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Thursday, January 8, 2015

Kitchen Reveal



 It feels weird calling this a "reveal" since these I've been changing this kitchen slowly since day one. A reminder of how far we've come:



But I made three major changes this winter that I think qualifies the "reveal" status.

1) Granite counter tops!


My dream came true. After painting my counter tops to look like granite to tie us over for a few years, we replaced them with the real deal. For a while I thought I'd get quartz counter tops since everyone raves about how they are maintenance free and don't crack, but I ended choosing this slab of Vanilla Ice 2 that ties our floors and white cabinets together. I am so glad I did! I love the natural variation and the way the stones glitter in the sun. We went through Old World Stone in Orem. I highly recommend them. They have a much better selection at a cheaper cost than all the other places we looked. The time from deposit to install was also pretty fast.

2) Farm House Sink 



I love this beauty. It's the 33" Reinhard Double Bowl Fireclay Farmhouse Sink.  We got it from the Signature Hardware website. I had to call customer service a few times and was really impressed with them. The sink was back ordered, but came before the estimate date. We ended up cutting down our cabinet and reinforcing it instead of spending a fortune having someone make a custom cabinet for it. I also did a hack job on the cupboard doors so we wouldn't have to buy new ones. No one really looks down that low when they visit my kitchen anyway, so it's not a big deal.

I'm also super excited about my new high arc pull-down faucet. It's a Delta Faucet 9197-AR-DST Cassidy in Arctic Stainless. One thing I like about purchasing stuff like this on Amazon is you can buy it from a different seller for a deep discount if the box was previously opened. I was stalking this faucet for a while and when I saw a buyer list it for $100 cheaper than the sale price, I jumped on it.



3) Glass Tile Backsplash
 


I was pretty nervous about tiling. Maybe because I wanted to avoid using a wet saw (which I ended up buying). Also I wasn't sure how to approach the bay window shape and the rounded corners. Still, it turns out tiling is pretty fun. Expect to see some tiling in my upstairs bathrooms before too long.


I used GBI Tile & Stone Inc. Gemstone White Glass Mosaic Subway Wall Tile, which I got at Lowes. It was on sale around Thanksgiving for $4 cheaper a sheet! I got 25 sheets and ended up returning 4. When I know I'm doing a large project at Lowes, I buy a gift card voucher from Raise.com and end up saving 8-11%. It's a marketplace to buy and sell gift cards. I've only ever bought Lowes gift cards from them because they are available almost instantly to print out. It says they are only good in store, but I forgot and entered the code on the website when I bought something on black Friday and it worked. Once I did buy a Home Depot gift card from Raise and noticed it has fine print saying all sales are final with gift card purchases, so I think I'll just stick with using Raise for my Lowes cards since I've never had a problem with Lowes letting me return something.  

Daniel convinced me to take the tile all the way down to the floor (four tiles deep behind the oven). Good call, husband.


We've been more motivated to keep the kitchen clean since we've made these changes. 


It's also motivated me to better organize the food on top of the fridge with IKEA containers.


I also got a mail sorter from Pick Your Plum.
 


Other changes that have been made over the last 2.5 years:
* Painted the oak cabinets
* Added hardware found on ebay to doors and drawers
* Switched out the light over the sink with a Canarm IPL256A01BPT New Yorker Mini Pendant, Brushed Pewter
* Added tongue and groove beadboard and baseboard molding to the back and sides of the bottom cabinets
* Replaced refrigerator, oven range, and microwave with Smudge-proof Stainless Steel appliances
* Framed the windows in the Craftsman Style
* Made Roman shades out of mini blinds and fabric from Hobby Lobby 
* Reframed the doors in the Craftsman Style 
* Repainted the interior doors
* Repurposed an entertainment center into a custom hutch and trash/recycle center

Things I'd still like to do, but probably not immediately:
* Replace the fluorescent light with can lights.
* Make a barn door to put between the kitchen and laundry room to create a better traffic flow.

Linking to: Remodelaholic January Link Party 

5 comments:

  1. Wow! That's an immense transformation. It's amazing how you managed to end up with an elegant and fun-looking kitchen from a plain, dull one. Re-painting it white was a wise move. The paint job added more character to the kitchen. A job well done, indeed! Congratulations! :)

    Arthur Bryant @ Contractor Express

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  2. I love this! It turned out great! I also painted my kitchen cabinets and I think it makes a huge difference! It changes your kitchen from boring construction grade to a more professional look! Great job!
    Sherri@ thriftyartsygirl.blogspot.com

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  3. The place is immaculate! It must be the white paint that gave it a spotless atmosphere – that and the fact you’ve put together everything in a thematically-organized manner. This place has come so far from that simple and yellow-painted kitchen it once was. Good job, Emily!

    Fred Richardson @ SGK Home Solutions, Inc.

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  4. Wow! You really did a great job in renovating your kitchen. All from the wall paint to the granite tops, and up to the stainless steel appliances, hahaha! I hope the improvements you’ve made will last for good. Is your kitchen now your favorite part of the house? Hahaha! In any ways, thanks for sharing this one, Emily!

    Rosemary Bailey @ Wabi Corp

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