Secrets to an Effortless, Industrial Farmhouse Kitchen

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It's hard not to love the effortless look of an industrial farmhouse kitchen. In my tenure as a lover of said style, I've come up with a few common denominators that will help your kitchen evoke less of a cookie cutter and more of a "like butter (freshly churned)!" look. 

Disclaimer: This is my interpretation of the industrial chic/ farmhouse kitchen "look" and is therefore a bit more infused with color and vintage elements than other, more minimalist interpretations of the style.

#1. A Reclaimed Barnwood Table and/or Kitchen Island (or something similarly rustic)

You are looking for something that can handle wear and tear with grace. The more scratching, smudging and scuffing, the better! 

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2. Mismatched Chairs! Go for various shapes, sizes, colors and materials. An option would be to do mismatched chairs on one side, and a wooden bench on the other. If it feels too disjointed for your sensibilities, consider matching, neutral chair pads.

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3. Utilitarian Lighting. Consider bringing outdoor light fixtures inside! You could spend some serious money at places like here and here, but check out this sweet Home Depot option for a fraction of the price!

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4. A farmhouse sink! Lovely, lovely, lovely. Perfect to roll up your sleeves and scrub a pot or get a painting project off your hands.

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5. A a vintage statement piece. This could be a vintage fridge, a salvaged sign or galvanized storage shelves. The sky is the limit. Many of these items seem impossibly expensive, but I'm convinced that a bit of yard saleing, thrifting, rummage sale sifting, and craiglisting will soon yield me a statement piece without breaking the bank!

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I've come very close... I found an awesome vintage refrigerator a few months back, through word of mouth. A lady was trying to get rid of her mother's old appliances and was willing to sell it to me for $70. It was aqua and chrome and super charming... Only problem, it worked for about 10 minutes and then went kaput, at which point she was willing to give it to me for $40. As swoony as it was, I just couldn't justify bringing home a broken fridge!

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6. The right accessories. I, for one, love to fill spaces with junk! When accessorizing an industrial farmhouse kitchen, however, excessive tschotskes are to be avoided. The key is for everything to feel useful, gathered over time, and interesting. These are the items that will warm up, an otherwise sterile style.

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Fresh Upcycling Ideas for Your Home

It's been a while since I've featured some upcycled decor ideas. Behold this fresh crop of inspiration!

 In honor of the Kentucky Derby this weekend: Recycled Map Prize Ribbon by Etsy seller saratops, $15

Here is a tutorial on how to make your own prize ribbons!

 

An uncycled headboard, made of books. This takes reading in bed to a whole new level! (source)

An antique crab pot turned into a message board. Genius. (source)

Delightful Recycled Drinking Glasses (made of soda bottles!) by Etsy seller YAVAglass, $8 each

Awkward Space Solutions- Above Kitchen Cabinets

If your home was built in the past century and has standard ceiling heights, chances are, the tops of your kitchen cabinets boast excellent storage opportunities. The age-old question, however, would be, "what to store up there?" It can't be something you use on a daily or even weekly basis, in order for your collection to shine, you'll have to commit to dusting a bit more, and for goodness sake it can't look cluttered! This awkward space can prove to be a challenge.

Well, here are a few ideas I found to share with you (and no, fake ivy is not one of them!):

Plates- Snag some plate hangers are your local craft store and display a fun collection up high. You could go for a mono-chromatic look or embrace the beauty of vintage, mismatched plates!

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Industrial Salvage- Whether it be letters, signs, panels, you name it! Large scale pieces of history will look awesome above your cabinets. The chippier the better!

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Cake Stands! Stack these beauties up (safely) for a lovely, tiered look. If your cake stands aren't clear, you can prevent slippage when stacking by cutting out discreet circles of the rubber no slip pads that go under rugs!

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Baskets- A great hiding spot to stash extra, non-essential items. Decor and storage at the same time!

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I couldn't find any photos of these looks on top of cabinets, but I think they would be great: Vintage mixers, vintage blenders, or any vintage small kitchen appliance in a collection! Vintage bread boxes, wire crates filled with rolled-up vintage tablecloths, large vintage fans, apple crates, the sky is the limit!