Kitchen Before and After

This post is slightly overdue (sorry, Jaysa!).  We remodeled our kitchen last fall.  Somehow it's already March.  I should say we remodeled 90% of our kitchen last March.  We're now 99.8% done.  But I'm posting the pictures anyway.  

Here's the before:

The refrigerator and countertops were my two biggest pet peeves in the original kitchen. The white tile looks okay from far away but up close it was nasty.  Stained, impossible to clean, and cracked.  The tiles were starting to pop off.  The refrigerator was just floating there under too-shallow stock cabinets.  If you  looked straight at the fridge, you'd see all the mechanical parts, cords and dust bunnies.  

The appliances were also in big need of an upgrade. The microwave had no turn table, the dishwasher sounded like a freight train, the garbage disposal leaked (before I broke it), and the oven temperature was way off.  

We considered a major upgrade but after some consultation with our realtor (thanks, Debbie!) we decided to do a minor remodel.  Here's what was done:

• Changed breakfast nook furniture
• Replaced the appliances, sink, and faucet
• Painted the walls and cabinets
• Retiled the countertops and backsplash
• Changed a light fixture
• Built a fridge surround 
• Added a hook wall
• Replaced interior doors

Here's the after:

The after pictures were taken at night so the lighting is not great.  Here are some specific shots:

Breakfast nook before:

Breakfast nook after:

The new table is a Goodwill find that we refinished.  The chairs are from our dining room.  We had originally planned to get something new but we really like the clean lines of these chairs for now.  This wall obviously needs something. 

Oven and microwave before:

Oven and microwave after:

Dishwasher before:

Dishwasher after (hello, lover).  This is a Kenmore Elite.  We went over budget on this guy at the recommendation of Jaimee and Sharon and we are SO glad we did.  This thing is amazing.  Life changing.

Refrigerator before:

Here's where it gets good...

Refrigerator after:

Thomas and his dad built this.  From scratch.  I love it so much.  We lost the storage from the (worthless) cabinet that was previously above the fridge.  But we added cabinets to the laundry room to make up for that and more.  We had originally planned to build this cabinet/surround up to the soffit but the soffit was much shallower than the fridge.  These wine cubbies give a little more interest and storage but keep the unit off the ceiling.  

We still have some outstanding projects but for all intents and purposes, we're done.  The revised kitchen is so much more functional than what we started with.  Remodeling with a toddler was not the easiest thing we've ever done, but we're very glad we did it.  

Projects to do:

• Accessorize!  We kept the fixed pieces neutral with the intent of adding personality with accessories.  We're thinking greens, blues and wood tones.  
• Paint a chalkboard on the blank side of the fridge
• Paint a magnet board on the base of the cabinets
• Replace window treatment (and window)?

It will probably be years before we get around to those.  Until then, we're enjoying the kitchen as it is.