Kitchen Phase One - Complete!

Well, we finished up phase one of the our kitchen renovation and I couldn't be happier with it! To recap, "phase one" (as I'm calling it) consisted of the lighter cosmetic fixes Josh and I could do on our own. We removed the existing yucky wallpaper border and painted all the cabinetry, trim, doors, wainscoting and walls. We replaced both light fixtures and removed an unnecessary one from over the back door. We tore out the upper cabinets that used to be flanking the left hand side of the window and replaced them with open shelving which we DIY'd. We also replaced the flowery etched glass cabinet door inserts with plain glass. Then of course I threw in some finishing touches; new window coverings, new switches, outlets and new covers. Nothing too drastic in terms of time, money or effort but it sure did make a huge difference. In case you missed it, here's the "before" post showing what our kitchen looked like right before we moved in. It was a bit too old fashioned and out dated for my taste and was definitely in need of a little pick me up.

Phase two is coming down the line at some point here in the future and that will be the heavier duty construction changes that we'll need to hire out. New countertops with an undermount sink, a new floor (I'm thinking something like this but maybe in a larger plank size?), possibly new hardware but I'm going to live with the existing for a bit longer and see how I feel about it down the road and last but not least, a new dishwasher. That dishwasher is on it's last leg and the sight of it is frankly killing me, so that will be happening even sooner than the rest. (We might have just pulled the trigger on a new one had we not just had to replace eight tires and a busted refrigerator relay.) But SOONish, yes.

Josh really wanted to stain these shelves and I was on the fence between staining and painting them. We figured it was easiest to stain first and if we didn't like them go back and paint over them if necessary - so stained it is! And I think I'm digging the stained look so far. The wood tones bring a little warmth back into the space which I think is good and if we ever change our minds it's the eaisest thing in the world to slap a couple coats of paint on them to give it a whole new look.

^^^^Do me a favor and just picture the beautiful, sleek, stainless steel dishwasher that will be here in a few months from now, okay?^^^^

And yes, I did go get a big bag of lemons to fill this bowl with because I was so excited about this kitchen being done. Judge away.

Sorry these pictures are so awful, by the way. I never know how to properly light a room to photograph it accurately and my photos always turn out too dark or too light or too yellow? Also, I took some of these photos during the day and some at night because clearly I am the worst.

oh hey, Lincoln!

There are normally way more doors open than this on a regular basis but I had to clearly display the MANY doors that took many hours of labor and many coats of paint to complete. Here they are friends, in all their freshly painted glory. Marvel with me, will you? (Oh, and try not to pay too much attention to that ugly floor, okay?)

Source list (there ain't much): Trim color Benjamin Moore OC-17, white dove. Wall color Sherwin Williams SW6197 aloof gray. Pendant light over sink, Luna Cord from Schoolhouse Electric. Ceiling light from Lowes. Open sheving cut to size from planks and brackets from Lowes. We stained the shelves with this cool new product from Cabot which is stain and poly in one and cuts your labor time in half! Stain color is Irish Setter. The little rug is from Target and other miscellaneous accessories are from HomeGoods and/or Target as well.

And that's it! It may not be a complete overhaul just yet but walking into this room makes me smile now instead of cringe so I'd call that a success in itself. So, what do you guys think? Have you ever similarly made over a kitchen yourselves? I'd love to hear!