An Update on Our Kitchen Makeover

I'm popping in to give you guys an update on our current project - our kitchen! This project will most likely last all year to complete, but it's definitely in the works and every small change makes a big impact (at least to us!)

Let's start with how our kitchen looked when we first bought the house last April.

This is our kitchen in a nutshell - there are two walls of cabinets/counter space and out-dated appliances, but it has a gorgeous bay window and lots of potential.

After moving in, we added a kitchen table and chairs (no shocker there) and painted the walls Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore - we use this color throughout the house. A lot of my ideas for this space actually haven't changed from when we first found our house.

The first transformation we completed was making two top cabinet doors glass-front. We chose the two cabinets on either side of the kitchen sink. The cabinet doors were cut to mimic a photo frame (thanks to my handy boss) and we used clear silicone caulk to adhere the glass to the doors. I recommend reading this tutorial for a how-to breakdown.

Next up, we removed the molding above the kitchen sink. It really dated our kitchen (hello 90's) and was only there to hide the ugly lighting - which is fine by me since I plan to install a pretty pendant light in it's place. We really had no method to how we were going to remove it - my mom came over one afternoon and started hacking it with a skill saw, hammer and screw driver until we were able to remove a piece from the center and hammer out the nails that connected it to the cabinet frame.

Painting our cabinets were next on our list and I just finished this week after 3 weeks of going at it after work and on the weekends (this is no quick project - and hello messy kitchen!) I did a lot of research on the best method to paint cabinets (I want them to be durable) - and it involved a lot of steps. Sand, de-gloss to remove dust and grease, prime and paint at least 2-3 coats. Young House Love has a great tutorial and they even provide you with a video showing each step - you can find it here. I also spent a lot of time finding the right color (shocker, right?) We chose Benjamin Moore's White Dove - you can read about it here.

We're currently finishing up adding the hardware to our doors and drawers. I bounced back and forth from a chrome finish and oil rubbed bronze before choosing knobs and a bin pulls in black from Ikea. I loved how heavy the knobs were and even better - they were on sale when I went to pick them up (score!) I really love the contrast between the cabinet color and soon-to-be back splash - plus it ties in our dark kitchen table.

So that's where we are now! We purchased a new under mount sink this weekend and are choosing granite to be installed soon. Thanks to our awesome friends for hooking us up, we were able to start on this project sooner than expected. I've already purchased the white subway tile back splash that we'll add once we have the new counter top in.

And because I love how Young House Love keeps a super cool list of their project goals, I've decided to do the same with this project. These are ideas I would love to incorporate in our kitchen - the reason why this project is going to last awhile!

Make two cabinets glass-front
Remove molding from above sink
Paint kitchen cabinets
Pick new cabinet hardware
Buy an under mount sink for new counter
Choose granite and find someone to cut/polish/install
Install subway tile back splash
Touch up paint in kitchen (possibly change paint to match adjoining family room)
Add shelving above sink (in between glass-front cabinets)
Buy and install new ORB faucet
Build wine cubby/style open cabinets above refrigerator
Add pendant above sink
Refinish fan/buy new lighting for above kitchen table
Buy new oven/microwave and refrigerator
Replace flooring
Add butcher-block top island that joins family room and kitchen
Add floating shelving above island
Cover kitchen chair seats

Each little change we make to the kitchen makes me so happy and looking back at where we started makes me appreciate all of the hard work we've put into our house - and makes all the little pennies put towards our house instead of new clothes and hair-do's totally worth it!