our kitchen

As I mentioned last week, we remodeled our kitchen just a year or two after we moved into our house. It was a fine kitchen and believe me, we were thrilled to have such a luxurious place to cook and eat coming from our previous teensy old house that didn’t have a dishwasher, let alone any counter space to set a dish. junejuly 188

{photo taken before we moved in}

autumn 001

So we decorated and added our style to the space {hanging pot rack, giant chalkboard, ticking fabric folded and stuck on the window frame in a fake roman shade – the Nester would be proud of my curtain mistreatment – or maybe she wouldn’t … it really looks terrible}.

But it just wasn’t doing it for us. After searching through tons of magazine clippings and coming up with a sketch of our own for what we wanted it to look like, we took the plunge.

kitchen sketch

{sketch by Ryan}

With a bit of muscle {tearing off the tile, removing the upper cabinets} a whole lot of patience {rolling the lower cabinets and waiting for the oil based paint to dry}, some expert craftsmanship from my handy husband {the bead board backsplash and built-in bench} and the nice guys from the granite place, we have a whole new kitchen.

kitchen1

I think the best decision we made was extending the counter on that right hand side. The little beverage fridge is a great addition, but I mostly love having more counter space to work on.

kitchen 2

We also extended the island so that we could fit three chairs and added the bookshelf on the side for cookbooks & the kids’ workbooks/crafts.

kitchen 3

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The built-in bench was a feature we’ve always admired in other kitchens and it is so useful in ours.

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The boys spend a lot of time at the table drawing {hence the basket of markers and colored pencils}.

file  drawing

We keep their drawings in these numbered files until they overflow and their terrible mommy takes them to the recycle bin.  Although I would not think of tossing that darth vader picture. Nope, not me.

kitchen 4

I am often asked if I like having open shelves. My answer is a resounding yes! We are very happy with them.

kitchen window

I like having our dishes so easily accessible. I like seeing our simple white dishware and clear glasses – I think they are pretty.  And I like being able to decorate them with the seasons.

kitchen left

Sure, some items get a little dusty. But if you give it a quick rinse, it’s like that dust was never there. Or at least that is what I tell myself.

bracket

The brackets & shelves are from IKEA. We purchased the birch wood shelves then sanded and painted them the same color as the cabinets.

grateful

Love this print from Vol. 25.

sink

I like our big sink too. It is by Kohler and the protector inside is a life {or sink} saver

cereal

This is our breakfast station. Life cereal {my fave}, oatmeal, brown sugar & baby formula.

frige  side

Are you a fridge minimalist or the magnet type? Ryan prefers a clean fridge, I like photos, invitations and the kid’s drawings. So I use the side to hold all of my random things {although my stuff often creeps onto the front as well}

kitchen 7

kitchen number

Another fun touch are these glitter numbers that line the wall above the doorway. You hardly notice them, but they make me smile. And they come in handy when the boys need to know how to write a number.

Let’s look one more time at the before:

autumn 011

and after:

kitchen 9

Ahhh … much better.

SOURCES:

shelves & brackets  … IKEA

wall paint … Benjamin Moore Texas Leather

cabinet paint … custom white matched to our existing trim.

granite, sink, bead board, faucet … Home Depot

Table & bench … CB2

pendant light & striped rug … IKEA

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