KITCHEN IS DONE!!!!!!

This seemed like a long time coming but the kitchen in our condo is finally done! Hip-hip-horray!!!! Here is a before and two afters:

 

The before picture doesn’t look that bad, right? Well, don’t let it fool you, it was a disaster. Cabinets so tiny, they are practically useless and the cabinets themselves felt like they had a cheap, plastic coating on them. And whoever thought is was a good idea to put a desk in an already microscopic kitchen?? The biggest changes we made were…well everything! Even though our kitchen is small, it lives large. We have even more space than we did in our Yorktown house.

Lets start from the beginning. Here are photos of the kitchen prior to the remodel.

We completely demo-ed the kitchen.

One of the biggest changes we made was opening up the side wall (unfortunately we couldn’t take it out completely unless we added a beam and that just didn’t make much sense). It was a minor change but ended up making such a difference.

Below: All of the pergo flooring is out and real hardwood is in!

Then it was time to put the cabinets together. There were so many cabinets!!

Installation time:

We originally bought a wine rack to go over our refrigerator but when we put it up it clearly didn’t fit. That was only the start of our problems. Here are the cabinets installed with the massive gap between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling. Note: if your ceilings are taller than the standard 8 feet, 42 inch cabinets will not go to the ceiling.

Adam didn’t think the gap was that bad but I couldn’t stand it! As we debated what to do we moved forward with the countertops (below). The stone company kept pushing me towards marble looking countertops but I wanted the kitchen to have a bit of a modern edge and I was adamant about getting the light, speckled color. It’s so pretty and sparkles at the right angle. I am very happy with our selection!

Next up, backsplash install.

I am ecstatic with how the backsplash came out! We bought this tile on clearance and I have no idea why it didn’t sell out. It is such a cool, modern shape and that color…green, gray, blue. Is there a better color on the planet??!

So, back to our unresolved kitchen quagmire…the cabinet gap. We decided to build a soffit (props to Adam’s handiness) and cover the gap between the cabinets and the ceiling. Here is phase one: soffit painted and installed.

Phase two: molding

Phase three: crown molding

I bought this really cool removable wallpaper and we installed it in the pantry. Holy F, that was an experience. Why is wallpaper back in favor?? It is so hard to install!

Finally, the moment you have been waiting for, the fully installed kitchen.

As you can see from the photos above I got pull-out drawers, a silverware organizer, a lazy susan, and a pull-out trash can. I highly recommend those extra features in a kitchen or if you decide to remodel your kitchen definitely add those features.

Another change we made was removing the microwave from above the stove and purchasing a drop-in range. Both of those changes were life changing. Having all of that extra space above your range, instead of a massive microwave that just collects grease and dirt, is totally worth it. We are going to move the microwave to the pantry.  The drop-in range was a little bit of a vanity purchase but once we had it installed, it made such a difference. It just completely streamlines the look of the space and we really like having all of the knobs and controls on the front of the range.

There is one thing left to purchase for my kitchen, a rug. I have been eyeing this rug from Ruggable – a line of washable rugs. Has anybody purchased a Ruggable?

With the kitchen down, we are aggressively planning for our remodel of the bathroom. We bought our vanity today and I will purchase the faucets and shower accessories next. Stay tuned for more updates.