The Kitchen

Since we finally got our counter stools, I thought I'd post some before and after pictures of our kitchen. I don't really like the use of "after" all that much because there are still things that I want to do and would have done if we had a money tree in the backyard. But, it's come so far from what it was when we moved in that I wanted to share the progress.

A LITTLE HISTORY: we bought our house from a couple who had lived here 40 years, and I believe hadn't touched the house since they moved in back in the 60s. The kitchen was U-G-L-Y with absolutely no alibi. It had yellow linoleum floors, dark wood cabinets, fluorescent lighting and was generally cave-like.





We painted. And painted some more [the cabinets are Salisbury Green by Benjamin Moore]. Never underestimate the miracle of a fresh coat of paint! We knocked down a wall between the kitchen and the living room [previously, both were pretty closed off and dark]. That alone made a world of difference. What else? We replaced all the lighting, put in wood floors and a kitchen island, replaced all cabinet hardware, put in a new window and got rid of the "granny bits." Before the house was put in the market, they updated some of the appliances, but after so many years of apartment living, we had gas hooked up so we could put in a gas range. Thankfully, the countertop and backsplash tile were neutral/white, so we could leave them for the time being.



Reggie D putting in the floors:



He's such a handy guy.

Nick, our painter, who did all the priming/oil paints, hard at work:



I would've done the painting myself, but I was 6 months pregnant and didn't want to take any chances with all those fumes. Can I be honest here? When I look at these "during" pictures I kind of want to cry. It was miserable being that pregnant in July in Florida and renovating a house. Happiness is not the emotion I feel when I think of that time! But it's over, and I like our house now [I didn't for a while because it was such a huge pain in the rear].

Our island, below, where we keep lots of things that would've otherwise ended up on the counter. I love it. We just replaced our toaster, and I love that, too. No more babysitting my toast in the morning to make sure it isn't burned to a crisp!



Below you can see the wall we knock out. My sister thinks I should put a big bulletin board on this back wall to hang the kids' artwork, but I'm afraid it may get too cluttered. What do you think?



I'm still trying to figure out what fridge I want, and I'd also like to eventually replace the faucet. It just takes me a while to figure out exactly what I want. Oh, and I wouldn't turn my nose up at a new countertop and new tile backsplash. But, I'm happy with the transformation so far!