Modern Farmhouse Kitchen Design Reveal

Looking for ideas and inspiration for a Modern Farmhouse Kitchen Design? Here we reveal our kitchen decor ideas and decorating tips, complete with white cabinets, marble countertops, subway tile backsplash, rustic lighting and budget-friendly accents. 

Some of you may remember that we moved into a modern farmhouse last October and ever since we’ve been hard at work decorating, gardening, moving furniture around, repainting, you name it.

In fact, just last month I shared my Home Office Design with y'all! And now I'm sharing the heart of my home with you–the kitchen!

Modern Farmhouse Kitchen Design Reveal

Before {this photo is from the listing}

After

As you can see, we got really lucky with this house, as the bones were all perfect (white subway tile backsplash and marble countertops were already installed) and it just needed a few cosmetic touches.

We started by painting the cabinets white (we went with Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace) to really brighten the space up. It's amazing how much bigger the kitchen felt after the cabinets were white. It's so airy and refreshing now!

Then we switched out the cabinet hardware–I'm all about brass/gold these days, so we went with modern knobs from Lew's Hardware with extra-long bar pulls since our cabinet drawers are so wide.

We also swapped out the faucet for one that's brass and more functional than the previous. And added some of the most comfortable bar stools ever for the island.

Seriously, everyone who comes over comments on how much they love the bar stools and how comfy they are–barstools with a back help a TON with comfort!

Fortunately, the house already came with the gorgeous pendants from Restoration Hardware and new stainless steel appliances, so we didn't have to do anything there. But the next big project was the breakfast area.

Modern Farmhouse Kitchen: Eat-In Breakfast Nook

Before {this was the listing photo}

After

This eat-in breakfast nook was easily the biggest transformation we saw in the space. I've always wanted to cozy little banquette that the family could gather around on lazy Sunday mornings with coffee and eggs, or that I could simply work at on days when I tired of sitting at my office desk, or even just a comfy place to curl up with a book.

So we hired a carpenter to custom-build our banquette and found an Etsy shop to make custom bench cushions to up the comfort factor. I wanted to keep the pattern simple so we went with a French ticking stripe called Hayes Navy.

I knew a round table would work best in this kind of nook, and I'm so in love with the indoor-outdoor table we found at Four Hands, which has an industrial feel to it with the iron legs and resin top.

We went modern with our kitchen chairs and opted for these mid-century white chairs, which offer a nice contrast from the more traditional banquette.

For the pillows, I've collected them over the years from Etsy (there are so many amazing designers on there selling African mudcloth pillows, which are my favorite!), and am constantly switching them out.

And we swapped out the chandelier for something that would soften the area up–I love the natural materials of this beehive chandelier from Selemat.

Finally, for the space between the cabinets and banquette, we wanted to add storage for cookbooks, along with some easy-to-access closed storage for things like dog treats and laptop chargers.

I love the rustic feel of this GJ Styles bookcase, which fits in perfectly with our modern farmhouse vibe.

MODERN FARMHOUSE KITCHEN DESIGN: COST

I do want to take a second to talk about cost. I’m a firm believer in splurging on certain pieces (usually those that are large furniture items and/or something you want to last a lifetime, like our custom banquette) and saving on accessories (you’ll see most of my pillows, planters, lamps, etc. come from Target, Home Goods, Etsy, etc.).

I’m also super fortunate in that my mother is an interior designer and so I usually get at least 20% off retail stores, like West Elm and Crate and Barrel, and am able to purchase furniture from trade-only showrooms, like my favorite Four Hands, at wholesale cost. This adds up BIG TIME!

And most of the time, if I'm buying from retail stores, I wait until there's a sale that I can stack the 20% designer discount with, to double my savings.

Another way I’m able to save–I buy discounted gift cards and always use coupon codes. Whenever I have a purchase over $100, I go to sites like Cardpool.com and Raise.com and am able to save an additional 5-20% on my purchase, even after applying coupon codes.

To get the best promo codes and cash back savings or frequent flier points, I almost never shop without using Retailmenot.com, Ebates.com, Joinhoney.com, CouponCabin.com, EVReward.com or ChaseUltimateRewards.com. I love using the Chrome extensions these companies offer, so that coupon codes are automatically applied at checkout.

I also use Paribus and Slice to alert me to price drops so that even if something goes on sale after I’ve made the purchase, I can request a price adjustment to save even more.

MODERN FARMHOUSE KITCHEN SOURCE LIST:

• Pendants over island: Restoration Hardware Antique Metal Funnel Pendant
• Bar Stools: West Elm Leather Slope Counter Stool
• Cabinet Hardware: Lew's Hardware Disc Knob and Round Bar Pulls (both in brushed brass)
• Sink Faucet: Delta Trinsic Single-Handle Kitchen Pull-Down Faucet with Magnetic Docking Spray Head, Champagne Bronze
• Runner: Etsy's Kutchi Rugs Afghan Runner
• Kitchen Table: Four Hands Cyrus Round Dining Table
• Kitchen Chairs: Industry West Taka Side Chair
• Banquette: Custom-Built
• Banquette Cushion: Etsy, Hearth & Home Store (custom-made)
• Pillows on Banquette: Etsy (white mudcloth and black mudcloth); Pottery Barn Blue Shibori pillow
• Light Fixture: Selamat Designs Natural Beehive Chandelier
• Bookcase: GJ Styles in Old Pine
• Cookbooks: The 25 Best Cookbooks Everyone Should Own
• Cutting Boards: West Elm, Crate + Barrel
• Cement Planters with Faux Greenery: Home Goods
• White Colander: Hearth & Hand Steel Colander
• Silver Metallic Vase: West Elm (no longer available; similar)
• Ceramic Storage Containers: Crate + Barrel Silo Canisters
• Spice Rack: West Elm Mango Wood Spice Rack (no longer available)
• Grease Holder: Williams-Sonoma (no longer available; similarsimilar)
• Utensil Crock: Porcelain Crock Crate + Barrel
• Compost Bin: Williams-Sonoma (no longer available; similar)
• Ivory Fruit Bowl: Crate + Barrel Spool Bowl (no longer available; similar)
• Tea Kettle: Cuisinart CPK-17AMZ Perfect Temp Cordless Programmable Kettle
• Single-Serve Coffee Maker: