Blue and white porcelain pieces, white ironstone, mismatched silver and well patina’d copper, layers of cutting boards, weathered baskets, crisp greenery and fragrant lavender, slipcovered dining chairs, French ticking, burlap and old lace. 

These are the things that make me think of a French Country Kitchen.

As promised last week, I’m back to share some touches I’ve added to my kitchen to give it more personality and reflect my tastes.  I love a French Country kitchen but I don’t have the budget to do a complete kitchen makeover so I’ve added touches of French Country to an already great kitchen.

I’ll begin with some full shots before zooming in on the details.

This is the view looking from the dining nook into the kitchen.

Scanning from left to right, this is the wall behind the formal dining room where we have our coffee nook and kitchen storage.

Looking down the length of the island to my cooking space with the Powder Room and Den behind.  The granite is very nice, though not the white like what I had in my old house.  I KNOW . . . and I continue to be thankful that I have such nice granite.

This is another view of my cooking area . . .

. . . and the kitchen sink where I see all variety of birds.  My favorite are the Red Cardinals which we didn’t have in the Pacific NW.

This is the view from the kitchen toward the dining nook.

We have an antique dining table here which belonged to my husband’s grandparents and where three generations of children have done their homework. I know you can’t see it very well in this picture but it is a gem!

Here you can see that directly across from the dining nook is my desk area on the right.

This is the last shot you’ll see of my desk for awhile. It’s where I edit photos, write blog posts, pin ideas, and try real hard not to let it get out of control with paperwork! Since moving in, I still haven’t spent the time to organize this area or to make it as pretty as I want it to be. 

One. Step. At. A. Time.

Now for some close-ups of the details I’ve added to my kitchen space to make it a little bit country and a little bit French.

One of the very first things we added to our home was this Thrift Store Chandy that we gave a good makeover with paint, new shades and magnetic crystals.

The tabletop is sporting three runners right now.  The bottom runner has the look of a French grain sack, laid across that is a vintage crocheted lace runner, and atop that is a rustic burlap runner.

I love the Scripture verse on it from Ecclesiastes 3:1.

The linen slipcovers are a recent addition, purchased from World Market.  They replace more formal covers that I’ve saved for when I might feel like being formal again.

I’m fortunate enough to have a full set of Villeroy & Boch Petite Fleur dishes that belonged to my mother.  Some day they’ll belong to my youngest daughter.  For now, she doesn’t have room so I’ll enjoy them while I can.

In the dining/desk area I have various silver serving pieces that I’ve mostly collected at thrift stores . . .

 . . . and some pieces from my collection of blue and white (some vintage, some new), as well as a few white ironstone pieces (real and faux).

 Moving on to the pot rack, where I’ve displayed some pieces of antique copper that I’ve collected along the way.

I just love the beautiful green patina on these pots.

These are the baskets I shared about last week in creating a Vintage Look With Chalk Paint.

You can view the paint colors I used and a tutorial HERE.

I like to keep something pretty to look at on my kitchen island.  Since it’s summer I couldn’t resist displaying this rustic pot filled with lavender, alongside a piece from my blue and white collection and a fun rusty iron birdbath.

In the background our aprons hang from a vintage blue willow plate (I’m lucky enough to have several of these plates from my husband’s family).  Also note the pretty blue Seahawks apron on the left.  Mr. OTN’s BBQ attire!

Now for my stove area.  We have great plans to raise the vent and build a custom hood that will extend up to the ceiling.  We also want to add a tile backsplash all the way up the wall.  Mr. OTN and I are still wrestling over wall color.  He loves the bright and cheery look of yellow and I’m leaning toward a change.  No surprise that!  The kitchen is not at the top of our list of “to-do’s” right now though so, in the meantime, I’ve placed a French Bistro sign in front of my current stove backsplash . . . which is a mirror.  Yes, it is hard to clean a mirror every time you cook!  Not only that, but there are times that I really don’t want to look at myself while  cooking.  This morning would be a case in point.  At 11:47 a.m. and still in my pajamas . . . I’m afraid I’d scare myself!

More blue and white and a touch of greenery at hand to clip and use in the great Southern dishes I’m learning to cook here in SC.

This corner of my countertop holds a collection of breadboards and more old silver.  I sort of like the look of tarnished silver but I do polish it at least once a year.  OH how I miss having my oldest daughter at home to do that job.  She might tell you that this job is the reason why she moved clear across the country!

I like the natural element of wood in my kitchen and think the grain in cutting boards is so pretty.  Did you notice my Washington State cutting board peeking out from under my watermark?

I use a silver pitcher to keep my cooking utensils close at hand.

What would a good French Country kitchen be without a couple of chalk boards?  This one was an old picture that I found at a garage sale and made into a chalk board.

 This “coffee time” chalk board was something my husband brought home for me recently thinking it “looked like” me.  Suh-weet!

More greenery.  I’ve placed boxwood topiaries on either side of the sink.

You can see my post on Decorating With Boxwood and my Source for buying preserved boxwood in bulk right HERE

Finally, on the end of my counter a tray to hold some pretties, including silver serving pieces and miniature spoons that belonged to my mom, more blue and white, and a vintage lace doily . . .

. . . right next to a matching basket that holds my napkins.  I found these sweet blue and white dish towels (which make great napkins) online at Keebleoutletsstore.com. These commercial grade towels are on sale right now for $18.99 per dozen!

 So that’s my kitchen.  It was a great kitchen to begin with but now it feels like it really belongs to me and reflects my style. It’s pretty obvious that I’m drawn to the look of French Country  but anyone can give their kitchen a personal touch simply by adding items that you love.  Start pinning kitchen ideas on Pinterest or create a design board on Olioboard.  When you begin to see a pattern develop you’ll realize your own personal style.

I have a couple more touches I’ve began working on for my kitchen which I’ll be back to share with you next, along with the full tutorials.

Here’s a sneak peek at:

Cozy on her new French Grain Sack Dog Bed (it turned out SO cute) . . .

. . . and a tutorial I’ve been working on for creating your own Rustic French Signage.  I think the French Bistro sign (shown in this post) is kinda’ cute but I’ll teach you how to make a sign that looks vintage and not a mass produced knock-off.

I do hope you’ll come back and join me for the full reveals.

Until then, be blessed!

NOTE:  I did not receive compensation for any of the items mentioned in this post.  They are simply products I use and wanted to share with you my DEAR readers!