Take A Look At My Kitchen Now!

Dare I say the kitchen is now my favorite room in my whole house?  And that's saying something coming from someone who hates to cook.  Just look at it!

Paint has completely transformed this space since that last time I showed it to you all.  Since then, Adam and I painted the walls in Sherwin-William's Eider White.  It's essentially white with just the faintest hint of gray.  Deciding on the wall color was tricky and took many paint samples.  I knew I wanted a cooler color, but it had to look good in both the kitchen and family room.  Several samples we tried would look good in the kitchen, but not in the family room.  But eventually, I settled on the very neutral Eider White.

We typically use Behr paint from Home Depot because it's more budget-friendly, yet still good quality.  We couldn't find a color that was similar enough to Eider White, so we went with Sherwin-Williams.  I know you can get paint color-matched, but the bases aren't the same so the colors always seem a bit off when I've tried to have things color-matched.  Since we had gone through so many samples and struggled to find a color that worked, we just sprang for the pricier Sherwin-Williams Cashmere paint.  But to be honest, both Adam and I weren't thrilled with the paint itself.  We still had to put two coats on the wall and the consistency wasn't our favorite.  Basically, the only thing it had going for itself was the color.   

The new color really does help mellow out the space and let some of the other elements shine.  I was a little nervous that we, color-lovers, were basically painting our walls white.  But everything has come together so beautifully and it definitely proved to be the right color choice.

The more exciting paint update is what went on our cabinets!

Adam and I threw around the idea of painting the cabinets ourselves using chalk paint.  But after visiting a shop that sells chalk paint and chatting with some of the gals there, we quickly realized there were far too many steps involved for us at this point in our lives.  There's no way Archer and Lyla wouldn't have gotten into the paint or the freshly painted cabinets.  We wouldn't have had the time we would have needed to execute the job in a way that would yield the outcome we were after.  So we ended up having my friend Kristen of Made New paint them for us.  I took Lyla, Archer, and Jazzy to my parents for the week so we would be out of the way and allow Kristen to work her magic. 

Kristen did such a beautiful job!  I know we weren't the easiest clients since we are quite particular, but she put up with us and delivered!  She was also kind enough to meet with us twice before she even started painting to help us work out some details and pick the paint color for the cabinets.  I almost chose a lighter gray, but Kristen encouraged me to follow my vision and pick a darker color.  I am so happy she did because I am in love with the color!  (It's Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines Trim & Cabinetry Paint in Cozy Up.)

We ended up not going the chalk paint route.  We wanted something that would hold up well over time and would require little maintenance.  Kristen recommended the Magnolia Home paint and we are very happy with the results.  It has a very pretty semi-gloss finish, with just the perfect amount of sheen.  Kristen also suggested painting the window frame above the sink in a glossy white to tie the window to the white tile and paneled ceiling Adam added.  It turned out to be the right decision and looks beautiful!

The pretty cabinet color also allows all the trim work Adam added to our existing cabinets to shine.  I love the frames he added on the ends of all the cabinets.  They add a nice, subtle detail.

He also reworked the area above the sink and it looks so much more modern and updated!  I love how the corbels he added help tie both sides of the kitchen together.  The trim he added around the bottom of the upper cabinets really adds a nice finished look.  I must admit, I didn't really think all the trim work would make much of an impact, but I was wrong!  It makes our previously-boring 80's cabinets special, with just the right amount of detail.

Another change that helped take our cabinets out of the 80's was switching out the pulls and hinges.  We chose matte black knobs for all the doors and pulls for all the drawers.  Adam suggested using larger pulls on our larger drawers and the pantry and it was a great choice!  It's pretty amazing how switching up the hardware can make such a difference!   

We made other swaps, too.  We swapped out the large swagged chandelier in the eat-in kitchen for a more modern fixture.  Adam and I had a hard time finding something we both liked.  We ended up visiting Rensen House of Lights and found the perfect fixture that we could both agree upon.  That store was huge!  When we walked in, Adam said if we couldn't find something at that store, then we were just too picky!

Finally, I added in some finishing touches that really helped pull the space together.  I talked Adam into ordering this rug.  It's definitely bold, but it works perfectly in our kitchen.  Some of the greenish-blues match the backsplash tile.  It's busy enough that it will (and does) hide crumbs and food stains.  My mom called me a Grandma for covering up our hardwood floors in the kitchen.  I know a rug doesn't always make the most sense in a kitchen, but it works for us.  It helps protect the hardwood flooring from the water splashes that happen when we are reaching for the hand towel on the stove or loading up the dishwasher.  It also gives Archer, Lyla, and Jazzy a place to hang out and annoy me while I'm trying to cook dinner.

I tried to keep the decor and items on the countertops to a minimum.  I don't like a lot of clutter, plus I didn't want to detract from all of the other beautiful things going on in our kitchen.  I added a wood tray to the right of the stove with utensils, a candle, cooking oils, salt, and pepper.  The corner by the stove is my baking area, which houses my mixer, flour, and sugar.

There's a small tray next to the sink that houses the dish and hand soap.  Above the sink on the windowsill I have an aloe plant that I've managed to keep alive for over a year now and a couple of sentimental mementos.

The other side of the kitchen features Adam's little coffee station and the bread box.  I think he likes having his Keurig machine out instead of having to stow it away every morning like he used to.  I think we've managed to create a pretty functional kitchen in a pretty small footprint.

I decided to put in new shelf liner before we put all of the stuff back into our cabinets after we had removed it all before painting.  I forgot how time-consuming it was to measure and cut out the contact paper for each cabinet and drawer!  But with Adam wrangling the kids, I managed to get it finished.  I love the fun little pop of flowers each time I open up a door or drawer now.

We only have one item left on our to-do list.  I plan to try my hand at making some Roman shades for the window above our sink and the two other windows and door in our eat-in kitchen.  I don't have the best sewing skills, but I will try!  It will certainly be a lot less expensive than buying custom window treatments to fit our odd-sized windows.  I will keep you all posted on that adventure.  I'm looking forward to being able to cross off the last item on our to do list!

1. Get new countertops.
2. Have a new backsplash installed.
3. Paint the cabinets gray.
4. Make some minor modifications to the existing cabinets.
5. Paint the walls a lighter, cooler color.
6. Find a new light fixture for our eat-in kitchen.
7. Replace the cabinet handles and hinges.
8. Replace the window treatments in the kitchen and eat-in kitchen.
9. Replace the sink and faucet.

Here's a few before and after shots to really drive home how far our kitchen has come over the past few months:

 

I am so in love with our gorgeous new kitchen!  I literally smile every time I walk in there now.  I even think cooking in such a pretty space makes me a better chef.  I haven't screwed up any meals in our newly renovated kitchen...yet.  ;)