Our kitchen is definitely the most used room in out house. When we bought the house, the fact that it was so small wasn’t really an issue. It was just my Better Half and I and so the small space was fine.
This is the kitchen shortly after we moved in 17 years ago. At this point we had updated the counter top and added knobs to the cabinet doors. We also installed the dishwasher. I can’t seem to locate pictures from before these changes.
This is a better picture of our pink counter top 🙂 Here we had upgraded to new Kraftmaid cabinets. We live near the factory that makes them and at one point they offered the scratch and dent or returned cabinets to the community for a fraction of the cost. We paid less than $500 for all new cabinets.
Since our family quickly grew from two to six, space became an issue and we began looking for ways to make our home appear bigger and give us more space. We started taking out walls…sounds simple…not so much. We took out the wall between our living room and dining room first and saw that it was very do-able (that’s a future post). So, we decided to try the wall between and dining room and kitchen.
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| There were cabinets mounted on this wall. They had to come off before the demolition. |
This is from the kitchen looking into the dining room. This wall is a load bearing wall so we had to replace the wall with a beam for support. We built a temporary support wall until we could get the beam in place.
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| Check out all the dust in the air…ahhh, good times! |
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| Gettin’ Better! |
The beam is in place and that mess is cleaned. The rest of the demolition and 3 months of chaos was well underway!!
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| This is the placement for the refrigerator and the stove. The stove is now where the sink used to be. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have poured water on the stove…trying to find the SINK! We laid new laminate flooring, hung drywall, and installed recessed lighting…which I LOVE! |
The island was a factory, mass-produced island. The top is made of 12 slate tiles which I hand picked and laid myself. It was super easy and I am thrilled with the look.
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| We did all the work ourselves. From drywall to plumbing and electrical. It was honestly one of the hardest times in our marriage because we were so exhausted, tired of the mess, and ready to be finished. I never dreamed the work it would be. I do love the results and am thankful we survived. I’m not sure that we will ever take on such a big project again, but we sure learned a lot. Take a look at the finished product… |
I love having everything right at my fingertips and I’m thrilled with the coffee corner sign.
Blessings,
Very pretty, Carrie (Just noticed, this is the second comment I’ve done for you tonight, after spotting you at Coastal Charm’s linky party)
I like the new “island” base better, yup!
Smiles,
Suzanne in NW Illinois
I love the Restore island base! That makes it look so custom to your family. I can’t imagine having to do the dishes for six in the tub! Agh! Glad it’s back together and it really looks great. We’re in the process of re-doing our kitchen too, but we are avoiding taking down walls, electrical and plumbing! I’m not that brave!
Simple, Real ,Lovely .Thank you for sharing it.
What a blast from the past! Looks great. It’s cute seeing the old pic’s of the kids!
I’m jealous of your kitchen, it’s gorgeous!
This looks so great — I love it!
Jenny
http://www.simcoestreet.blogspot.com
Wow, I just love your new kitchen! I think the island is my favorite part đ
lifewiththehawleys.blogspot.com
Whoa! That was a major change! I love the new layout and the colors you used! How beautiful! I have a party going on over at my blog if you want to join! I’d love to have you! Check it out under the “Stache Party” page on my blog: mylilpumpkinpatch.blogspot.com
I LOVE to see kitchens from smaller older homes. Your remodel is wonderful!
That was a lot of work but all worth it. The kitchen is so much more open now and looks beautiful..Christine
I think you did an awesome job. I like the change out of the island with furniture.
Lisa
What a fabulous renovation. I still love that island. Thanks for linking to Wicked Awesome Wednesday!
What a transformation! Your kitchen is beautiful. I saw your post over on Wow Us Wednesdays and had to take a peek! Great Job! I am a newbie to blogging and your newest follower. I hope you will follow back. Be blessed!
Wow! No, double Wow!! Ya’ll did a great job. And with four kids in the house! Truly amazing. I love the new restore island. The slate looks awesome (we did slate backsplash this year). Lucky you living near KraftMaid – cabinets will bust a budget. The open door way..just perfect to make the whole area more open. OK…ya’ll done good. : )
Great kitchen! I love before and after pictures. Especially kitchens. It’s like looking back at our old hairstyles. EEK! Very nice island. The more substantial base looks great under your slate counter. Nice work.
Wow well done! Great looking kitchen!
what a truly fabulous space! i love it’s open concept now. you guys did an amazing job.
What a great job. And even more amazing you did it all yourselves!
you guys did a great job and soooo much work…congrats to you both!!…I like it all, especially that little spot for the stool with the computer on the counter…clever…new follower…come on over for a visit….happy weekend, Mariaelena
Is that beadboard under your cabinets,I want to do that.
Yes, it is beadboard. I sort of obsessed with beadboard… love the look!!
What a lot of work, but what fantastic results. Your new kitchen looks fantastic and I love the island you made. You must be so proud that you and your hubby did so much work and that is looks so great. It’s a kitchen that would be a joy to cook in.
What an amazing transformation!! You must be very proud!
WOW, your kitchen looks GREAT! Love all the changes that you and your husband made. Your coffee sign is adorable. I made a coffee sign a while back and I love mine in my kitchen as well.
Have a wonderful day,
Gail
What a huge amount of work! Don't you love the sense of satisfaction of having done it yourself? The finished product looks great and much more functional for a large family.
Thanks for linking up to last weeks party. You have been featured today! Stop by and grab a featured button.
http://delightfulorder.blogspot.com/2011/09/featuring-you-top-ten-from-9222011.html
Hope to see you back for the next Delightfully Inspiring Thursday Party.
DaNita
Wow your kitchen is looking fabulous! You guys are doing a great job! I'd love it if you'd stop by my blog and check out the giveaway I'm having for a Dremel Saw Max!
Your kitchen was worth the work every inch! It turned out gorgeous and I love the open sorroundings, very country, lovely and cozy. You made me laugh, as when we redid our kitchen we placed the cook top where we had our sink before and yeah, you cannot imagine how many times I would take a pot to wash in the wrong side!! LOL!,(I did post my new kitchen) You must be so happy and feeling wonderful
can u please email with how u did the island top?? would it would with an island that has a sink in it??? jennifercwhitt@gmail.com is my email
Beautiful Kitchen! I’m so glad I found your blog…I’m a new follower and added your linky party to my “It’s a party” page on my blog…Stop by and visit!
http://mydailyphotojourney.blogspot.com
Looks great! We’ve been doing our kitchen renovation for about a month now, and I’m so ready to have it done! It’s nice to see other people’s kitchens and know that there is light at the end of this long and laborious tunnel. đ
I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to be without your kitchen AND working on it at the same time (with four kids!!) You should get some kind of award. But, you did get a lovely kitchen đ
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