If you send us an email with the words “1950s ranch,” “knock down walls” and “kitchen makeover” you’ve officially piqued our interest. And when you attach before & after photos as stunning as Jessica’s, well, end of story. I’ll need a moment to pick my jaw up off of the floor. Here’s her letter:
Hey guys! I know how you love a good before and after and thought you might be interested in ours. We bought our 1950’s ranch just over two months ago and have been working around the clock to get her in tip top shape. We recently wrapped up the kitchen remodel and DIYed everything but the countertops.
Since moving into our house we’ve knocked down major walls separating the kitchen from the rest of the home, updated the electric and plumbing, installed new hardwood flooring, replaced all of the upper and lower cabinets, and added a butcher block island. We updated to stainless steel appliances, soapstone countertops, and installed a subway tile backsplash. We also added recessed lighting, pendants, and under-cabinet lighting throughout. Oh, and there was a new addition (baby Lizzy) to the family just days before moving in. Whew. It’s been a wild ride.
There’s just something special about walking into a room that you’ve literally re-built from the ground up. The industrial vibe streaming from the pendants and metal stools makes me a little weak in the knees.
Hope you enjoy this space as much as we do! – Jessica
Enjoy is one word for it, Jessica. Envy might be another. Amazing job! Thanks so much for sharing your makeover with us. Jessica’s also got more pics on her blog, plus a full budget breakdown and source list for you too. In the meantime let’s play the favorite part game. I’m really into those great pendants and the butcher block on the island. Meanwhile, Sherry loves the cabinet hardware and wants to pet the subway tile (who’s surprised?).
Psst- We announced this week’s giveaway winner, so click here to see if it’s you.
aww darn, the links to her blog don’t work…
I think it’s down from the traffic. Hope it comes back soon :)
xo
s
LOVE everything about this! We’re considering how we will change our kitchen layout when we remodel, so I’m all over these kinds of posts. Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful! Just an FYI, the links aren’t working for me…maybe it’s just my computer having issues though!
So sorry guys, I think their site is down from all the incoming traffic but hopefully it’ll be back up soon!
xo
s
everything feels so much lighter, airier and relaxing when the walls come down – looks fabulous!
We tore down three walls last summer, uniting our living room, (former) formal dining room, and (former) dark and dreary kitchen. Best decision we ever made. That whole floor of the hosue is completely transformed and also, far more useful to us as a family.
We barely lived to tell the tale, however.
I’m intrigued! Sounds like a guest post in the making, I know *I* would love to hear more!
Holy snap, crackle and pop!!! Gorgeous!!!!! I’m super jealous now!
This makeover is amazing! The colors are so fresh and by knocking down the wall it makes the space so much bigger and brighter. Great transformation!
Thank you for sharing… we are remodeling our 60’s ranch and we knocked down a wall too. But have yet to take on the kitchen. Our concept is very much like this – so the source list is WONDERFUL! Thanks YHL and Cape 27!
Aw I went to school with this girl! I was totally confused when I opened this page because I thought I was on Cape 27 on accident :). Your blog and her blog are the two that I check every day for inspiration!
So funny!! What a small world!
xo
s
I receive an error message when trying to visit her site. Did you guys crash another blog’s site again? I guess everyone is trained with your 10 & 2 posting times.
I hope to submit our house to your read redesign by next year. We have updated 3 bedrooms, a rec room, an office and tore down a wall between our kitchen and family room so far. Up next is a limited budget kitchen update.
Aw man, we’re so sorry about her site. Hope it’s up again soon! And I can’t wait to see your submissions. You know we love before and afters…
xo
s
My computer was the one having issues, sorry!
Aw, no worries, we have heard that others have had a hard time getting it to load, so it might just be overloaded.
xo
s
Wow! I love everything about it! I have a (older) white kitchen now, and I hate it, but seeing pictures like this make me want to update it and keep it white.
Love it…great job!
My first though when looking at the new kitchen was “I want to pet the tile.” Then I scrolled down. I knew you’d get me, Sherdog.
Kitchen is gorg. I love the whole thing. Off to their blog to read more. :)
Haha, digital BFFs in a digital world.
xo
s
That is STUNNING!! Beautiful kitchen!
I love it all, but especially the floors! Did they get refinished throughout the house? The dark wood is so dreamy.
Here’s hoping Jessica drops in with that info!
xo
s
Hi Miriam!
Yes, we did refinish the floors throughout the entire home. Here’s a link with a little more info: http://www.cape27blog.com/2012/02/flooring/
Jessie
Very pretty – I love how open it is now. I would love to submit my kitchen and get some ideas…..I am at a loss. It is so small (I mean UBER SMALL!), awkward shape, and so on. Maybe you could have a post on Reader Redesign Suggestions – If so, I have dibs on the first post. :-)
Ooh, try uploading it over on our facebook page (just a pic with a question or two) – folks tend to weigh in with suggestions and fun tips over there!
xo
s
Oh my goodness LOVE THIS!! The cabinets, hardware, pendants, floors, stools……..the whole thing. So pretty!!
Wow. This is absolutly stunning. Thanks for sharing!
love love love the lighting, and the sheer openness of the room!
And love the roman shade fabric.. so cute!
Thanks for sharing! We just moved into our 1950s colonial and I’m dying to update the original kitchen. Thanks for the inspiration!
Sooo gorgeous!!!
I used to actively dislike ranch style houses (having grown up in an ancient craftsman style home that I adored), but posts like this and so much of what you guys do have made me want to search around for a nice, woodpaneled dark cave house of my own to transform. That’s pretty impressive.
Oh, and just preordered the book! Hooray!
Haha, thanks Allyn!
xo
s
I’m with you! My aesthetic desire always involves lots of height, stairs, tiny spaces, nooks and crannies, the possibility of secret passageways… My old dancer’s knees and other medical issues insist on a ranch-style home with lots of open space. Ah, well.
Well done! Wow!
Wowza! That is awesome!
Wow! That is GORGEOUS! I am so envious right now..Makes me want to go start demo-ing my kitchen lol Great Job Jessica!
I love the dark floors with the crisp cabinets! They did an amazing job!
That’s amazeballs. And almost exactly the layout of our house. Only ours is a rental, so I don’t think they’d approve of us knocking down a wall or 2. Hopefully someday :)
Amazing! I love the tile and those amazing pendants! Be still my heart.
What is the email to submit reader redesigns?
It’s [email protected].
xo
s
Wow, nice work, especially with a new addition to the family. I have a six month old and can barely keep my house clean!
WHAT?! That is awesome!! I moved into a 1950s ranch style house with a little enclosed kitchen 6 whole months ago and haven’t done 5% of what they’ve accomplished. Maybe in 10 years I can submit mine too…
ooh–I love that island. but my favorite part is showing it to my tends-to-not-care-for-too-many-updates boyfriend how much they did in only two months!! awesome! :)
Really nice kitchen! Looks a lot like HouseTweaking’s kitchen!
I think another blog just crashed. LOL
I love that subway tile and would love to know what the name of the fabric used on the roman shade is.
HOLY CRAP!
That is all
YHLers have crashed another one :-D
Aw man, we’re so sorry!!
xo
s
oh.my.word. That is some transformation, it looks straight out of a magazine! I love the glass doors on the upper cabinets.
holy cow bells!! would like to see more house!
Wow, not sure how they did all that with a newborn.
We just opened up our kitchen a little by accident while we were redoing the ceiling. You can check it out here:
http://houseandten.com/2012/09/12/best-completely-unintentional-improvement-weve-made/
Still a lot more to go, but it won’t be looking like this.
Looks awesome!
xo
s
Holy crap! I can’t even believe that that is the same house. LOVE!
Holy cow. that’s beautiful I love it.
I wonder where she got the chairs at. Is she responding to the comments?
Thanks,
Nancy
http://chairswithcharacter.com
a vintage chair rental company serving colorado
If you click over at the end of the post there’s a source list for ya on her site :)
xo
s
Thanks Nancy!
Here’s a link to the stools: http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Tabouret-24-inch-Metal-Counter-Stools-Set-of-2/3879160/product.html
Jessie
Thank you thank you thank you! I just spent the last hour redesigning my future kitchen remodel because of this post. I’m so excited! This is so inspiring! Thank you! Too many !!!’s? Never!
Haha, never!!!!!!
xo
s
I am officially in love with this kitchen! Beautiful job.
I love the butcher block and the floors. I think it could use some more color though.
Amazing!! That is my dream kitchen right there lol. <3
Hmmm. Interesting. It looks nice, but they’ve tried to clone your website. From the format right down to the tutorials, to the yellow door even!
My sentiments exactly… Very nice ‘before and after’s, you can see tons of work behind it all. But nevertheless going to Cape27 blog was a HUGE deja vu after YHL… the site layout and even the language. You guys (YHL) seem to be quite contagious.
It’s so incredible, it looks Photoshopped!
Imagine this kitchen is Ryan Gosling and I’m Emma Stone (warning, there is adult language @ :09):
Oooh this is such an inspiring make-over! Love all the little details!
PS Good job on crashing another blog guys!
SHUT. THE FRONT. DOOR.
I can’t stop swearing. It’s gorgeous.
Thank you so much for the feature guys! You have no idea how ecstatic we are over here :)
Apologies to any viewers having trouble with the page loading. It seems the traffic has temporarily crashed the site. We’re working to get it fixed ASAP! Refreshing the page usually works for now. So sorry!
Aw, thanks so much for sending us the awesome eye candy Jessie! And so sorry about the site issues!
xo
s
Is that a Traveling Wilburys ref in the title? I hope so! If not, don’t think me uncool for liking the Traveling Wilburys, haha. Love this kitchen!
Haha, we have no idea who the Traveling Wilburys are, but we love it.
xo
s
I thought it was a play on Carly Simon’s “Do the Walls Come Down”!
The Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, George Harrison, Roy Orbison supergroup! Duh! Haha. Oh I sound so uncool.
It would be better if it was the Katy Perry, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Flo Rida supergroup. Yea, that’s it.
You do not sound uncool! I am also a fan of the Traveling Wilburys!
Wow–really gorgeous. I love everything about it–good job!