Nothing like an enormous remodeling project to help make it through a pandemic.
Since we moved into this house 3 years ago, I’ve wanted a new kitchen. Sadly, tearing it out wasn’t in the cards back then. So we ripped out the drop ceiling, painted the cabinets, put in some floating shelves, and tried to make it work. It was better. But it wasn’t great.
When we realized that it was either redo the kitchen or move (again), we chose to REDO!
It was four months of planning, designing, demo and then a slow rebuild, but OH. MY. GOODNESS. It turned out even better than I had hoped.
Please enjoy the before and afters. And please excuse the Christmas decor – I just couldn’t wait!!!
View from the front door: This level of the house isn’t huge, but it was so chopped up before. Oh, and that hideous tile! Someone years ago thought making a drop-down living room would be a great idea. It wasn’t. Hard to count the rolled ankles this strange idea caused. Now the moment you open the door, you’re just drawn inside. It’s so welcoming!
View from the top of the stairs: Just what everyone wants to see as they walk downstairs in the morning – an ugly wall. But now, it’s like a dream every morning when I head downstairs.
Looking toward the fireplace: One of the first things I loved about this house was the brick fireplace. It was brown when we first moved in, but it wasn’t long before I had painted it a fresh white. This brick was the centerpiece of my design. I knew from the start that I wanted it to become the backdrop for my gorgeous 48″ range. It’s still my favorite feature.
From the back wall to the door: From chopped up and walled off to wide and open. And that feature wall in the entry just makes me weak in the knees.
The other wall: Don’t know what to call it. It used to be where we put the dining table, but now it’s the TV wall. Check out the bench that spans the space. It’s absolutely perfect for decorating, but it also works as a ton of extra seating. We can even bring in our 8 foot folding table and seat 10 people for dinner with no problem at all.
The kitchen sink: My view while doing dishes was out a small dingy window and onto the back deck. Now I feel like the queen of the castle as I do dishes in my gorgeous sink and look out my incredible 6.5 foot wide window, which faces out to the front yard. Those old 1979 windows from before let in very little light. Don’t miss them at all.
Bonus Features: Please appreciate the fact that I installed the tile backsplash all by myself! I couldn’t love it any more than I do – especially with the glitter grout. My son-in-law is a fabulous woodworker, and he built all the corner shelves and the amazing vent hood. Even the light fixture over the island is totally custom. My husband took our old fireplace mantle and a light fixture we bought off the internet, and turned it into this dreamy contraption. Finally, check out how proud Nelly the mini bernedoodle is as she surveys the room. She’d give it two thumbs up, if she had thumbs.
Postcards from Mosquitoville 