We Interrupt This Tour....

As I was taking more pictures of my summer decor I realized that I never finished my kitchen re-do posts. I think one of the first things I did was to have the overhead fluorescent light removed and the sky light and pot lights added-and, I have never regretted that move for a second!

You can also see the tall pantry we added next to the frig. It holds so much!!!

As you can see, no cabinets were cleaned in the making of this post. Would I love this to be more organized? You bet! But, in my defense, I am not the only one going into this cabinet-if you know what I mean.

I actually labeled the shelves so "other people" would know where to return things-sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't! But, I tried!

Because I insisted this pantry be so deep, small items were always getting shoved to the back so I bought a pull out drawer for them and the problem was solved.


I did the same for the 2 lower cabinets on either side of the stove. Makes getting out the smaller pots so much easier! This also where I installed my Pinterest inspired cutting board holder and I love it. My LARGE cutting board is now out on the counter and so easily accessible and the small ones are easy to grab quickly when needed. I usually choose the plastic boards for onions, garlic or meat products because then they can go in the dish washer to get sanitized. Don't machine was my good board.


And then when I was going through my Google Reader this morning and came across this post on "The Lettered Cottage", I knew I should back track and finish my post. You see, this is pretty much EXACTLY what I did. Of course, I did it years ago before I had even heard of blogs, hence, no pictures of the process.

But, that is pretty much what my ugly cabinets looked like except the carved out design on mine started out avocado green. I put my lathing strips in a bit from the edge and didn't use a center piece but other than that, that was how I covered up those hideous cabinets.

As I think I have said, my plan had been to use a chocolate glaze (actually still have the unopened can sitting in the garage) but hubby liked the white and without one more piece of fancy molding to hold a bit of the glaze, I decided to leave them as they were knowing I could always add the last step later. Many years have passed and I am finally beginning to think about doing that but want to see where I go with a new color before I make that leap-and even with my daughter's color swatch book, I am having a terrible time committing to something new. I actually still like the red walls that are glazed with a white wash-I am just getting a bit tired of them. My brain is telling me to go light but my heart still wants the warm tones in the kitchen. So I am stuck on the horns of a dilemma and for now have found a comfortable seat right there. Maybe cooler weather will push me into action. We shall see.

This shot shows you the bun feet that I added to the sink unit and the new sink and faucet set. It is practically impossible to see, but I also added a wooden embellishment to that ugly wooden valance that goes over the sink. That valance hides a light but since I rarely ever use it any more, I am beginning to think of new options. I also added a small shelf to each side cabinet next to the sink and use it for seasonal decor, fancy oils, vinegars or herb pots or plants. I like having something green in that area as it gives a bit of "life" to the kitchen. I try to have a live plant in all of the public areas of the house.


In any case, this is the latest incarnation of my kitchen. All of the appliances are now stainless and I love them. Our stove has a double oven and even though I don't think of myself as cooking a lot these days, there are many times that both ovens are in use at different temps-love that!

I have changed the hardware many times as well. It is now brushed nickel. I did that when we bought the large double stainless sink. I also changed all of the hinges to the brushed nickel as they had originally been a dark brass and just stood out like sore thumbs after the other changes.

If you follow this blog, you know I like "things" and NEVER have enough storage. When we had the bar added, I somehow thought a desk was a genius idea and had one of those added too. What was I thinking?! I so could have used one more storage area and when we change the countertops to granite, I will look into altering this spot. Maybe 2 large drawers would be better. In the meantime, I decided to eke out a bit more storage in this area as NO ONE EVER SAT AND USED THIS AS A DESK!!


I was able to find an inexpensive shelf unit at Target (or Lowes, can't remember) that fit perfectly and have a lot of my baking pans and sheets stored in there. I'm not a huge fan of the curtain, but it works for now and I can get to things without removing 100 other things first-always a goal of mine.



And, since I found a fabric to make the curtain that I really liked, I also used it to cover the stool seats and open wired doors on the pie safe. I would get rid of that pie safe in a heart beat, but it holds so much-cookbooks, ceramic bakeware, cloth napkins, napkin rings, wine glass charms and more!

When I found the fabric, I came across this clock that looks like it was made to go together and I knew I had to have it. I made the chalkboard from a frame I bought at HL at 40% off and a piece of ply wood I had sitting around-got to love chalk board paint! I really didn't erase it for this shot-it is usually full of my grocery list. I really do use it all of the time. Not the most attractive accessory when full of notes, but so convenient for reminding myself what we need to pick up on our next grocery store visit.


This is the bar we had added oh so long ago. This area used to be our eating area but when we enclosed the garage, the family room moved out there and dining space moved into old family room. I had the pendant lights added during the last update. I have actually thought of getting rid of the bar, but it has TONS of storage underneath and gets lots of use- mostly from grand kids but friends and family will also sit there and chat if I am in the kitchen and don't need help. Of course, if the bar was gone we could add a newer island so I will be thinking about that!

Keeping the counters pretty clutter free, but can't get rid of my Southern Living round tray. Using it now to hold cooking essentials-olive oil, salt, balsamic vinegar, fresh pepper and some seasonings and herbs. We are on a crustini and caprese kick these days so this must stay close at hand!

And here is the side of the large pantry we added. It holds the over flow from the frig pictures and things I just can't make myself put away. When I look at it like this, I feel like it needs to go but I know it won't-so maybe I will try to edit it a bit...we'll see.

This has really been a long post but that only seems fitting because this is the largest project I have tackled yet - by myself. I love my new kitchen. Is it exactly as I have always dreamed of? Of course not. In a perfect world, I would have ripped out those cabinets in a heart beat and there would definitely be granite by now. But, where would the fun have been in that-ha-ha. Maybe some day Stay tuned.