Well here it is... finally! The walls are still what you might call a blank slate. It's been such a busy couple months that I still haven't figured out exactly how I envision the finished product. For now I'm happy to have a functional and beautiful new kitchen space.
I tried to take the before and after pictures from close to the same angle, working all the way around the kitchen. The first picture is coming from approximately the old entrance to the kitchen from the living room. What used to be an unused eating space is now home to the refrigerator, microwave and deep pantry drawers, as well as the only remaining upper cabinets.
The old peninsula was removed and the dishwasher relocated to a much more convenient space alongside the new apron-front farmhouse sink. The outdated tile and its grody grout was replaced by quartz counters and simple subway tile backsplash.
The old wall between the kitchen and dining room was cut down to open up the space considerably. I love being able to see all the way into the backyard from the kitchen, and taking out the upper portion of the wall lets in even more light. The pony wall is topped by a narrow counter for serving plates and dishes to the dining room. We traded in the old electric oven for a fabulous dual-fuel oven with gas burners.
The biggest and best change was the removal of the wall between the living room and kitchen. The entire layout of the house has changed and it is so open and airy. Entertaining is so much more fun when everyone can gather around the island and the cook can actually be part of the conversation!
A close-up of the old and new sink area shows the size of the farmhouse sink. I really love the single bowl and the extra space it allows. I can easily clean any pot or pan without making such a mess around the sink. We chose to undermount the new sink so you can just sweep any mess from the counter right into the sink. It's so much easier to keep clean.
Finally here's the view looking from the back corner inward. I'm so happy with how everything turned out. The white cabinetry makes everything feel lighter and it flows better into the rest of the main living area. Even though a deep wood stain on the cabinets would have been beautiful, it might have made the kitchen feel like a dark corner when the whole purpose of the renovation was to open it up.
There you have it. We planned and planned and now we are really enjoying the result!
I LOVE your new kitchen! Our kitchen has plain-ole basic oak cabinets with a laminate counter top that has definitely seen better days. I don't see a kitchen up-date in our near future, so I'll just enjoy knowing you have a beautiful kitchen to work in! :)
ReplyDeleteJessica @ http://joyfulhomekaing.blogspot.com/
I love the remodel! I love the lighting and sink! Great job!
ReplyDeleteLooks fantastic! My kitchen is the mirror image of yours (even down to the drop ceiling!) and we are going to remodel it this summer, I was wondering, how do you like having your kitchen exposed to the front door? I wondered about having someone come to the door and being able to see into the whole kitchen...
ReplyDeleteMost of the time it doesn't bother me but of course I feel differently when the counter is littered with dirty dishes and the island is covered in random stuff. I wish this inspired me to keep it cleaner but it's not the top motivating factor :) However, our door opens to the right so someone outside can't really see into the kitchen area until they step inside (thank goodness) because of the door blocking their view.
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