We all love before and afters, right?

Well, I just so happen to have a few to share.  My kitchen has undergone many transformations. Some have been major, like new flooring (from bright white vinyl, to dark laminate, to tile) and  lots of minor tweaks that just involved accessories and some in between changes like paint color and window treatments. Here's a little walk down memory lane to show some of the different looks my kitchen has sported over the years. About the first photo, don't look yet! Did you look? Before you do, just keep in mind, the same way blue eyeshadow was once groovy and parachute pants were so totally tubular, big floral wallpaper was all the rage. Honest. 

I am so happy I don't have to wake up to that big floral wallpaper and those dark cabinets every morning. As bad as this photo is, it could be worse. It was worse. When we built the house, it looked just like this, but instead of the nice warm floors, picture bright white vinyl against those dark wood cabinets. Nice. You can't really tell, but the wall paper on the bar area was green and white check. Every room had some green. Hunter green and a wine/ raspberry pink color. 

It was not an easy task and took me several days, but after living with the wall paper for about 10 years,  I ripped it  down and painted the walls yellow. One of my first sewing projects was to make  roman shades in a pretty stripe that had yellow, red and a little green and I accessorized with red plates. It reminded me of ketchup and mustard so  I never really liked it. No pictures of that phase, sorry.

The next phase just involved minor tweaking to get rid of the ketchup and mustard. Just fabric and accessories, but what a change. I kept the yellow walls but made new black and white window treatments. How freeing it was to be able to sew my own window treatments. If you have a sewing machine and you aren't using it out of fear, get over it. Go get some cheap fabric and practice! It will change your life. I promise.

I couldn't find a photo that showed the whole room, but here are a few shots.

Mitch and the kids call that the evil bunny. They think he has an evil look on his face, I don't agree. 

 

I think this photo of a potholder I made must have been taken in the  beginnings of my blog days. You know, when I was going around taking pictures of any and everything to post on my blog.  It must have also been the early days of my love affair with aqua. 

 

Lots of black and white. I liked this look, and could still live with it, but change is good, right? 

The next change came in the way of wall color. So many people ask about this color. Its Vintage Kitchen, by Martha Stewart from her line at Sherwin Williams. I'm not sure they still carry her paint but Lowe's has a color in her line that is nearly identical called Vintage Map.  You'll also notice the new black fridge. It isn't new, Mitch painted our white fridge black. Love that man! 

Next I painted the cabinets and Mitch replaced the laminate with tile.

 

The black stove and refrigerator are a little harsh against all that white, don't you think?
I can fix that.  Those lower cabinets went black.

In the above photo you can see, Mitch added crown molding to the tops of the cabinets and we replaced the recessed lighting over the bar with pendent lights.  It was getting there. I liked the black and white cabinets, but something wasn't quite right.  It was the countertops. The dark countertops weren't working with the black lower cabinets. I tried not to think about it.  I knew that replacing the  countertops really was not an option. It would be too big an undertaking and be way out of our small budget. To make a very long story short, my friend Kelli wanted new countertops too.  We commiserated about our desire for new countertops and how expensive it would be. While investigating options and sending her links to blog photos, I started seeing refrences to IKEA butcherblock. Upon further investigation I learned it would be an affordable option.  It would be affordable and our husbands could install them. No we didn't ask their opinion about their ability or desire to install them, we just had faith. In retrospect, I may not recommend this method of doing things, but that's a different blog post all together. Where were we? Oh yea, butcher block.

Mitch and my cousin installed the cherry  butcher block (purchased from Lumber Liquidators) and did an amazing job- as I knew they would.  We ended up going with Lumber Liquidators instead of IKEA for a couple of reasons, most importantly because they offered 12 foot lengths, and IKEA did not. The counter tops we purchased came unfinished.  I've read about many finishing options but we chose to use  Watco Butcher Block Oil. I think I've put on about six coats and will probably do more. It's an easy wipe-on application. 

I installed a subway tile backslash behind the sink- my first time working with tile and it went better than I expected.

I used Mitch's grinder with a diamond blade to cut the tiles. Not the best method, but for the cuts I had to make, it worked.

 

 

For the rest of the back splash, I used beadboard wallpaper. Love that stuff!! I can't speak highly enough for beadboard wallpaper. If you haven't tried it, you must.

It's so easy to install, looks great and is much cheaper than the real thing. It does tear if you bang something into it, so it probably isn't  the best option for  high traffic areas, but should be safe for a backsplash.

We still have a couple small things to do- a shelf to put up and some corbels under the range hood, but it's starting to feel like my dream kitchen. If I dreamed about kitchens, that is. Is it wrong for someone who doesn't really enjoy cooking to have such a pretty kitchen?

 

 

 

There will be one more shelf above that one,

and corbels beneath the range hood- but Mitch deserves a break from hammering and sawing.
Oh, I almost forgot, we are going to get the bar top covered with either stainless or galvanized steel. Then it will be finished. For now. ; )

Comments

[Anna]

I love so many details in your kitchen, like the shutters on the windows and the curtains. Great job!

[Sara]

Wow, your kitchen is gorgeous! I love the paint color, the cabinets, the backsplash. I think I love your curtains the most though.

[Janet]

It's fabulous and thanks for all the inspiration, design ideas and tips the info on the products used! Wow, It looks soooooo good!

[Bridgette]

Everything you do turns out beautifully. Home improvements, sewing, decorating, all of it.

[michele]

I so appreciate your sharing all your projects. Thanks to you, I'm going to use the beadboard wallpaper in my powder room...what an affordable option!! I'm wondering if you could talk about the cute "BOO" plates. Love those!

[UK lass in US]

It really looks wonderful. I like that I am not the only one that keeps adding another touch to a room. After decorating the whole house, then doing it again 2 years later after a remodel, I thought that I would not want to pick up a paintbrush ever again. But, I think that the dining room would look much better in another colour now. Unfortunately my husband is not as obliging as Mitch, so I usually end up doing it myself...

[steph]

Thank you for showing us your kitchen ! I can always use inspiration !

[happy zombie]

Oh Autum! I love seeing the transformation. And I loved it when you painted the walls aqua... and now what you've done after that! You ALWAYS make me want to do what you do... and dang it... I will one of these days! xoxom

[Kim]

It looks absolutely wonderful! And what I love most is that you did it all yourselves!

[christine]

love the colours! it's beautiful!

[Syndi]

WOW! I have to say I'm pretty impressed. I've painted my cabinets before and it wasn't easy. To do it twice.... eeeeerh! It does work all together much better. From the perspective of an interior designer I can tell you "Great job"

[Sheila at Halo Hill]

Just beautiful!! You're quite a worker! Great job!

Hugs,

Sheila

[Stefanie]

I LOVE your kitchen and featured it on my blog as one of my favorites of 2009!
Check it out here:
http://morethanahouse.blogspot.com/2010/01/favorites-2009-kitchens.html

You can grab a feature button while you are there if you would like too!
Thanks for inspiring me!!

[anna see]

looks great! i am bookmarking this page with all of these great ideas!

[anneliesecalo@sbcglobal.net]

Great makeover! I really want to know how you made or where you bought the range white wood hood fan!!?? Thank you in advance:) ANne

[Autum]

Thank you Anne,
Here's a link to a post I wrote about the range hood. Hope this is what you were looking for.
http://creativelittledaisy.typepad.com/creative_little_daisy/2009/10/in-case-youre-interested.html

Autum