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The Kitchen: Before and Afters!

July 24, 2013
This kitchen has been two years in the making, constantly tweaking what we had (painting cabinets, painting countertops!, buying new appliances as we could afford them) until we were ready for a little bit more of a renovation a couple months ago.  Here's what it looked like when we moved in:
And here's how it looks today:
Although we initially were going to tweak the layout, we decided to keep it just the way it was and we're glad we did.  Keeping the same cabinets also saved money. In the first phase of the reno, we painted all the cabinets white, and in the second phase we painted the base cabinets a deep navy and added hardware which changed the whole game.
Functionally, our favorite change was the addition of a few open shelves (and the subtraction of an upper cabinet).  At first, we added just two shelves and in the second phase we opted for one more because we honestly couldn't get enough of the convenience. The sink, the touch faucet, backsplash, lighting, pantry door, roman shade and counters were all additions in the past few months. At the end of the post, I'll link to all the sources, as well as posts relating to them.  For now, just enjoy the photos!
And one more look at the before & after:
A lot of you have expressed your sadness about us leaving the spaces (this one in particular) that we've worked so hard on without ever really getting to enjoy it.  Know that we have.  We have enjoyed working on this kitchen and in this kitchen for the past two years and most recently, watching it reach a potential we saw when we first toured this house.  Every aspect, from working side by side trying to figure out how to install counters and backsplash for the very first time, to seeing our vision come to life has been so rewarding! We're so grateful we documented it all so we could look back and remember the projects and maybe drool a little over the outcome. Cheers!
Posts about:
Sources:
Top cabinets: Benjamin Moore Mountain Peak White, Base cabinets: Behr's Midnight Dream (color matched to Benjamin Moore), Hardware: Restoration Hardware, Floating shelves: Ikea, Pantry Door: Home Depot, Fridge: Kenmore Elite, Double Oven: Kenmore, Range Hood: Kenmore, Dishwasher: GE Adora (we really don't love this dishwasher, ps), Countertops: Craft Art, Sink: Kraus, Faucet: Delta Cassidy Touch20, Globe Pendants: West Elm, Black Wall Sconce: Reed from Rejuvenation, White Roman Shade: JCPenney, Hampton Carrara Marble Backsplash: The Tile Shop.
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  1. Your cleaning enterprise in UAE can have the be managed by end all those allergy strikes. Cleaning services doesn't only clean people's house; it will remove many of the dirt in just it. And also, house carpet cleaners also apply vacuums which includes a special filtrating procedure that take dust, micro organism, pet dander, pollutants plus allergens associated with the surroundings! Yes, this is certainly one technique for preventing but not only allergies and flu strikes.

  2. LOVE it!! Wow, it’s so fun to see the Before&Afters. Congrats with the make over and sharing some before/after photos. What a change! Perfect example how to maximize space and make a kitchen more functional and inviting.

  3. very nice! Just the look I'm going for!! Just curious, what color gray did you use for the walls? I'm in a gray dilemma!!

  4. I'm in love with those lights. We are about to do a kitchen remodel and Ive been looking at similar lights. They would be our main light source aside from a couple under cabinet lights so I wasn't sure if they would be bright enough. I'd say our kitchen is a similar size. How are yours working for you?

  5. I just found your blog (after being redirected from another blog) and I'm pleasantly surprised. So many great ideas to see. Thanks for sharing :).

  6. The kitchen is beautiful. What Benjamin Moore finish did you use and would you recommend to paint cabinets (semi gloss? satin?)?

  7. Copy & Paste! This is EXACTLY what I want to do to my kitchen. You have totally motivated me to make my dream a reality. Not to mention your documentaion of the process is perfectly organized and a wonderful read. I can't thank you enough for sharing!

  8. wondering if you can talk more about repainting your cabinets. from the looks of it i have exactly the same kind and i'm interested in repainting... would love some pointers! your redo is AMAZING!

    1. I'll also add, taking that wall out would have required us to redo the flooring in that corner. We didn't have any matching flooring left over, and our flooring was discontinued. We tried to find a match, but no luck. We thought about redoing the entire first floor (that flooring carries through to the other spaces), but decided that was an expense we weren't ready for. Mixed with what Jules said - all the storage the pantry provided - it made more sense for us to keep it.

  9. Congratulations with the make over and sharing some before/after photos. What a change! Perfect example how to maximize space and make a kitchen more functional and inviting. Love the globe pendant lights and the new faucet. As Delta sells several similar touch faucet models do you remember the model name? On the photo it looks like you installed the Delta Addison or Cassidy. Good luck in your new home!

  10. I was just thinking that it would be hard to leave those counters! They are so, so pretty. I'm glad you are excited for new challenges :)

  11. Looks really pretty and it is nice to see a redo where cabinets were not replaced at all. Now the important thing you left out...where did you get that dish towel hanging on the sink? :)

  12. So magical, I was going to say that the tile was my favorite part but I really love the planked island, but the pendants are dreamy, and I'm in love with the sink, so it's all my favorite. Can't wait to see your next kitchen.

  13. Really nice job. I've been waiting for this post for a long time as my kitchen is about the same size. It turned out so beautiful! And I'm sad you have to leave it now that it's finished. Hopefully you got some of the money back in the sale. One other thing, and I hate to be tedious, I love the pattern on the dish towel and have been looking for some newer trendy geometric patterns. Can you share where you got that? Thanks and good luck!

  14. I love how wide the beadboard is. It's my favorite, and so hard to find. May I ask where you found it?

    Is there a reason as to why you kept the old hinges on the cabinets instead of changing them out for European hinges?

    Love the open shelving.

    Beautiful job!

    1. The panel board is from Home Depot. It was literally $20 and we had leftovers. Great find! As for the hinges, we updated them to match the hardware and honestly didn't mind the look. The cabinets would have had to be notched out for hidden hinges and we didn't want to risk it. Maybe the next house we'll take the plunge. :)

    2. It's not hard! My dh notches ours out. We're on our fourth house and if I knew how easy it was, I would have begged him to do our first house!

      So the bead board is a panel, not individual? Was it meant for outdoor use, or indoor? I have to figure out which section of the store to find it in, lol!

      Thanks!

  15. LOVE it!! Wow, it's so fun to see the Before&Afters. You guys took it from HoHum to DesignerKitchenLooksLikeGlossyMagazinePage! Also so great to have the sources on one page.

    1. I just went back and added everything up. This is approximate, but around $10,015. Not bad! Here's how it breaks down:

      paint $100
      fridge $1700
      double oven $1700
      dishwasher $603
      range hood $150
      beadboard $20
      hardware $288
      pantry door $120
      sink $360
      faucet $500
      shelving $60
      globe pendants $179
      reed sconce $335
      counters $2700
      backsplash $1200

      total $10015

  16. Such a good after. Now that you have used them for a bit, how did the countertops hold up? Any scratching or staining? I love the look, but I'm suuuuper nervous about committing to them!

    1. Oh man, they have been a dream. Walnut is really hard, so it is not easy to ding them, but we have noticed a couple light scratches that probably we would only notice. Although, we were anxious to see how they patina, if someone wasn't crazy about that look, you could always lightly sand them--they are solid walnut!

    1. The one by the sink is a money tree and we have a couple of those. And the one on the shelving is just a spider plant? I can't remember. I got it as a baby from Ikea and it is hardy! Both are. Thanks Ashley.

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