I LOVED updating this kitchen! And I LOVE cooking in it every day!!
BEFOREAFTERBEFOREAFTERTimeless cast iron sink under the window, flanked by adorable open shelving. A future project will add white and yellow patterned Roman shades.These left-side-of-the-window, natural wood corner shelves provide an excellent place for plants to thrive, and the tones and textures of decor to jive.These right-side-of-the-window wood shelves house harmonious decor; directly beside my favorite cabinet in the kitchen: glass-front door!I am in LOVE with the hard-wired under-cabinet lighting! Flip one switch, and it illuminates all the details, keeping my high-contrast navy backsplash from making the space too dark. Other details to love: the tri-color cannisters tying in all of my accent colors; the neutral grays, whites, and light brown textured veining of the countertop; and the natural wood of my knife block with bright white-handled knives. All the textures, colors, and lines sing together!This wall is my view when I’m chopping veggies at my butcher-block-topped island. It’s such an engaging balance of design elements: black lines on white; curved portions verses straight ones; the rythym of repetition; the bright dishes showcasing the accent colors of the whole kitchen; and the earthiness of the natural wood railing and my vibrant green hanging plant.My beautiful birch butcher block-toped island with bead board sides was instrumental in transforming the flow of this space. It’s no longer a one-butt kitchen!Cosy dining corner with custom floor-space-saving, storage-providing, built-in benches that offer ample seating when we expand the table for entertaining.I am obsessed with the balance this wallpaper accent wall creates with the navy tile backsplash on the opposite wall! Solid navy with curvy white lines on one side, and solid navy with straight white lines on the other. The custom-framed picture-lace from England is another detail that takes this space to the next level. (See my process for painting the frame and securing the lace in a later post).This Before & After illustrates two of my favorite changes in this update. 1: The warm tones, durable finish, and wateproof core of our new SPC plank flooring; and 2: The wider walkway, and more open sightlines we got from tearing out this closet! The demo was very fun, and we repurposed the lumber from the closet’s framing as the framing for our built-in benches. Lumber AND storage space conserved!This Before & After not only gives another great view of my accent wall; it also shows 1: The difference between laminate wood-look countertop, & genuine wood butcher block (I love knowing I can sand it down and reseal it anytime it’s taken a real beating.); 2: A fresh coat of bright white paint on the ceiling is super nice; and 3: We have yet to update the lighting in this kitchen. Our electrician’s health took a turn for the worse, so the lighting got put on hold. I look forward to the difference it will make to have several can-lights added.My low-tech planning methods were a great way to figure out what should go where. Especially since these cabinets had a home before mine; which home had a bigger kitchen than mine. So not every cabinet made the cut.Several of my cabinets in their previous home. Have I mentioned how much I love repurposing, rehoming, and creating beauty on a tight budget?The middle steps were a lot of work! We installed all of the base cabinets on top of these 2x4s to make installation of the floating floor easier AND to make the counters higher. We aren’t short people, so it’s nice.Procuring the metal racks to display my dishes was an adventure, as were the planning and execution steps. (Especially on a ladder over these steps!)Another shot of the work-in-progress (post move-in). Our tile installer was excellent! The walls look so unfinished without their tile backsplash and window-flanking corner shelves.
Although this project is very functional, and quite beautiful, there are a few details to complete down the road: finishing trim on the cabinets, updated lighting, and new window treatments (to name a few). So keep visiting my blog to see all the fun stuff to come!
