A Budget Modern Country Makeover

Before I start on our gorgeous new building work reveal, I thought we'd step back in time and look at our last kitchen, where the basics where in place for a Modern Country Style shakeup...

I get endless questions about this, so why don't you come on over, sit down and let me make you a drink of something delicious, whilst we have a recap...

 Modern Country Style is all about taking the very best of 
Traditional Country's warmth and comfort, 
and combining with a muted, pared-back Modern look. 
Want to know what I mean?

Where better to demonstrate that than in the heart of the home: 

the kitchen?

Here's the hideous before from when we looked round. 
It was like being in a giant egg yolk. 
Harsh but fair.

When we first viewed our house, the kitchen was one of the rooms that I knew would be high on our priority list to change. I thought I hated everything about it until I realised that underneath the lurid colours and dated decor was actually quite a nice kitchen, waiting to be unearthed.

We decided to keep the beech wood worktops and the cream Shaker units but everything else HAD TO GO.

I was astonished how lovely the worktops looked once we'd finished. They changed dramatically from reflecting the walls in a very orange way to having a lovely mellow golden warmth.

We used Farrow and Ball Blue Gray 
and Farrow and Ball White Tie on the walls. 
Have you used Farrow and Ball paints? 
To. Die. For. 
Yes, they're more expensive but the 
Modern Country colours are worth every last penny. 

 I chose cherry red accents, to perk up the soft grays. 

I love simple blocks of muted colours, 
highlighted by the crisp, sharp contrast of white glossy woodwork. 

We had the boiler moved upstairs, which created a space that was just
perfect for a bit of open shelf action. 

The shelves let me display things that I love to have around me. 
{So I can do a spot of ogling any time I please.}

We don't have a table and chairs in our kitchen, so, in the dining room next door, I've used a paler version of the Blue Gray to bring unity to the two spaces. 

I can never get enough of the Modern Country look 

and its delicious yet delicate use of winter seascape colours. 

If Modern Country is a look you love too, 

then stick around and have a good snoop at the tabs at the top....

Take care until next time,

Sarahxx

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Using Brown In A Modern Country Scheme

Hello, hello, hello!

This weekend has been all about getting snug inside when outside it's snowing. Yes, snowing. It's meant to be Spring, Mr Weather-Man. Why, oh why, are we getting snow? 

Luckily, it all melted away sooner than you can say 'Can we get the sledges out, Mummy?' and we seem to be back to dull, grey skies for the moment.

Hmmm....

Never fear. I have a Masterplan. Let's put aside our weather-worries and focus so hard on getting everything else looking lovely that we hardly notice the bleakness, shall we? Shake on it?

Now, we were just in the middle of extolling the colour brown when I left you last Friday, as part of this luscious home tour.

Rather unglamourous-sounding (unless you count chocolate associations, in which case, I'm all ears (or, rather, mouth...hoho!)) but just look at these images I've taken from our kitchen and dining room.

 I hope you'll agree that using brown to tie two or more rooms together can evoke a soothing and harmonious flow.

There is such a wide range of shades involved that it needn't feel contrived. We're not talking specific shades here. 

Brown stems so magically from nature itself, with all its subtle layers of colour blending beautifully to create a really stunning cohesive whole.

There are so many options for you to take away for use in your home. Let's see.....there's wood, obviously, in all its glorious forms.

And linen. And wicker. And rattan.

And any number of vintage bits and bobs.

And stone. And pottery.

The possibilities are as endless as the results are gorgeous.

Yup, brown is definitely up there in my list of Modern Country Colour Must-Haves.

All images: mine

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A Sneaky-Peek Into Our Modern Country Dining Room

So here it is....our Flow-Through Modern Country Dining Room. 

One of my favourite rooms in the house. It feels calm and relaxing...essential with five children around!

One of the questions I've been asked a lot recently is how to make this work: how to take two separate rooms and create a Flow-Through feel that really works for you.

Over the next few weeks, let's take a look, shall we, at some easy-peasy ways to create this Flow-Through look in your Modern Country Dining Room?

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Kitchen Favourites Part Three: Cooking Revelations.....

Need a little recap before I get going with this post about 

what's happening tomorrow?

Only, like, the best party in the whole entire world ever.

I'm calling for your 'Kitchen Favourites', my lovely. 

Everyone has a favourite spot in their kitchen, 

or a favourite item, or a favourite feature. 

Or even something that you'd love in the future.

What is it and why? 

I want to know.

Here's your mission:

blog about your Kitchen Favourites and then 

swing by and link up tomorrow

so we can all drool over them too.

Now, before Thursday's Very Exciting Linky Party, 

which will be up at 12 noon (GMT), 

I thought I'd share with you my recent discovery that has 

completely and utterly perked up my time spent cooking. 

And preparing scrummies to eat should surely be a 

kitchen favourite of sorts, should it not, my cutie pips?

I decided I was stuck in a rather deep cooking rut 

and needed a good shake up. So to whom did I turn? 

Who else but luscious Nigella?

I chose my very favourite recipe book, Nigella Bites, 

and have been putting aside a time once a week 

(or there abouts - sometimes twice, soemtimes, horrors, none) 

to cook recipes from those heavenly pages. 

{Heavenly, even when they are splodged with unknown foods.}

I've forced myself to work from the very start, page by page. 

I. AM. LOVING. IT....... 

It's completely transformed my attitude to having to churn out a meal for six each night into *gasp* one of enjoyment and anticipation.

By working systematically through, recipe by recipe, 

and not allowing myself to skip a single one, 

it's forced me to broaden my horizon's and tastes. 

I hope I shall never look back.

So thanks, Nigella, duckie. I can call you that, can't I?

No???

And, oooooh, what to wear to the linky party tomorrow? 

Would this be a step too far? 

{I'm thinking the white'll hide any flour stains.

I always manage to pick up a flour stain or two.

At least I think they're flour stains.....}

See you tomorrow 

with your Kitchen Favourites.

What'll you be wearing?

Don't be coy, now....

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Kitchen Favourites: Part Two

Hey there, cutie pie,

Welcome back to Kitchen Favourites Week.
Ooooh, I've been soooooooooo{breathe}ooooooooooo looking forward to sharing some of my favourite parts of our kitchen. 
And then seeing yours too.
{Remember the Kitchen Favourites linky party on Thursday? Button's on my sidebar...} 
The excitement is killing me.

Let's kick off the week properly by taking a 
further look at Kitchen Shelves shall we?

And instead of choosing images from an unspeakably perfect kitchen,
I thought I'd show you how *our* open kitchen shelves work for us.  




I love 'em.

Remember my first two thoughts about open shelving from last week?

If not, here's a reminder....

Consider glazed units.

Only display things you use regularly

My last tidbit for you cherubs who long for open shelving 
is to have things up there that you L:O:V:E.
{Disclaimer: I know my new-found love of Rainbow Writing is in no way 
Modern Country but sometimes a girl just can't help herself...}

And I mean REALLY love. Love to look at, drool over, 
want to gaze upon, are enamoured of, are enchanted by, delight in, 
have affection for, think the world of, are fascinated with, 
are captivated by, are crazy about, are enchanted with, 
that you treasure, that are dear to your heart....

Yeah, me and the thesaurus, we're like *this*, we are. 



If you stick with displaying things that you use regularly and 
love to drool over then this look is gorgeously practical.

Oh, and one tip that I've found really works for me is this:
when you're choosing which foodstuffs to display in jars,
choose products where the WHOLE packet fits in the jar.
Otherwise you end up with half the packet in the cupboard.
Huuuuuge waste of storage space.



So what do you lurrrrve in your kitchen? 
I know, I'm getting ahead of myself.

More importantly:
Are you ready with your post for Thursday's Kitchen Favourites link party?
Tell me, tell me.....

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Country Kitchen Rule Two

So, it's decided then.

Best friends is 

What. We. Are.

Now and forever.

{Best of British giveaway}

With that in mind, 

care to join me for a cup of tea

...or a whole pot, why not?.... 

while we chat over what to do if your kitchen 

doesn't have a table and chairs 

for that oh-so-country feel?

Because rule number two 

for any Country Kitchen 

is that there should be some kind of 

eating space in the kitchen.

Errr....no can do...

{Best of British giveaway}

Here's what we chose to do to get round that li'l puppy.....

Our kitchen door opens up into our dining room 

so we simply painted our dining room 

a slightly paler shade of the kitchen colour.

Slightly paler because our dining room gets less natural light.

I'm thrilled with the way using the 

same colour palette brings the 

two distinct rooms into one space.

{Best of British giveaway}

Did you get my subliminal message throughout that post? Sneaky, eh?!

Come back on Tuesday, 

um, yeah, tomorrow, 

for my first ever 

and extremely gorgeous

Giveaway.

One word: Spode Baking Days.

Oops, that was three.

Whatever.

Be there.

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Country Kitchen: Rule Number one

Hey there, honey pie,

Yesterday, I showed you some of

my favourite Country Kitchens.

Weren't they gorgeous?

And, now, here's the bit where I start to share

how I put the Country into our Kitchen.

My first Country Kitchen Rule is this:

If you're going to have clutter,

then make it beautiful clutter.

Not beautiful in an aesthetic way necessarily

but beautiful in meaning.

Things that make you feel good.

Things that make you smile.

Things that make you happy.

And if those things look great

too then so much the better.

When I want to bake or brown or braise {or burn!},

I want to have things around me that I love to look at.

I want any clutter to be homely.

My favourite recipe books.

Our mugs waiting to be filled with hot chocolate and whipped cream.

A glass jar that belonged to my mother.

A wool felt heart.

All these help to combine to make

our Kitchen feel like home to me and my family.

And what about rule number two.....?

Comin' up....

I'll be linking with some of my favourite parties in the sidebar.
Images: Mine

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