Wednesday, April 13, 2011

My Little Kitchen

Out of nowhere today I got a major cleaning bug and gave my kitchen a massive cleanup. It looked so shiny and tidy (for once) that I thought it would be a shame not to do a little photoshoot and share it.

So here's where I spend a LOT of my time in the house, cooking, fetching, preparing and washing up after my 3 hungry little horses...

As you can see the cabinetry and worktops are pretty dated but we're renting so there's not much I can do about that. At least they're white though so they provide a nice blank canvas for all my vintage "stuff".

My fab toaster, along with salt & pepper shakers from Freedom and adorable egg cups from Target.

A collection of enameled items, all vintage except for the olive green Jamie Oliver tegame.

Two thrifted glass jars, a Nigella Lawson cookie jar and "Retro Kitchen" cocktail shaker. The gorgeous tray behind them was a gift from my middle munchkin :-)

On the window sill - Matryoshka measuring cups - a gift from a lovely friend, vintage Melmac sugar bowl and milk jug, a Pontessa jar and a spoon rest.

I love all the shades of blue and green hidden away inside this tall cupboard...

On the top shelf are various thrifted jugs, mugs etc. Underneath are little bowls from Victoria's Basement, a Laura Ashley 2-tier cake stand, a large jug from Freedom and a thrifted vase.

Next shelf down has an assortment of bowls by Jamie Oliver, Victoria's Basement and Target and a little thrifted jar. Underneath is a white Alex Liddy jar, all other items on that shelf are from Vinnie's!

Next down is a lovely vintage cast iron enameled casserole, another Alex Liddy jug and a duck egg blue storage jar. Underneath are some plates and bowls from Victoria's Basement.

The pride and joy of my kitchen - My Kitchenaid mixer, on top of a trolley from Freedom. Behind it is the notice board I made from the coffee sack I got at a market.

On the shelves of the trolley are various bits and pieces, the Union Jack tray I got at a market, the Le Creuset mini-cocottes my little sis got me for my birthday, my aqua Le Creuset grill pan, a citrus press I bought in Ireland, some teapots I got at Vinnie's and some cute enamel tin bowls and tumblers I bought at a lovely little homewares store in Palm Beach.

Beside the trolley is the fridge, on the front of it I have the closest thing I'll have to a gallery wall in a rental where I can't add any screws or nails into the walls.

The side of the fridge is overloaded with works of art by my little rascals :-)

On top of this cupboard is my little collection of scales and the lovely goblets I got in Vinnie's a couple of years ago.

A girl can never have too many utensils!

Yes, I do have a thing for duck-egg blue, even my dustpan and brush are that colour!

On top of the pantry is my little pottery collection along with a couple of colanders and my favourite find - the Raymond Loewy designed Le Creuset cocotte.

I even tidied inside the pantry!



More tidy cupboards!

One of my favourite things about this kitchen is the stable-style door which leads out onto a covered deck with the most beautiful views of a nature reserve.

Needless to say, whilst I had this cleaning frenzy my boys were busy messing up the rest of the house so I'm off to sort that out!

29 comments:

Trashsparkle said...

Its gorgeous! A mega-stash of great finds. It made me smile seeing how your pyrex was arranged by colours. I'm off-kilter kitchen-wise after having a refit last week. Everything I took down was...ahem...filthy and I'm re-assessing what I actually used (ie will be disciplined enough to keep clean) before putting anything back in. Expect I'll sneak it all back in there over the next few weeks - your displays will give me a kick up the backside!

Ky said...

Oh such gorgeousness!!! I love all your stuff. No wonder you spend so much time in there. I would too if I had all that vintage ware to play with.
You are such an inspiration to keep getting out there and op shop for those bargains. Those bits and pieces that are hard to find, but are such a thrill when you do.
Thanks for sharing your kitchen. I always wonder when I read your posts what you do with all your great buys. x

Nelly said...

I love your kitchen you have such lovely things and really know how to put things together

Cherry said...

Beautiful! I'm working up to doing a kitchen cleanup but don't have much clear space to make things look pretty. I'll settle for clean though!

Kylie said...

Your kitchen is lovely...it's got lots of character and style even though you're renting which is not
easy to do and look at all that gorgeous Pyrex! Wow!

Anna White said...

Just adorable!! I always wondered what you would end up doing with all your fabulous thrifty finds..and now I know! You have created such a super gorgeous little kitchen filled with beautiful colourful pieces..good skills lovely x

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Lovely kitchen....all your things are so pretty in that white backdrop! Thanks for sharing...makes me want to tidy mine now! hugs, Linda

Anonymous said...

Wow!! Your kitchen is beautiful!! I love ALL your vintage items, and the way you have them grouped is stunning!! You really have an eye for putting it all together!!

Vanessa said...

Thanks for sharing your kitchen with us! It is indeed so tidy, lovely, and spacious! Love all your cool vintage finds throughout, too!

Jenny said...

Lovely in every way possible! I love how your kitchen is painted white yet there are colorful plates, cups, and dishes poking out. The colorful serving dishes are my favorite. This is pretty much my dream kitchen! xoxo (You gave me some ideas on how I can revamp mine).

Melinda @ Here We Go Loopy Lou said...

Love love love your kitchen. I would love a barn door, so beautiful! I also wish my pantry looked like that on the inside!!!!

The Thriftaholic (Leilani) said...

Love all the aqua/blues in your kitchen! It's my favorite colour, my kitchen is decorated in aqua & yellow. I'm very envious of your mixer and I think the white cabinets are quaint (my kitchen is SUPER OUTDATED, think fugly '80s fake wood, yuck).

Paulette said...

Wow! I love your fabulous collections and the way you have them displayed. So much to see, yet it doesn't look cluttered. I have a thing for that color blue too.

FoundVintageStyle said...

I love your aesthetic~
It is similar to my own in fact... I love pops of color against white. Also, I keep my collecting functional and stylish so there are no dust collectors around!
Great blog!

Kate Moore said...

You might say you have black thumbs for the garden but whatever colour it is for interior design thumbs, you've certainly got those. Cute, cute, cute kitchen.

Fiona said...

Love your blog. Have been following for at least a year but not as a "follower". You are so lucky to live in Sydney. Where I am there are a couple of op shops which have the same goods for years. Although the other day I scored an Arabia Teapot. JOY If you find out what caused the cleaning bug let me know.

Unknown said...

I love it!!

It just shows that rentals can have personality too..we just have to add it ourselves!

Love the Pyrex collection. I'm just starting a turquoise collection now after having collected (and then sold off when I moved) the Crazy Daisy/Spring Blossom set. If I actually had a kitchen right now...I'd be collecting EVERY color.


And I just thrifted a RED le Creuset dutch oven!

Missa said...

It's lovely! All those pops of vintage color against the white and that is a mighty fine toaster indeed. We've got an old clunker of a toaster so I'm having some toaster envy ;)

Hello Vintage said...

Wow, so much nice stuff there. The Kitchenaid is just devine - gorgeous colour.

Vonlipi said...

Just lovely! I have something that would fit in fantasticly in your fab kitchen and I would like to send to you. Please write me with your mailing address :)

Jen@BigBrownChair said...

I am LOVING your kitchen! I am filling my home with garage sale - thrifting items! you are inspiration to me!

Minnie said...

Yaay, I love the peeks into your home. I, too, also wondered how you store and display your thrifty finds. Your kitchen is so charming and well-organized. The white is a perfect backdrop for all those gorgeous vintage pieces you've collected. My favorites are your Pyrex dishes.

Emma said...

Love it all! You realy should be a stylist, you have a wonderful eye. I have added to my vintage pyrex collection recently... you have definitely started something! xx

Paula said...

Lovely, lovely colourful kitchen - I want that tall white cupboard x

Bargain Hunting Treasure Seeker said...

I love how all of your vintage treasures really stand out against the white! :)

Thrifted Treasure said...

Thank you so much everyone for all the lovely comments, they've made me smile! Emma, you really wouldn't say I should be a stylist if you saw the rest of my house, mess, toys everywhere! But thank you :-)

captain kk said...

LOVE all your gorgeous blues & I'm so jealous over your blue kitchenaid mixer.. My favorite ever colour!

SUNDAY COLLECTOR said...

That is one cool kitchen!!

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