House Tour: The Kitchen

WARNING PICTURE OVERLOAD AHEAD!

I'm going to throw this out there but put your hand up if you also find this week to be especially sucky? *Raises Hand*

I can't believe it is only Wednesday. How I wish it were already the weekend!

So, lately it has been an on going stream of renovations at the homestead. Painting, floors, trim, electrical....the work is never ending and sometimes very overwhelming!

In order to remember why I am going through this I need this post to remind myself that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. A beautiful room at the end of all these renovations.

The kitchen was the #1 priority on my renovation list. I love to cook and create. I don't have a mudroom/entry way. The front door opens straight into the kitchen which at times can be a mess. The fact that the kitchen was the first thing people see when they enter my home is why I decided to do this project first!

The kitchen had been done in 1970 by my parents and my grandfather. There was a big addition put on the house and the cupboards were assembled and put up by Dad and Grandpa. They were beautiful really, but the floor was not stable, the cupboards were sagging and breaking, and the counter top could not be removed/replaced without removing the cupboards first.

All of this made it an easy decision as to weather or not keep the cupboards or get new ones!

It was a long process and I have to admit I was a little bit of a tyrant. I wanted it to be perfect, we were talking about a lot of money people and I was keeping this kitchen like this for the rest of my life in this house! I needed to LOVE every detail!

Here are the before pictures:

And after three months of labor, fighting with contractors and many other headaches the results.......

SOOOOOO worth every bit of stress! There isn't another room that I love more then my kitchen!

If you are ever thinking of re-doing your kitchen remember the following:

1. The kitchen cabinet people (especially big companies) will try to sell you useless junk you don't need!! Don't buy the 100$ cutlery organizer, the $20 one is just as good!

2. Set a budget and then add 15% to that number! There are always hidden costs.

3. A lot of contractors suck!!! Keep track of the amount of hours that they spend at your place because they have no problem adding more to your bill. They can see a sucker from a mile away....Hi I'm Lindsay, and I'm a sucker!

4. If you aren't a decision maker get ready to get over that! There are over a million different things you need to decide on and nothing can continue until certain things are decided.

5. DON'T go with the wine rack like I have in one of the pictures above. Or if you do, make sure your hand can fit through it for dusting purposes!

I love...

All the storage I have

My island. 6 feet of the most perfect space to mix up anything! It even has seating on the other side!

My "new" kitchen table which is actually my parents old kitchen table (see in pictures above) cut down and painted white.

I love my custom built bench that is used for seating at the table but also has a lid that lifts up for storage.

I love my heated ceramic floors.

The granite counter tops that hides dirt but also wipes clean really easily.

The beams that I left that were put up when the addition was built in the 70's. They are structural but all of the beams came from 1 large tree from a bush behind my house. Grandpa found the tree, cut the lumber and installed the beams. Every time I look at them I think of him!

There you have it my brand new kitchen, every time I cook in it I feel like I'm on a cooking show..ha ha! It was so worth the headaches and the money because now I have a space I love to work and love to entertain in!

xo