We still have a few more finishing touches to do in the kitchen (touch-up paint, building a shelf by the side door, and building a cover for the doorbell), but I wanted to share a few details I added over the past couple of weeks. I think it’s taking longer to get all of the little things finished up than it did to do the big stuff, but I think that’s how it goes with makeovers and renovations. You start to lose a little steam and what’s done is beautiful that it’s easy to look past things like a naked doorbell hanging over the doorway to the hall. We’ll get there.
One thing I had on my shopping list for a while was a towel bar to install on the end range end of the antique baker’s table. I felt like it would be a nice place to hang a towel or I could put a couple of hooks on the rail to hang an oven mitt or whatever else might be handy. I was looking at and they were pretty pricey. I didn’t need a $70 towel bar, but I also wanted something that looked a little nicer than a $10 chrome imitation towel bar. I found a wrought iron towel bar at an antique store for $12 and it happened to be just the perfect size to install on the table apron.
I like that it’s quiet. It’s unassuming and something you wouldn’t really notice as a modern addition. I hung a vintage linen towel that is labeled as a “glass towel”, made in Ireland. (It’s similar to THIS ONE.) It was a great find on a shopping trip with my mom a few weeks ago.
Someone asked about this other finishing touch…it’s the little wall bell hanging in the far left of the photo below. I had it in my last kitchen and was so happy to find the perfect little piece of wall for it.
It is a vintage dinner/doorbell I found on Etsy. I hunted for it after I spotted one in Melissa’s kitchen. It was just such a sweet detail and I was delighted when I found one for about $30.
Just under the brass bells are Sebastian’s food bowl and the community water bowl. Well, I abstain from drinking out of it, but all of the furry critters share the water bowl even though I’ve tried to give the kitties their own water bowl. I had been using the same stainless steel bowls for him since we first brought him home and the rubber rings that keep them from sliding were barely hanging on. And the mat, which was rubber with a funny, nonslip surface that was beyond cleaning. They were a big downer surrounded by the lovely newness of the renovated kitchen, so I upgraded the bowls and the mat and that really did make a big difference. The new bowls and mat look sleek, clean, and sort of blend in.
I bought THIS large bowl for the water bowl (it’s heavy and holds a lot of water), the matching smaller bowl for Sebastian’s food, and THIS is the mat (which is very easy to clean and comes in a bunch of colors.) Mine is the 19 x 11″ mat in white sand.
So, there we go. Just a couple of finishing details that add a personal touch and make practical things we need (like food and water bowls) pretty.
You can read more about this kitchen makeover HERE.
41 Responses
You think of everything! Love the bowls and mat for the fur babies!
The dinner bell is the perfect gold for your house!
I do
It’s always fun to add in the finishing touches in a room. Some might be practical, some are whimsical, and all of them take some time to realize that you need them.
I love that bell from years ago, and tried to find one…didn’t. I love the upscale bowls. I have some also, and why wouldn’t you want your love to have something pretty, too. It makes it more pleasant to keep clean.
The towel rack is perfect….of course.
I see the bells on Amazon. Search “shopkeepers triple bell”
It’s insane how much I love this kitchen! I would take every last inch of it…..so in love with the greens and coppers, my favs. Thank you for sharing it all with us ❤️
Thank you so much!
Perfect! All the little touches that make this your kitchen are so interesting and charming. So much fun to find things along the way that have a story to tell.
I love the kitchen just one question. Will it he difficult to keep the area behind the stove clean? Most kitchens that space is tiled and I don’t know about you but I always manage to have a splatter or two there. I am sure you have a plan just curious
I don’t mean to speak for her, but Marian once said that she does eventually want to put some tile or something there, but she wants to live with it for awhile. For now she has a good durable and washable paint on there. It will be something we all will be looking forward to when she decides on what she is sure wants to do. 🙂
Exactly, thank you! 💙
I have a quality, wipe-able paint back there for now, so I just wipe up splatters as needed.
Oh! How I love the vintage dinner bell. I’ll add it to my Brimfield search in September.
Love it all…
Shelley…don’t hate me BUT a couple years ago I found and bought the same exact bells at a garage sale for $1.00!!!
When Marian first featured them I had a giggle.
I think your bells may have come from a Catholic Church. Similar bells have hung in churches to be rung during the mass.
They might be designed after that, but I think these are just decorative bells made in India. I think the intention was for them to be a doorbell of sorts.
Marian, Thanks for the great idea for tidying up the pet food bowls space. We are about two months behind you on our kitchen remodel and I have been racking my brains about how to keep the pet food mess contained. Problem solved thanks to you!
Your kitchen is beautiful my favorite color is green so I’m a big fan. Is there a backsplash? I can’t tell from photos.
No, there isn’t. I am just waiting until I decide what I want to do and then I need to cost it out. I don’t mind it at all as is, though, so I’m not in any rush.
have you any idea how priveleged you are? to be able to do what you do, to your kitchen? It looks beautiful,and i love it,but what can I do- I can never achieve it. And what about folk who are the wives of pastors, but just don’t have that kind of spare cash? I would love if you set up a “Frugal” Miss mustard Seed website, for those of us who love your style, but don”t have your abundant cash.it would be iike a ” tithe”
I do understand the sentiment of your comment, but if you look back to my posts from the beginning, my decorating was on a shoestring. My husband was a youth pastor and I was at home with two boys under the age of two. Our finances were so tight that we didn’t have internet or cable TV. We never ate out (unless someone gave us a gift card), bought everything used or family and friends gifted clothes and things for the boys to us, and I had to take a calculator with me to the grocery store to make sure I didn’t have one thing beyond what we could afford. I started my business with my parent’s financial help with the hope of making $200/month to help pay for groceries and diapers. I truly do understand and don’t take it for granted that God has blessed us in many ways through this business. While we have done a lot of big-ticket renovations lately in our home, we are moving into a season of doing things ourselves, so I’ll be sharing those projects. If you look back through my archives, though, you’ll find my two previous kitchens (especially the one in PA) were redone using the existing cabinets, lots of paints, and some upgrades. In the PA house, we fabricated and finished wood counters ourselves to make it work for our budget. Anyway, this kitchen renovation is the most I’ve ever spent on one room, but we bought a house that was at a lower price point so we could do some big renovations. I hope you look back at past projects and the wide range of tutorials from refinishing thrifted furniture to making slipcovers out of drop cloths to encourage you!
Marian, you were one of the first blogs I started reading in 2011 and continue to be inspired with your ideas. I don’t copy your ideas exactly, but always love seeing your projects and renovations. I married an enlisted man in the navy over 50 years ago. Our first years were financially tight because we lived on his low salary alone followed by living on my early teaching salary while he went to college for four years to get a degree to become a Bible translater. Like you, I kept track of every penny at the grocery store and sometimes had to put items back on the shelf. I made out menus for two weeks at a time. We never ate out, I sewed most of my clothes, and we didn’t have a couch for the first 3 years of our marriage. We bought second hand furniture, and I painted it long before blogs like yours gave tutorials. Through the years we were able to buy our first very small house with very little down and a VA loan. Little by little we had more income from my increased teaching salary, my husband’s modest translater’s salary, and my husband building decks and doing small home renovations for others. Eventually, we were able to build our dream home and paid off the mortgage before I retired from education. The last years I worked in the school system I was a high school assistant principal and then was a central office district level gifted and talented coordinator. Those years in administration increased my salary and then my retirement pension. The year I retired I had a major life-changing event that caused me to have to go back to work part time to make ends meet. Then I started a small seasonal business for more income. So, I have had to scrimp and save most of my life. Even without a large income, I have always loved reading decorating magazines and then inspiring blogs to enjoy beautiful homes that give me ideas. None of your homes have ever appeared to me to have been renovated on a large budget, but within a reasonable budget plus talent and hard work. I was inspired to start writing my own blog in 2011. Thank you for your blog that continues to inspire me, even if I will never have a range like yours. Keep up the good work.
Marion gave you a thoughtful answer, but as someone who was married over forty years ago I want to add to it. When I was a young mother interest rates got to 16%. Car loans were high, mortgages were high, gas prices were high and gas lines had been a thing. Jobs were not plentiful . I was young enough to think that things would never get better and we just had to make the best of it. I didn’t know how I’d be able to be a stay at home mom. There was no such thing as Pinterest ( that could be a good thing ), no You Tube to learn how to do anything, no google for ideas or questions. Goodness, I didn’t know anyone with a home computer ! And you know what? For the most part, I became – a stay at home most of the time though not all of it- mom. My kids are grown and out of college with no college debt. Our home is paid for and I still get ideas and inspiration from Miss Mustard Seed and a few others. I can’t afford everything I see on every HGTV show, but I don’t need to. I can enjoy , I can get ideas, and I can learn . I would gently tell anyone, don’t just see what you don’t have. Look at what you Do have, and your capability to do more with it. That is the beauty of the mustard seed.
As a wife and mother for over forty years, and having been where you are, I would gently say, don’t just see what you don’t have. Look at what you Do have, and your capability to do more with it. That is the beauty of the mustard seed.
Ms. Woods,
Before you make a flip comment maybe you should do your research…you sound foolish. And a little bit “green”.
There is a HUGE difference between “privileged” and doing the hard work.
You have such an eye for the slightly quaint and quirky…yet always classy! Love your style…so much personality shines through in your beautiful home.
Marian, Just received the Fall 2023 issue if Countey Home mag and your range is in there looks like the same color also on page 16. A couple in NC remodeled an old home. You must see it reminds me of your ideas !
If I had no idea who designed this kitchen and just saw it on Pinterest , I would know it was you. It has your signature all over it. I’m so happy for you and happy to have shared from afar your process.
On a different note, I’ve been looking for something just right to put under our dogs water bowl in our RV- and now you’ve shown me the perfect thing ! It’s just like you to come up with the solution I need/want !
Your kitchen is stunning! So bright & cheerful! I love the combination of the green and white with the brass, copper and warm wood!
Dear Marian, As a long-time reader of your blog, I want to say that you are an amazing example for us all, of what can be accomplished by someone who has the initiative to work hard to improve their circumstances. You have not only used your natural, God-given talents to help support your family through the thinner, early years of your marriage, but you have given all of us the privelege of accompanying you as you have learned and grown. We are all richer for it. It’s true that my kitchen will never outshine yours, but it reflects me, and I”m happy with that. You fully deserve all that you and your husband have accomplished, and I can’t wait to see what you do next!
Very well said Anita. Hard work is what it takes.
P.S….I think there should be a copper teakettle on that gorgeous stove! 🙂
I also do not wanty to speak for Marian but to answer Sue Wood’s concerns about Marian & Jeff’s finances they sold a track home in MN f’or much more than what they paid for it and then purchased this current home in MD for much less than the MN house & that transaction alone gave them so much more to work with for the renovation.
Thanks, Irene. Yes, I mentioned in my reply that we bought a house at a lower price point so we could have more money to put toward renovations. If we bought a house that hadn’t been updated and cost more, we would’ve had a much smaller renovation budget and I wouldn’t have been able to design a kitchen from scratch.
I think it’s easy to look at the snapshot of the end result of the kitchen and make assumptions, but I understand, from the receiving end of it, that is a part of sharing online. I can’t share everything and people can’t read and know everything.
Yes I understand about the sharing that is why I never mentioned figures. There must be some privacy involved. I think I can speak for all your followers that we really appreciate your posts and especially sharing all the products you have found valuable in your everyday life.i have followed you almost from the beginning and just love your ideas ! ! Plus your book is such agreat reference for me.
Love this! I bought an old brass towel rack at an estate sale. No one wanted the tarnished rack and it spoke to my taste. It’s a little crooked but can be fixed. I almost put it in the bathroom to replace the cheap brass looking piece but then decided I wanted it on my island. It’s perfect.
The bells are adorable and remind me of the one that graced our front door when I lived in my Bolivar bungalow. Just a little tickle when we opened and closed the door. Such a neat item for your kitchen. Attention to details you didn’t know you needed but that add the perfect final touch.
Some of you readers might not remember how hard Marian has worked on her house and this blog in the early days. I laugh thinking of the post of Marian trying to refinish the floors in the PA house with each foot in a diaper box. She would work really hard painting or refinishing a dining table and chairs, and then when it was finished, reluctantly give it up because someone wanted to buy it. Repeat, and repeat.
Marian almost single handedly dragged drop cloth upholstery and slip covers into our daily usage. She worked tirelessly hand painting 54 cabinet doors to spruce up the PA kitchen. Remember the imported German glitter Christmas ornaments? That was tedious work for a few dollars, but she persisted.
And then, the best part: Marian re-invented Milk paint for the modern decorating lexicon. She had the nerve to create her own brand of paint and made it a huge success, then sold it years later to provide a nice nest egg for her family. And who else has the courage to write her own decorating book and write and photograph the entire project?
No one has worked harder in this DIY/Decorating Blog universe. She deserves every bit of ironstone and antique copper that she can find. Well done!
EXACTLY!!!! Marian did it all with LOTS of hard work. All while serving her Lord and Savior and raising a family. It really is AMAZING what this girl can and does accomplish. Maybe Ms. Wood should try to do one of those shows at Lucketts and see what it really takes or try to start an interest/business with 2 in diapers or write a book or write a daily blog….and on and on and on……and even respond to bad comments!!!
YES! I am a loyal, long time reader/follower and I have always been amazed. And maybe she should remember, all of this content is free!
Sue Woods’ comment was totally uncalled for…how dare her!
The hard work and effort have paid off ‘Miss Mustard Seed’. It all looks fantastic! Although, it makes me a little envious when I look at my kitchen, which seems rather tired. What do you use the bell for, does it chime when dinner is served?
I think yours was the first blog I followed many years ago. And still remains my favorite. I have always been in awe of your talent and creativity. Thanks so much for sharing your growth with us.
Thank you Marian for the inspiration on the pet feeding area. Our one cat has his heavy food and water bowls on a heavy plastic tray but your’s look much more efficient with the silicone rims.I think a new set up like yours will be his Christmas present!
Right now we are in heavy “mini mini ant” season so I have to feed him the small amount he gets, even having him eat the dry pebbles from my hand. He was reluctant for a while but gave in. 🙂 and then any bit he doesn’t finish? Bowl emptied, washed and sprayed with alcohol. Fortunately the ants have no interest in his water bowl.