Galley Kitchen Reveal – One Room Challenge Week #8

Updated October 2026: Since our original kitchen reveal, we’ve made a few more changes to the space, including updated furniture, new curtains, and a rolling kitchen island. I’ve included these later updates alongside the original renovation so you can see how the room has evolved over time.

Our goal was to reconfigure the galley kitchen into a more cohesive and workable space for our family. We opened up the ceiling, moved appliances and made selections to fit the vibe of our 1940’s classic, New England style, cedar shake home. Inspired by the seashore setting, we added elements like the pale gray cabinets, open shelving, brass finishes and greenish/blue accents to give this space a casual, yet classic coastal look. So let’s take a look at a few before and afters!

Kitchen Renovation at a Glance

PROJECT DETAIL	OUR KITCHEN
Style	Coastal cottage with classic New England character
Cabinet Color	Pale gray
Biggest Transformation	Vaulted shiplap ceiling and skylights
Design Features	Open shelving, brass finishes and sage green accents
DIY Projects	Rolling kitchen island, range hood cover, cafe curtains and pinch-pleat drapes

Our Galley Kitchen Before and After the Renovation

The Biggest Transformation: A Vaulted Ceiling and Skylights

By far, the most impactful change in our galley kitchen was vaulting the ceiling and adding skylights. The extra height makes the space feel more open, while the skylights flood the kitchen with natural light. We no longer need to turn on the lights during the day, and the difference is remarkable.

And my plants are loving it, too! The natural light streaming through the skylights makes the open shelves feel right at home. We also took advantage of the extra height above the refrigerator cabinet, using that otherwise overlooked space to display a collection of plants and add a little greenery to the kitchen.

How Our Kitchen Has Evolved Since the Reveal

Since the renovation, I’ve layered in a few details including adding a sweet gingham cafe curtain which I made from a pillowcase and hung with a Rejuvenation Hardware cafe rod and hardware.

We also added a rolling kitchen island by taking an old kitchen table that I found on Facebook, cutting it down to a narrower width to fit our space and adding wheels so I can move it in and out as needed.. I love it particularly during baking season when I really need more surface area. You can read about how we made this in my DIY kitchen island post.

In the dining nook, we refreshed our pedestal table by painting it white which is a nice contrast to the terracotta floor as well as rolling island.

And most recently, we switched out the Facebook Marketplace black chairs to these vintage wood chairs that I found at Good Will. I also made another pair of pinch pleated curtains for a little seasonal change. In my diy pinch pleated curtains post I share how I turn off-the-shelf curtain panels into high end pinch pleated curtains.

Shop Our Coastal Galley Kitchen

One of my favorite things about this kitchen is how classic finishes, natural light and collected details come together to create a relaxed coastal cottage feel. Here are some of the selections and DIY projects that helped bring the space to life.

• Cabinets: Lowe’s Diamond Line, Jamestown door style, color – Icy Avalanche
• Countertops and backsplash: LG Viatera quartz in Lumina – Home Depot
• Open shelves: red oak – J Thomas Home
• Appliances: Bertazzoni gas range and dishwasher, Bosch counter depth refrigerator
• Flooring: Makoto Umi Terracotta by Bedrosians
• Lighting: sconces above shelves – Home Depot; dining nook (updated 2025) – Baylor Pleated Shade Sconce – Pottery Barn
• Paint: Simply White by Benjamin Moore, read my tutorial on picking the perfect white white
• DIY Rolling Island – Read my tutorial on how we made our DIY kitchen island
• DIY Window Treatments – Explore my tutorials: pinch pleated curtains tutorial, cafe curtain tutorial, no-sew cafe curtain tutorial

Part of Our One Room Challenge Coastal Cottage Renovation

This coastal cottage galley kitchen was part of the 2022 One Room Challenge, when we renovated our kitchen shortly after purchasing this home. If you’d like to see the project details and weekly progress,, you can revisit the earlier weeks here:

• Week 1 – design plan
• Week 2 – cabinet/countertop/flooring selections
• Week 3 – vaulted ceiling and skylights
• Week 4 – shiplap and tile flooring
• Week 5 – cabinets and shelves install
• Week 6 – tips for styling shelves
• Week 7 – cabinet knob template hack

Thank you for following our progress through this renovation. For more on this project and future projects follow Home Spun Style on Instagram.

Thanks for following along! 

Debra