FRENCH KITCHEN renovation and makeover | How to renovate an abandoned house in France | French life

We turned our garage into a kitchen! Watch how we transformed an old derelict room into a French country kitchen. Welcome to subscribe to our channel for all things French lifestyle, interiors and renovation.
We are Robert and Jyrki - two artists living in Helsinki, Finland. With no renovation experience, but lots of enthusiasm and passion we take on the big challenge of renovating a property abroad.
Follow us also on our Instagram @charenteliving
Music by Epidemic Sound:
Sonate KV300 / Penny Key
Flower Market / Fabien Tell
#france #lifetyle #lifestylevlog #lifestylevlogs #lifestylevlogger #rural #renovation #makeover #beforeandafter

[@waltercook4868]

Love the quiet simplicity throughout your house.

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much Walter!

[@Sushi2735]

The doors are just charming, Beautiful table and chairs. It looks so inviting and cozy! So very excited to hear you bought the cottage next door!! When you open the kitchen up to the courtyard, it will change your life! You will use it morning noon and night. I love kitchen to outdoor space. The DOORS are just fantastic! What a buy. The light, which you need is going to be perfect. Oh my, I’m so very excited for you both 💕💕💕💕💕💕 PS Some of the best times I’ve had were in our old cabin kitchen, which was “unfitted”. All prep work was done on the table or top of a small freezer. And no dishwasher! You guys are very fancy. I adore cozy, warm living! 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much for the lovely comment. Yes, the doors were such a great buy and can't wait to get them installed!! And don't tell anyone but the dishwasher hasn't been installed, so not too fancy yet haha

[@onedandylion]

I love your kitchen style - rustic yet elegant. The glass doors will look fabulous and creating a private courtyard is a great plan. It must be so satisfying to watch your dreams become reality.

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much. Cant wait to install the doors, a project hopefully in the coming months maybe!

[@Redbuzzcut]

I just laughed out loud when you said "we've never done plastering, let alone iced a cake". As I'm sure you have learned home restorations are very stressful on relationships. Keep in mind nothing is more valuable than each other. Brilliant videos guys, keep up the great work!

[@waltercook4868]

I laughed to. Those two are masters of understated good humor.

[@charenteliving]

Haha yes we have had some heated moments during the renovation but try to remember why we are doing it. Thanks for the lovely comment, and glad you're enjoying so far!

[@fishermann1102]

A lot of work, but it was worth it. I love the tiles. Well done! Bravo!

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much!!

[@albertpeckham8708]

I like your philosophy about a kitchen. I think a kitchen is akin to a fitted garage.....that is...the utensils are to be arranged so that they can be located without opening a "hundred" doors to prepare a meal. To me, a kitchen is a workplace...not a museum showplace. Nice job. Well done.

[@charenteliving]

Thanks Albert. Agree completely on what you said there. We want a real working space, and we are lucky with having other rooms that can have a more formal feel to them.

[@burakov]

You great guys! The idea of reborning the French village house is amazing. That is what I dream of too. Thank you!

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much. Hope your dream comes through too someday!

[@MarianneInmarsilia]

Love your Charente slippers….your kitchen is sweet….looking forward to watching the project unfold !

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much Marianne. Glad you like it all so far, including the taste in slippers!

[@charmees6637]

That is so in keeping with the old French farmhouse style kitchen. Love it ❤

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much Charmee!!

[@eileencronk7520]

“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger” certainly has a new meaning in terms of renovation, building and relationship! Cheers to much growing and relationship strengthening!

[@charenteliving]

Thanks Eileen for the lovely words.

[@ojalasa]

I really do like your reno with The concrete floor, and do not see it as a disaster. Personally I would feel it is perfect and it Fits so nice with The rustic kitchen cabinets etc. And nice vlog yet again 😊

[@jackiegeyr3618]

I agree...it is "the 40°look. You just started a new architectural look for 2023. Love you channel.

[@charenteliving]

Thanks Sari. We admit the floor definitely works with the rustic vibe and maybe as we add a few more bits of furniture we might leave it as is! Glad you like it all so far!

[@gypsy1588]

The kitchen is so cute and quaint. I love it. Great job, you've done well.

[@charenteliving]

Aw thanks so much. Glad you like it so far!

[@davidmiller-br4bu]

Keep it simple.. it’s looking lovely I love that little marble topped table x

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much David. Love that table too!

[@JB-hw3te]

Another lovely job well done, and I appreciate your wish to complete your new kitchen in a rustic style. It feels right for the house. Congratulations once again, and best wishes to you both. 🙂 Rich

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much Rich for the lovely words!!

[@eamonnohalloran2254]

love the kitchen and the future plans.I hope you can incorporate those doors within a larger frame of glass to fully take advantage of that light. love the play of light and shadow. It must lead to an intamacy with the street and getting to know your neighbours and passers by. Love the next door space and its possabilities.Yes!!!!!!!!!!

[@phyllisburrell8661]

Yes, agree, a sliver of glass at the top would be lovely : )

[@charenteliving]

Thanks Eamonn. Glad you like it. Definitely hoping to do some kind of glass surround for the door to maximise the light, and to give as original a feel as we can there.

[@jaymurtagh]

Love the doors they will make your rustic kitchen, so much better for natural light. The court yard idea is fab . You have the climate there so why not lol

[@charenteliving]

Thanks Jay. Glad you like the idea. Hopefully we get started on it in the summer.

[@susanmitchell5447]

Chers garçons j'adore vos videos et l'élégance de ce renovation en Charente. Bravo et continuez de partager votre sense d'humour ! Bien évidement beaucoup de café et peu de 'sparkling' et rouge !!

[@charenteliving]

Merci Susan pour les belles paroles.

[@juanramos.jr.7948]

Love your kitchen, it feels warm and nostalgic! Like it was there for as long as the house.😊👏👍💯. Me and my husband did our kitchen in a gourmet motif, his idea, l know he did it out of love for me, thinking it would make me happy, but your kitchen is what l wanted!

[@charenteliving]

Aw thank you Juan. So glad you like the kitchen. Lots left to do but a good start we think. Thanks for watching!! And we are sure your kitchen is beautiful too!

[@denniscampeau6577]

Charming, keep up with the good work guys.

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much Dennis!!!

[@figencebe9287]

very nice job … congratulations … also for the next door cottage … well done 👍

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much Figen!!

[@mlomarechal6877]

Il m'arrive de temps en temps de mettre un peu de cognac dans mon café, c'est trop bon ! vous pouvez d'ailleurs aller visiter les chais à Cognac, ce n'est pas si loin. Sometimes I put a little cognac in my coffee, it's so good! you can also visit the cellars in Cognac, it's not that far.

[@charenteliving]

Yes a little cognac in the coffee is wonderful. We are not far from one of the oldest cognac houses, Gautier!

[@TheImanuelita]

I'm in love with that backsplash tile!! Robert... Has anybody tell you that you look like Freddy Mercury ;) ? He was a legend!

[@charenteliving]

Thanks Ima. Glad you love the tiles too. Haha must be the moustache!

[@reillybb1]

Those doors will be beautiful leading into the kitchen. I love your ideas.

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much Kate. Glad you like it all so far!

[@anniewinter4819]

Thank you, your kitchen is looking lovely. The plans for the courtyard sound great, looking forward to seeing more.

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much Annie. Glad your liking it so far!

[@jelsner5077]

It's beautiful! Well done!

[@charenteliving]

Thank you so much!

[@thechatelaine]

Love the rustic Kitchen and simplicity of it...Great job!!

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much, glad you like it!

[@jameswilliamson6665]

Beautiful! I love the ida of an unfitted kitchen. I love the rusticness and the imperfections. 😊

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much James. So glad you like it!

[@williamfahey6066]

Your House is coming along great. Jeff❤

[@charenteliving]

Thank you so much!

[@jangriffiths8013]

Lovely kitchen; very French-country!

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much Jan.

[@peterwhite9261]

Love the new kitchen.

[@charenteliving]

Thanks Peter!

[@lisaschonfelder4477]

Bonjour! We've just discovered watching and spent half yesterday evening enjoying your videos and looking forward to watching the rest. Thank you so much. We love your house and the way your renovating and decorating it. We're from Australia and we have a village house in Nyons in the Drome Provencale. We too have needed to do renovations, etc and it's ongoing with, like you, the ups and downs of it all. But we wouldn't change a thing because we love our house and France so much. Our very best wishes and thanks again, Lisa and Lachlan

[@charenteliving]

Hey Lisa and Lachlan, thanks for your lovely message. So glad you are enjoying our channel. We have been quite busy with other projects in these last weeks so haven't had a moment to upload anything new, but getting back to it soon. Great you have a place in France too, aren't we all lucky! Where in Australia are you from? Jyrki and I both have family out there.

[@jbart5260]

your kitchen style is perfect choice for the space. Great job

[@charenteliving]

Oh thanks so much. Glad you like it!

[@libertyblueskyes2564]

I would love to see old large botanical prints on the empty wall and a console on the wall below used as a bar.

[@charenteliving]

Great ideas, will definitely look forward to adding more character to the walls!

[@angelakilroe3271]

I just love your channel. Easy watching and so enjoyable, can’t wait for the next one.

[@charenteliving]

Oh thanks so much Angela. So glad you are enjoying the videos!!

[@NicholaiMcGrath-xj3wn]

beautiful tiles, great kitchen. well done

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much Nicholai!

[@Jane-3229]

Oh boys I absolutely love it! ❤❤❤

[@charenteliving]

Aw thanks Jane!! x

[@desireeismail3092]

The kitchen is lovely, well done. It's all coming together very nicely.

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much Desiree! Glad you like it!

[@nadjaparssinen5085]

Amaziiiing! 🌻❤️

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much Nadja!

[@phyllisburrell8661]

Beautiful to see your channel growing and growing. Enjoyed, as usual. Thank you for sharing with us. : ) Sincerely from San Diego. : )

[@phyllisburrell8661]

Glad to be with your channel from it's infancy, so to speak.

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much Phyllis for another lovely comment. We are so happy to have you with us, as our channel gets going. We appreciate all the comments and support so much. Greetings to you in San Diego!

[@ninianmacmillan-keith7435]

I think you are doing very well. Simple chic.

[@phyllisburrell8661]

Your approach on understated style is unique. Sometimes, less is more. Rustic and refreshing. : )

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much Keith, glad you like it!

[@charenteliving]

Thanks Phyllis, really glad you like it so far!

[@p.wesleyburrowsjr6576]

Beautiful you should be proud of your hard work. Nice job .

[@charenteliving]

Thank you so much, glad you like it.

[@rodolfogarcia4359]

A cozy kitchen 😀

[@charenteliving]

Thanks Rodolfo!!

[@kefaad]

Great idea!

[@fulvias.8463]

You have such a good taste guys. 😍 Well done, I wait for the moment I will be able to buy a village house and renovate it!

[@charenteliving]

Thank you so much for the lovely compliment. I hope your dream can come true someday too!

[@trusting3lind946]

Le dernier morceau de piano me fait penser au début de Moment Musical opus 94 No 2 de Franz Schubert … superbes vidéos ça a fait toute ma soirée j ai tout regardé la cuisine est très bien

[@charenteliving]

Ah oui, c'est similaire. Je pensais que Schubert était certainement influencé par Mozart, alors peut-être que c'était un hommage d'une certaine manière.

[@rosaliesliedrecht7643]

Great work, great plans ! 💪❤‍🔥

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much Rosalie!

[@vincentlebeau1014]

Well done guys! Can’t wait to see how the rest of the house will be!

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much Vincent. Glad you like it.

[@ce1581]

Awwww everythings just great , lovely❣️❣️❣️ You guys should be so proud 😊

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much. Getting there slowly.

[@jimmyconnolly3461]

I love those Irish eyes in sunlight. You should be thankful as I am ginger in areas. Bloody nightmare. I’ve ‘light sensitive’ issues. 😉😂❤️✊😘

[@charenteliving]

Sun was very bright that morning!

[@jimmyconnolly3461]

That didn’t need the explanation mark.

[@mynaturalperfume828]

Great job! ❤👍👏💪🎈💯

[@charenteliving]

Thank you so much!

[@michaelw.8614]

Looks great!! Excellent job.

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much Michael.

[@reillybb1]

Wood floor looks great….cementing is difficult.

[@charenteliving]

Thanks Kate. The cement definitely tested our patience!

[@jteau2239]

Nice work Gents!

[@charenteliving]

Thanks so much!

[@marciap5919]

Quedo muy bonito y acogedor! ❤️💪

[@charenteliving]

Muchas gracias!!

[@deanviewofachateaumybandbi7899]

That was lovely

[@charenteliving]

Thanks Dean!

[@florencecampana1515]

Hi, The two glass doors are nice, but there size will reduce your door entrance. Are there double glazed? I can see that you like vintage kitchen items. I should keep some for you

[@charenteliving]

Hi Florence, the doors are definitely smaller but hoping to have a glass/window surround to keep the opening as bright as possible. Yes, we love all the old things, love to collect!

[@Harmonious-Living]

I’m really enjoying your channel!

[@charenteliving]

Thank you so much. So glad you are enjoying!!

[@nativetexson]

Hello gentlemen. I like the fact you repurposed the garage into a kitchen. Once you install the french doors, will you keep the wooden garage doors on the outside in order to close the space in the event of bad weather or when you're not at the house? The architect in me is wondering? What are your plans for the small cottage? Will you convert it into a gite? Again, the architect in me... It's snowing in the Aude today. It's beautiful, but cold. Cheers-

[@charenteliving]

Thanks Glen. Yes we will somehow keep the outdoors and turn them into some kind of shutter system for security. The cottage plans we mentioned in the video, but you maybe missed it. We plan to turn it into a small courtyard by taking the roof off, and then break through from the kitchen into that small courtyard garden. Greetings to you in Aude!!

[@nativetexson]

@@charenteliving I did miss the comment about the cottage in the video. My bad... 😔

[@lisainnewzealand8461]

Looking great. New Zealand.xo

[@charenteliving]

Thanks Lisa!

[@torxsal7008]

Thanks for this nice video

[@charenteliving]

Thank you so much!!

[@lindamounts2193]

Looks nice. Maybe some shelves on the back wall or artwork?

[@charenteliving]

Definitely Linda. Looking forward to making it more cosy.

[@lynnmk2384]

Sooooooo cute

[@charenteliving]

Thanks Lynn!

[@davidford420]

Beautifull , love the use of individual piecies of furniture . Am intregued by the large door opening onto the street . The Dining Table particularly catches my eye , does it expand ?

[@charenteliving]

Thanks David. Yes it does expand, although we will change it in time to a more peasant style long table as will suit the space even better!

[@anitaklamer3360]

Some paintings, plants, fruit bowl decoration would make the kitchen more homely....or it it still to early as you are still renovating...and also please🌺🙏no offence meant...it is YOUR home and was just a tought of mine! Wonderful work you have done so far and your videos are very interesting, thank you!🌺💐🌺

[@charenteliving]

Thanks Anita. Lots more to come definitely in the kitchen as we go, and a few cosy additions for sure to be made!! Thanks so much for the lovely comment and glad you're enjoying the videos so far!!

[@anitaklamer3360]

@@charenteliving That's lovely to hear. I already see your love for detail and style. Thank you for taking us YTB's along on your journey...btw always an enchanting choise of music to your video🌺

[@charenteliving]

@@anitaklamer3360 Thanks so much Anita. So glad your with us on our journey!!

[@TheImanuelita]

Would love to see an arial view of the house and the garden. At which part of the house is it connected to the garden? I know at the moment there is no direct connection, right?

[@charenteliving]

The drone view at 3.49 is from the current garden and as the drone rises you can see our house appear over the rooftops at the end of the street. But we plan to convert the little cottage you see at 2.43 into a courtyard garden by taking off the roof but keeping the walls.

[@TheImanuelita]

@@charenteliving Oh wow!! I hope you keep the original facade as is. It's such a juxtaposition to the main house. At the risk of being a fake film set design, you could keep a few rows of tiled roof to give an illusion of a roof to passerby :)

[@charenteliving]

@@TheImanuelita Yes that's is the plan to keep it as it is, or maybe even to reveal the stone underneath, but it would always look quite different to the main house which is beautiful!

[@TheImanuelita]

@@charenteliving Can't wait to see the process and result! What size are the green backsplash tiles in your kitchen? 10x10cm or 15x15cm?

[@charenteliving]

@@TheImanuelita They are 10x10🙂