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Breakfast Nook Makeover Reveal

You guys, I thought this breakfast nook makeover reveal would never get here!

Just to catch you up if you’re new, we started the summer totally ready for change. It’s not that there was anything wrong with the breakfast nook before.  I mean all the phases it went through…the awful coastal stage…

the all farmhouse all the time phase…

the give me all the neutrals you possibly can phase…

the traditional phase…

and the transitional phase had their place during that particular season, you know what I mean?

The thing is, I really wanted a modern farmhouse feel in the breakfast nook. I wanted fresh white walls with contrasting trim, furniture, accessories and lots of texture. I was honestly envisioning black, white and camel for months.

So, I created a modern farmhouse breakfast nook design and I thought to myself, “This is going to be THE easiest makeover I’ve ever completed.” We trimmed out the window, painted the walls in Valspar’s Bistro White, the painted the trim in Valspar’s Ultra White and it immediately made a huge difference.

Next, I set about painting the hutch with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite and I started sourcing fabric for the curtains. And this is pretty much where things started going super squirrely.

For weeks, I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t get the plan I had in my head and on paper to work out in real life. I’m usually a very thoughtful decision maker because I don’t take any decision lightly. As a result, our breakfast nook makeover was delayed as white knuckled the color combination and willed it to work.

It wasn’t until I read James T Farmer, III gently remind his readers that you have to not only consider the style of your home but also your surroundings that a gigantic lightbulb went off in my head. I realized this little island house could be vintage, or traditional, or cottage style or flea market style or French farmhouse or country or farmhouse but a modern farmhouse style would never fit this style of home.

And once I accepted that fact (ok, full disclosure, I’m still working on it a little bit) the plans for the breakfast nook started falling into place. I found this Waverly fabric for the curtains…

Then I decided to repaint the hutch with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in French Linen and restyle shelves with a few equestrian themed thrifted finds.

After that I decided to give the breakfast nook table a bit of a rustic makeover. This process took what felt like forever, but the layered paint and patina wound up to be the perfect balance for the floral curtains.

We also decided to paint the door in Valspar’s Cathedral Stone.

White is my favorite color so keeping the existing seating bench which we made from my mom’s childhood headboard and the $7 chairs we hauled home from the cabin years ago white seemed like win-win.

I know we’re going to have to change out the chairs in the breakfast nook eventually because the rest of this set is in the dining room. Until that day comes though, we’re just gonna go with it.

I picked up the fringe pillows on sale at Hobby Lobby and the striped pillow covers were a thrifted find.

We’re in the process of transitioning all our rugs into indoor/outdoor rugs so it was nice to score this rug at Home Depot on sale for around $25. I know! I couldn’t believe it either. It’s one of those things where functionality has to take priority over beauty given the age of our sweet pups. These can be easily cleaned if anything happens.

Once the rest of the pieces of the breakfast nook makeover started falling into place, I began searching for wall art. I’ll freely admit I’m super picky when It comes to wall art. I usually have something in mind and if I can’t find what I’m looking for I’ll just make my own.

The thing is, wall décor is such a personal choice. The, “Where troubles melt like lemon drops,” sign melted my heart every time I saw it because it reminded me of my grandparents. I had planned on putting it back in the breakfast nook, but the scale was off by almost 6 inches. After a few weeks of searching, I stumbled upon something that melted my heart just as much as the sign did. Only this time, it reminds me of my Mom. The wall art was delivered over a week late, but the wait was worth it.

I’m still planning on using the, “Where troubles melt like lemon drops,” sign in the kitchen so it will be fun to see these pieces together each day. I know this piece is totally different and out of the ordinary. I hear, “What is this? Are we having breakfast with the Queen every morning?” usually followed by a nightly toast of, “To her Majesty!” which always gives me the giggles.

All that is to say, don’t be afraid to decorate with things that makes your heart sing just because it seems out of the box!

I chose a simple trio and a wicker tray for the breakfast table vignette. My Mom found the brown and white transferware pitcher for me while she was on vacation. It’s one of my favorite pieces now. You can easily make your own topiary and learn how to give clay pots a white wash patina too.

Our coffee bar and drink station area change all the time. I already have a piece of art in mind to go where the big metal piece is now, we’re just trying to put the final wall treatment plans together before we order anything.

To keep the breakfast nook makeover consistent, I added a bit of Rub N Buff to the tacks on the chairs we use at the conversation bar. The littles mostly sit up here when they visit and pretend they’re at a diner waiting on a short stack ha ha. They are the sweetest.

I was this close to changing out the chandelier in the breakfast nook but in the end, we decided against it. This light is from Ballard and it still works in this space. I think we’ll be able to put the money we would have spent for a new light to good use on another project anyway.

I know this post is getting long so I’ll wrap things up. I can’t even tell you guys how excited I am to cross the breakfast nook makeover off our August Priorities List. There were so many takeaways from this project that I want you to keep in mind when you start doing something like this on your own…

  • Start with a design in mind but be flexible if you have to change course in the middle of the makeover.
  • If you already have furniture, accessories and lighting fixtures you love, use them! Don’t be afraid to paint, repurpose or freshen them up. It’s such an easy way to save money.
  • Giving the walls and trim a fresh coat of paint will make an immediate impact in your space for very little time and money.
  • Buy the best quality fabric and/or curtains you can afford. Curtains are a simple way to add color, texture and visual interest. Just as a reminder, the curtain rod should be mounted 4-6 inches above the window frame to give your space visual height. Extend the curtain rod 3-6 inches beyond the window frame to make your space look wider.
  • Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box when it comes to wall art. Buy what makes your heart sing, after all, you’ll be looking at it every day!
  • Keep a color and style palette that is consistent with the rest of your home.
  • Adding flowers, foliage and greenery is a simple way to add life to your space.

Finally, if there’s a project you’ve been pining over yet putting off, now is a great time to revisit your design plan and go for it! Yes, you might make mistakes along the way (did you see those first photos of mine – totally embarrassing) or you could get to the end of your makeover and realize it wasn’t that scary. Either way, it’s worth taking the chance on because you deserve to come home to a place you love!

I’ll see you guys back here tomorrow. Several of you have asked for easy tabletop vignette ideas so I’ll share them with you tomorrow. Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo

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11 Comments

  1. Love the breakfast nook. It all looks so fresh. I especially like the picture of the queen. You knocked it out of the park.

    1. I appreciate you, Lizzy, thanks so much! I know the picture of the Queen is super different but the fact it’s a little quirky gives us the giggles all at the same time. Big hugs, CoCo

  2. This reveal was so worth waiting for, CoCo! I think all of the changes you made over the years were a great way to express the time in your life and what you loved—nothing wrong with that and it gave you experience. I really like everything here. The table looks like it was a labor of love, and the chairs and hutch are a crisp white contrast. Great ideas. I also love your curtains and I simply can’t believe you scored that area rug at Home Depot!! It’s rather smart no matter how you live because there are bound to be spills and stains in everyday meals.

    It takes me a really long time to do a room, I’m super fussy and while I know the styles I love, they are just that…styles, plural! It seems there has to be a common denominator somewhere. Sometimes its just personal!

    Applause!!!!

    Jane

    1. Thank you so much for your sweet and kind words, Jane! I can completely relate to loving so many different styles and trying to find a way to combine the elements you love most without making it look like you’ve gone overboard or visually cluttered. I find myself frequently saying edit, edit, edit out loud ha ha. I’m getting really exited about all of your upcoming projects and I love what you’ve done at the lake house so far. It’s all fantastic! Hugs, CoCo

  3. Sabrena Reed says:

    LOVE THE QUEEN! LOVE THE QUEEN! LOVE THE QUEEN!

  4. Great job on this makeover as always Coco. My favorite part is when you show all the before photos so we can see how your style has evolved over the years. I love the picture of the queen. Only you could pull something like that off. It’s all really beautiful.

    1. ha ha those pictures are so embarrassing, Sarah! I’m glad you enjoy them 🙂 We very much appreciate your sweet and kind words about the breakfast nook. I gotta say the Queen was a bit of a stretch but every morning I look at her I get all the feels. It just goes to show you gotta buy what you love. Hugs, CoCo

  5. Dearest CoCo – your makeover is stunning! We know how much you struggled with some of the changes…but it was definitely worth it. We hate that you had to re-paint the hutch…but it was the right choice. And, can we talk about that gorgeous fabric for a quick sec? Love it! As always, you did an amazing job – all of your design choices are perfect and so beautiful! Much love and hugs!

    1. Thanks for helping me through the process you guys! I think repainting the hutch thanks to your gentle nudge really helped to change my mind about everything. It helped me to see I could still be farmhouse without being modern farmhouse. Your patience and friendship during these projects is always a huge gift. Big hugs, CoCo

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