Monday, September 15, 2008

A Kitchen Redesign -a little at a time!

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch is hosting Metamorphosis Monday. Please visit her for lots of inspirational photos!

When we bought our house in 2002, we knew it was a 'fixer upper.' So I've included our 'before' pictures in with my post.Here is a before of the kitchen before the other family moved out:
And here is the same view of my kitchen today:
We have done the remodeling in stages, and of course when you do that, there are always things that you wish you might have done differently. We replaced the appliances within a year, and now I wish that I had bought stainless steel.

My original plan was to have new cabinet doors put on the existing cabinets and add granite counter tops. After getting estimates from several contractors, we decided to replace the cabinets and use Formica on the counter tops. Maybe one day we'll add the granite or quartz counter tops, but we had to cut costs somewhere to stay within the budget...and that was the place for us. I'm so glad now that we had new cabinets put in...they not only look better, but are so much more efficiently designed!


The kitchen is not very large as you can see, so the redesign of the cabinet space, which was done on a computer, has made the area so much more usable. We have two of these corner cabinets...one on each side of the window. They are very deep and hold quite a bit. We chose stacks of drawers rather than cabinets with doors wherever possible. I really can find most everything so much easier. And all but the top drawer are deep enough to hold most pots and pans.
Here is another stack of drawers on the other side.
To utilize every bit of space, we used these corner cabinets that swing open with lazy Susan shelves on both sides of the sink. Now I can get to stuff that used to be almost impossible to reach.
Here is a before view of the other side of the room...the breakfast area before the other family moved.
And here is a picture of the way it is today.
We replaced the fluorescent overhead fixtures with ceiling fans and put in ceramic tile. One of my friends tried to get me to put in hardwood or laminate....I wish I had listened to her--the grout is a pain to clean. But as soon as I finish teaching this semester, redoing the grout with a permanent paint is on my list of projects!

The room has been repainted since we moved in...from golden grain to the sage green you see in this picture. I'm thinking of replacing the table in the corner with a chair and nice lamp to make a reading area. We never use this table! Our dining area is convenient to the living area, and we eat there or at the bar.
So as you can tell...I'm not really totally 'done' with this room!

One of my favorite things in this room is my Daisy Chain pottery by Mississippi artist Gail Pittman.
I have quite a few pieces of this as you may notice from the other pictures. The pottery originally belonged to my daughter, Kelli at Sassy Southern Mom, and when she moved in her new home, it no longer worked for her....so I inherited it all! The color in the picture is a little off...the green in the dishes is not quite as bright as it looks in this picture. Daisy Chain has been discontinued, so I'm always on the lookout for it on Ebay, antique stores or flea markets.

Thanks for stopping by!

47 comments:

Kelli said...

I loved seeing your before and after pictures! Your kitchen is beautiful and all of the drawers are wonderful!
~Kelli

Dawn said...

I love your kitchen. That is the one room in our house we have done very little too! (replaced appliances and put in a new window). I love the color of your cabinets. I have been debating about the kind of kitchen floor I want...ceramic tile vs. wood! I have what I "lovingly" refer to as Fred Flintstone cobblestone brown vinyl...ICK ICK ICK!

I just love how beautiful your kitchen looks!

take care,
Dawn

The Summer Kitchen Girls said...

Your kitchen turned out great! Love all of the drawers, and that pottery is too cute.
Thanks for sharring!
Karla & Karrie

Jillian's Bella Rosa Antiques said...

WOW! Great transformation...we also reworked our kitchen and I posted it today.

Jillian

roseroomnz.com said...

Love the before and afters and no contest as to what looks better! Rachaelxo

Maria (also Bia) said...

I love your idea of using stacks of drawers instead of cabinets...very, very smart.

Lovely transformation.

The Berry's Patch said...

Diane,

Your kitchen looks fantastic. I love before and after pictures. If I ever had a chance to design my own kitchen I would do the same with the drawers. It's a better way to utilize the space. :-)

Nola said...

Looks beautiful, and it looks pretty spacious to me. Ya'll did a great job.
The secret to great grout is the color. I learned from spending hours on my hands and knees scrubbing light colored grout in a rent house that in MY house, I was going to have dark grout (actually dirt colored, haha). That's what I have, and I LOVE it!

Sue said...

I loved seeing the before and after pictures and what you have done since you moved! I really like the sage green color.

Picket said...

Hey Diane...I love the kitchen and the way you made use of every inch of space like those drawers and corner cabinet...I do so wish I could put in new flooring...but I'll just have to keep writing those letters to 'Santa'! lol

nikkicrumpet said...

Your kitchen looks great! You're right about drawers...they are the best and most convenient storage. You did a great job laying things out so they are convenient! And the dining area is equally beautiful. An amazing transformation you should be proud of!

kari and kijsa said...

Your kitchen looks amazing! What a fantastic redo!
Perfect on the drawers, and your room color is so soft and cozy too! love all your touches!

blessings,
kari & kijsa

Linda said...

What a transformation! You and your hubby did a beautiful job!

Anonymous said...

Diane, your kitchen makeover is lovely. It is a major improvement and so light with those gorgeous cabinets. I really like the drawers. Wish I had thought of that. Your breakfast area is nice with the sage green paint. If you don't use it as a breakfast room, I would be tempted to make it a sitting room too.

Hugs, Jeanne

Nancy Rosalina said...

Hi Diane, That's a great re-design! You all did a excellent Job! I love the Gail Pitman! Blessings, nancy

Southern Lady said...

Diane, your transformations are amazing ... it doesn't even look like the same house.

I also enjoyed your Bluebird of Happiness post. I have several of them and they always make me smile.

Sincerely,

Janie

Meghan said...

Your kitchen looks totally terrific.
Sort of like that commercial "Upgrade!".
Can you come to my house & redo my kitchen? LOL

Love it!

Beneath the Eaves said...

Loved the before and after wonderful job! The new colors looks so inviting.
Debra

Shell in your Pocket said...

Seeing before and after pictures are my favorite! I love you kitchen...the color of the wood is great. A wonderful place to have a cup of tea!
-Sandy Toes

Theresa @ Take A Sentimental Journey said...

Like the ideal of all the drawers. I don't think you can have too many drawers.

Darlene said...

Hi Diane,

I LOVE your kitchen make over!! It is beautiful and even though it is small it looks very functional. It also is very inviting and comfy looking. Great pottery too!!

Bo said...

Way to go, Diane! Your before kitchen reminds me of my right now kitchen...haha. However, I'll just live with mine, because I don't cook much anymore for just the two of us and at our ages and stages of life, I'm okay with it...LOL
;-) Bo

Anonymous said...

God morning Diane. Thanks for stopping by today. I always enjoy your comments so much. I hope your teaching is getting less stressful, and your class is adjusting and settling in. Have a good day.

Hugs, Jeanne

Sue said...

Diane,
I love before and after pictures and yours are beautiful. The new kitchen and eatting area look really pretty.
Hugs,
Sue

M.L. @ The House of Whimsy said...

That is one amazing makeover!! Pure genious to stack drawers rather than having cupboards.
Thanks for stopping by.
M.L.

Marie said...

Oh, I audibly gasped at your after photos! I love what you did in your kitchen. Your cabinets are beautiful!

Trixi said...

Diane, Wow what a beautiful redo. Your kitchen/breakfast room is so nice. I love the daisy chain pattern. I love Gail Pittman and do not think I have seen that pattern.

Beth at Aunties said...

Loved your renovation. It doesn't look like the same kitchen. It is beautiful. The drawers were a great idea. It is simply lovely. Have a great day!

Anonymous said...

You've done a great job with your renovations. Love the drawers instead of the cabinet doors. Your kitchen may be small but it looks very cozy.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Hi Diane!

Glad to be back home to NY from California and catching up on blogs again. I missed you!

Your kitchen is so pretty! I have an even smaller kitchen -- the joys of city life--lol. We re-did our kitchen in the 80's with oak cabinets, ceramic tile counters and floors so it's a little dated but I still love it. Thank goodness I was advised to get grey color grout for the tiles as it never looks dirty. My fantasy is now is to have an all white kitchen, but I don't want to go through all that renovation again!
Hugs, Pat

bloggin' Chrystal said...

That is so beautiful! I lusting after that re-do! My home was built in the 70s so everything is my home must be updated...it's all yellow/gold/brown. Thanks for the the before and after photos. YOU are so talented!

Laura @ the shorehouse. said...

Isn't it amazing the different removing fluorescent lights alone makes?? We recently did (having inherited a couple of icky ones!) and WOW, so much better!

I love the drawers and if we ever get to fully do our kitchen over (I did what I’ll call a “Before and Not-Quite-After But It’ll Do” makeover ;-) I’d totally add that, first and foremost.

Thanks for sharing your LOVELY kitchen. I can tell you love it, just from the pictures. I love a home that is loved. :-)

One Shabby Old House said...

You should pat yourself on the back and say nice job! The corner cabinetry is great as well as the drawers. That is what I did too. I love how much easier it made my life than hunting in a dark cabinet. Your floors look very nice. Great before and after picture!
Thanks for stopping by today.
Becky

A Hint of Home said...

What a beautiful makeover. I'm sure you love spending time in there now. You did a great job of utilizing the space.

Lamp Tramp said...

What a beautiful kitchen remodel! You did an awesome job! You inspired me with with some grest ideas! Thanks!
xoxo!

Vee said...

Great new kitchen! I hope to remember what you said about selecting drawers over cabinets whenever you could. I think that you're right...much easier to find things.

Ms. Tee said...

What a pretty kitchen you have. :) I love Southern Living at Home and Gail Pittman, too. Oh, and the drawers are so great. I'd love to do that in my kitchen!

Anna said...

I love your kitchen and even if you have "only" formica countertops, they are really nice, much nicer looking than my 'butcher block' look formica. I really enjoy your blog and decorating style :)

Mrs. B said...

You have a very nice kitchen! I love those pear prints on the walls. I agree about the grout, it is such a pain!

Stephanie ~ Angelic Accents said...

What a beautiful kitchen re-do!! Will you come help me with mine? I've started ~ just barely! So many ideas, so little $$!!

Thanks for sharing such a lovely room!

Big TX Hugs,
Stephanie
Angelic Accents

Diane Fay (littlealma) said...

I love your kitchen too!!! What an amazing makeover you did!!! I would also love to redo my kitchen - we have a 150 year old farmhouse..... and I had thought about just redoing the cabin door fronts also - so I was wondering what made you decide to go ahead and get totally new cabinets?

We did put in new 12 foot counter top, that I got at our local Restore Store for $40.00, and a new pantry from Ikea, (that we had a heck of a lot of problems with!!!) but the cabinets are still in need of being replaced - they look a lot like your before pics.

Anyway - glad you got such a beautiful finished project - it is gorgeous!

Hugs from Diane in Michigan

Connie said...

What a great transformation. Your kitchen is beautiful. I just repainted my kitchen recently and that in itself was a great transformation. I love the new look!

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Wow~
A great kitchen re-do.
I could sit right there and share a glass of sweet tea.

Steve Buser said...

I love the new look. The commentary that traced how it was done and the trade offs was a real bonus.

~CC Catherine said...

The kitchen makeover is tremendous! I love the color of the cabinetry and it's just such a new facelift to the entire room! You must really enjoy the finished product.......GREAT JOB! Come over and visit a bit, I too enjoyed a much more "teency" project for the first M.Monday! 8=) CC Catherine

Susan (Between Naps On The Porch.net) said...

Hi Diane...love your kitchen renovation! The new cabinetry is awesome...love the color! I know everyone likes stainless but I love the cherry brightness of the white. :-) I know you love your new kitchen. I totally with you on the drawers...definitely beats all that bending over! I love the idea of a seating area where you have the table...kind of "keeping room"...that's what we call them around here. I seriously thought of doing that in my bay since we usually eat at the bar, too. I love the color green you used for your walls...really pretty! Thanks for sharing this great transformation on this first Met Monday! Susan

Deb said...

What an amazing transformation. You did such a great job with it all. I'm sure you love spending time in there.