My Historically Inspired Kitchen

My Historically Inspired Kitchen was sketched by me before we got started. Sketching is actually something I have done in a lot of the rooms of my new “old” home. The kitchen in the original house plan wasn’t ideal for me. I had sourced an old cast iron sink that HAD to be under a window.

So, I started sketching. I start by tracing out the perimeter of the kitchen walls. I literally take computer paper and place it over the floor plan and trace. From that point, I started drawing in my other appliances, keeping the kitchen work triangle in mind. Primary tasks in the kitchen are worked between the cook top, sink and refrigerator. This keeps everything as functional and efficient as possible.

Now comes the kitchen fun stuff.

I went back and forth on a free-standing kitchen or a fitted kitchen for awhile before ultimately deciding fitted worked best for this house, it’s location and our lifestyle. Everything in the kitchen is a nod to the older kitchen aesthetics, while still maintaining all of the modern conveniences we wanted. The cabinetry mimics old hutch style cabinetry (notice the lack of toe kicks and added brackets). For the hardware, I chose latches that are also a nod to hardware found on old hoosier cabinetry and hutches. {You can read more about my sources and kitchen updates here.}

The Historically Inspired Kitchen Pantry

The original floor plan didn’t include a pantry, but I knew I had to work that in. A pantry seemed to be the perfect place to put in the corner. I had an old door from the early 1800’s that I had been hanging onto (I mean hoarding) for months prior to knowing if we would ever build. It turned out to be absolutely perfect for this space and this house. Don’t you love the original wood patina and glass?

The Kitchen Coffee Bar

The coffee bar is probably my favorite little nook in the kitchen. I love the look of glass cabinetry, but I know that I am not the type to keep it nice and tidy looking inside. So, I got creative and added vintage mirrors. It still gives a similar look and you can’t see my overflowing-desperately needs to be cleaned out- coffee mug collection. Now, buying mirrors for cabinetry is quite expensive. Who knew? Again, I got creative and found a vintage mirror on marketplace, took it to a glass shop and they were able to cut out two pieces for me for like $20. I LOVE A GOOD DEAL!

A space we all love

The countless hours researching and drawing until I got everything just right paid off. I am so happy that I put so much work into this kitchen before starting our build. I was able to get the functionality and aesthetic I wanted with minimal regrets (those are only from contractors we hired.🤪 I’ll save that story for another day). It really is a lot of fun to be able to move and shift everything around and see all of the options possible.

These stools are antique soda fountain stools! Aren’t those so fun? Our island is on the smaller end of the spectrum (for fitting two folks, anyway). So, I knew I needed something here that wouldn’t take up too much space. I had never seen anyone use these stools in their home before and I thought it was a unique and fun nod to the past. They are very heavy and actually bolted to the floor. So, if you plan to do this, just keep that in mind. They make for a great talking point when we have company over.

For the full list of everything I have in my kitchen, check out my LiketoKnowIt!

XOXO,

Brittany