I hope it goes without saying which are the before photos and which are the after:
The kitchen (well, the whole house) was a HUGE team effort made up of a rocking group of friends and family that spent many, many hours with us as we took on the kitchen cabinets (especially my cousin....he came over pretty much every day during this project). Sanding, spraying, rolling. Our previous house had oak cabinets, which I lived with for six years. When we saw this house, I knew it was time to get painting. Goodbye, brown cabinets. Hello, creamy white! The hardware also made a big difference. So did scrubbing the kitchen tile grout (shout out to my SIL, thank you!).
We were also greeted with a not-so nice surprise behind a picture frame that is now the coffee bar wall...a giant mess of patch up on top of drywall. Lovely. It was huge. We know a great handyman, who lent his perfectionist skills. He cut the drywall and replaced it, (in two different places, not just this wall) and you would never know how messed up it was before.
One of my favorite things was choosing and adding the cabinet hardware. We were able to save some money by spray painting the hinges with oil rubbed bronze spray paint. And, that was good...because the hardware added up fast. So did all the paint; we bought the good stuff, because I didn't want endless touch-ups. So, do I miss brown cabinets? Not a bit. I love my kitchen. And, I love the people who helped make it pretty even more.
We replaced the built in microwave and wall oven, neither of which the originals worked. So, that was necessary. Also replaced the dishwasher. I'd love to get rid of the hideous fluorescent case lighting (can we say 1970's?), get an island, and place some drop light pendants over it. And, replace the deceivingly decent looking range and vent hood; it's not decent. The backsplash is livable, for now. I'm glad it's white, but it has a nasty braided edge that is really hard to clean, along with decorative leaf accents? No. White (marble? :) subway tile is what I dream of. Eventually. That's all for a later day. Can't do it all at once. Very happy with what I have.
It looks gorgeous! You guys did a great job!
ReplyDeleteLooks great! Chris and I totally looked at this house about 5 years ago. So crazy. We are wanting to paint our cabinets soon with the same idea: standard oak to a soft white. Did you do the cabinet transformations kit, by chance?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Erin!
ReplyDeleteJordan, that is crazy! Must have been while the original homeowners were still here...the ones after that did quite a number on this house. We re-did pretty much everything, floor to ceiling (excluding bathrooms; those will have to wait). I have not heard of the cabinet transfomations kit...sounds interesting, and maybe easier, hopefully? We just went to Sherwin Williams, told them what we were painting, and they recommended a paint type. Mini rollers came in handy for the attached part. We took all the doors and drawers out, and used a paint sprayer for them.