This Lake Michigan home was a bit too bright and overwhelming for it’s new homeowners. We believe it was used as a short term rental, so the fun decor made sense. But for a vacation home that will be used in all 4 seasons, we needed to take it from tropical coastal to Michigan coastal. All we did is change 6 simple things.
1) The first thing we did was paint the robin’s egg backsplash. We still wanted color, so gray or white weren’t options. I looked for a darker blue that would tone down the turquoise island. It’s not too navy and not too royal. Of course I didn’t take my before and after photos from the same angle. Sigh. So I have included the listing photo so you can have a better perspective. But the colors in the listing photos are not true.
2) Next we removed the valance over the windows. You can’t see them in the photo but we had top down bottom up blinds installed. Anyone on the street could see into the kitchen, so using the top down option (on a remote) was essential for privacy. Purchasing new blinds may not fall into the simple category. But removing the old ones do!
3) Third we replaced the faucet. This didn’t necessarily have to be done to update the space but it was leaking so we found a matte black option that works better with the cabinetry hardware.
4) My favorite change is the chandelier! The old one was pretty blingy (read gaudy) and could be seen from the street. I just love this new one. It brings in wood texture and the black metal plays off the new faucet and hardware. The old lighting also was not centered on the island, so we had an electrician center it properly.
5) Next we replaced the metal stools. They worked fine but were well…..ugly. The legs on the island didn’t allow much space for 2 stools on each side, and were left by the previous owner. But they didn’t work with the look we were going for. Finding stools that would fit the small area, that also had a back to them was a struggle. But I found some!
6) And finally I placed two runners from Ruggable (click on the link to see their newest additions) that are washable, making them an excellent choice for a kitchen! The colors blend well with the island and new backsplash color.
