Kitchen Re-Do

I think it's high time that I share our kitchen remodel. It seems like it was decades in the making, although that can't be possible since we haven't been in this house for even 2 years.

Sanctuary Art's "You Should Have Seen It Before" party seems like the perfect opportunity for some show and tell.

This is how we lived for the first 6 months. It was definitely livable, but it was lacking a bit in the style area. Oh, it was also lacking a dishwasher. I know my mom is thinking, "Cry me a river!" But I'm sorry, once you have one, there's no going back. Unless you buy this house, and then there is going back. And you will mutter hateful things under your breath every afternoon and every evening as you wash dishes.

To make matter worse, we had a dishwasher, there was just no way to hook it up. So we parked it smack dab next to the refrigerator and got back to counting our blessings.

The four of us ate dinner every night at that tiny table, and I do kind of miss that.

To get our kitchen started, we had to basically gut it, then have portions of a wall re-plastered, then get to painting. We used Morning Fog D61-1 by Olympic, found at Lowes.

Although my first choice in cabinetry was white, we had the opportunity to snag solid wood cream cabinets for 75% off, and sometimes reality just can't be ignored. Totally worth it.

See that little jammy guy? He is here to illustrate that we did, indeed, live like this for nearly a month. No kitchen sink, people. But I was thrilled when I was at least able to move the food out of our bedroom and back into the kitchen - countertops or not!

At last, one glorious day, it was finished.

In full disclosure, it took an additional year to put the floor in. We were committed to paying as we went and not going into debt. The floors required heavy-duty reconstruction and leveling before we could actually lay the new flooring. Ah, the joys of old farm houses!

The island was bought in Ebay, as were the lights and cabinet hardware.

A few weeks ago I finally summoned the nerve to stencil the backs of these director's chairs, found in the Home Decorators catalog for peanuts. 08/99 is the month and year we were married.

One of my favorite features is the "tin" backsplash. We found it at Lowe's and it adds such a custom, vintage touch. Most people believe that it is actual tin, but in reality, it's plastic. Shh!!

Our splurge for the room was the desk/hutch from Pottery Barn. I wanted a free-standing piece that was unique to the cabinetry to add a more custom, built-over-time look. The cabinets were set and Cory measured and measured again. The PB delivery guys were beyond nervous when they arrived to see the tight space reserved for this monster. It slid right in, without an inch to spare.

The fun part of pulling a room together, in my opinion, is finding the little accessories. It tends to be an inexpensive part of the project, but has impact. Great bang for the buck.

My true blue Sarah inspired my collection of little barn scenes.

Here's one final shot, in low light.

I'm telling you what, having a functional kitchen makes a world of difference. Who cares that our main bath is still a major eyesore? Not me.