{Modern Farmhouse Style} 3 Simple Kitchen Decor Upgrades

Modern farmhouse kitchen with grey cabinets, cup pulls, and quartz
Hello Lovely Studio

The “before” kitchen in our Arizona vacation house

needed a renovation.

It felt dated, had no clear identity, and

although functional, lacked quality…so with DIY,

a small budget, and smart choices, we upgraded

the kitchen decor to give it serene modern

farmhouse style and customized it

without any demolition.

While I still have finishing touches to

add on our next visit, I wanted to

share some simple kitchen decor upgrades

that anyone–even non-DIY types–can swing.

Upgrade No. 1

Paint the walls to lighten and brighten the mood.

The greens and reds weren’t doing our boring

kitchen any favors, and as soon as we

painted the walls, we began to see the potential!

BEFORE: Functional but that’s it, and don’t get me started on the painted red faux backsplash.

It takes some effort and patience, but you

can also transform your kitchen cabinets

with paint as we did.

I handpainted them in a grey-blue

called Classic Silver (Behr).

Modern farmhouse kitchen with grey cabinets, cup pulls, and quartz
AFTER: Hello Lovely Studio

Upgrade No. 2

Add vintage touches for modern farmhouse charm.

While I’m just getting started adding vintage touches

to our kitchen, here are a couple of easy DIY suggestions.

Add beadboard trim to a breakfast bar, island,

or peninsula to suggest age and add interest.

See how plain and boring it looked before?

BEFORE

Another idea is to install planks horizontally which

gives you sort of a shiplap effect, and shiplap

planking works just as well for this upgrade.

I also wanted to add simple modern farmhouse

barstools and was able to find the ones below

for $1-3 at nearby thrift stores and simply unified

them with paint.

Modern farmhouse kitchen with grey cabinets, cup pulls, and quartz
AFTER: Hello Lovely Studio
Round wood bar stools outside getting painted
Thrift store stools getting painted in the backyard.

But the easiest beautiful kitchen decor upgrade

to inject gorgeous farmhouse chic style?

Upgrade No. 3

Add quality cabinet hardware with

farmhouse style and patina.

Cabinet hardware from Top Knobs

was probably my favorite farmhouse

kitchen decor upgrade we added because

it provided instant gratification and style,

high quality, and timeless design for our

basic builder’s grade kitchen cabinets.

Check out the area next to the refrigerator before…

BEFORE: Yuck.

While this area improved after we painted the cabinets,
the Aspen collection cup pulls and small potato knobs
make a huge impact in terms of both function
(these cabinets are going to better live up to
daily wear and tear with hardware) AND
aesthetics (defining that modern farmhouse look we love).

Modern farmhouse kitchen with grey cabinets, cup pulls, and quartz
AFTER: Hello Lovely Studio – Top Knobs Aspen Collection (Silicon Bronze Light)

The bank of base cabinets on the window

wall before we added the cabinet hardware

looks as if it should be in a basement workshop,

not a space that is seen all day, everyday!

BEFORE: BTW. Can we talk mottled everything?!? From the tile to the laminate to the maple cabinets!

What a huge difference gorgeous hand-forged
bronze pulls and knobs make.

Modern farmhouse kitchen with grey cabinets, cup pulls, and quartz
AFTER: Hello Lovely Studio – Top Knobs Aspen Collection (Silicon Bronze Light)

More dramatic before and afters
because this is too much fun!

BEFORE: The range wall with naked cabinets!

Sweet Mother Teresa on a motorbike,
I love these Top Knobs knobs and pulls!

Modern farmhouse kitchen with grey cabinets, cup pulls, and quartz
AFTER: Hello Lovely Studio: Top Knobs Aspen Collection cabinet hardware

Here’s another post about how I chose this particular
cabinet hardware, and while I love the cup pulls,
don’t be surprised if I devote an entire post
in the future to the small potato knobs which…
omg, have the best hand feel and weight to them!

Wall Paint Color: Valspar Salute (7006-12).

Stay tuned for more updates and reveals
as we finish up this DIY whole house makeover!

Thanks, Top Knobs for sharing such gorgeous craftsmanship with me.

I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.

Peace to you right where you are.

-michele

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8 Comments

    • April 23, 2017 / 2:03 pm

      thanks, mary ann! can't wait to get back there and finish the details. 🙂

  1. April 23, 2017 / 3:24 pm

    What an incredible difference in your kitchen. It's so nice to see you repurposing cabinets and showing folks what a difference a coat of paint makes. Thanks for your predictable wonderful posts! I grab some coffee, turn on some Pandora music (French Cafe usually) and savor every picture and word!

    • April 23, 2017 / 3:49 pm

      I'm so grateful to have you here, friend. Thanks for the encouragement. I enjoyed every minute of painting them, and I know I may be freaky in that way, but put a paintbrush in my hand, and a peaceful world opens up. We wanted to disturb this place minimally to keep the labor and costs low. Enjoy your glorious day! 🙂

  2. April 23, 2017 / 3:29 pm

    Love all your farmhouse touches Michele! Enjoy your weekend:)

    • April 23, 2017 / 3:50 pm

      Thanks, Leslie. It's certainly not your beautiful farmhouse kitchen, but it is now a pleasant space! xox

    • April 28, 2017 / 8:07 pm

      thanks a million, katherine! xox

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Let’s SHOP!

White Slipcovered Sofa
SHOP MY HOME!
29″ Whitewashed Table Lamp Set of 2
White Matelasse Quilt on MY BED
SHOP MY BATH!
Trees White Wallpaper Mural
Round Farmhouse Table
Myla Slipcover Sofa
Deconstructed Wingback Bed
French Farmhouse Dining Table
Milagro Heart
Slipcovered Dining Chair
Rustic Farmhouse Stool
Edgecombe End Table
Parisian Style Iron Table Lamp  33.5″
Black or Bronze Accent Table
French Stripe Basket Set
White Cotton Crochet Bed Skirt
French Country Rattan Basket Set
Marble Subway Mosaic Tile
Rattan Basket With Lid
White Ruffle Bedding
Seagrass Basket Set
Schumacher Wild Things Wallpaper
Slipcovered Sofa
Upholstered Dining Arm Chair
Shop My Breakfast Nook
White Matelasse Quilt
Tree Mural Wallpaper
Faux Potted French Lavender
Shaw Daybed
Distressed White French Country Chandelier
French Country Headboard
Oval Back Counter Stool, Set of 2
Antique Brass Pharmacy Floor Lamp
Round French Tufted Ottoman
Kinston Wood Bench
Italian Candelabra Chandelier
Slipcovered Linen Chair
Warner Upholstered Bench
Rustic Country French Dresser
Laurel Wreath Mirror
Round Farmhouse Dining Table
Reclaimed Wood Dresser
Louis Upholstered Bench
Pardon My French Doormat
Stripe Turkish Towel Throw
Pamela Arm Chair
Sweater Weave Basket
French Carved Wood Chandelier
Terracotta Pots & Basket
French Country Wood Chandelier
French Linen Dining Chair
Gustavian Cabinet
French Farmhouse Dining Table
Bar Stool
Beachy White Slipcovered Sofa
Rattan Armchair
Diptyque Oyedo Candle
Cross Back Dining Chair
French Country Candle Holder
French Industrial Metal Chairs (4)
Designer Favorite Wall Mirror
Holborn Lantern Pendant
French Country 6-Light Chandelier
Tray Side Table
French Country Upholstered Arm Chair
Wicker Trunk Set
French Ticking Stripe Pillow
Jute Area Rug
Mohair Throw
Rustic Industrial Farmhouse Shelves
Belgian Linen Sofa
White Duvet & Bedding
Rustic Wood Candlestick Set
French Market Basket
Linen Modern Wing Chair
French Country Farmhouse Baskets
Concrete Pillar Table Lamp
Boheme Madera Bench
Belgian Style Lamp
Kendall Skirted Dining Chair
White Charleston Sofa
Scrubbed Wood 5-Light Chandelier
Arched Champagne Wall Mirror
Moravian Star 1-Light Pendant
Highback Armchair
Mini Pendant Light
White Vase Set
Round Woven Placemat Set
Cashmere Throw With Fringe
Wreath Doormat
Fireclay Farm Sink (Reinhard, 30″)
White Waffle Coverlet
Light Grey Vienna Quilt
Boheme Madera Bench
Belgian Linen Duvet Set
Round Marble Side Table
Rustic Pedestal Farm Table
Rattan Hanging Chair Swing