I love all the mod cons as much as the next person, but I don't always like how they look!
I seek out new items for my kitchen that have a vintage vibe, or use authentic vintage or antique items to give my new farmhouse kitchen that feeling of yesteryear, but without losing modern convenience.
Here are my top 10 items to give you that farmhouse kitchen feel...
1. The Electric Kettle - it seems that electric kettle manufacturers over the past few years have realised not everyone wants super sleek or utilitarian plastic when it comes to kettles.
Sure, you could use an old kettle on the stove for vintage authenticity, but as much as I love that idea, it isn't practical for us, and the electric kettle is probably the most used appliance in our kitchen. So I wasn't going to have any old kettle gracing my stone bench tops!
I wanted one with some vintage styling and not all stainless steel. I found the perfect one in my Delonghi Icona Kettle - it's fast to boil and the off white colour is just right for our kitchen. It retails at around $99AUD but I found it a little cheaper on sale online from 'The Good Guys'
They also make it in vintage blue (nice), red and silver with matching toasters available as well. What's not to love!?
2. Kitchen Scales - If you read my post on my vintage candy scale makeover, you already knew this one was going to be on the list! A set of vintage scales give you a big dose of 'vintage' in the farmhouse kitchen and if they work that is even better.
You can find them online, on ebay, Gumtree or similar from about $50 depending on what condition they are in. They usually date from the early 1900's to around 1960.
They just ooze vintage charm and when not in use they double up as a plant stand or fruit bowl.
3. The Rangehood - I find so many rangehoods just do nothing for the farmhouse kitchen aesthetic. When building our new farmhouse kitchen I had settled on hiding the rangehood under a cupboard as getting a custom one made to look the part was beyond the budget. I didn't like stainless steel either - well that was until I found this beauty at IKEA.
Introducing the Foljande rangehood. This one has super suction - on high it almost sounds like a jet taking of - so it's practical and all that - but, the simple addition of those what IKEA calls 'spice racks' and 'utensil rails' for me gave it the vintage touch I needed to feel comfortable with it.
It costs $999, which isn't really a cheap option, but the splurge was definitely worth it, because we saved so much on my next item on the list that it more than made up for it....
4. The Ceramic Farmhouse Sink - Oh Yes and yes again - this one was the thing I dreamed about the most but felt was just too expensive when getting quotes for our kitchen.
But to my surprise, it was IKEA to the rescue again - introducing the Domsjo double sink - unattractive name like most IKEA products - but hey, you can call it whatever you want when you are selling it for the - oh so attractive price of only $349! This is at a minimum at least a third of the cost of similar sinks on the market and it's so big, deep, and so very farmhouse. Can you tell I have a sink crush going on? Oh, and did I mention it comes with a 25 year guarantee, are you in love with it yet?
I'll be doing a review on the Domjso sink once it hits the milestone of one full years use in our home. Stay tuned for that one later this year. How it has worn, what I use to clean it etc.
5. Vintage Style Kitchen Tap - Since I'm on a roll here shopping at IKEA, I may as well jump right in to Number 5 and share my love of the Glittran Kitchen mixer tap in black to match my stone benchtop (also comes in chrome).
This tap works beautifully with the farmhouse sink, super gorgeous old world style tap with the really nice touch of a ceramic handle. It is as a bonus also a water saver- it has a mechanism that reduces water flow while maintaining pressure & comes with a 10 year guarantee as well.
There are several similar taps on the market and we paid $229 for ours, but I noticed that IKEA has reduced it down to $139 which is amazing value considering the quality.
No, just in case you are starting to wonder if I bought shares in IKEA recently - they are not paying me to say any of this, no affiliations! Just my honest opinions based on my own experiences.
UPDATE: I have found that a little hemp oil rubbed into this tap every few months keeps it looking new.
6. Wicker Baskets - in a real practical farmhouse kitchen using a basket to collect fruit and vegetables from your garden or cut flowers to decorate your home was a common thing to do.
I have several baskets I use and they add a warmth and vintage feel to the kitchen with their natural earth colours and the cane woven in not perfect and irregular lines, which is a nice contrast to the hard edges of the cupboards and benchtops.
I also found this modern faux vintage bread basket online that I use to hold herbs and spices in the top section and in the bottom section I store short term items like medications for one one of the dogs when they are sick or cold/flu relief for us when we are, and sometimes a small item that is being temporarily used in the kitchen. It keeps things tidy but very much at hand.
7. Food Cover - insects especially flies were a big problem before the advent of flyscreens so food covers were an essential part of any farmhouse kitchen.
Instead of using those fold up fabric mesh ones on a daily basis I leave this vintage one I found at the local markets on my kitchen island, so it is always at hand to cover something and I like how it looks as well.
It was rather 'manky' when I bought it, but after a good scrub with soap and water, then after it dried a quick spray with white paint it looks really fresh. Over the years it gets a little worn and I just give it a respray and we are good to go.
8. Vintage Style Storage Jars - I love storage that is both practical and attractive enough to have on display if I want. These lovely jars I picked up at Big W for $4 - $8 each. They were my bargain find of that day, with screw on lids they have a good airtight seal and were perfect for storage of doggie treats on the pantry counter top.
Since these treats are handed out twice a day these jars get a good work out and have stood up well to constant use. Whilst photographing these to show you the ever attentive canines thought they may be in for a mid day snack as well, I turned around to find this sweet face peaking around the corner!
9. Wooden chopping boards - Wooden chopping boards are a farmhouse kitchen essential. Whether you use them to actually chop on or just for display they just shout vintage and if you hunt around you can often get a bargain. The one below I found at Target for just $10 and I have seen similar online for $30+. I bought two of these, one I leave on my kitchen island and use to protect the stone bench from hot pots and pans, as well as for the odd small chopping job, and other I keep as decoration.
UPDATE: If you love French antique breadboards but not the hefty price tag then you may find my DIY your own 'antique' style breadboard post worth visiting.
10. Wire Baskets - Vintage or vintage style the wire basket is another essential for the farmhouse feel in your kitchen. I use this double story one with cute wood handle for fruit or foliage and the top basket adjusts up or down to suit whatever space I need them to be apart.
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