Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Kitchen remodel

I looked high and low for a "before" picture of my kitchen and could not find one. The original cabinets were covered in dark brown faux wood laminate. The countertops were dingy white Formica with gold specks.
Hummm... any wonder why I couldn't find a before picture?

 Can we say....................
 REALLY ugly?

My home is only 1400 square foot so we have to make
 the most of our space.

At this point everything has been sanded and primed.
We have added open shelving and a cabinet on the end for more
 counter space and storage.
The original cabinets were very sturdy and in good shape so we chose to peel, scrap and sand off that ugly dark brown laminate and just build new doors. The cabinets themselves were solid pine but the doors were some kind of pressed board. 

Below is a picture before changing the counter tops.


After about 3 months of my husbands hard work, here is the result.....
my beautiful butcher block counter top.


Once we completed all the cabinets we moved on to the other side of the kitchen.

I hated this pantry.....


Can you tell?


Making progress


View from livingroom before removing the pantry


And after....


To free up some counter space, my very talented and handy husband, then opened up the wall going into a hall closet and made this little cubby for the microwave. 


I Love my kitchen.


Thanks Jerry for all your hard work, it's perfect.

I am linking today to:

44 comments:

Olde Tyme Marketplace said...

Amazing! What an update! Looks terrific!
Beth

Something Nice and Pretty said...

Just fantastic...I love to look at makeovers of kitchens gone white...I plan to do mine someday soon:) You both did a wonderful job...I'm now a follower, stop by for a visit when you have the time!

Rondell

PS. The denim recycled purse is so neat!

oldgreymare said...

Do it yourself extraordinaire!

I am impressed with the vision to remove the pantry. Makes all the difference. Looks wonderful.

What is next?

Suzan

Teri Goodwin said...

Looks like your kitchen could have come right out of a magazine. Just beautiful. You inspire me!

Ann @ makethebestofthings said...

LOVE the look of your new kitchen! The clean white cabinets look gorgeous with your new counters. You are blessed to have such a handy man!

Anonymous said...

Is this your way of trying to motivate me to finish Family Room ???

Danise said...

Tell that Handyman of yours I need some shelves built!

Unknown said...

WOW! What a great transformation. Where'd you get your butcher block countertop. It's pretty!

I love how you opened up the kitchen by taking out that pantry.

Hi-5's to you & your hubby for all of your hard work!

FlyAwayHome said...

Shel, My husband made the countertops himself,then added 8 coats of polyurethane. It took forever but it was worth it.

Danise, I passed that message on to my handyman :)

Anonymous, Yep, I am trying to motivate you to finish the familyroom. Gotta have pictures for my blog :)

the old white house said...

What a beautiful transformation! Your kitchen is exactly the kind I fall for everytime! Thanks for sharing, Theresa

Jessica @ This Blessed Life said...

WOW! Amazing transformation! Those counter-tops are beautiful. I don't think I'd be able to stop staring at them. ;)

Leslie {Goodbye, house. Hello, home!} said...

I love your kitchen, too!!

Amanda @ Healthy House on the Block said...

Oh my gosh! I love your kitchen! Those counter tops are amazing! You guys sure did a lot of work -- but it totally paid off -- becuase it looks WONDERFUL!!

Unknown said...

Your kitchen looks pretty and cozy! Thanks for sharing all your hard work. I found your blog thru The Shabby Chic Cottage. :)

Helmitarha said...

It looks great! So many nice details! Love it! ;)

Irene @ OurUglyHome said...

Wow! Great job. Makes me feel like we can really redo our kitchen.

Rita's Recipes said...

WOW! Great job! How did you make the beautiful counter tops? Did you stain and seal them? Do you cut on them? I have butcher block on my island, that I use for food prep,chopping etc. It's just rubbed with mineral oil occasionally. Yours look more finished.
Cheers!
Rita

fitty's pinky rose cottage said...

your kitchen look so pretty now. I really love your counter tops. the wooden look with white paint look so cottagey.

elizabeth said...

Oh I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your kitchen! Please do tell me about your countertops and what you finished them with. We are considering butcherblock, but I am nervous about water on them.

Maria said...

Very pretty. The hard work payed off. Let us know how you end up liking the butcher block. I am guessing you aren't going to cut on this one though, right?

Joy@Thrifty Parsonage Living said...

What a great transformation. I love how you removed the pantry wall and opend things up and also the cute little cubby for the microwave. Great job!

Susan said...

Your kitchen is awesome! I love all the white!!

Anonymous said...

Oh, your kitchen looks so beautiful! I love your white cabinets and the butcher counter tops are gorgeous! Nice job.
Be a sweetie and have a happy 4th,
Shelia ;)

elizabeth said...

What finish did you use on the counter tops?

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

White makes such a difference...I want to paint my cabinets so badly as they are dark wood from the 1950's but..so far my husband has fought me on it...and I can see why. The wood is lovely..but there is not a single window in the kitchen and it bothers me.

Your kitchen is lovely and everything I wish my kitchen was. What wonderful changes you made!! All that counter space!!! :)
Mona

BLJ Graves Studio said...

Your kitchen looks fabulous!

Esther Sunday said...

I absolutely love what you did to the kitchen - it looks fab!!!

I also found your loving dedication to your mother very touching. I am fortunate in that I still have my mother who also introduced me to crafting/decorating and is the person I most admire in the world. I am sure your mother's spirit is with you always during your projects!

Kara @ Mine for the Making said...

Looks amazing! I love how clean and organized it is. I love your use of the glass jars...almost like the food/spices are the decor. LOVE!

Unknown said...

Wow! What an amazing transformation! You were one busy chick!

Thanks for linking up at www.simplydesigning.blogspot.com

I hope to see you Friday for another link party!

Lori said...

This is beautiful! I'm going to feature your kitchen at Life As Lori! If you would like to stop by and grab my I was featured button please do so!

Tausha said...

What's not to love!! I am re-doing my kitchen this next weekend. You have inspired me!!

Coleen's Corner said...

A+++! Great transformation and I love how you opened everything up. It looks wonderful!

Anonymous said...

Your kitchen looks amazing! What a wonderful transformation! LOVE the countertops! We did a kitchen remodel a couple of years ago. I posted about it on my blog (the link is on my sidebar), if you want to check it out. It's fun to swap stories. :)
Have a great day!
~ Jo

SewSara said...

wow ... it looks great!
i love white kitchens. so clean and fresh. :)
great job!

Its So Very Cheri said...

WOW--what a great transformation.

Can you share where and HOW you used the Gorilla Glue. You still qualify for entering correctly but just adding a picture doesn't tell us how it was used. I am curious--did you use it to glue them down or did your husband build your counter tops from scratch? Inquiring minds need yo know these things.

Thanks for linking up to the party and you will recieve your email from the Canvas People very soon.

Cheri

Anonymous said...

That is absolutely gorgeous! Love it! Good job!

Its So Very Cheri said...

I am visiting from the CSI. I am enteries number 86, 87, 88 and 89.
I love chippy paint.

It look as amazing as the first time I saw it.

Cheri from www.itssoverycheri.com and www.thediyclub.com

vanessa said...

Wow it looks great. What a labor of love those countertops are!

SLR said...

gorgeous kitchen! love the counter tops and it's so great that you have that built in nook for your microwave now!!

Anonymous said...

Wow, love that kitchen! And the butcher block. Now you're talking!

Kathy said...

I love how taking out the pantry opened the view to the kitchen! Beautifully white and love the butcher block counters - well done!
Kathy

Unknown said...

your kitchen is amazing. I found you through Megan’s blog. I love everything about Remodel kitchens. The backsplash and shade are amazing. So impressed. Happy to have found your blog.


Home Remodeling Designers said...

Your kitchen is amazing! You did a phenomenal job!!!
Complete Kitchen Remodel

FlyAwayHome said...

Thank you so much!