My sweet MIL came up with me one weekend and helped me scrub and clean....bless her!
Then my friend Cindy came up and helped me paint all those brown cabinets...we wore ourselves out but thanks to her that job got almost done in just three days! (Bless her too!) Bruce helped me finish them up, so in five days the kitchen was freshly painted and put back together.
Then I talked Bruce into taking down the low hanging cabinet over the bar. Best.decision.ever! It opened up the space and brought it into the 21st century. Lol.
But now we need to decide what's the next step will be. How much we will do to really make it a kitchen we not only will enjoy but will be the best we can make it.
Let's start with the countertops. We know we want to upgrade them. I have Silestone here at the city house. I love this stuff! It's heat resistant, stain resistant, and doesn't need sealing. Lots of pretty colors and patterns to chose from. Definitely my top choice.
Which brings me to the cabinets...
These are very sturdy. Not extremely pretty but sturdy. However there are some design/construction issues that are annoying..
The toe kick is too low, they are not exactly pretty, the interior sides are missing where the appliances are. Uh, what in the world?!? I'm pretty sure there's a code violation in there somewhere. Oh wait. It's the country...probably no one cares.
So, what are our options? Live with the too low toe kick and pray our toes never meet that edge, add the cabinet sides, and accept the cabinets as a charming country look (painting them did improve them considerably)!
Or we could replace the cabinets and address all those issues at one time. But that's also expensive and time consuming. Not sure I want to go there...
Another option would be to reface the cabinets and drawers and just replace the countertops and backsplash. This would also be the most economical choice. I like this option the best. We just need to see what's possible.
I'm excited to explore our possibilities and make this kitchen really shine. I'll leave you with some inspiration photos.
Beadboard backsplash, shaker style cabinets - love!
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| bhg.com |
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| The Inspired Room |
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| ASCP "Coco" |
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| ASCP "French Linen" |
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| Benjamin Moore "Shenandoah Taupe" |
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| Cambria Castell |
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| Cranbrook |
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| Quazar |
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| Hyde Park |
So, I would like beadboard backsplash, Quaker style cabinet doors, possible darker lower cabinets, and quartz countertops.
What feature do you love/hate about your kitchen? What would you change or keep if you were doing it over?
I would change my countertops! I love them because they look like stone, but they're laminate. I LOVE the last color for the bottom cabinets. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy day friend!
karianne
It's my favorite too! Actually thinking of painting the lowers that color and the dining room walls. Need to wait on the final countertop decision!
DeleteHave a wonderful day! Hugs,
Cecilia
You know how indecisive I am! I like it all!!!!! My master bathroom cabinets are painted a lighter version of the taupe above. I love it. I'm planning to do the other bathrooms in that color too. So versatile. Your before and after pics are great. You sure have come a long way. A whole lot to be proud of, that's for sure.
ReplyDeletehaha, Susan, yes I do. :o) But when you decide, you do good. What color did you use in your bathroom? And thanks, I am very happy with what I've accomplished. It's a whole different house!
Deletewow! What a change a little paint can make. I think your did a great job with what you have done so far.. I love the open cabinets on top too. I think you should mold in the open cabinets with some type of pretty molding. You could even do a piece of crown molding across the top of cabinets at the ceiling. Another piece all the way across the top of cabinets.. It all looks great. I think molding would add to your great work.. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteOh Cecilia you have been busy! Love all of your inspiration colors--the last gray shade is my fav too. Can't wait to see your kitchen transformation! Hugs, Cecilia
ReplyDeleteI'd paint my cabinets, get some kind of white stone countertops, change the appliances...pretty much everything :-) you have some great ideas here!
ReplyDeleteI'd paint my cabinets, get some kind of white stone countertops, change the appliances...pretty much everything :-) you have some great ideas here!
ReplyDeleteThe paint makes such a difference! I love all of your inspiration photos, too. If I was going to change something in our kitchen...I would have chosen marble look silestone, instead of black....and I would have put in a farmhouse sink, instead of the small undercounter divided sink.
ReplyDeleteWell, since I just redid mine last year, I wouldn't really change anything...yet. LOL! I love the choices you shared. I like the idea of darkening the lower cabinets. And of course I love beadboard as backsplash since that's what we used. The quartz is beautiful! I can't wait to see what you do! Have a great Friday and weekend!
ReplyDeleteHugs, Vicky
Making enhancements to the B Farm kitchen will be fun. I do love all the pictures of the country kitchens.
ReplyDeleteI would love to remodel my entire kitchen. It really needs updating.
I also like your inspiration pictures. The job you've done so far in the kitchen has made a big improvement... paint is fantastic! I like the Shenandoah (last paint) for the bottoms too. New faces on the drawers and doors and especially putting ends where the appliances would go, I like Patty's idea of crown molding, too.
ReplyDeleteHeck, I'm so easy to please. If I had to do anything over in my kitchen it would the counter tops and the lower cabinets. I'd rip them out and build something farmhouse-y there instead. I'd possibly use furniture instead of stock cabinets. I have an UN-FIT Kitchen. (with furniture tucked here and there and called into service) I love it! But the one wall of cabinets is very dated and falling to pieces. Oh, and the ceiling needs to be addressed. I think bead board up there would be perfect, with some carefully placed beams. Of course I'd do all this on a very frugal budget.
I can't wait to see how you finish this out.
The white paint made an amazing difference, so pretty now. Also, removing that cabinet was genius, it really opens it up. We redid the kitchen about 5 years ago, replaced the cabinets, new floor, sink and counters. It was expensive, even though hubby did all the work. The only thing we didn't upgrade was the counter, we chose a new laminate. Now we are ready to upgrade it and I have been looking at the Silestone, it is gorgeous, but I like the Corian too. Decisions aren't always easy, because we want to love what we choose, right? Love that farm sink, it would look great in your kitchen. Agree with the group on the paint choice. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the look of darker lower cabinets. It started out as a trend but has stood the text of time.
ReplyDeleteIf the cabinets are in good shape it's a great idea to just reface them too.
It's fun to plan, isn't it?
I love the look of darker lower cabinets. It started out as a trend but has stood the text of time.
ReplyDeleteIf the cabinets are in good shape it's a great idea to just reface them too.
It's fun to plan, isn't it?
Hi Cecilia,
ReplyDeleteI love everything you are thinking of doing...and if the cabinets are sturdy then I say just reface the fronts too. And I love the look of the darker lower cabinets too!
But I also have to say that it was such a huge transformation what you have done so far too!!
I can't wait to see what you do!!
Hugs, KImberley
Thanks, Kimberely. It's a great little kitchen; just want to take it up a notch. And yeah, I've decided to just keep the cabinets and see what we can do to improve them. I'm still undecided on painting the lowers...but I do like the look of dark on bottom. It will depend on what I choose for the counter.
DeleteIt really is amazing how much a coat of white paint can transform a space! It looks great! Since all of your appliances are white, it may be worth it to keep the lowers white as well, so you don't have to buy new appliances. You can't go wrong with white!
ReplyDeleteI think dark lower cabinets would look pretty, in fact I'm planning to paint my kitchen cabinets this spring... grey for the base/lower cabinets and white for the upper cabinets. I'm also planning to replace my sink with an apron front sink like the one in The Inspired Room picture and new countertops of some sort.
ReplyDeleteTania
I would totally be into the sci-fi kitchen. Don't laugh at that bit of dreaming I have. High-tech kitchens loaded with all the coolest and newest technology is awesome. More than just perform futuristically, I want the stuff to look like its part of the 22nd century. That means silver, metallic, black, gray, and white colors. A robot kitchen does it for me!
ReplyDeleteArthur Bryant @ Contractor Express
Now that would be cool! Especially if you could have a robot to cook your meals
DeleteI always appreciate when people choose to buy a house in the countryside. I am particularly impressed by your decision to rearrange the kitchen. That means you will be giving it your style. To me, your last choice of refacing the cabinets and drawers is not only economical but also the best. I would advise you consider it first.
ReplyDeleteFred Richardson @ SGK Home Solutions
Thanks for sharing the useful information. It was really amazing and very informative. Keep sharing
ReplyDeleteKitchen Design Layout