a fridge be pretty? Yes!

5. Okay, this next idea they borrowed from my house but it works so well in this space.  Instead of a backsplash over the stove on the back wall, four small square windows bring in light and gorgeous views!
6. I realize open shelving doesn’t work for everyone, but it will totally work for my mom who is a neat freak like me…even more so.  And I LOVE the galvanized metal brackets they found at their local hardware store.  It all just works.
   

   Glass window backsplash and open shelving

7. I love how warm this kitchen feels.  It may be brand new, but with all the vintage items my parents have collected over the years, it has character.  It was so much fun putting it all together and styling it.  My mom has an incredible collection of old copper pots that were sitting in boxes.  I had my dad haul them up from their little barn and added some above the kitchen cabinets.  One old pot graces the corner of the kitchen counter  with a fragrant rosemary plant.  We broke up some of the large expanse of  white countertop with a large wooden cutting board that I bought from my gals at p o r c h.  It is made by disabled veterans which makes it even more special in my book.  The “EXCLUSIVE” sign was found at the Stone House Antique Center in Chester, Vermont.  For some reason it just had us cracking up because it is so the opposite of this pared down house and my parents. But it will always remind us of our fun mother/daughter outing.  We found a multitude of  treasures at the antique center from a cabinet for my dad’s office, to a chippy white table to be used next to the bed.  It was definitely a worthwhile trip!  A vintage rug and small jam cupboard topped with more treasures all combine to make this new, rustic, white, farmhouse kitchen feel like home.
   

   Copper pots, vintage signs and rugs make for a warm space that says “home”

   

   Vintage vignette

   The kitchen is already gorgeous but it will be even better when the breakfast nook is complete.  It will have built-in benches and a galvanized metal top table, but my dad has to finish the interior trim first before he can start on that!  Oh, and he will also be building a new table for the dining area.  I’m so proud of these two people who I love more than life itself.  They could have just rested or traveled in their retirement but felt they still had one more house left in them.  They have created a beautiful home and done much of the work themselves which makes it all the more priceless in my eyes.  I can hardly wait to go back this fall, to see what else they have accomplished and to help in any small way that I can.  Stay tuned for an upcoming Vermont farmhouse tour!

   

   My parents in the unfinished breakfast nook with views of the 12 acres of meadows and mountains…