Tuesday, June 7, 2011

In My Kitchen: Before & After

I'd say our kitchen is the only room in our house that is 99% completed.  This makes me happy.  Of course, if I had unlimited funds, this would be up for debate.  But, given what we have, our kitchen is complete.  So, let me invite your into our kitchen:


Our kitchen is small: 11 x 11.  We redid the kitchen shortly after we got married and I moved in.  It was a gut job (including the ceiling and floor but the walls remained).  My husband and I designed our kitchen.  He performed a lot of the manual labor: installed ceiling, recessed lighting, cabinets, and appliances.  We had professionals install the flooring, granite countertop, moldings and subway backsplash.  


Since this is not our "forever" house, we decided against taking down the walls and just working with what we have.  While it is not large by any means, it's functional and quaint.  


There use to be nothing on this wall.  Just a aluminum rack to hold pantry goods and dishes.  Do you see my kitchen stool to the left - the only place to sit in the kitchen! :)


A close-up of our backsplash.  Originally, I was planning on going with Ann Sacks tiles, but given our tight budget, we opted for good 'ol Home Depot subway tile.  I love how it turned out. 

Okay, and now for the before.  Let me just set the scene.  This was my husband's house before we got married so when I moved in it was his bachelor pad.  The kitchen was exactly the same kitchen that existed in 1948!  His priority, at the time, was his basement (he loves woodworking), not the kitchen.  Go figure.  Oh my goodness, I can't believe I'm posting these pictures.  


Bleh...how about that copper kitchen clock?  Or the contact paper back splash?  That light fixture?  Those horrible dirty cabinets?  Do you want to see where the oven was?


Yes, right next to the refrigerator and do you want to know what was to the left of the stove?  Oh yeah, the washer machine.  Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of that.  The good thing about that is you could do a load of laundry while simultaneously cook dinner!  I think this should be the new trend.  :)


And, look at that linoleum floor!  Lovely.  I believe when we were dating, I tore out a tear sheet of a kitchen as inspiration and there it hung on the side of the refrigerator.  Well, all I have to say, is that after we got married, this kitchen was history.  As the slogan goes, "You've We've come a long way, baby!"

35 comments:

  1. Love what yall did...there's nothing like a fresh new kitchen!

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  2. It's beautiful and quaint! I love it!

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  3. Wow! What a great reno! Yall did a great job!

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  4. The slogan fits perfectly! Regardless of whether or not your family stays in your current home forever, it's always satisfying to improve your space for where you are at that current moment. I am in AWE of the kitchen transformation, Fran!!

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  5. Your kitchen is beautiful! It sounds like your husband is a keeper too :) Pinned it!

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  6. Holy transformation batman...it's gorgeous Fran- I love the white cupboards and trellis shade...such a classically pretty space!!!

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  7. Wow! Your kitchen looks amazing! What a difference! Great job, Fran!

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  8. What a transformation- it looks amazing!! You are so lucky that your husband is handy like that!

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  9. You have come a long way! I'd love to make my morning coffee in such a bright, cheerful kitchen.

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  10. Fran,

    I've been having so much fun seeing the changes in your house... but it's been really fulfilling to see, through your eyes, these changes.

    You may not think about it this way all the time, but I look at these things and think about the amazing and positive changes you have inspired in U.K.'s life (and indirectly, our family). Especially my adorable cousin (soon to be cousins!!!!!!)!

    I really do love reading your blog :)

    xxMelissa

    (Google is being weird and won't let me comment as my blog, haha sorry!)

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  11. You did an amazing job on your kitchen and it is certainly one that I'd be overjoyed to cook in. And I have to comment on your roman shade again because it is just so wonderful. I bet it perks up your day every time you see it. Yay for being 99% done!
    Camille

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  12. Yep .... you've come a long way! It's lovely - I've always loved your kitchen!

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  13. So bright and cheery! You did a wonderful job, Fran :)

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  14. I had to come back and say that I understand now your need for that cute stool and a place to sit. Bet it becomes even more important as the pregnancy progresses!

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  15. Wow Fran! You all did an amazing job. We have the same cabinets as your before. I would love to replace them! But hopefully we won't be in this house much longer, so they're staying.

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  16. Your before photo was OUR KITCHEN when we first moved into our house except that we had YELLOW linoleum that coved up the wall - lovely! It was so bad I 'knew' we would replace it and so while I was taking art classes used the linoleum to cut on (with my xacto knife) and then we ended up not being able to replace for a while - yikes. Your new kitchen is beautiful! I love your window treatments ;)

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  17. Your kitchen turned out beautiful! I saved a few images as inspiration for our future kitchen! LOL

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  18. Wow! what a difference! it's beautiful & classic! love your little wooden cutting board behind the stove too!!

    xo, 'Tessa

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  19. WOWZERS!!! It's great to see the before and afters, side by side. I love your kitchen!!!

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  20. this is a really cute neat kitchen. very classic and homey! thanks for sharing :)
    www.madebygirl.com
    madebygirl.blogspot.com

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  21. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  22. Your before picture is like looking at my kitchen in the rent house we just moved into! Same light fixture, flooring, and washer & dryer in the kitchen. Add some awful yellow and green tiling. I love your subway tiles! Good job, enjoy it! (comment got messed up the first time sorry!)

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  23. What a great transformation - it is so fresh welcoming - great design and great hubby. xxx

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  24. Wow, it has totally come a long way! Love seeing the not-so-pretty befores with the lovely new afters. You and Kevin did an awesome job. You should be proud!

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  25. Just stumbled upon your blog! Wow, your kitchen is gorgeous! I love it! I am following your blog now...stop by and say hello!

    www.vanessaandvalentine.com

    xo,
    Vanessa

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  26. Your kitchen is one of the inspiration photos I used for my own kitchen remodel, which is nearly complete. Do you mind sharing what color you painted your cabinets? That's the last decision I have to make, and I love yours! Thanks so much.

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  27. I know this post was a while ago but I saw this picture on pineterest and love the color of your kitchen! Do you remember the paint color that you used?

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  28. Hi Jennifer, the paint we used was Martin Senour Currency Paper. Good luck!

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  29. How could you throw away the lovely tea pot clock, it looked so chic with the wire hanging down ;o)

    Ha ha - Great job!

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  30. Everything is beautiful. Where did you get the fabric for the kitchen roman shades

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  32. Kitchen is the heart of the house. It is where you make food for the family. It's where you gather, eat and talk together everyday. It is a special place in the house, not to mention it is the most entered room, that's why it deserves a special attention too. Your DIY skills will come handy in this kind of renovation. It wouldn't just save you time, but could also save you a lot of money.

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