after
Finally! Long awaited (at least by me!) photos of my kitchen redeaux. It's done! It took much longer than I thought it would for various reasons, including some delays of my own doing. Some things just can't be avoided.
during
Well, I barely know where to start. This is what the process looked like but let me begin at the beginning...
before
Remember this kitchen? As described in this post? After much disruption, mountains of dust and a myriad of choices, we came up with something pretty wonderful.
after
Grab a cuppa joe and let me show you around! You can see that we've made some pretty drastic changes. First of all...we had miles and miles of lovely terracotta colored tile, which I kept. It was the first thing my contractor asked me about...bless his heart! I got the impression that he felt it needed updating but I still love it and, besides, it would have been a major, major ordeal to pull it up. When I saw this terracotta floor, on Pinterest, I felt affirmed:
Terra cotta really does make a lovely base and I consider it a neutral for floors. So...on with my redeaux.
before
This is the before shot, looking into the kitchen from the breakfast nook. The most noticeable change we made...and it was a dramatic one...was going with white cabinets.
before
after
The cabinets are an antique white with chocolate glaze. I LOVE the way they look. They really lighten up and update the room, which was looking pretty tired with those oak cabinets. I tried to keep a classic, timeless look with everything I chose but I got just a touch carried away with the granite.
It's called "Delirium" and is fabulously colorful and wild. To keep it under control, the rest of my selections for the space were pretty toned down. I agonized over the backsplash tile right from the git-go. I ended up with a gorgeous natural travertine stone, cut in small diamonds.
The pattern and color are very subtle from a distance. It's the perfect foil for my delirious countertops. By the way I adore the granite. I've never had granite countertops before and I'm SO glad I went with it. Back to the backsplash. You can see that I ran the backsplash tile right up above the oven and sink areas. Those areas were painted before but I wanted a stone wall look and I'm very happy with how it looks.
after
after
Speaking of sinks...I have some serious love for this one.
afterI chose this wonderful Herbeau fireclay double farmhouse sink. The left side is large and the right is smaller; perfect for doing dishes or soaking the new jacket that got covered with black grease from the supermarket cart.
A couple of things, here...this antique butter keeper, to the right of my sink...is it gorgeous, or what? My mom gave me this for Christmas. She has really good taste. Also, it has a bird on the domed cover (yeah, yeah...my name means "bird") And this...
...antique sugar bowl, to the left of my sink. I spotted one of these while visiting my family at Christmas time but it was pretty expensive...nearly $50. I debated buying it anyway (again, with the bird) but just couldn't pull the trigger. I'm cheap. Then I happened to find it offered by another dealer who was having a big sale...for $7. Whoop! I've collected vintage sugar shells (spoons) for awhile so had enough to add to the bowl. Can you imagine such an extravagance on your dinner table...just for sugar?!
Last thing...this teapot and sugar are such a pleasing thing to gaze upon every morning while I make my coffee. I loved the engraving on this pair. And the antique dresser mirror makes the perfect "tray."
I wasn't sure about the gigantic faucet but, let me tell you, it's fantastic. The sprayer really, truly sprays and it looks incredible. I used to have a small pendant light above the sink but switched it out for an inset can light that wouldn't compete with the faucet. It's a Kraus which my contractor assures me is a great brand. Faucets of this style can be very expensive but I got a tremendous deal online.
Gottalovethat.
after
Ok...see the lovely candlestick lamps on either side of my sink? While my parents were here in November, my dad wired those up for me. I got the candlesticks at Marshall's Home Goods...terrific store, that. The lamps are the perfect accent for behind my sink. The farmhouse sink is bumped out a bit from the rest of the counter, so I ended up with a lot of acreage behind it. I wasn't sure what I could do back there that wouldn't distract from the faucet but these are lamps are just right.
My dear contractor installed special outlets for this very reason. Sweet! We also had a new window installed behind the sink. Our old one was in pretty shabby shape. The new one is one big piece of glass and can't be opened...a good thing.
after
We somehow ended up with an extra pull-out drawer so, Wife Whisperer installed this, under the sink, to make my life easier.
And more organized.
It's wishful thinking but I figure, let him dream.
The depth of the farmhouse sink means I can no longer have a garbage can under the sink, which I'm thrilled with. Although, when I designed the kitchen, I didn't allow a spot for one, at all. I thought maybe that would be a problem but it worked out great. I ended up getting this big stainless can and put it right around the corner, in the laundry room. Now the garbage is out of site and neatly contained.
Neatness...it's a good thing.
after
Here you can see the small drawers to the left of the sink. There wasn't a lot of room here so I ended up with these little drawers but actually, I really like them. The pulls are the only ones of another style in the kitchen.
after
For all of the pulls, I chose a black finish. This goes really well with the countertop and the glaze of the cabinets, as well as the chandelier (you'll see that in a minute.)
after
The other pulls in the kitchen are these bars. Initially, I had special ordered all the pulls because I just couldn't find what I wanted. It's amazing what a difference the pulls make to the overall look of the room and I had some, in particular, in my mind. And, dang!...pulls can be real, real expensive! At the last minute, I happened across these babies at my local Lowe's Hardware. And...they were very reasonable priced! My dear contractor loved me when I cancelled my special order (xxoo!!) but I saved about $450 getting these and they're exactly what I wanted.
after
So, to the left of the bank of little drawers, my dear contractor installed this lovely lazy Susan/turntable type thingy, in the corner. It's really very handy and, again, another attempt at keeping me organized.
after
More organization...nifty knife drawer.
after
Oh, how I adore this range! It's from the Sears Kenmore Pro line: electric convection oven, gas range, bridge burner, grill plate, griddle plate...love, love! Our old oven is the very reason this redeaux was initiated. It was on the verge of burning our house down and had to be replaced.
Bring on the snowball. Seems like when you do one thing to a house, ten more t0-do's rear their ugly heads.
Notice those initial towels? Marshall's Home Goods. They just happened to have two "M" towels. No one is allowed to touch or use these, for any reason. If there's an emergency that calls for a kitchen towel, too bad. :) I have other, lesser kitchen towels for the boys to wipe peanut butter on.
after
To the left of the range is this nifty cookie sheet cabinet. I've always wanted one of these and it's just as handy as I thought it would be.
after
We also had our dear contractor repaint all the doors and trim in our house. After 16 years of rambunctious boy activity, they were beat to heck. One thing that occurred to me at the last minute was to change all the knobs. I chose these rubbed bronze finish...almost black. They make a huge difference to the look of the whole house and work so much better than the old, shiny brass knobs. In fact, our old front door knob wouldn't even allow us in and out of the house anymore so that had to be changed. But, that's a post for another day.
after
This is our wonderful, new fridge which can be seen in detail here. I wanted a more built-in look around the fridge so I had them install a large, deep cabinet above that's great for storing things I don't use that often like my Christmas punch bowl. I also had a tall, narrow pantry installed to the left. This was a wise and wonderful decision on my part (thank you, dear contractor, for suggesting this!)
after
It's filled with pull-out drawers. All the pull-outs in the kitchen have "soft-close"which means you give the drawer a little shove and strong magnets in the back suck it in the rest of the way. Very cool.
Look ma, I'm kinda organized!
after
And now...one of my very favorite things in this kitchen...the mixer stand. To the left of the tall pantry is this cabinet. Inside is a pull-out mixer stand with a pull-out drawer beneath to hold the mixer accessories. This was kind of a frivolous thing but wow...it works so well! I don't have an appliance garage so, with this cabinet, I can keep my countertops a little clearer.
before
after
You can see a pretty dramatic difference. And yes...my countertops are clearer! I did keep my panini press on the counter near the fridge. I use it a lot so wanted it handy but I topped it with these great, old platters...
before
That brings me to the pass-through. Oh, the pass-through. That small-ish window type thing with the narrow, raised bar...almost worthless. It had to go. We didn't want to do any more major renovation work than necessary, so opted to have it expanded and the countertop lowered.
after
That's better, now! The window is so much larger...it really opened up the space. The column to the left was reduced in size. I wanted to remove it but it was load bearing and this way I get to keep my light switch and multiple outlets there.
before
This is the view from the kitchen to the breakfast area, pre-reno. Lord! What a cluttered little brain I have!
after
And, here's the view now. Sweet relief! My new breakfast bar is clutter-free. I'm loving the big drawers. The bottom one holds my pots and pans.
before
after
during
One of the very best things we did for this room is change the lighting. Before, we had a hideous fluorescent light box in the kitchen. I couldn't wait to get rid of it. It resided where that huge hole is. In it's place, my dear contractor installed these lovely can lights...brilliant!
after
We also had under and over cabinet lights installed. Now I can actually see to cook my Hamburger Helper.
after
On the other side of the breakfast bar we had cabinet panels installed in place of the flimsy faux wood panel that was there before. My knee won't be going through these babies! But, look at this...
after
My dear contractor installed a secret cabinet for me! This was a stroke of genius. I keep all my large things in here like my crock pot and giant wok.
before
This is that reprehensible pass-through, as seen from the living room side.
after
Ahhhh! That's better, now!
before
Pre-reno, I had a messy looking baker's rack near my breakfast nook. I thought about putting a little built-in desk here but went with a countertop and bar area, instead. I'm SO glad I decided on this.
after
It looks awesome and is so much more functional. Besides, we know I'm too messy for a kitchen desk. We splurged a bit and had a mini fridge installed.
after
This is Wife Whisperer's baby. I mentioned the fact the he could probably reach the mini fridge from the table, during poker night. It was all over, then. The mini fridge ceased being a splurge and became a must. The door to the right is reserved as a liquor cabinet and the drawer holds bar paraphernalia like...a corkscrew. We're not big drinkers so it's mostly empty at this point. But, I like the idea.
I rounded up my antique silverware onto a silverplate platter where it's handy, near the table.
after
Up above the beverage bar, I now have these lovely glass front cabinets. I chose a streaky, antique-look glass. I really wanted them throughout the entire kitchen but Wife Whisperer put the nix on that. He knows me so well!
I think I can manage to keep three cabinets neat looking but a whole kitchen-full would have been a challenge.
before
after
On, to the breakfast nook. Wow...this "before" shot is embarrassing. You wouldn't think there was really much to change here but this area needed attention. This is where most of the wall space of my kitchen lives. I had wallpaper, which was fine, but with all the remodeling it couldn't stay. I had my dear contractor apply this gorgeous texture to the walls. Did I mention that I'm in love with my contractor?
It's painted a soft taupe color (this photo is pre-paint) that blends beautifully with the backsplash tile and everything else in my life.
after
The back door was a mess. It leaked hot air in the summer and cold air in the winter. I could see daylight through some of the places where daylight shouldn't be seen.
after
We replaced it with this beautiful new one. It's got a blind built into it between the panes. I adore it. Now, I can shut out the hot summer sun. Love.
Notice the lovely new, black hardware.
after
It goes so very well with the new chandelier. I had so much pretty stuff going on at the other end of the kitchen that I needed something at the breakfast area end, to balance things out. This awesome thing, by Kathy Ireland, fit the bill perfectly. I got another great deal, online. Let me tell ya...chandeliers can be scandalously expensive.
My dear contractor, bless his bones, had the insight to suggest the granite guy make me a lazy Susan with some of the leftover granite. That sits on my kitchen table, topped with this antique bread box. I found the bread box several years ago and fell in love with it. The script, I believe, says "give us our daily bread."
after
It's done! It's done! And I'm doing the happy dance!
This little project has been a long time coming. I wish I'd done it earlier but it's a huge blessing that we've been able to do it now. And, yes...it was worth the mess...just like y'all said it would be!
Crestwood Construction did a fabulous job for me...even though I'm pretty sure there were moments when the guys wanted to ring my neck! (Did I mention that I want to marry my contractor?)
If you've stuck with me through the whole tour, thank you! I'd love to hear what you think about the new digs.
deryn xxoo
