Young House Love

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A Yellow And White Checkered Kitchen Floor

Still working on the drywall situation for our new opening! While we get that together and snap some pics for this afternoon, let’s look at an awesome kitchen makeover – you know to keep the momentum up. Of course we perked up when we spotted the words “1948 ranch style house” and “kitchen renovation” in our inbox. Then we saw the awesome before & after pictures attached and, well, see for yourself. This is one of those makeovers that reminds us that whatever the budget, making one or two daring or unexpected choices can make the room (and make it feel like yours). We’re loving the playful choices like the yellow floor and the chalkboard pantry door along with a ton of functional upgrades like the large glass cabinets and the glossy white backsplash. Here’s Kathryn’s email:

We had a very outdated kitchen in our 1948 ranch style house. We bought our house in 2009 knowing that we’d have to do something about the kitchen – the overhead light didn’t work, the stove worked about 50% of the time, and it was claustrophobic.

Kathryn Befores

We used the first time tax-buyer’s credit plus some other savings to re-do the kitchen and ended up redoing everything to make more sense of the room and update the dark and dated feeling (we removed a soffit, got new flooring, new cabinets, new counters, new lighting, new backsplash tile, new appliances, a new sink & faucet, etc). Hope you like it as much as we do! – Kathryn

Kathryn After 1

Kathryn After 2

Kathryn After 3

Kathryn After 4

Isn’t that amazing? A big thank you goes out to Kathryn for sharing! She has more awesome after pictures here on her blog, and you can see more of the in-progress pics here. It’s like a totally different room, huh? And when you take a moment to really check out those cabinets (the lines of them, the glass fronted ones, the fact that they go all the way to the ceiling instead of hitting a soffit, the abundance of large functional pull-out drawers, the open bookcase for cookbooks on the end of the counter, etc) it’s clear that the room’s not only a lot easier on the eyes, it’s a lot more fun to cook in too! So let’s make like the floor and have some fun… playing the what’s-your-favorite-part game. Mine are the glass cabinets, giant drawers, and the pendant above the sink.

Comments

  4. Deidra says

    I just have to let you know that I’m finishing painting my bathroom and stole Sherry’s idea of wearing my clothes inside-out. My nephew insisted we video chat so I could see the hole left from his first lost tooth. I pointed to my shirt (there is some interfacing from embroidery, so it looks particularly weird inside-out) and told my sister I was stealing “$herdog’s idea” for painting .

    She insisted I let you know it’s catching on. So there you go! :)

    Reply

  10. Veronika says

    Hi! I have something unrelated to the post to tell you!
    I was just watching the Nate Berkus show (in fact it’s still on)he was doing a kitchen makeover and he used the exact same cork floors that you chose for your kitchen! They looked awesome!
    Just thought I’ll let you know!

    Reply

  11. Patti says

    I love the contrast of the vintage-y looking cabinets with the bold yellow floor tiles! It doesn’t look like the same room!!

    Reply

  14. Petra says

    Wow, what a transformation! I love the chalkboard door. What kind of paint was used for the door, if it was done that way?

    Reply

  16. Connie says

    I love the play on the classic (subway tiles, cabinet doors, etc.) against the industrial (stainless steel appliances, clean lines, etc.) It’s the exact balance of my style that I can never seem to get just right! Love this!

    Reply

  18. Allyn says

    Oh my gosh, I so want to put this floor in our kitchen! It would look amazing! I also love the subway tile. It always makes a kitchen just look chic and pulled together, even when it’s in a funkier way.
    Can’t wait to see updates on your kitchen!

    Reply

  27. Katy says

    Love the glass cabinets! And while I love the idea of a chalkboard door, I just know I would get all my clothes dirty with it! Oh well, I can just admire from afar.

    ~Katy

    Reply

  31. Petra says

    I’m not sure if others have the same issue, the blog website is not showing up to the homepage or anything, but with a “pick which browser you’d like to use” window.

    Reply

  32. hyzen says

    Love the whole thing, but the floor is extra fun, the pendants are lovely, the drawers are so functional, and the countertops look rich and sleek. Nice work!

    Reply

  34. Kathryn says

    Hey guys!! Thanks so much for sharing my post. The kitchen was a labor of love and I think we made a best friend out of our contractor. He lived with us pretty much there for a while. Sherry, it is funny that you guys are using cork in your kitchen because we looked at almost the exact same cork flooring but went with the checkerboard because of our budget and also we originally wanted a checkerboard cork floor and that particular flooring wasn’t ok with Memphis humidity (the flooring company actually wouldn’t install it). It ended up being that our consolation prize, the linoleum tile, ultimately is my obsession now out of the whole thing!!

    Reply

  37. Claire says

    That kitchen is ah-mazing. WOW! I wouldn’t change a darn thing about it. I think one of the best parts is the floor! Goes to show that you don’t need a super spendy floor finish in the kitchen for it to look chic and lovely. Love the playfulness of the yellow and white against some of the more traditional cabinet doors.

    Reply

  39. Melissa says

    what a difference! I love the chalkboard painted door, the subway tile, the cabinets and the side shelving on the counter for cookbooks. K, I’m gonna go look again and swoon over it some more…

    Reply

  41. [email protected] says

    my favorite part, hands down, is the subway tile and the way it jives against the floor. i NEVER in a million years would have thought of using a floor like that…but now i’m considering it! it looks amazing. so much more fun than your typical ceramic tile.

    Reply

  42. Gwenalyn says

    I have to admit I would have never thought to use yellow and white flooring, but WOW does it look great! Way to think outside of the box! Your kitchen is beautiful, Kathryn, I can’t pick a favorite part – I love the whole thing!

    Reply

  43. Anna-Lisa says

    I love the floor so much! I like that it’s period-appropriate for a midcentury ranch but still goes with the rest of the modernized kitchen.

    Reply

  49. Ginny P says

    What a nice re-do of a galley kitchen! Love the floors, cabinets & counters. Our kitchen is similar (actually I think the floor in the “before” is exactly the same as ours!). I’ll be bookmarking the reno for sure.

    thanks!

    Reply

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