Tuesday, June 10, 2014

The Transformation of a Kitchen

We didn't mean to redo our kitchen in phases. 
It just turned out that way. 
I didn't have a long range plan but tackled it project by project over a period of years.
It was a time consuming process that could be accelerated.
We started with orange oak cabinets, formica counters, black and almond appliances and vinyl floors. Did I mention the dark green wallpaper?
It was only 3 years old when we bought the house and still in style but dark green wasn't my scene.


How cute are these cousins?  
The first thing to go was the wallpaper.
I stripped it off, textured the walls and painted them yellow.



This was the only picture I could find of the old kitchen. 
Jonnie was 15. 
The next thing to go was the flooring. 
We ended up with a wood look vinyl.
It has been a work horse.
Regular mopping and an occasional cleaning with Quick Shine keeps it in good shape.







I got to the point where I couldn't live with the gross formica countertops one more day. I decided to tile them.
I love the 50s vintage vibe. 
I also created the open storage. Read that post here



The formica layer peeled off in one big sheet.



I didn't do any prep work to the remaining plywood base. The tiles adhered just fine. I've never had one pop off. 




It took about a year to get to the sink corner. We placed the plywood base around the sink because it had water damage and mold.
I got a new Elkay sink that I still love. 
This was just a tad before farmhouse sinks came into vogue but I doubt one would have worked in the corner anyway.
At this point I was pretty content with the kitchen. I was wild about Robin's Egg Blue and brown and this scheme pleased me.
The appliances got replaced as they bit the dust. 
Replacing them all with stainless took about 5 years.
The kitchen stayed blue for 6 years until someone mentioned to me that blue kitchens were unappetizing. 
That gave me the motivation to paint. 
For the record, I never had a problem eating in a blue kitchen. ;)
I wanted something neutral so I could fill up my shelves with red transfer ware.



I finally convinced my husband to let us paint the kitchen cabinets.
I pinned picture after picture of cute kitchens. 
I realized that all of them were white. ALL OF THEM.
 I was just attracted to white. 
My final plea came when I expressed that the orange-y oak cabinets had had a good life and that they would not be in style again in our lifetime. 
That is just the way it works. It takes decades for a design element to come around again. 
Decades - if ever!
Since we don't plan to be here in 3 decades, 
(if we are still breathing in 3 decades) 
he relented. 
He is glad that he did because we love the white cabinets.




We love how bright and open it looks.





We made a faux vent hood.



We will splurge and get stone counters but I'm not sure when he will spring for that. 
In the meantime, I think I might do a tile backsplash. 
Maybe.




Here is a breakdown of the cost:
Sink $400
Counters $200
Painting cabinets $1850
Appliances $3200
Paint is Kilim Beige by Sherwin Williams
Cabinets are Dover White by Sherwin Williams.

I think it's a pretty frugal remodel. I love my kitchen. 
Thanks for stopping in to see it.  
Katie    
Linking with,
Home Sweet Home     
Fridays Unfolded   
Feathered Nest Friday

8 comments :

  1. I love your kitchen, too! What a great "tour through time" : )

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  2. Your kitchen has had quite a transformation, and it looks fantastic! Wow, what a difference! I love white kitchens, too (mine is white).

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  3. What a beautiful transformation! I love it with the white cabinets...it looks so bright and happy. (I'm not sure what is with men and not wanting to paint wood, but both my husband and dad are the same way! haha it takes a lot to convince them.) Great job, it is absolutely beautiful, and I love that farmhouse table you have!!

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  4. What a huge transformation! It's fun to see it all in steps and stages. I'm always amazed at the difference painting cabinetry makes. Your kitchen looks lovely and thanks for sharing at Fridays Unfolded!

    Alison
    Nancherrow

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  5. It looks so bright and pretty. What a difference! It even looks bigger in there. Great job!

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  6. Love the white painted cabinets. It makes such a huge difference. Nice job!

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  7. Just wanted to let you know that you're one of the features of this week's Fridays Unfolded-congrats!

    Alison
    Nancherrow

    ReplyDelete