Last week, I shared the reveal of my high-impact, low-budget pink kitchen makeover with you!
By making just a few, minor changes, like a new paint color, a backsplash update, and bringing in colorful accessories and fun vintage finds, I was able to completely transform the space on a very reasonable budget!
Instead of sharing details and projects as I went along, I decided to make the reveal a complete surprise, so I have lots of details to share with you over upcoming blog posts! Today, I’m sharing the mega “source list” for this project, as well as lots of ways for you to get a similar look in your home.
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Wall Color: Mimosas for Mr. and Mrs., OPI Color Palette by Clark+Kensington. (Paint provided by Ace Hardware.)
Like I mentioned in last week’s post, the new peachy pink wall color kicked off the whole design, mainly because it so strongly reminded me of the colors used by one of my favorite film makers, Wes Anderson.
His movies are very distinctive: unconventional, eccentric, colorful, retro, whimsical, emotive, featuring color palettes and sets that are so carefully designed and coordinated they almost become caricatures of eras and locations. It’s often hard to pin-point an exact time-frame in each film, but they are always delightfully nostalgic, evoking a time (that perhaps never actually existed) where even the smallest practical details were designed to be beautiful.
You’re probably starting to get an idea of why I’m such a huge fan, right?
The Royal Tenenbaums is undoubtedly my favorite Wes Anderson film. It’s the story of a wildly dysfunctional and disjointed family’s journey to find each other again… Set inside and around an incredible New York brownstone, classic and storied, yet perfectly adapted over the years to reflect the idiosyncrasies of the family.
Ever since I first watched it six or seven years ago, I’ve dreamed of living in exactly such a vibrant and imaginative space, but I never had the courage or the impetus to go about making that dream a reality until now.
With the new paint color as the catalyst, I set about paying homage to this beloved movie – from the choice of colors and patterns to the addition of accessories that shamelessly echoed certain story elements. Like a Wes Anderson film, I wanted this room to be an amalgamation of all sorts of time periods and styles while still feeling comfortably vintage – like it had been around for ages, slowly gathering character.
I was able to pull together and repurpose many vintage thrift finds that I already had. When you decorate mainly by gathering, it can be hard to tell your friends where to find the exact same piece, so I’ve focused on searching out treasures with a similar idea/vibe/flair if you’d like to put together your own wild and whimsical space.
Backsplash Tiles: A quick and easy DIY project: GET THE FULL TUTORIAL HERE! I will say, I chose this black and white pattern for two reasons. One, I’m very much in love with the cement tile look that’s so popular at the moment, and I’ve wanted to add a bit of black and white tile pattern for quite some time. And two, the black and white design seemed like the perfect way to blend our two colors of appliances.
I have to admit, the mis-match between this home’s white kitchen appliances and our previously-purchased black refrigerator was definitely throwing me at first (having somehow lost sight of what an incredibly first-world problem it was to begin with). But now the bold black and white backsplash commands the most attention in the space, and I don’t even notice the mismatch anymore. Hooray for frugality and a super affordable update!
Brass Cantilevered Bar Stools: Vintage. I found the pair for $40 on Craigslist! I may eventually attempt a reupholstery project, since I’m not a wild fan of the bristly black velour, but I had been searching for this exact pair for months and for that price, I have nothing to complain about!
Faux Bamboo Chairs: Vintage, found on Craigslist for $150 for the set. They were in such exceptional condition, with the coolest double-caned backs that I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t even sit in them before handing over my money! Unfortunately, once I got them home and Bryan plopped down in one, we realized that the old strapping beneath the seats was completely shot.
At first, I resigned myself to re-selling them and finding something else, thinking that rebuilding them was completely out of my wheelhouse, but I loved them so much I decided to strip them down to their bones and find a solution – stay tuned for that tutorial as well!
Chair Fabric: Brasington Russet by Valdese Weavers. I had made about 90% of my decorating decisions in the kitchen, but felt that it was still missing something, so I sat down to rewatch The Royal Tenenbaums for ideas, making mental notes of colors, patterns, and pieces I could try to incorporate. The stately Persian and Oriental rugs used throughout caught my eye, so I set out on the search for a smaller, perfectly worn, vintage rug for the kitchen floor.
Unfortunately, despite the Pinterest-perfect look, I realized that a vintage rug in the kitchen would probably be completely impractical for our household of two cats and two messy humans. So when I found this fabric online, I fell madly in love and knew it was the perfect (and practical) way to pull in that classic, luxe inspiration! It’s an extremely heavy-weight chenille tapestry fabric, so I anticipate it holding up extremely well.
The colors are just divine, although I will note that the fabric is a bit darker and more on the burgundy side than I expected when I ordered it – which isn’t a problem at all, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
Table: Vintage, also found on Craigslist. It sat in our garage for years before making the move with us to the new house. It’s a beautiful mahogany table with Chinoiserie details by Henredon, but unfortunately the tabletop was destroyed in its previous life. Until I one day attempt to refinish it, it gets to sport fun tablecloths like this bold floral number that started off as a thrifted bed sheet.
Get the Look:
Keep your eyes open for fun vintage tablecloths (or bedspreads, sheets, etc.) in your thrifting adventures! Floral and chintz fabrics don’t need to feel dated – if you mix them in with modern patterns and colors, they can add the perfect dose of classic kitsch.
Here are a few of my favorite vintage floral tablecloths I spotted on Etsy:
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DIY Roman Shade: GET THE FULL TUTORIAL HERE! The fabric is Le Tigre Pimento by P. Kaufmann. If you are at all familiar with The Royal Tenenbaums, you probably recall the beautiful Scalamandre zebra wallpaper in Margot’s room – stunning, large-scale black and white zebras on a bold red background. It’s an absolutely killer design, but unfortunately one I won’t be using in my home anytime soon thanks to the hefty designer price tag associated with it!
I spent hours scouring the internet for a fabric that could capture a similar feel, ideally with the same color palette as well. A tall order, to be sure, so when I found this tiger-patterned design on HouseFabric.com, I was literally jumping for joy! It had the right colors AND still featured giant animals – a complete win in my book! I was tempted to try to upholster my walls with it, but decided to use it to create a DIY faux Roman shade for the window nook.
Faux Bamboo Greek Key Mirror: Thrifted. You can find similar faux bamboo mirrors here on Etsy.
Light Fixture: This DIY Copper Pipe Icosahedron Light made its first appearance in the office of our first home. I originally created it around a plug-in Ikea light fixture, however, here in the new kitchen I needed a hard-wired light kit, so I decided to modify the original design by removing the metal lampshade inside and using a fun oversized LED bulb and clip-on cord accessories from Ikea.
The NITTIO bulb is supposed to last around 25,000 hours, which is great because I actually had to open one end of the copper frame to fit it inside. It’s also important to note that I love the vintage-inspired filament design, but it doesn’t actually provide very much light – more of a soft, orange glow the strength of a nightlight. We like the fact that the bare-bulb isn’t blinding, but it’s definitely something to be aware of if you are counting on it to provide a strong source of light.
Green Marble Vase: Thrifted, a gift from a friend! I stacked a few colorful books underneath and filled it with faux yellow roses, a necessity with two cats that try to devour any living greenery that comes into the house.
Zulu Telephone Wire Bowl: Thrifted, similar here on Amazon.
Capri Blue Iridescent Jar Candle: My very favorite candle scent, and the jars themselves are a beautiful piece of decor! If you don’t have an Anthropologie near you, you can also find Capri Blue candles on Amazon.
I had so much fun turning the window seat nook into a little gallery for my favorite whimsical thrift finds! The vintage brass horse medallions were were originally used to decorate the leather harnesses of parade horses. I actually first became acquainted with them through a Thrift Score Thursday feature, so when I spotted this instant collection of six at The Salvation Army one day, I was quick to scoop them up!
The other little pieces were collected over a few thrifting trips, and I hope to continue adding to my mini gold gallery wall in the future.
Get The Look:
Etsy is a great place to find vintage brass horse medallions. Here are a few of my favorites…
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You might remember my chalkware busts from another Thrift Score Thursday post. In fact, these two get all the credit for sparking the idea of a Wes Anderson-inspired kitchen in the first place. I found them on ShopGoodwill.com (Goodwill’s online auction site) and immediately felt that they were destined for my kitchen.
I had these two vintage gold frames sitting around that helped create the perfect 3-dimensional display for this side of the window seat.
Get The Look:
Here are a few fun chalkware bust pairs and ornate gold framed options from Etsy that have a similar kitschy vibe!
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Ship’s Wheel Porthole Clock: Thrifted, similar here. This is another accessory that definitely falls in the the “kitschy” category – if you added in a few more nautical pieces, it could start to feel dated and theme-y quite quickly. However, this clock has always reminded me of Wes Anderson’s films and I really wanted to find a way to incorporate it! It’s a quirky addition, for sure, but I think the oak frame helps it make sense in the space.
Townhouse Cookie Jar: This was a perfectly serendipitous thrift find, right after I decided to take my Royal Tenenbaums inspiration and run with it. It has a lid, but I opted to store the lid and use it to hold my cooking utensils.
Cactus Salt & Pepper Shaker: These definitely don’t mesh with the New York townhouse vibe, I know, but they were a favorite thrift find and I retroactively decided they are a nod to the film’s wannabe-cowboy character, Eli Cash.
Get The Look:
You guys, I spotted some of the cutest house cookie jars and cactus salt and pepper shakers on Etsy… perfect for a wild and whimsical kitchen!
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Woman with a Fruit Hat Vase: This is one of my favorite recent thrifting finds! This past year, I have discovered a love for pottery, the more handcrafted and oddball the better. This vase was most definitely handmade, and not fired very well either, but I just had to bring it home.
Get the Look:
Because every space needs a little dose of oddity, I pulled together a few favorite pottery pieces featuring faces that I found on Etsy…
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Fun story about those donuts…. I picked them up late at night from the grocery store when they were already stale after sitting out all day. And then photographed them a full day later. And then had a piano lesson in my house two days after that. And then had to explain to heart-eyed little children why the donuts on my counter absolutely were not edible – they were just “prop donuts.”
I *might* be a little bit crazy.
Acorn Cake Stand + Dome: Thrifted. The cake stand is apparently from the Southern Living at Home collection – it’s no longer available, but it pops up occasionally online.
Blue and White Bunny Creamer: Thrifted, similar here.
Red Striped Cocktail Napkins: Vintage, recently thrifted.
Get The Look:
Cake stands aren’t just for baked goods! Use them to hold fruit, collect spice containers for easy access – consider them a fun little stage for kitchen supplies. These are a few I thought were totally adorable:
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So there you have it! Tons of details and a gigantic source list for my kitchen makeover! Whew! If there’s anything I left out, give me a shout. Catch up on the related tutorials here: DIY Black and White Backsplash | DIY Faux Roman Shade.
Michele @ Moonfield Interiors says
I love it all! I think the back splash makes the whole kitchen. The graphic tile really grounds everything and pulls all of the elements together. I love when you can find a fabric that “feels” like a high-end but without the price tag. Bravo! And I adore anything caned. Can’t wait to see how you repaired those amazing chairs. Now I have to go rewatch the movie 🙂 P.S. Your doughnut story reminded me of when a customer tried to eat something from the dessert tray back when I was a waitress. Don’t ever do that!
Thank you so much, Michele! I’ve been working on a tutorial for that backsplash and it’ll go live tomorrow morning! 🙂
And I will always recommend a rewatch of The Royal Tenenbaums! So good! Enjoy!
Love this space and that you re- watched The Royal Tenenbaums again for ideas! And I’m glad I’m not the only one who can’t have fresh flowers in the house because of feline obsession with live greenery!
Thank you Kathy! Oh yes, I got a little stumped once I had things 90% finished – thank goodness the film inspired the chairs’ upholstery! 🙂
Love everything about your new kitchen, esp the encouragement to do make changes now within your current budget. Prop donuts? Love them!
Thank you so much, Mom! You still need to see it in person, right?! I’ll have snacks that aren’t prop donuts, deal? 🙂
Absolutely!
Absolutely incredible makeover Brynne!! I love everything you did in here!
Thank you so much, sweet friend! You’ll have to come check it out in person soon! <3