We were so happy to stumble upon Beth’s email in our inbox. Her retelling of her kitchen redo had all the elements that we love in a good renovation story: an ugly before (a brown fridge!), lots of DIY details (yesss!), a bit of drama (the counters arrived the day before Christmas, yowza!) and – best of all – a beautiful after. Here’s her note:
Hello, Sherry & John! We bought our current home a little over a year ago, and to say it was outdated is the understatement of the century. Like you, we wanted something to fix up and make our own. Our kitchen was dark, ugly, and closed in. No matter how often/well I scrubbed the fridge, it smelled like garlic, and the OLD electric stove/oven burned everything.
The first thing we did was remove the existing linoleum and carpet in the adjacent family room. We lived on sub floor for almost a month because while the floor was up we tore down a wall between the formal dining room and the kitchen. With 4 kids under the age of 10, and a dog, it was a challenge to say the least.
Finally, we were prepped to install prefinished hardwood flooring that matched the hardwood throughout the rest of the house. So, we ripped out all of the rest of the cabinets, demo’d the soffit, and installed the floor in a little over a weekend. Once the floors were in, we started installing cabinets that we had ordered from Home Depot. They’re technically ‘in-stock’ cabinets, but we had to order ours since we wanted 36 inch upper cabinets, and a few drawer configurations that they didn’t offer in the store for some of our lower cabinets.
Originally, I wanted to have my brother-in-law help my husband make concrete counters (he is a concrete finisher by trade) but we worried about the weight being supported enough, particularly because our island is pretty big. So, we went with Silestone counters in the color “cement.” The counters were installed the day before Christmas Eve (you can imagine my stress level!). My husband Jake installed a marble subway tile backsplash that goes all the way to the ceiling.
Obviously, we got all new appliances (Kitchen Aid). The lighting is warehouse lighting and an outdoor light. The red counter stools are from Overstock. The open shelving was made with bits and pieces that Jake found at Home Depot. The corbels were actually ordered from the same company that we got our cabinets from.
The whole project took more time than I had hoped for, but with four littles and Jake and I doing all the work ourselves, that is to be expected. I still can’t believe that this is my kitchen! Hope you enjoy! -Beth
Thanks so much to Beth and Jake for sharing their beautiful kitchen! You can read and see more about the project on Beth’s blog. Didn’t they do an amazing job? It doesn’t even look like the same room. Let’s play the favorite part game (Sherry and I both picked those killer stools). I have to admit they’re giving me some ideas for ours…
Beautiful! Nice choice with the stand mixer colour!
I agree! That pop of green is my favorite too!
gorgeous! I love how light and bright it is. Great job!
Love the new look! I [heart] white cabinets.
What a total transformation! I love the counter tops and the splash of color from the stools!
Wow! They did a great job updating that kitchen! It’s gorgeous. I also, like the stools, but I really love all of the pops of color against the clean white (like the bowls on the shelf and the stand mixer!)
I love the LONG handled hardware AND the stove/oven Chris would got nuts for.
Wow! They did an amazing job! I love those counter tops with the stainless appliances, and the cabinet hardware. I might have gone all the way to the ceiling with the cabinets/trim though…
Beautiful! This kitchen looks really similar to what my husband and I are hoping to do in our kitchen, so it’s really cool to see it! And, um, our “before” is almost just as bad!
Holy Amazing, Batman!
My favorite part is those open shelves next to the sink — so useful! And that countertop pantry is very unique!
We’re about to start our kitchen and this is such an inspiration! Thanks for posting this.
OoOoOoOo…what a great job!!! love the counters! and that green mixer is fab!
OMG RED STOOLS!!! *dies*
Beth mentions the installation of the floor and I love it in the photos but what kind of flooring is it? Engineered, solid, plank linoleum? Would love to know!
Here’s hoping she drops in with that info soon for ya!
xo,
s
The flooring is solid hardwood, but it comes prefinished. It can be sanded, and re-polyed later on down the road. :)
Jake just told be it is from home Depot, and it’s Bruce brand.
Holy cow that looks awesome! Those open shelves look so great, aren’t you excited to have yours done soon?
Yes! Can’t wait!
xo,
s
That is one sweet kitchen reno.
love the punch of color in those stools!
I’ve had the chance to play with one of those faucets, and they are the BOMB! So that’s the favorite here, although it’s all seriously fantastic.
beautiful redo!!! Really makes me want to redo ours!
I love it! I love the little touches of color in the stools, mixer, bowls. Great makeover!
Oo oo, I’ve already pinned her stuff – loved the dark hardware that they used. And way to get RED stools! Looks lovely!
I love the subway tile. I would love to have the courage and budget to do that to my kitchen!
Wow… what a great makeover. I wish I had backsplash tile like that in my kitchen!
Two words: DREAM. KITCHEN. Wow, what an AMAZING “after”! So jealous.
I also LOVE the red stools. I have a bit of an obsession with anything red!!!
Amazing job! My favorite part is the marble subway tile. Dig it A LOT.
WOW!! Love the transformation and big island facing the living room. And I appreciate the pops of colour from your stools, aprons and mixer:)
LeeAnn
I so sympathize with this before – my house had that EXACT fridge when I moved in!!! We called it the Chocolate Monster :) Can’t say I’ve done quite the amazing turnaround that Beth has, but the Monster is gone and we’re certainly making progress. Amazing job, Beth!!
Love the whole kitchen but those stools are fantastic! Just the perfect shade of red and punch of color. The contrasting stand mixer is also fantastic. Love!
My favorite part is definitely the marble subway tile backsplash!
Love the red stools and the green Kitchen Aid stand mixer tucked away in the corner too!
I think my fave part is the bright green KitchenAid mixer on the counter! I wasn’t expecting the color and I love it! :)
My favorite piece is hands down the faucet. Unbelievable.
Wow – the first “after” pic had me thinking it was an inspiration picture, then I realized omg…that’s the after! Haha, it’s just THAT good.
I had the same reaction to the first “after” pic! Glad I’m not the only one!
I had the exact same reaction–amazing after!
I also thought the same thing – it was a gem from pinterest that inspired the reno. WOAH. Amazing.
It’s amazing how white paint can transform a dark room to a bright one! Is the countertop on the island a different color than the counters, or is it just my monitor? Either way, it’s beautiful!
It seems the same on my comp. Here’s hoping she can drop in to clarify for ya!
xo,
s
the counters are all the same color. hope that helps!
Wow! Gorgeousness.
As for my favorite, I’d have to say the color scheme in general (the white, gray, stainless, pops of color in the stand mixer, stools, linens)… just so beautiful!
Wow this looks great!
WOW! i totally did a double-take. looks SO much better than the original.
Beautiful work… that is truly a transformation. And my fav part? It’s a toss up with the red stools and that outdoor light above the sink!
I really like the look that lots of people are doing lately – black/white/wood for the durable room style and pops of color with accessories/furniture. The stools, mixer, aprons, bowls, and towels make this clean and crisp room so much fun!
Thanks for sharing!
What a gorgeous after! I love white kitchens with dabs of colour here and there – especially the greens and reds of this one. Fresh and fun!
I simply don’t believe that’s the same kitchen!
LOVE the light over the sink. It’s the little things that make a great kitchen!
Stunning! I love the pop of red and the colorful aprons hung on the hook.
We’re still trying to figure out the lighting situation for our kitchen remodel and those lights might be just the ticket. (And by figure out, I mean that I have a table lamp plugged in on the counter as my current lighting situation because we have yet to pull the trigger. Haha.) I am certainly loving the price. My issue is that we need a smaller, complimentary light for over the sink. It needs to be a pendant because the sink is under a window and we are putting a shelf above the window. :/ Any suggestions?
We got a pretty glass pendant from westelm.com a while back when we were doing our first kitchen. Maybe try them and even places like etsy (folks sell pretty glass jar lights). Or places like lampsplus.com or shadesoflight.com have lots of options! Good luck!
xo,
s
Have you pursued the selection at Schoolhouse Electric? I love just looking at their catalog!!
http://www.schoolhouseelectric.com/
Oh yeah, great suggestion!
xo,
s
GreeninOC, I am loving that site. I do not know how I have never seen it before. Soo many options. Is it too late for Santa to bring me a colored pendant light? (We have white beadboard inset cabinets, classic white subway tile backsplash, dark counters, a large butcher block island, and natural slate floors… so the pop of yellow would be fun and unexpected.)
http://www.schoolhouseelectric.com/lighting-and-hardware/fixtures/pendant/city-pendant-5085.html
I also really like that you can chose the length.
They did a great job!
I love the countertops!
I literally gasped out loud. I feel like I say this for every kitchen re-do, but I can’t believe it’s the same space!
gorgeous gorgeous GORGEOUS!!! Goodness, I love everything about it!
This looks amazing! Hmmm does that last line imply that we may soon be seeing (spray painted) red stools in the Youngsters’ kitchen as well? :-)
Haha, not sure of the color/finish, but it definitely inspires us to see where we end up!
xo,
s
I’m in love…this is beautiful and the splashes of color add so much – good job Beth!
Love it! What a difference, absolutely love those red stools!