Little Changes in My Kitchen

February 16, 2026

Sometimes the smallest changes make me happy. Often these changes don’t even require any shopping but just a little bit of creativity to brighten my home.

Today I want to share a few little changes in my kitchen that have made me smile! I hope you are encouraged to make your spaces beautiful, too.

Lavender

Several years ago, a kind friend gave me a homegrown bouquet of lavender from her garden—a true treasure of a gift! Recently, the lavender sat in my closet for a while, and I decided it was time to bring the lavender’s luscious scent and understated beauty out for everyone to enjoy.

There was enough lavender in the bouquet for me to style several pitchers and create several bundles for hanging!

A sprig of lavender hangs on my painted green hooks between dried bundles of sage from last year’s garden.

The leftover short pieces of lavender tucked nicely into a thrift store find vase.

My mom gave me this set of glass vases with a neat metal carrying case. This piece isn’t a true antique, but I imagine it was designed based on something from the past. I love how just a few blooms (or dried sprigs in this case) really make a dramatic statement in this piece; it doesn’t take many flowers to make this piece look beautiful.

Baskets

For several years now, I have been toying with the idea of making sourdough bread from home-milled flour. Around Christmas, I finally put financial teeth to my decision and ordered a Nutrimill which sadly isn’t supposed to arrive until possibly the end of April. It appears that grain mills are in high demand right now, and unfortunately, a failed bamboo crop in Vietnam has significantly slowed production.

While I wait, I am readying my kitchen for this attempt at making bread. I ordered several banneton baskets from Amazon and for a while couldn’t figure out where to house them. Inspired by kitchens from the past, I decided to hang my baskets on the wall right under my cabinets. I love the charming look and how they are ready for me to grab when needed.

Dutch Ovens

Around Christmas I purchased two Dutch ovens, once again for the purpose of bread making. For several years I have wanted a Dutch oven as I’ve watched the chefs on America’s Test Kitchen create delicious-looking recipes in these heavy-duty, practical pieces.

I’ve made a couple of experimental bread loaves in the Dutch ovens, and what a fun process that was!

I’ve also had fun learning how to cook soups and even a chicken in the Dutch oven. We have decided that cooking a whole chicken in the Dutch oven is the most delicious way to cook an entire chicken.

Part of my reason for taking so long in purchasing not one, but 2 Dutch ovens, is the space that they require. My kitchen is tiny—not a complaint but a statement of obvious fact. I have to be very precise about what I allow into my kitchen, and every piece has to neatly fit together, almost like a jigsaw puzzle.

Part of my goal in purchasing Dutch ovens was to find pieces that I loved and would be happy to display all the time out in the open. Both of my Dutch ovens are beautiful, and I happily display one of them on my stovetop all the time, usually the smaller one by Lodge. The large Martha Stewart 7-quart oven nests perfectly in my large Lodge cast iron skillet in the cupboard.

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Friends, it doesn’t take an entire kitchen remodel or purchasing something expensive to brighten your kitchen and make you smile. What are some little changes that you can do to make your space beautiful?

Happy homemaking!

-Ashley

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