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Young House Love » Reader Redesigns » A Kitchen With A Dark Wood Island And White Cabinets

| By Sherry Petersik | May 5, 2009 | 80 Comments

A Kitchen With A Dark Wood Island And White Cabinets

We seriously had to pick our jaws up off the floor when we saw this almost unbelievable kitchen remodel. Here’s Gord’s letter:

I just thought I’d drop you an email regarding our kitchen renovation that we have just completed. This involved moving windows & doors, tearing down walls, closing in the weird wall-railings in to the family room and reconfiguring the entire kitchen. We basically stripped the space down to studs and started over. We knew that moving electrical, plumbing, etc would cost a bit extra, but we are so glad we did it. We basically doubled the size of our kitchen by doing so. We did a lot of the work ourselves & stayed within budget! It was a huge undertaking, but very worth it! As you can see, the kitchen before was small, awkward & dated. By reconfiguring, tearing down the wall and moving everything around, we now have an open & bright room that we enjoy spending much of our time in. Hope you enjoy it! Sincerely, Gord

scary-bad-ugly-kitchen-before-picture

dream-kitchen-amazing-before-and-after

kitchen-modern-makeover-large-island-dream-fabulous

You’re totally gaping at the computer right now, aren’t you? We just keep drooling and scrolling up and down. This gorgeous kitchen renovation is proof that even the saddest of befores can be transformed into a majorly amazing after. Thanks so much for the pictures Gord! You definitely cooked up something pretty sweet.

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Comments

  1. YoungHouseLove says

    May 5, 2009 at 1:56 pm

    Hey Carmen & Jane,

    We’re working on the Z Gallerie giveaway issue now. Guess we’re learning what happens when we break the 1000 comment mark! Stay tuned.

    -John

    Reply
  2. AnnaMae says

    May 5, 2009 at 2:00 pm

    WOW! that is truly amazing! I love it! wish my kitchen looked like that! too bad I live in and apartment and can’t renovate. sigh, one day! till then i’ll continue enjoying this sight and looking forward to the day when I have my own home. :)

    Reply
  3. Jill says

    May 5, 2009 at 2:04 pm

    WOW…………………simply gorgeous.
    Great job Gord on your beautiful reno!!

    Reply
  4. Abbey says

    May 5, 2009 at 2:05 pm

    This kitchen renovation is absolutely gorgeous! Well done.

    Reply
  5. Jill says

    May 5, 2009 at 2:07 pm

    Those pendants are sublime.

    Reply
  6. Alicia says

    May 5, 2009 at 2:09 pm

    No kidding! Wow–they did a fantastic job. What a dream kitchen!

    Reply
  7. Melissa says

    May 5, 2009 at 2:48 pm

    Wow, that is a really amazing transformation!

    Reply
  8. MICHELLE says

    May 5, 2009 at 2:56 pm

    OMG! I had to do a double take! This gives me so much hope! I live in an apartment now, but we are looking into cheaper homes that we can fix up and modify ourselves. Thank you thank you thank you for posting this!!!!!

    Reply
  9. Laura says

    May 5, 2009 at 2:58 pm

    That kitchen is absolutely perfect. We are in the middle of a remodel ourselves. Do you have any information about Gord’s sources? (cabinets, pendants, countertops, ect.)

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 5, 2009 at 3:04 pm

      Hey Laura (and anyone else with questions about Gord’s fab kitchen makeover),

      You can scroll up to see where he commented with some info and resources, and you can ask any and all additional questions you have in the hopes that he’ll drop back in and answer ’em soon!

      xoxo,
      Sherry

  10. Regina says

    May 5, 2009 at 3:02 pm

    Jaw-dropping to say the least! Just gorgeous. The style has “me” written all over it. It will certainly be used as inspiration when it comes time to remodel our very dated kitchen! Great work.

    Reply
  11. kristin jo says

    May 5, 2009 at 3:04 pm

    I *heart* this kitchen.

    Lovely pendants and white cabinets. Love the contrast in your design.

    Reply
  12. misty says

    May 5, 2009 at 4:24 pm

    Beautiful kitchen! this one will be saved to my design files!

    Reply
  13. Gord says

    May 5, 2009 at 4:33 pm

    In response to some further questions:

    1. Timeline: From the day we started demolition until completion was about 7 weeks. We really pushed hard as we have a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old. Not much fun living in a renovation in the “heart of the home” with little kids. But, we managed to move back into the kitchen after about 7 weeks. We were without a sink for about 2 weeks.

    2. Cost: Total cost of the kitchen came in just shy of $18,000. This included new window, redrywalling, custom cabinetry, granite, hardwood floors, appliances, lighting and paint. I kept thinking of John & Sherry’s advice for bargaining – somewhere on their blog they have a write up – and simply asked people “Can you do any better?” (I think those were John & Sherry’s exact words. If you have a budget, don’t be afraid to shop and get good prices! :)

    Reply
  14. liz says

    May 5, 2009 at 4:34 pm

    Gorgeous! Did you have to work with a designer to get those lighting fixtures? I’m always curious how DIY renos get sources that seem to be sold to the trade only. Thanks!

    Reply
  15. Ann says

    May 5, 2009 at 6:06 pm

    Thanks for posting back about costs, Gord. It’s really amazing, especially given the cost. Hope I can do the same! Yep, this is definitely the kitchen I’d like to have. Nice work!

    Reply
  16. Ohmygoshi says

    May 5, 2009 at 6:24 pm

    umm…stunning doesn’t do that kitchen justice! That is absolutely gorgeous! I am green with envy right now! awesome job!

    Reply
  17. Kristin says

    May 5, 2009 at 8:25 pm

    Hey Gord (and Sherry and John),
    The kitchen is amazing!! I was wondering where you got the pendant lights though?? We have been looking for something very similar and those just compliment the space SO well!! You guys rock!

    Reply
    • YoungHouseLove says

      May 5, 2009 at 10:41 pm

      Hey Kristin,

      Gord wrote a list of sources for everyone above. The pendants are from Uttermost (check out http://www.uttermost.com). Hope it helps!

      xoxo,
      Sherry

  18. Amanda S. says

    May 5, 2009 at 9:16 pm

    Unbelieveably AMAZING!!! I love the color of the wood floors and I’ve never been a fan of “light” wood floors. It’s spectacular!!

    Reply
  19. Jeannine says

    May 5, 2009 at 10:39 pm

    Holy Frijole!

    Reply
  20. Allie says

    May 5, 2009 at 11:23 pm

    I can’t believe that’s the same kitchen! Really nice work.

    Reply
  21. Linda says

    May 5, 2009 at 11:30 pm

    An absolutely amazing kithcen reno!! Like AnnaMae, I to live in an apartment so my reno possibilites are limited but I truly enjoy your website and have recently become addicted. I will continue to enjoy your website and dream that my day to have a home of my own will soon be near.

    Reply
  22. Baba says

    May 6, 2009 at 4:16 am

    What a wonderful transformation! I just hope our turns out as well as this did. Great job!

    Reply
  23. Laurie says

    May 6, 2009 at 6:34 am

    Gord did an AMAZING job. I love love love the pendant lamps over the island.

    Reply
  24. Chelsea says

    May 6, 2009 at 9:29 am

    WOW! That doesn’t even look like it could be the same house! That’s incredible.

    p.s. showed you guys some love over at The Vintage Chair! Keep up the good work!

    Reply
  25. Christine says

    May 6, 2009 at 11:45 am

    OMG- we are in the middle of ours- now I am rethinking things!!!

    Reply
  26. Liz says

    May 21, 2009 at 2:02 pm

    This kitchen is amaaaaazing! I shot pictures of it to my husband, 0.5 seconds after viewing it! I LOVE the pendants over the island, grouped in a set of three. Uttermost has amazing stuff!

    Reply
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John and Sherry Sitting On Woven ChairHey, we’re John & Sherry. We’ve fixed up 7 homes, written books, designed products, started a podcast, and then downsized & moved to the beach! Here you’ll find over 3,000 DIY projects & home updates. More about us…
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