Christmas in the Kitchen

Updates to the kitchen and some Christmas touches

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Our kitchen has seen a lot of changes since we moved in just over one year ago.

Most of those changes have been accomplished with paint! I'll never get over how paint can transform a space, a piece of furniture, and anything really! You can see some of my kitchen projects here.

Today I'm sharing some recent budget-friendly updates to our kitchen, as well as Christmas decorations. Our kitchen is quite small, so I need to keep the decor to a minimum in here, but I definitely find that having a pretty space to work in certainly helps when there's a bunch of dishes to do! 😉

My farmhouse styled coffee bar doubles as a cocoa station for the holidays. A couple of wreaths hanging from red gingham ribbon brightens up this spot and are festive while still allowing the cupboards to be functional.

The round table and chairs are new. We needed an informal place for the family to eat meals together; somewhere we could all fit! You might remember the small table I was previously using in our breakfast nook. The table was really too small so it has been repurposed as a desk in the middle DIY's bedroom, a much better fit!

A fresh rosemary bush, chewy peppermint snowmints and a mini gingerbread house make a sweet-smelling, yet simple, centerpiece.

Above the table hangs one of my favorite recent updates...a new fan light. All of the fixtures in our home were amber when we moved in and I am slowly changing them out to match the cooler decor that I favor...grays and whites.

This was the fixture before...ew! Amber and gray just don't look good together!

We opted to keep the fan itself and just change out the light fixture. This is an affordable way to update your look if you have a working fan and an ugly fixture!

The fan looks completely different with the new milk glass fixture, which matches the small one just off the entry! I love the look of this lantern light and it's a much better match for our rustic, farmhouse decor than the old amber light, which matched nothing!

Modern Fan Outlet carries more than just modern fans and light. You'll find many rustic style ceiling fans that will work beautifully with farmhouse, industrial and rustic decorating styles!

Nearly every room in our home has a ceiling fan, definitely essential for warmer climates! Having the right fixture really helps to pull the look of a room together!

Now I just have 47 more fixtures to update 😕

Let's take a look at the working side of the kitchen. You can see a peek of my farmhouse Christmas tree through the doorway.

Now that the fresh bay wreath from McFadden Farm has dried, I moved it from the dining room table and hung it up here, where my magnolia wreath used to be. I actually swapped them out! It's easier to pinch off a bay leaf or two when it's near the stove!

I keep my counters as bare as possible because I hate clutter when I'm cooking or baking. But this corner behind my sink is perfect for a little decorating! I built that little table from some spindle legs I found at Round Top this year.

More mini gingerbread houses become sweet-smelling decor! I've used gingerbread as decor in my kitchen, on my farmhouse tree and even used it to wrap packages! I did make an edible batch too, to satisfy the sweet teeth in the family!!

I've had this idea pinned for years, and finally got around to making a little gingerbread village...can you spot the silo, barn and Texas star? Looks like my town is warping a bit in this Texas heat!

The village adds a little Christmas fun to the side entry that we use every day, which is just off the kitchen. My $5 coffee filter wreath is hanging on the door to our farmhouse laundry room, a project that we updated for less than $100.

The trick to this gingerbread is to make the details on the raw dough. Once it's baked, rub some powdered sugar over the grooves to highlight them and add a snowy touch. I used this template for my flat houses.