The day has finally arrived – at long last! I am revealing my kitchen remodel.
Just so you remember where we started, here are a few pictures of our kitchen before:
The oak cabinetry had taken on a bit of an orange tint over the years and was in need of a face lift. But the real motivator for our total update was the appliance configuration (the microwave was way too high), lack of lighting over the island and overall dark feel in the space. We were wanting something a little lighter and more classic so that it would carry us for the next 10-15 years.
After months of researching, planning, talking to contractors, and then finally living through the dust and disarray we finally have our updated kitchen.
Here is the after:
Here’s what we did:
- re-configured the existing cabinetry so we could change up the appliances to function better for our family (we now have a 36″ stove, a microwave that is easily reachable by all and we added a warming drawer underneath the microwave)
- painted the cabinets
- added a pot filler faucet over the stove (after discovering there was already a water line there!)
- changed the back splash tile
- installed new marble counter tops
- installed a new farm sink
- added pendant lighting over the island
- moved our island to the center of the kitchen (it was off-center by almost 15 inches for years!)
- extended the island counter to accommodate seating
- painted the kitchen walls
By far my favorite aspect of the new kitchen is the new, upgraded appliances and how everything was reconfigured to create a better functioning space. This layout not only looks pretty, but it functions amazingly well and I didn’t lose any storage space. In fact, my storage is better organized than ever before so I absolutely ADORE it! (More on that in another post coming soon.)
Above you can see my dream sink. It is HUGE!
The counters are marble…called, Calcutta Green. It doesn’t have a lot of veining and I immediately liked the simplicity of it when we found it at the stone yard.
The kitchen is the complete opposite of what it was before, and I have to confess it has taken a little getting used to. We have lived in this house for 13 years so the change was a little startling at first!
I’m trying to add back in some color and some warmer tones to bring the warmth back in. I think I’ll be tweaking and moving things around for awhile as I get used to these lighter and brighter surroundings.
Oh..I almost forgot to mention another thing we added which has me so excited…the cabinet hardware.
I know…I need to get a life if I’m getting excited over cabinet hardware, but here’s the deal…we didn’t have it before. My husband doesn’t like cabinet hardware. He thinks it clutters up the cabinets. As you can see, there’s no “lip” on the edge of our cabinetry so it drove me CRAZY to open these doors and drawers all the time without hardware. Well, it took 13 years, but he gave in and I am SO HAPPY! Even my kids got excited about this small update!
I have a few more finishing touches to add (I’m waiting on pulls that I ordered for the island) and I have a new kitchen rug in mind that I will purchase sometime in the future. Right now, I’m so happy to have the workers gone, the dust cleaned up and things back in place. It feels so good to be back to normal.
Later this week, I will post about the paint colors and sources for lighting, cabinet hardware, appliances, etc.
Thank you to all of you who have cheered me on here on the blog and on Facebook and Instagram as well. I’m letting out a huge sigh of relief that it’s DONE!
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Julie, the kitchen is gorgeous! I love all of your materials and the view into the living room. Y’all should be proud!
Julie!!! The kitchen is GORGEOUS! I love every single detail my friend…great job. Your eye for design is fantastic 🙂
If you have a few extra seconds 🙂 I’d be so happy if you linked it to todays Twirl and Take a Bow on my blog! xo
(I shared on Google+ and I’m pinning …xo)
Julie, your kitchen looks stunning! Such a fresh new look – I know you’ll enjoy this for years to come!
Thank you so much, Moni!
Wow Julie, it’s gorgeous! I love how the paint brings out the pretty details and moldings on your cabinets even more. And those lanterns are beautiful! Love it all 🙂
Oh my goodness, Julie! You kitchen is amazing and so so beautiful! What really strikes me is how smart your configuration is! LOVE the farmhouse sink and it’s location! I love love love it! You also have something (well, really so many things) I wish I would have thought of… the faucet at the stove and that gorgeous island !!! Pinning and featuring you on my fb page!!! xo
I am SO excited to see your kitchen makeover, it’s gorgeous Julie! I love everything you chose from the marble, to the tile, paint colors, sink, hardware, oh and the pot filler (awesome), it all just looks so amazing! I am so happy for you to finally have all of the construction complete so you can now enjoy your beautiful kitchen for years so come!
Your kitchen turned out beautiful! I have been checking out kitchen all over the blogging world lately because we are planning an update for ours. Our cabinets are similar to your “before” – turning orange too…oh and greenish on the sides…lovely. I love how your painted yours and made other modifications to the space. You must be so excited every time you walk in there! The lanterns look great too! I have the same one in my office and I love how there is no glass to clean!
-Shelley
It turned out beautiful! Loving your farmhouse sink!
It looks great! We are in the beginning stages of sprucing up our kitchen and we have the same orangey cabinets that you had! Ugh! I want to paint the cabinets and love the color you chose. Would love to hear what the color is and also how the painting of the cabinets went. Did you do it yourself or have someone else do it?
Thanks Lindsay! I’ve answered your questions in today’s post. http://www.lilacsandlonghorns.com/2014/08/kitchen-remodel-sources-paint-colors-and-questions-answered.html
I forgot to add, however, how long painting took — even with hiring it out, we still were out of our kitchen for 3-4 days total. Everything had to be taken out of the cabinets (including contact paper) and the kitchen was basically wrapped in plastic so they could spray them. It took one day to prep, another to sand and then paint and then we had to wait for everything to dry before we could remove all the plastic and such. It was a hassle, no doubt, but I know it would have taken me a lot longer if I would have done it myself. Hope that helps!
Absolutely stunning! Great job. And I am totally drooling over that pot filler. 🙂
It looks so beautiful!! All of it. And nothing like having a better functioning space. So happy for you. Wow on having water in that wall for the pot filler! What a happy surprise I bet that was 😉
(love the hardware too!!)
Julie, I love your new kitchen it is just stunning!!!
It’s so pretty!! You did such a great job figuring out all the details. Love the new brighter look. I’m happy for you. 🙂
Amazing!! I luv it. All the details… just beautiful Julie.
love it and can you tell me what paint did you use for the cabinets?
I love it! I especially love your new sink. Isn’t it funny how we get excited over things like kitchen sinks and hardware?
Gorgeous! I am so oolong jealous!
I mean. I’m so jealous.
I love this and shared it over at a FB Page I work for sometimes..Savannah Attics I hope you don’t mind.
I love your makeover every bit the kitchen was beautiful before but now it is Gorgeous! Thanks
Dolly of
Hibiscus House, Dolly is Cooking and dolly’s designs.
Julie,
Beautiful transformation! I would
Definitely incorporate more color!
Ann
Wow!!!…What a gorgeous transformation!!!…you did a beautiful job in planning your new kitchen…love the cabinetry, the hardware and that fabulous stove!….you did good girl!!!…One question . . . how is the maintenance of the marble countertops?….thinking of them for the future!….FB’ing your great kitchen makeover!!!..
We are mid-redo in our kitchen and I have the same excitement over finally having cabinet pulls. A little thing but so nice to finally have.
Julie…I LOVE everything! It is so gorgeous! Can’t wait to hear the paint color, subtle but perfect. Great job my friend, I will pin and share! ~Sonya
Such a wonderful transformation! I love painted wood myself and recently completed painting my kitchen to lighten it up so I know how you feel. When you post about colors and sources, would you also explain how you moved the island? I can’t tell from these pictures what the difference is. I have a similar configuration in my kitchen and find having to walk around the island to get from the stove to the sink to be a problem. Do you find your new configuration helps with that?
I’m so excited for you it looks mahvelous, dahlin!!
Julie!!! Fantastic…You had been talking about these changes since we met. I LOVE everything!! Congratulations!!!
I had to read your story as we are planning a full kitchen renovation for next spring. I love what you have done. The white makes it look so clean and fresh.
So much lighter and crisp looking. Fantastic!
WOW Julie….LOVE LOVE LOVE this transformation!! Beautifully done!!
Almost forgot….the new cabinet color looks so pretty with the blue walls in your family room!
It looks amazing – what a big difference! Great job Julie!!
I <3 the whites!!!! I dream of a kitchen with an island, but I'm very cozy in my galley too:) Stop by and see my indoor/outdoor rug and kitchen tour:) Pinned your pretty kitchen!
Love the makeover! How lucky to find an extra water line behind the stove for that pot filler! Looks great!
Julie — it really turned out fabulous! How luck for you to get that pot filler! I’m jealous! Loving your kitchen girl!
Wow, stunning and fabulous! It should be featured in a home interiors magazine, Julie, seriously – you must be pinching yourself everytime you are in that wonderful space, so happy for you! 🙂
Thanks, Antonia! It’s hard to believe I’m sitting in my own house sometimes. 🙂
Julie, What a GORGEOUS transformation! I love every single detail.
So pretty! You CAN get excited over cabinet hardware – you waited 13 years!
Wow! Just…Wow! I can’t believe the transformation! I can’t even pick a favorite thing to compliment because I love it ALL! I can’t wait to read about all of the details. I hope you don’t mind but I shared this on FB today – it’s just too pretty not to!
https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Home-RemediesRX/221963271220201
Thanks, Amy! I appreciate the share on FB! Have a great day!
Julie
Wow, this is gorgeous, Julie! I love the cabinet color and will be excited to see what the color is. i think it is so much prettier than white-white. You’ve created a wonderful place to celebrate family meals, and a fun place to prepare those meals!
Gorgeous!
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Absolutely love your kitchen Julie! Happy to feature you at the party this morning. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you so much for the feature, Sharon! What fun! Everyone has left so many wonderful comments and I appreciate every one of them!
JUlie
Hi Julie, I”ve been out of town for a few days and I am trying to catch up on email. I just saw your kitchen reveal and have to tell you how beautiful it is. Absolutely stunning! I too, went from a darker kitchen and cabinets with no knobs as well as some of the other items you added and I have to tell you what a difference it has made over the past 6 years-can’t believe it’s been that long. But you will be so much happier in your new kitchen, especially since this is probably where you spend a good amount of time. So happy for you.
Hi Diana!
Thank you so much for your kind comments about my kitchen. I absolutely love how my kitchen functions now and it’s actually fun to cook! Hope I feel that way for a long time!
Have a great day!
Julie
What a transformation!
How about the cow??? Source?
Thanks, Karen!
I bought the cow giclee locally at a little shop called “The Sample House.” I know that Antique Farmhouse and Decor Steals often sell them, but it’s hit and miss. If I find a more reliable source, I’ll post it on the blog.
Julie
Looks beautiful. I am going today to pick out my new counters. I am also getting a marble. How is yours holding up? Staining and etching. I am going for honed to hopefully help camouflage the etches and some stains.
Hi Venetta,
Thanks so much for your sweet comment about my kitchen!
I am currently drafting a post about my counters that I hope to publish this week. As you search for your slabs you should know a couple of things…staining and etching WILL happen and if you can live with that, then marble is a fine choice for you. As you know, it is not carefree like granite (I’m using trivets and am very careful about what I set on my counters) so that is something you should consider very carefully before you commit to marble. Even if you love the look, you might not like having to be so careful in the kitchen.
Most importantly, make sure you are purchasing a quality slab. Ask lots of questions about the quality of the slab — ask different vendors what to look for and make sure you get references regarding your fabricator. Ask them what they would do if they discover the slab isn’t great in the middle of fabrication. We suspect the stone vendor sold us a very poor quality marble and we have some unique issues so I don’t want to scare you off. I did all kinds of research on staining and etching but never even considered how to choose a quality slab. I totally relied on our designer and fabricator — the experts — to help guide us. Unfortunately, they let us down and we are in a very tough spot.
Good luck with your search and your remodel — I wish you the best!
Julie
I love your kitchen. I have a white kitchen also. Tell me about the marble? Does it Stain?How well does it hold up ; and what do you clean it with. Thank you
Hi Crystal,
I’m getting ready to do a whole post on my marble… we are actually getting ready to replace it. I know that sounds totally crazy because it was just installed, but we received bad slabs and have a lot of problems with it. We’ve gone back and forth with the sub contractors and are finally getting some resolution. So…that’s just to tell you that our experience is not normal. I will say that we have had marble tiles on our bathroom counters for 14 year and cleaning is easy. You just can’t use regular household chemicals on them. Honestly, I just use a weak solution of water and dish soap. Then I wipe it down with plain water and dry it off. It really is just as easy as using any cleaner. Marble does etch (this is not a stain but a permanent mark) and it can stain. Sealing helps marble resist stains and if you wipe up things like grape juice or tomato sauce immediately you won’t get a stain. I do have a grape juice stain on my counters because it was left there undetected (my son dripped some and didn’t wipe it up — he’s 12). Anyway…as I said, I’m planning a long post to address these things since it is my most asked question. I also want to devote a post to our specific issues to let buyers know what to watch out for when buying real stone slabs. I hope that helps a little. Thanks for your lovely comment about my kitchen!
Julie
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Julie,
This is just beautiful. Such a wonderful space. Great job!
Beth
I love your kitchen! I’m building a house and the kitchen is the heart of the home and I want to design mine well. Everyone is discouraging me from using marble, but I love the look. This kitchen won’t just be a showplace, I love to cook. How’s the marble working out for you?
Thank you, Marie! I wrote a post about my thoughts on marble awhile back — you can find it here: http://www.lilacsandlonghorns.com/living-with-marble-is-it-for-you.html I just wrote a part two to that post which will publish tomorrow morning (3/26) so I hope you’ll stop back to read it. So I don’t leave you hanging, I will tell you that I also use my kitchen and I have two children ages 10 and 13. I have honed Vermont Danby on my island and I love it. I would put it in my kitchen again in a heart beat. If you still have more questions after reading my posts, let me know and I’ll try to answer them!
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