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Kitchen Update – Island Makeover

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Did I say Rosemary Gallery? I meant Heather Gray. 😉

Old Corbel | Kitchen Island | The Lettered Cottage Kitchen

Kevin wasn’t 100% sure about painting the island such a deep green, so we went with a color that we both felt 100% about instead. (I’m a paint color junkie, so switching it up wasn’t a big deal and I’ll probably use my Rosemary Gallery on a piece of furniture sometime instead!)

Heather Gray (by Benjamin Moore) was the perfect compromise. It’s like three colors in one. It goes from looking gray-gray, to green-gray, to blue-gray, depending on where you are and what time of day it is. I absolutely love grays that do that! #ChameleonColor 🙂

The folks at New Look Decorating in Montgomery, AL for helped us find it. We just pulled up this inspiration photo on my phone while we were there…

Gettysburg_Green_Gray_Kitchen_Cabinets

…and left with a quart of Heather Gray fifteen minutes later! (Thanks again, guys!)

The old bar top and corbels popped out really easily, and after the “new” (super old!) corbels were up, we also added some X’s to the sides of the island:

Kitchen | Heather Gray Island | Gray Owl Walls | Simply White Cabinets and Trim

I was determined to work some “barn doors” in there! I think they go great with our farm-style galvanized pendant lights…or “chicken lamps”, as my Uncle Kevin likes to call them- LOL. (After he said it, it hit me: “That’s why I love them so much!”) #Farmgirl4Life 🙂

The new (Frosty Carrina) counter top and bar top are coming in this morning and I am SO excited to see them in place! We’re extending the bar top out by 4 inches so that it measures 16 inches deep. It used to be 12 inches and I never felt like that was enough room.

Oh! And that reminds me, yes– we thought about making the island all one level. But the thought immediately passed because we, A) like sitting up higher there, B) almost always  have a pile of mail and/or paperwork on the backside of the bar, and C) want to keep our dirty-and-not-yet-loaded-into-the-dishwasher dishes hidden. Our entire first floor is one big open space so I love having a little “barricade” there to hide our mess from the living and dining spaces! 😀

I’m also excited to be able to work in some more of our backsplash tile on the back side of the bar.

Ming Green and Thassos White Sunflower Tile | The Lettered Cottage Kitchen

I’ll be back next week with some more updated photos! Happy weekend!

PS- For kitchen pics between posts, join me over on Instagram! 🙂

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Comments

  3. Lindsey

    I agree with you on the different heights on your island. We have a island that is all one height. It’s not big at all but our sink is located there. If anyone sits on the bar stools while someone washes their hands, dishes etc… the people sitting get splashed. I wished mine was like yours. I LOVE your kitchen transformation. It’s gorgeous!!

  4. Colette J.

    My husband and I have an ongoing dialogue about what we’ll replace our formica countertops with. He wants marble, but it’s so high maintenance that I’d constantly be stressing about keeping it clean. I’ve been trying to convince the hubby that quartz would be a better option – the look of marble with all the added benefits. Can’t wait to see your finished island. I’m loving how it looks so far, especially those fabulous corbels!!

    • Kristine

      We have marble in our bathroom (installed by the previous home-owners) and I gotta admit, it is kinda a nightmare to maintain (as of now it’s looking a little shabby with numerous small dents and subtle stains). If I were you Colette I’d def keep trying to convince hubby of a harder, less porous material.
      xoxo

  5. Baileywife @Irishman Acres

    Perfect compromise! Your kitchen is turning out perfectly your style! And definitely use that other gallery green on something soon, anxious to see it! ~Kim

  6. Patti

    It looks amazing! What a transformation. Would you post how you added the barn door Xs to the island? I would like to do something similar to the ugly hollow core doors in my house and am interested to learn your technique.

  8. Kristine

    Oh Layla, I am such a sucker for x’s on anything and everything! Have been for as long as I can remember. Instant personality injectors (mind you, those corbels don’t hurt either!).

  9. Laurie

    What an open, airy, beautiful kitchen — so cheery! That beautiful backsplash just makes the space. Love Benjamin Moore and love your paint choice — Heather Gray is so pretty and perfect with your backsplash and the airy atmosphere of your kitchen!

  13. Joni

    Love your blog! I was just looking at photos of your amazing home. Did you know the exterior of you house is almost a dead ringer for the Abraham Lincoln home in Springfield, IL? Beautiful!

  14. Allison A.

    Love it! The color is beautiful and the fact it changes with the sun makes it even more so. Thanks for the inspiration!

  15. Emily@The Wicker House

    Ha Ha, Not Rosemary gallery….which would have also looked great, I’m sure. But I love the heather gray, It’s a great pop of color. I’m so excited to see your kitchen coming together, I just love it!

  20. teresa

    L~We used a similar color on our lower cabinets and Cottage White ( I think) on the upper cabinets. And, we painted the island black. I LOVE IT ALL! I never get tired of the blue/gray/green because it looks like a different color every time I go in kitchen! It easily blends with all seasons, as well.

    Can’t wait to hear more about Sweet P! Blessings and favor to you and Kev!

  21. Susan

    Layla. I am TICKLED that you did not use the Rosemary Gallery…I voted against it. The Heather Gray is perfect!! Your position as my decorating guru and best friend blogger (yes, I think of you as my BFF blogge!r) is secure!!! What a relief. 😉

  22. Melissa Phaturos

    THAT’S MY COLORS TOO! Sorry to shout but i am screaming inside how much I LOVE THIS! I even have a similar light. I opted for open shelving though. I’ll send a pic sometime. I would love to hear your thoughts for improvements.

  24. Ter'e

    Isn’t “behind the bar barricade” the proper place to stack your mail and papers???? I’m sure it is……that’s where mine is.

    Pooh……..I was dying to see your lovely Rosemary Gallery paint. I opt for the Rosemary Gallery. Does my vote count????? To Kev (that adorable Kev) I say bawk, bawk, bawk, bawk!!!!!!!!!!

  25. Deborah

    Layla, I love the new color. It looks just right. I’ll have to remember that color. Kitchen is looking good!

  28. Jennifer

    I love the heather gray! I love the corbels too! The kitchen is gorgeous. I can’t wait to see it all finished.

  29. Laura

    Yay for the gray island. I wasn’t thrilled with your green, partly because it looked a bit muddy and dark (like you said). A beautiful color, but maybe save it for a smaller piece?

    Those corbels, wow, amazing. Will they stay natural wood color?

  31. debbie

    That is really going to be beautiful Layla. I have never seen anything you chose that wasn’t perfect.

  32. Joana_JW

    I am completely in love with gray shades; no matter how light or dark it may be, they just look perfectly soothing. The combination of these three shade is looking wonderful. Must say you made a fantastic choice 🙂 Mind blowing!

  33. carly

    Maybe you said it somewhere and I didn’t see… where did you get the corbels? I love them!!

  34. Debbie V.

    Looking beautiful! Can’t wait to see it all finished and to see if you paint your corbels or leave them as it.

  37. Steffanie

    Ok seriously, I found your blog when searching Pinterest for DIY Kitchen redos and I am smitten! I’ve been perusing your posts and love every room you have done (I found your old house kitchen first)! If you didn’t live so far away I would invite you over to my house for coffee and see what you would do with my kitchen (I’m stuck).
    Keep it up Layla and good luck with the adoption!

  40. Jenny B.

    Love it! The house is starting to really look like your style. The power of paint still amazes me! We went to an open house today for a farmhouse that would have so many fun projects. The one major negative I could find was that the garage is in the basement, and you have to walk up a narrow staircase to get to the main level of the house. I think I remember you saying at some point that your garage is also under your house. So… I’m wondering… how do you like it? Is it a pain? Is it no biggie? Do you think it will be an issue as you get older? My husband and I are only 38, but we plan to stay in our next house for a looong time. Anyway, just curious! 🙂

  43. Shannon

    I laughed about your “chicken lights” because we actually just bought three chicken feeder tops still connected to the pipe to use as our lights above our bar. They have that same shape as yours. We just bought them in April at TX Antiques week in Warrenton. We have the same raised bar set up and we have that same issue with a pile of mail on the backside cabinet. Check out my blog on how I’m using a chicken feeder to once again corral the mail. http://bohemianjunktion.com/2014/06/17/chicken-feeder-organizing/ So far it’s been working well. Plus I roll up my magazines and seem to be getting to them sooner now.
    Love the corbels! After seeing yours way back when Lucy got them for you I contacted her to get us some. She came through like a champ and we went up to SAAA before coming to Chapel Market last October. Speaking of which…..Are you doing it again this fall? We could use another anniversary trip from TX to AL!
    We LOVED the entire trip, seeing houses in your little neighborhood. In fact I told my hubby I would move there if I ever had to move from our place in the country to a neighborhood. That’s only if I can’t afford Tybee.
    Thanks for inspiring me and my family in soooo many ways! Tybee is now are favorite beach to go to (ranks way above FL even!)

    Shannon ~ bohemianjunktion.com

  45. Heather Bergeron

    Love your blog and all the design inspiration. Can you share where you got the backsplash and the name?

  47. Connie

    I love your kitchen!!….. I’m especially loving the color of your island. I looked through all of the comments . Is the color, Heather Gray?…. It looks like a blueidh mint green. Anyway, I love it!
    Could you e- mail me back and tell he the color?
    Thanks, Connie

    • Layla

      Hi Connie!
      Yes, it’s kind of buried there in the middle of the post, but yes, it’s called Heather Gray and we had it mixed at Benjamin Moore here in Montgomery. 🙂