When we bought our house, 2 1/2 years ago, the kitchen was one of the biggest selling points. Mostly because we loved the size and the amount of cabinets and counter space. (In our old house we had a teeny tiny kitchen that had no room, no counter top space and hardly any cabinets). However we didn't love the finishes, wood color or the colors in general in our new kitchen. It was a bit stuck in the 80's. But we saw the potential- we had a dream!!!
Over the last 2 1/2 years, we have been doing small things to the kitchen and recently we started doing some really BIG things.
Now I can't say this is a DIY project. We have always done DIY-in our old kitchen we did everything from painting the cabinets, walls, tiling the floor, etc. So it was really, really hard to come to the conclusion that we just could not do that with our new kitchen. After going back and forth we were able to admit we were in over our heads with some of it. So we saved up and we hired some great people to do those parts that we couldn't.
Getting new cabinets was out of the question for us- it was just too ridiculously expensive. So we decided to "reface" our cabinets. We also had the walls and the ceiling painted. There are also many things that we have done along the way, which I will point out in the pictures. There is still more that will be done in our kitchen, but I feel like it is at a place that I can show some major progress!! You will see before shots of an area and then after shots of about the same area...
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
I have always wanted a "coffee bar" So I thought this would be the best place for it.
Having a space designated just for coffee and all the accessories that go with it- I love it.
In the cabinets below are all the coffee cups, and extra supplies.
You can also see the chair to the right is red- I am in the process of
painting all the chairs around the island red.
BEFORE
AFTER
Some other things we will be changing are- we are replacing the stained glass, getting a new back splash, we have to replace the counter on the island- if you notice in this picture there is a large crack going from the stove to the edge of the counter top on the left side- major bummer.
BEFORE
AFTER
This after shot is in 2 parts. Click here to see the desk project, here to see the desk drawer project, click here to see the binder project, and here to see the paper organization.
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
In my vision for this kitchen I wanted that crisp white ceiling to contrast with the exposed beam. I love how the ceiling turned out. It shows all the knots in the wood and it looks like it has been that way forever!
So our kitchen project is coming along!! Here is the To Do list-
New dishwasher
Install cabinet door and drawer hardware (I got notice that it shipped from Ikea and will be here tomorrow!)
Replacing the stained glass windows
New light fixture over the island
New back splash
Floors- re-finish to a darker wood- like the color of the exposed beam or replace?
Finish paining all the chairs red
New counter top for the island- we are thinking about doing butcher block
New outlet covers
Taking major steps in getting our kitchen completed is super exciting!! It just feels like we have made so much progress towards our the vision we have for our kitchen. All those things that we have been planning and imagining since we first saw it! Has anyone else had a major project in their kitchen? That saying that the kitchen is the heart of the home is pretty right on in our house. It is one of the rooms we spend the most time in, that's for sure!!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Faith
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