The {{Complete}} Kitchen Remodel

Complete...that is my new favorite word!  The first several photos are of full room views.  If you are interested in the details keep scrolling down.  Also, the 'before' pictures are at the end.  Either way, let me know what you think!  'Complete' is a sweet, sweet word!

 

 The cabinets in the kitchen before the remodel were white. I chose white again, because with the dark ceilings and floors, I thought it might feel like a cave in here with anything darker. The trim around the windows and molding is also white, so it seems to work.

  

For the most part, the footprint of the kitchen stayed the same.  We did move the microwave from above the stove to another space that works much better.  Also, I am debating about whether or not to hang the old wooden brick mold (sitting on the back of the stove) above it to hold spice jars.  I don't want to drill the holes through the backsplash until I am sure!

 

The microwave was placed above the dishwasher.  This positioning has worked much better.  We debated about putting it in the island, but ultimately decided, based on our routines, it would work best for us in this location.

 

 When I say, 'complete,' I guess it is not really complete.  I still can't decide what to do with the windows!  We love all the light streaming in, but the sun is so bright, it will quickly fade everything if we don't hang curtains or shutters.  Brown transferware and pewter plates hang above the vintage fishing creel and a French bread basket on either side.

 The sink in the bar is the same sink we had before.  It was mounted over top in our previous kitchen, but we were able to have it under-mounted.  We changed out the metal sink drain and it looks brand new.

 The bench was widened and double drawers placed underneath for storage.

 The Swedish pine bench serves two purposes; extra seating and storage.  The bench holds all of our art supplies. The early 1900's decoy came from New England.  This lake is home to lots of ducks and geese, so he fits right in.

 We opted for a black island to transition from the cooking space to the dining space.  The French-style chairs are painted black and are distressed, so I had the island painted the same way. 

 We enlarged the island and pushed it back to allow for more user friendly space around the stove and sink.  For the 'dead' space on the back of the island, we had these shelves made to hold the sea of cookbooks and party supplies.  The doors have a push touch mechanism to open, so they don't appear to be cabinets.  This has been a great use of this, otherwise unused space.

The space under the bar sink would have been practically useless if actual drawers were put here. We had our trash can in this location before, but with the under-mount sink, the space became limited.  A door, made to look like drawers opens the same as the other cabinets.  Here, I keep trash bags, paper towels and cleaning supplies.

The trash can was moved by the sink and is deep, so it can hold two trash cans.  This has been much more practical and efficient.  The trash can in the back of the drawer holds recycled items.

This was another great use of space.  The spice 'drawer' is now in this narrow space next to the stove. 

The other pull-out 'drawer' to the right of the stove holds cookie sheets and cutting boards.  To read more about induction cook stoves and why we chose it, click here.

This outlet is a new feature to the island.  I requested it, because during the holidays, we are all huddled around the stove and the outlets right beside the stove, trying to get our holiday dishes ready.  If someone needs to carve a turkey, they can take it to the island (and move away from my stove!)

 

 This counter flush refrigerator also allows for more room.  Before, if the refrigerator door was open, no one could walk by because of the island.  The ice maker never worked in the old frig, so I am glad to finally have one that works.

This sink is huge and super heavy!  It took four grown men to get it in place.  We had many challenges, since the sink sits in an angle.  There was hardly any room for the trash can drawer to open.  This caused part of my delay in posting this remodel, as we had to have the cabinets re-sized several times.  Remodeling is much harder than starting from scratch!

 

Because we have a well, we use a reverse osmosis system to have good drinking water.  The far right faucet allows for this.  We also included a soap dispenser on the left.  I chose the faucets and sink for their timeless style.

The pewter sugar cup offers a pretty place to hide an unsightly scrub brush.  I found the vintage stone soap dish at a flea market.  I wrapped a bunch of soaps in pretty fall craft paper for the bathrooms and kitchen.  The patina of copper and pewter are my favorites in any space.

Behind the oatmeal and granola bar is a light switch.  My husband took a tile of the limestone to Home Depot to match the paint.  He painted all the switch plates and to my surprise, did a really good job!

  This old beer crate from England holds utensils for cooking beside the stove.

Admittedly, my mom's butcher block is a tight fit in this kitchen; however,  I was determined to use it.  I wish someone had taken a video of Rob, the three kids and me hoisting this several hundred pounds of solid wood to its current spot.  We used cinder blocks and boards to lift and position it.  To see the post about this butcher block and how I refinished it, click here.

With lots of family in town, we often gather in the kitchen.  We added these wing back chairs for extra seating.  I fell in love with this brownish-gray and cream check fabric.  Many of the Swedish homes that I love use check fabrics somewhere in their home.

I also love the muted red, green and brown colors of this Oushak rug.

 

 This towel rod is actually a refrigerator door pull. I chose it because it sits more flush to the cabinet than a regular towel rod, and I like the simple design.



 

I have a third matching bar stool, but for now, my youngest child likes to sit in this vintage high chair, because it makes her taller than the other kids.

 

The biggest challenge I faced in this entire remodel was picking a counter top.  Natural stone is beautiful and there are so many different choices and colors.  I called it my 'beautiful nightmare,' because the slabs are all beautiful, but it was a nightmare trying to find the right one.  Ultimately, I chose granite in 'Ecuador White' because of the gray shades and earthy tones.  It has gray to match the back splash, brown to match the hardwood floors and beadboard ceilings, and some black to coordinate with the island and black chairs.

This small pine table and chair are for my youngest daughter who loves to color.  To camouflage the temperature control box and the light switch on the wall above, I hung a few frames, a chalk board and some antlers.  These odd items grouped together seem to distract from the unsightly switches and box.

 

An old French market basket is used to create a centerpiece for my table with hydrangeas from my yard.  Corn, wheat, cattails, grapevine and large dried mushrooms fill the basket, too.

 

 

Before...

 

 

My old kitchen has been one of my most popular posts!  With several broken appliances and a desperate need to refinish the floors, we gave the space an updated overhaul.  The cabinets in here were not very well made.  To see the post on this kitchen, click here.

Rob removed the old cabinets and we had all the floors upstairs stripped and refinished.

 

 Stove and microwave: Viking

Dishwasher and refrigerator: Bosch

Granite: White Ecuador

Backsplash: Arctic Gray limestone by Daltile

Paint on walls: Perfect Greige by Sherwin Williams

Custom Cabinets: Knot Yet

Dining area rug: Rug & Home

Oushak rug: Traditions Interiors (Charlotte, NC)

Wingback chairs and bench cushion: Hancock and Moore with Cooper Natural fabric via Traditions Interiors

Farmstyle apron sink: Shaws Fireclay Sink (Rohl)

Sink faucets: Perrin & Rowe

Cabinet hardware: Hardware Resources, Home Depot, Blackhawk Hardware

Light Fixtures: Landmark Lighting and Thomasville Lanterns by Progress Lighting (I wrote about light fixtures here and my Pinterest board on light fixtures here.)

Barstools: World Market

Farm table and chairs: Victoria and Thomas (purchased years ago)

Striped dish towels on island: West Elm

Floors: Reclaimed pine floors finished in Min Wax English Walnut

 

 

 Thank you so much for stopping by!
&
Thank you ladies so much for the features!  What a sweet, sweet reward for all the work we devoted to this kitchen and were forced to live off pizza and fast food for months!

      

 

I plan to link here!