The day has finally arrived to share my European cottage inspired kitchen reveal! After nearly 10 years of dreaming, planning, and saving for this kitchen renovation, I couldn’t be more ecstatic with the results! I hope you enjoy seeing the transformation!

Welcome to My European Cottage Inspired Kitchen!

So my design aesthetic is pretty eclectic. I love decorating with random treasures I have thrifted and collected over time. My goal with this kitchen was to create something really classic and timeless, with elements of a cozy cottage feel.

Over the last year and a half, I have watched a delightful YouTube channel called The Chateau Diaries. It has been such a joy following along with Stephanie Jarvis as she restores her 16th century chateau in the heart of France. I think watching her journey has given me the nudge toward the European cottage inspired elements in my kitchen.

Her vlogs inspired me so much, that I decided to vlog our entire kitchen renovation. If you want to see how the kitchen looked before we got started, and all the chaos in between the before and after, check out my Kitchen Renovation Diaries on our YouTube channel. 

Wood Planked Ceiling

The strongest element of cottage design in my kitchen, I feel like, is the wood planked ceiling. When we started this project, we needed to address the lighting. We had to completely remove the drywall from the ceiling, but we also knew that we did not have the skills to put it back up. Instead of hiring someone to float drywall, we were able to install these wood planks ourselves!

It’s amazing how much character, charm, and interest it adds to the room. If you think about it, there is a ton of surface area on the ceiling. It provides the perfect opportunity to add an element of design. I love how all the imperfections in the wood make a new room feel like it belongs. 

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X Back Counter Height Stools

In keeping with the European influence in this kitchen design, I really wanted to purchase french bistro style bar stools for the island. (Like these! So pretty!) However, I just didn’t have it in my budget. So, I found a pair of oak, honey toned x back barstools from Home Depot for a really great price. I love that they add some warmth to all the cool tones we have in the kitchen. And they still evoke the same vibes of the bistro chairs with the x back design.

Custom Cabinets 

It was such a pleasure working with M&M Millworks for our custom cabinets! We went with really clean, simple lines with shaker style doors and drawer fronts. They are inset, which I think gives a little nod to kitchens of the past, and adds a sense of history. The uppers reach all the way to the wood planked ceiling, drawing the eye up. This really helps to create the illusion of a taller ceiling height in this room.

My favorite part, of course, is the drawers in the lower cabinets. We really only have doors under the sink and in the corner where we have a lazy Susan. All the drawers are soft close, which still gives my heart a thrill! We have so much more room for storage. It’s wonderful to have a place for everything, and everything in its place. 

Two-Toned Kitchen Cabinet Paint Colors

The uppers are painted with Sherwin Williams Snowbound. I really agonized over choosing the right shade of blue for the lower cabinets. It needed to play well with the greens, grays and blues that I already had in the surrounding rooms. I ended up choosing Sherwin Williams Silver Lake, and I love how it looks! And of course, the brass bin pulls and door knobs provide the perfect amount of bling!

Quartz Countertops and the Kitchen Island of my Dreams! 

Another design choice that invokes that European cottage inspired kitchen feel, is the quartz countertops. It seems like European design always includes natural stone in some form or fashion. I love the look of marble, but I wanted the durability of quartz. It’s also really low maintenance, which is another aspect that sold me on it over marble. 

So, we went with Bianco Marina quartz from Triton Stone in Shreveport, Louisiana. It looks incredible on the perimeter cabinets and it is the crowning glory of my kitchen island! The island is a whopping 8 feet by 3 feet, with all the workspace a messy cook can handle!

Viking Gas Range and Finally! After 10 Years, a Vent Hood! 

This European cottage inspired kitchen is a project that we have been planning for and working toward for nearly 10 years. But the Viking gas range has to be the ultimate dream come true for me. I’m really proud of the fact that they are made right here in the south country, in our neighboring state of Mississippi. This stove was definitely an investment, but I know it will be a tool that I will use daily, hopefully for the rest of my life! I hope to tell you more about this incredible gas range in a future post, so stay tuned! 

I mentioned in my post “Before Kitchen Reno Tour” that one of the motivations to take on this kitchen remodel was so that we could move the stove from the island to the perimeter wall. This allowed us to drop the gas line for the stove, and also to FINALLY have a vent hood! What a game changer! It’s been such a blessing! No more opening doors and windows to air out the house!

Marble Mosaic Hexagon Tile Backsplash

This was another one of the projects that we took on ourselves to save money and invest some sweat equity into this kitchen renovation. We have done tile before, but to be honest, this ‘little’ project turned into a giant nightmare. The hexagon pattern proved to be extremely difficult to work with. Then there was the great grout debacle that turned into a 2 week tile scrubbing fiasco. 

Let me just say, in spite of the seemingly endless cycle of madness we had installing this backsplash, the end result is stunning! The soft variation of whites, creams and grays gives it that cozy cottagey feel, like a cashmere sweater. And of course, it blends effortlessly with the subtle veining in the quartz countertops. It also creates quite the backdrop for my beautiful stove!

I highly recommend our Greecian White Mini Hexagon 12×12 inch tiles…but DIYers BEWARE!!!!

European Cottage Inspired Kitchen Faucet & Sink

My kitchen has a lot of straight lines and sharp angles, so I needed to bring in some curves and soft edges. I knew I wanted a bridge faucet, and I love that this one I chose from Pfister has a tall arched neck that is perfect for filling stock pots. The cast iron apron front sink is another one of those European country cottage items that brings a sense of timeless history. It’s wonderful having all that space in the single bowl configuration!

Finishing Touches and Eclectic Treasures to Create a European Cottage Kitchen Feel

This is the fun part because, without all these beautiful little details, this room would just feel like a display kitchen at Ikea. Every room needs treasures that add character, story, and soul. I specifically designed open shelving in the corner for my collection of cast iron enamel pans. The blue and green ones are Dru Holland, and the white pans with the fall leaves are Descoware made in Belgium. 

A collection of trays evokes images of English tea and adds a bit of contrast and color. And not to neglect a little Americana, I have added some antique crockery pitchers. Another thing I designed specifically for my treasures is the mantle inspired vent hood cabinet. It’s the perfect place for a Monet print, my Italian espresso maker, and a cascading spider plant. 

The End Goal of Living a Frugal Lifestyle

So, as you can see, this kitchen renovation has been quite a journey! It would not have been possible without years of planning, saving and living a frugal lifestyle. This is the end goal of frugality. It often requires a lot of waiting and sacrificing what you want now, so that you can afford those things later. There is something so rewarding about working toward a goal without allowing yourself to be enslaved by your desire for something better in this life. Delaying gratification allows us to grow and mature, and makes achieving your goals that much sweeter!

Most of all, I feel super grateful for such an incredible blessing!

And so relieved that it is done…hallelujah! 

I hope you enjoyed touring our new kitchen! I can’t wait to share more recipes and frugal lifestyle inspiration with y’all! God bless!

Shop this European Cottage Inspired Look!

• X-Back Counter Height Stools
• Brass Bin Pulls
• Brass Cabinet Knobs
• Under Mount Cabinet Vent Hood
• Hexagon Marble Mosaic Tile
• Bridge Kitchen Faucet
• Apron Front Cast Iron Enamel Sink

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