One thing I truly hated when walking through our house for the first time was the kitchen {ok scratch that, I honestly hated just about everything}. What sold us on our home though were the bones of the house. It was in the perfect location and had an incredibly large lot, all the things you cannot change. So with a little vision {which I am so grateful that I have} and a lot of work {which I am so thankful that my husband is incredibly handy}, we knew we could turn this house and this kitchen around and make it into exactly what we wanted.
We created a checklist of things we knew we wanted for our kitchen; white cabinets, marble countertops {or a quartz marble}, farmhouse sink, microwave, a new refrigerator, and to get rid of the dated recipe desk. We actually went back and forth for a good while on removing the entire wall where the recipe desk sat and opening up the house a little more. I am so thankful we did not do that and instead created functional counter space & kitchen space. We ended up having a custom cabinet piece built to replace the desk area that consists of a large corner cabinet, wine rack, and a pull out trash/recycle drawer {something I HAD to have because there was no spot for a trash can}.
We waited almost a year after moving into our house before we started renovations and I am so thankful we did. I always recommend living in the house {if you can; meaning it's a livable space} for a while before renovating because you would be surprised at how your list of things you want done will change. For example, I hated the built-ins in our family room and was adamant that they needed to go. I wanted them to be drywalled and covered, but I now love them and couldn't imagine that space without them {there are still little things I would like to change about them, but I am so happy we didn't get rid of them}. Another example is that high bar area in the kitchen. The only thing I was looking at for that area were new barstools because the bar was surprisingly high {we were going to need 43 inch barstools, and it was not going to be cheap}. Until one evening, we had a revelation... While I was doing dishes, Steven was sitting on the couch, he looked back at me {probably to ask me to fetch him a beer} and could only see the top of my head and right then and there he said the bar needed to go and we needed more of an island {I couldn't have loved this idea more!!}.
When it was finally time to start the Kitchen Reno we had a great game plan set in place. We did a ton of the work ourselves which cut a lot of the cost, including; Steven demoing everything before getting started {He removed all of the countertops, demoed the entire recipe desk area, and cut off the entire bar and added a huge support beam into the wall}, Finding our own countertop slabs at a wholesale slab yard {we both wanted marble but thought a quartz marble would be easier maintenance but we could NOT agree on one. We randomly came across a wholesale slab yard and found EXACTLY what we wanted. They are Carrera Marble and high maintenance but they ended up being WAY cheaper}, Painting the existing cabinets, and using all of the same hardware {I wanted all new hardware, but I am fine with what was there and it saved money! So I'm calling it a win!}
A lot of hard work went into this kitchen and I am so in love with the finished product!
I love every detail we put into this space of ours. The rounded edge of the island, the custom wine rack {we actually had a wine fridge before but I honestly hated it so it needed to go}, the faucet {Steven's must have}, the InSink Hot Water Dispenser right next to the faucet {another must have for the hubs.}, the farmhouse sink {though my DREAM was to have a white cast iron farmhouse sink, Steven nipped that idea because he said it would be TOO much white.... There can never be too much white my dear!}. We compromised on the stainless steel which I am very appreciative of and still love! And last but not least, the feature wall underneath the California Island! I wanted this wall shiplapped {surprising, I know}, and since Steven had already done an amazing job in our Guest Bathroom I knew this would be a piece of cake ;) {thanks honey!!}.
We could not love our kitchen more and are so happy with the end result!!
Links
| Kitchen Towels | Wooden Cutting Board | Faucet | Hot Water Dispenser | Cafe Depth Refrigerator | Carrera Marble countertops found at local slab yard | White Subway Tile | "Flour" canister that I use as a vase was a HomeGoods find | Galvanized fruit stand was a Marshall's find | Marble & Wood cake stand was a random HomeGoods find | My Favorite Soap | Bar stools are way old and we just haven't purchased the ones that I want yet.
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