Top 10 Ten Things That Make My Kitchen Surprisingly Special

Part 1.

Updated kitchen with new counters, displaying vintage wood birdcage white mixer, and plants. Floating wood shelves holding glasses and white mugs are also displayed.

I always think how blessed we are to have our little 1950s ranch house. We really enjoy some of the retro features and uniqueness. However, that being said, it has had its share of challenges. One of the biggest has been how to accommodate our growing family. Our kitchen, for instance, had many fabulous vintage features when we purchased it, but not all were super functional for our family. It still had it’s original 1950s oven, cabinets and dishwasher. Some features we considered special and some were well past their useful working life and beyond repair. So, over the last couple of years, we’ve made some revisions and updates. We tried to keep in mind the vintage feel of the house, while improving the overall usefulness and aesthetics of the space. I am thrilled with the results and want to share some of the top 10 things that make my kitchen surprisingly special.

Ceramic vintage wall pocket and lamp combo. Featuring a chef in full uniform holding a yellow spoon and black frying pan.

We spent time in 2022 updating the kitchen, with a focus on simplifying and brightening up the room while making it feel more spacious. We also had two priorities: to get the job done quickly and to get it done inexpensively. And we did just that! We did a quick four day renovation for the majority of the space and a week later we had subway tile installed above our sink, floating shelves mounted, and repainted the walls. And we love the updated look, which still keeps in touch with the rest of our 1950s house. Today is “Part 1” of the top 10 list and I’ll share “Part 2” next week.

#1 Flooring

One of the first projects we did was to tackle the floor. Now, to be fair, we did this project two years prior to the rest of the kitchen reno. It was NOT part of the speedy four day update. We wanted to be consistent and match the rest of the house, so we decided to install hardwood. I’ll have to confess we did not do the job ourselves. We did hire a flooring company. They had a very hard job! They had to remove the 3 layers of old flooring first: linoleum, vinyl, and laminate faux wood planks. But, they did it and the result was… AMAZING! A perfect fit and match to the floors throughout our home.

View of an updated kitchen with new wood floors, large bright windows with new wood trim, and a round white table with white IKEA chairs.

#2 Eating Area

An eat-in kitchen is a must. We had just enough room for a nook, in the perfect corner by our large newly-improved windows. It’s light and bright and cheery. The round white Crate and Barrel table is paired with modern white IKEA chairs. They are durable and easy to clean and look fabulous.

#3 Wood Window Trim and Window Sills

I love my home dearly. BUT one feature that was bothering me for twenty years was the lack of window trim!! It was torture for me to go through other homes and see gorgeous wood trim while my home was completely bare. Also instead of wood trim we had purplish marble window sills… NOT the look I was going for. Well, now I’m overjoyed! Its all thanks to our carpenter friend who helped me design the look. He worked his magic and created the most beautiful window trim!!! And all I had to do was paint it. I look at them every day and can’t believe it’s my house! We loved it sooo much he did our bedroom windows too!

A round white kitchen table with white modern chairs displaying a glass platter with house plants and an orchid plant. Large windows are in the background along with a tall white shelf holding white bowls and vintage pottery.

#4 Tall Shelving Unit

Okay, so this took some imagination. I really wanted a vintage shelf that wasn’t very deep but floor-to-ceiling…impossible right? Well, I just had to use a little creativity. We searched the antique mall and found two thin vintage shelves, connected them, added a bit of decorative trim, painted them white, attached feet, and then secured them to the wall…VOILA!!! A precise fit and it looks like it’s been part of the kitchen its whole life. The best part is that it holds a lot of my everyday dishes as well as some glass ingredient jars. I was able to switch from bulky overhead cabinets to open shelving without losing any storage space.

Floor to ceiling vintage white wood painted shelf displaying white bowls and vintage clock and colorful ceramic vessels.

#5 Floating Shelves

Which brings me to the next feature I love. FLOATING shelves. I will admit I was sad to see my old metal cabinets go. I truly tried to make them work for several years. They took up a lot of space and the wall cabinets blocked a lot of the natural light and view. It was time to update and make the kitchen more bright and functional. We pulled out our original old cabinets ourselves and hired help to install the new ones. We only installed the lower cabinets and decided to have our carpenter friend mount the floating shelves for us. Once again he came to our rescue! I definitely needed a professional for this job since they were going to be holding a lot of weight. These sleek modern shelves are the real deal…heavy solid wood! They were made by Dakoda Love (paid link) in solid maple. They are handmade and STUNNING!

Kitchen floating wooden shelves holding stacks of white dishes, green spider plants, and a mini wooden duck decoy.

Kitchen floating wood shelves holding glassware and white ceramic mugs.
Kitchen counter with vintage wooden birdcage, white stand mixer, and plants.

#6 Vintage Touches

I don’t like to take any room too seriously when it comes to decorating. I insist on putting fun and color in when I can. Sometimes more sparingly than others…so the best way for me to do that is to add something special. I get a kick out of adding 1940s or 50s items whether it’s useful or just quirky. My collection of vintage clocks, McCoy pottery (paid link), and a little yellow handheld mixer add a super retro vibe!

Vintage white plastic teapot clock displayed with McCoy yellow and green bird planter along with house plants.

Vintage 1950s General Electric yellow hand held mixer. One of the top ten things that make my kitchen surprisingly special.

I absolutely love my kitchen now. It reflects a lot of my design philosophy and personality. It’s simple and functional, with vintage touches mixed with modern and natural elements! It’s a dream come true!

If you liked this article, please see my post “My New Handpainted Wallpaper: After Reveal.”