This Little Old House: Kitchen and Dining

Our house was built in the 1930s. I love to imagine the car models that have parked on our street, the radio shows families must have listened to, and all of the other moments it has heard and witnessed. This little house was a firsthand witness of the effects and aftermath of WWII in America. This little house has withstood many winters and sheltered many families through various stages of time and life.
Or at least, that's how I like to think of it :)
Still, our house was built in the 1930s. The insulation in our enclosed attic upstairs consists of newspapers from that time period. We have one petite little bathroom and most of the kitchen hasn't been updated in decades. Those who have come before us have updated windows, rebuilt the garage, replaced the roof, and done a good job overall of keeping the house up.
And now it's our turn.
With a house like this, you feel as much a part of its history as it is of yours.
Now that Matt is wrapping up his fence project in the backyard, we are moving on to more cosmetic indoor projects while we save up for the more major overhauls. First up: The kitchen and dining rooms.

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Kitchen

The walls have stood bare as our focus and financial resources have been focused elsewhere. Our first kitchen improvement- hanging our pans to simply to better utilize our tiny space and cover a blank wall.

This wall is directly across from the back entrance to our kitchen. It's certainly a happy sight to come home to!  And I've loved the eucalyptus hanging there. I bought the bouquet because the smell reminds me of the warm, welcoming home of a beloved aunt. Little things to make a house a home :)

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Dining

The walls have received a new, brighter coat of paint. AND we went white. After living in white-walled apartments for years, I am laughing at the irony of the decision, but white walls are classic farmhouse style! I love how clean and bright it looks when it is purposeful. Plus, it will draw attention to the beautiful wood doors, baseboards, and floors.
But finding the right white though! I've been surprised at all of the options out there, and many of the samples I've tried have not turned out anything like I had expected. We finally settled on Behr Polished Pearl, which I love, but then that made the existing "white" on the ceiling look rather dingy. Repainting the ceiling a whiter white then brought out too much yellow from the Polished Pearl!

Don't you love paint though? It's such a simple little change, but what a big impact! And after 8 years of marriage and one year of owning a house, this is the first time I've gotten to repaint a room.
I don't have any finished pictures, though, because it's truly a work in progress. The walls still stand bare and the chandelier! The chandelier in the dining room is another problem altogether. We have hated it since the first time we entered the house! I often describe it as looking like wet rags hanging on wires. Just awful.
And so, little by little, we're working on a change.