This Family Of Four Are Happier Than Ever in their Little Farmhouse on The Prairie

Trading City Life for Countryside Serenity

Blogger and mom Amanda Robinson, along with her family, traded in a large house in the city for a sweet farmhouse in the picturesque countryside of Spruce Grove, Alberta. While the size of their home was much smaller than their last, 1,100 square feet smaller to be exact, they definitely upgraded the amount of outdoor space they had with their new 20 acres of wide open space. Amanda grew up in the country herself, so when she and her husband started to become open to the idea of moving a bit outside of the city, she was on board pretty much right away. So with that, Amanda, her hubby Jason, and their two kids Aidan who's 7 and Ethan who's 5 moved out to the country. Since buying land can be quite pricy, even out in the sticks, the family decided to purchase an older farmhouse from the 1940s that was on a large piece of land. That way, it's easier to mortgage the land because there's already a house on it. The farmhouse was pretty run down though and required a lot of work, but it wasn't anything that Amanda and her husband couldn't handle, so they got to work and fixed it up transforming the old farmhouse into a cute little home on the prairies. Because of the small floor plan, they really had to make use of every nook and cranny in the home, but it made for a fun design challenge and a lovely, cozy design.

Modern Farmhouse Kitchen Makeover

They were able to use Ikea's online 3-D kitchen planner to change up the layout to welcome in a 16-square-foot island for storage and more counter space. Since the home is on a farm, they went with a modern take on the farmhouse style using updated versions of farmhouse items like the butcher block countertops and white cabinets with a frame around them. The hardware is also very farmhouse style, with an aged antiqued look to it as well. The most modern items in the kitchen are, of course, the stainless steel appliances which actually fit quite nicely with all of the modern farmhouse style decor and finishes. No country farmhouse would be complete without the farmhouse style sink, so they added in one of those too, which can also be found at Ikea, along with the fancy faucet for the sink. They made sure to include some open shelving as well, which holds all of their beautiful dishes that are various shades of blue or white. You'll notice there are no curtains on the windows so as to open the kitchen up to the views of the beautiful countryside. They live out in the country anyway so even without curtains, it will still be very private, and there is hardly any light pollution at night.

Cozy and Inviting Living Space

For the dining room, instead of their six seater table, they went with a four-seater table which accommodates the family's daily needs. The home also has a wood-burning stove, which heats the entire house and provides a cozy place to sit in the living room. They went with white paint throughout the home and kept things as light as possible which really opens up the space, making it feel so fresh and new. The living room furniture is also white with more blue accents and wood pieces here and there. They painted the door a nice light blue which adds some subdued colour to the space as well making it feel vibrant but still soft. The decor throughout the entire home is done so tastefully, and it just goes to show what you can do with a really small home, and how you can freshen up even the oldest home making it feel new once again but maintaining that traditional charm.