Thanks so much to John & Sherry over at the always awesome site for featuring our kitchen renovation earlier this week! http://www.younghouselove.com/2012/03/reader-redesign-putting-the-drama-in-dramatic-makeover/
If the kitchen is the heart of the home then ours needed to be 1st on the transplant list. It was definitely state of the art with it's double ovens in the 60's. Are you jealous of the scalloped woodwork over the sink?
The door to the right was the entrance to a very dark dining room and the door to the left was the entrance to a dark hallway. Notice a theme? Lots of doors = very little light.
This is the view from the kitchen to the family room. The good thing about this kitchen was the open floor plan. This kitchen had 2 doors onto the deck and 1 large window. We decided to turn the doors into windows and the window into a door. Doing so meant moving the baseboard heating around (thus no heat while we were doing it). Great project for the dead of winter. Our infant son slept with mittens.
Another view of the beauty.
We lived in this mess for three...long...months. Washing baby bottles in the bathtub, eating out of a microwave set up in our dining room.
Walls are down!
Ahhh...now that's better! The cabinetry separating the kitchen from the dining room have glass cabinets on both sides to let the light in. I'd love to be able to say that the bar sink is super convenient during fabulous dinner parties but really they just serve as storage for tools on our latest renovation project.
The view from the kitchen into the family room. I'd say that room gets the most improved award to date. I think we may have a master bathroom renovation to knock it out of 1st place soon...
So that was renovation #1. Trust me it didn't go as smoothly as the pictures may lead you to believe :) There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears (a lot of tears). We're just weekend warriors who figure it out as we go thanks to helpful people at Home Depot/Lowes, google and great friends/family willing to lend a hand when we've had enough!
Cabinets: Kraftmaid Canvas (white) and Peppercorn (island)
Lighting: Restoration Hardware
Paint: Behr Premium Restful
Backsplash: Ming Green Marble
Appliances: GE
Stools: Overstock
Shared with: Between Naps On The Porch
I love your kitchen transformation! I am buying a house that has a similar door overdose situation in the kitchen. I would love to rip out the wall in between two of the doors and add in an island with upper cupboards similar to what is in btwn your kitchen and dining room, but I am concerned about how that will look from the other side. If you ever have a spare moment, could you show what the kitchen looks like from the dining room? Thanks! For the record, I am probably going to be investing in some Behr Restful paint, it looks like such a great green!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Sounds like we have a pretty similar layout. The prior home owners removed one wall and we removed another so I'm guessing that is why there were so many doors (just wait until you see the master suite post...there were 7 before we started!). I'll definitely get a picture up later tonight. LOVE Behr Restful. I've since used it a few more times.
DeletePosted! Let me know if you have any other questions!
DeleteGreat job!
ReplyDeleteDo you remember the color name of your countertop? We are putting something in that is similar and I've been trying to find out what it would look like installed. Have you had any issues with staining?
Thanks Susan! We bought the granite through a local stone yard but told them we wanted Home Depot's "Royal Silk." Home Depot uses their own naming scheme for granite available elsewhere to prevent you from shopping their prices around. I believe if you go anywhere else it is called Bianco Antico. We haven't had any issues with staining but one thing we have learned is that it is a very soft granite. The lighter in color you go and the more 'movement' you have the weaker the stone. Solid black is the strongest. So seeing as how this granite is white with a lot of brown veining it is about as soft as you can go so you will definitely need to stay on top of sealing. All that said it hides things more than any other grainte so I would definitely get it again (especially with kids who are constantly spilling!). Hope that helps!
DeleteThanks! I wanted to get the honed absolute black granite but apparently it's very high maintenance as it shows wet marks. I think the one that he wants is called Gray Star. I'll let him win this round. He has lost on a few other things. :)
DeleteHullo! I asked this question over at yhl, but it probably got buried in the comments. Are you using an extractor over you electric stove in the island? If not, how's that working out?
ReplyDeleteHi! Our fan is built into the island and comes up with the push of a button. The fan is vented down through the island, into the floor, into the basement and out the side of the house. When it isn't in use it is hidden from view, leaving more counter space. It also serves as an unintential barrier for little hands while we're cooking and the kids are sitting at the table! Hope that helps!
ReplyDeleteAaaaaaaah, excellent!!! Thanks! I would love to have a my stove in an island as well, but since my kitchen sits on a concrete slab, no can do. I wanted to know if you had found a workaround. I'm so jealous! I love the clean, sleek look of it! Cleaning it up must be a breeze!
ReplyDeleteI noticed you choose to choose two types of cabinets both in style and color. What lead you to making that choice, as most would want them to be consistent?
ReplyDeleteI like the eclectic look so I went with coordinating styles and chose colors that were as far away from each other as possible so it would look intentional. Also there is a lot of cabinetry in the room. The different colors breaks it up a bit. I figure I'll be done with that style in about 15 years and then I'll be due for a new kitchen anyway :)
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