Kitchen Redeaux-Done!

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. 

after

I 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

Comments

[lyndalynch@roadrunner.com]

Absolutely stunning! Thanks for sharing. Enjoy it!

[Sue chesley]

lovely! lovely! lovely! I love everything about it, Deryn. So very happy for you. Enjoy!

[Carol Hicks]

What a gorgeous job you did on your kitchen redeaux! Do you ever leave that room? Pretty sure that, if it were me, I would just stand for hours and gaze at it in wonderment and get nothing else done. It's absolutely sublime. :o)

[pamelajane]

Congratulations on a wonderful redeaux, Deryn! Next time I'm in town, I'll be over for dinner. :-)

[carlanda williamson]

absolutely gorgeous! you did a great job! i would love to cook in that kitchen!

[Sherry Green Peck]

Deryn, I LOVE All of it!!! I am re-doing an older house for our downsizing move and been looking at kitchens....so this was an awesome post!!1 I especially LOVE the placement of your handles or pulls!! Love it.....just beautiful, like a piece of jewelry for your home...the kitchen is always the crowning jewel I think, as it is where the heartbeat is I think! Unless you are an artist....and have a studio....it's funny, I have a studio, but I end up in my kitchen with my art! Loved seeing you back to work too! We are downsizing and couldn't be more excited to simplify our lives....and hopefully get to spend more time with art instead of caring for a shop, B&B and 3 acre yard and big house....it was all on the same property and a dream come true when we were younger....but now a dream is to have so much less and more time to create .... still would love to meet you some day....we will have a big yard sale during the antiques week....we are one block NE from the Square in R Top....email me if you want to come by....sherry

[stephani gorman]

It is a dreamy kitchen and you are a very lucky girl! Enjoy!

[Laura Twiford]

Oh Deryn, it's absolutely gorgeous! It all flows so well and the colors and textures are so tranquil and welcoming. I know you will just love being in there for any reason. I have a sugar bowl like that and wasn't quite sure that's what it was, couldn't imagine so many hooks for sugar spoons, glad to have that clarified. The new range would have to be my favorite, you lucky girl! Enjoy!

[Susan Gafford]

Wow!!! So beautiful. Have been wanting to redo my kitchen with new wall paper, but after seeing your cabinets I might need to do more. Love the painted look. I also have oak cabinets - just scared to paint them. Guess I need to get over that. Your kitchen is just beautiful - makes me want to really rethink my idea. Thanks for sharing. Susan Gafford

[Kim]

So pretty! You must be inspired every time you walk into the kitchen.

[Janet]

I've been lurking and watching the entire project, quietly anticipating your unveiling. It's stunning! The kitchen is so gorgeous. That granite is unbelievable! And your commentary is hilarious!

So glad that you're feeling better.

Enjoy.

[Dale]

How gorgeous! I am in love with your sink. Wish I sit there with you, sip a cup of coffee and just gaze at it. My kitchen? Someday.

[Deb]

OMG. Shut the door! Your kitchen is gorgeous - it's so, well....YOU>

Very elegant, yet extremely comfortable- and that's difficult to achieve. The whole kitchen, with it's custom touche ... the granite countertops and gorgeous tile .. and that SINK and FAUCET. Katie, bar the door!

This is obviously an ARTIST'S kitchen. Feels a little Leonard da Vinci (the tile, granite, and the color of the cabinets) ... a little Antonio Banderas (the black chandelier, terracotta, and the colors in the granite) ... a little Victorian (all your gorgeous silver and glass) ... and a little rustic (the hardware, clean lines, and sturdy, functional cabinets.)

So funny - your contractor must be a relative of MY contractor because we did a lot of the same things. (Photos soon when I get back to my blog in March).

Congrats, my dear friend. You, the Wife Whisperer, and your Cotractor have created a winner~

[Beth Marx]

Deryn, Your kitchen redo is just gorgeous, so clean and updated and the white cabinets were a great decision. And I love all the detail and the thought that was put into the storage areas - perfect spot for your Kitchen Aide, the storage area for your cookie sheets, your new knife drawer and your pantry drawers. Enjoy, enjoy!

[Angie Platten]

Absolutely stunning! LOVE your choices. That counter top is to DIE for! LOVE it! Really beautiful. Looks like a place that, upon immediate entry, you can just breathe in deep.

[KJ]

It is beautiful. I love the white cabinets. It does brighten the kitchen.

[Renate]

Absolutely gorgeous, Deryn. And worth every bit of the discomfort, drywall dust and under-construction-chaos, I bet.
I would probably feel like I was on vacation in France, every morning, while making coffee.
LOVE the sugar bowl. And it was the jewelry-making gemlover in you that picked that beautiful granite...

[Kathy @ Katalina Jewelry]

Amazing! Gorgeous! All the finishes work perfectly together and the hardware...well definitely a great last minute find! Hard to know for sure but from the pics it looks like we have the same fridge. Congrats on the finished project...enjoy!

[angela eharis]

so well done and deserved! gorgeous everything but what i absolutely love the best and i will get one someday, is the farmers kitchen sink!! enjoy! angi e in hana

[Cynthia@OrnamentalStyle]

Oh, my word! This was so worth the wait. This is such an incredibly beautiful space now. You were right to keep the tile, too. It goes wonderfully with the renovation. It truly is a spectacular kitchen, Deryn. Love all the organizational bits like a drawer for pots and pans, the cookie sheet cupboard, and the lazy susan for the corner cabinet. The finishes are spectacular. My sister has the same dated oak cabinets except hers have a coat of primer on them because they are DIY--well, they were. I think the primer has been on now for a year. I agree with your husband on limiting clear doors! Can look a bit cluttered, I think. Well done!

[Anna]

This is GORgeous! I'm so jealous. You have done a beautiful job and I love, love, love, your antique silver.

[Sandra]

Wow, I can't even begin to imagine just how much work must have gone into this - with great results though! I like that you decided to stick with the terracotta floor, and I reeeeeeeeeeally want to steal that faucet. I keep seeing that type, and decided, whenever I move next or re-do my kitchen (whichever comes first) I MUST have one of these ... Enlarging the pass-through was a great decision too imho.

The writing on your bread box is the German version of the line "Give us this day our daily bread" from the Lord's Prayer btw. ;)

Sandra

[Monica Johnson]

Love, love, love it! A lot of it reminds me of my kitchen re-do a few years ago (white cabinets, removal of giant light box, granite counter-tops, solid glass window). But, even more makes me wish I had done some of those things, mainly all the great organizing helpers (let me know if it works!)
It's beautiful...Enjoy!!!

[DJ]

Gorgeous!!! I remember the old kitchen and thought it was quite nice, but this new one? SWOOOOON!!

[Karen Diwan]

Beautiful! When is that Dinner Party again? I'll be right over :)

[Greta]

It's juts Divine Derryn. Thank you for all the before during and afyer photos! I love the diamond shoped splashbacks. The granite - so so beautiful and the turned wood either side of that fabulus sink! The cabinets - what a difference, I am amused by the "chocolate glaze!!
Everyyhing is in such good taste and works so well together. The photos look like a House and Garden article! You must be super excited. If it was me I would be sleeping in that kitchen LOL.

[Susie Land]

Congratulations!
And Wow!
It's like being on a super vacation but you never have to leave home....does it feel like home now, it's so different?

[Ronna]

Oh my gosh ... it's beautiful! Absolutely gorgeous! Enjoy it in good health!

[Shuku]

If I could have a kitchen like that I'd jump for joy! Worth EVERY penny of it, for sure! It's beautiful. :)