Hey guys! It was so fun sharing the first “after” tour of our 9th flip with you before we took a little detour into house building. Now I’d love to give you a few more peeks into this great house. Next up . . . the kitchen!
In truth, there was nothing “wrong” with the original kitchen – the layout was awesome, it had white cabinets, and it was a really good size. But . . . its age was starting to show, and a lot of the details were dated.
Since they layout was already working really well, we kept it basically the same, with the exception of trading out the double ovens and cook top for a freestanding range.
I’m going to fill you in on three little tricks I used in this kitchen that always go a long way towards making any kitchen feel brighter, larger and of-this-century:
(1) removing the furrdown above the cabinets and taking the cabinets to the ceiling
(2) taking the backsplash tile to the ceiling in at least one area
(3) adding a few recessed lights
Works like a charm!!
This kitchen is definitely a classic “white” kitchen, with white painted cabinets, a subway tile backsplash, a last minute switcheroo to a Caesarstone countertop in Frosty Carina. We originally planned to install carrera marble counters but the couple purchasing the home was concerned (and not without reason) about potential staining and maintenance issues down the road with such a delicate stone. The Frosty Carina was a great alternative!
The image above from the Caesarstone website is a decent representation of what Frosty Carina looks like in person, although it’s reading a bit more beige onscreen than it does in real life. It’s white with subtle gray veining and is manufactured to resemble carrera marble.
Just off the kitchen is a great little breakfast nook…
…with a built-in hutch.
With just a little tweaking (and a lot of wallpaper removal!), the breakfast nook has become the perfect place for casual family meals.
Through that little vestibule that you see in the photo above is a powder room straight ahead and the laundry room to the left (which then leads to the attached garage). Here’s how the powder room looked before…
…and here it is now.
Sorry for the sub-par photo, it’s a small, window-less room that’s really hard to photograph!
I always think it’s fun to see how completely insane things look while the “before” is becoming the “after,” so here are a few in-progress shots from the renovation.
Things always look worse before they look better, right?
P.S. I wish I had better photos of this house, but since it was never listed for sale we didn’t get around to having professional photos taken. Mistake!
I believe all kitchens should be white – its timeless and gorgeous! I also think it was a great idea to bypass the marble. Not worth the trouble, in my opinion.
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I love white kitchens too! And I absolutely love a corner sink/window combo – hard to find the corner window, but it’s great to have…
I absolutely love the dark herringbone floor tile!
Did you spray the cabinets?
Yay, I love them too! Yes, the cabinets were sprayed.
I LOVE white kitchens! I like all your choices, and think your 3 rules to expand the feel of a kitchen are wonderful. Look what it did to turn your ugly ducking of a tired kitchen into a sensational swan! The photos that came between the beginning and end are crazy; you really must have a clear vision to see it through to the end!
Light, bright, and beautiful! Thanks for the CeasarStone idea. I’ve been considering marble for bathrooms, and that’s a pretty alternative.
You have definitely worked hard on this project. Kudos! The kitchen looks neat, vibrant and everything seems to be in their proper place. Planning, carefully planning before starting in any project is indeed a very helpful factor in the success of your renovation. I wonder if custom Roman blinds would work great on your kitchen windows. It can block of the heat especially on humid areas and you could even surprise your kids outside by keeping your kitchen creations a surprise. You could even have these corner windows serve as the focal point in your kitchen. It’s just an idea that pop-up in mind. Nonetheless, the kitchen looks fab!
Hello, Your kitchen is lovely. May I please have your wall color name? Is it gray?
Have a wonderful day!
Thanks Alice! It’s SW 6197 Aloof Gray – hope that helps! :)
I love this! This is definitely a great kitchen to start off with, too – really well laid out. Love the counters! Thanks for sharing.
This turned out great – you guys always do such a great job!!!! Would you be ok sharing where the cabinets are from?? Thanks :)
Hey Jacquie! They’re from a local cabinetmaker – if you’re in the DFW-area shoot me an email and I’ll send you their info! :)
Thank you SO much for answering my question so quickly!!! We are in VA but I’ll look around here for some local cabinet guys :) Keep up all of the amazing work – I love seeing all of your amazing transformations!!!
Amazing! I need to share this post with a few of my neighbors that have the identical original kitchen layout, complete with corner window / sink; what a transformation.
I’m plan to paint my cabinets soon. Can you share the white used on the cabs? I’m finding selecting a good white paint color to be h-a-r-d.
Thanks, Robin
Hi Robin! The cabinet paint is Sherwin Williams Alabaster (7008) in semi-gloss oil-based paint. And you’re right, white paint is SO hard!!!
Hi! Your before and after photos are lovely! I’m so glad I found your blog- it’s the prefect balance of pretty design AND substance. I find many home bloggers are just focused on pretty pictures and no education or stories- not yours. I’m interested in getting into flipping houses and I’m bookmarking your blog- thanks!
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Thanks so much Rebecca, that means a lot! :)
Hi, love the floors. Could you share what was used, tile? What color grout? Where was it purchased?
Thank you!
Hi Jen! They’re Uptown Antracite from Floor & Decor, and we used Winter Gray grout (although I would recommend using something like Delorean Gray or a more common grout color instead because Winter Gray was almost impossible to find!).
Wow!! Totally Eye Catching view. I am so impressed by seeing your kitchen and very much eager to give same type of decoration to my own kitchen. Thanks
Wow! looks absolutely wonderful! Every thing is perfectly. I love it thank you for sharing this post.
The removal of the wallpaper really opened up the kitchen space as far as appearance. The white room with the silver appliances really gives you a clean slate to work with. You have a wide selection of decor or color palettes to choose from.
Beautiful kitchen!!! Can you please tell the make and model of the range you installed? Thanks!
I have to say you guys did a amazing job with the renovation.
It’s so much brighter now, I love it! Great work :)
The new look of the kitchen is much better than the old one. It’ much more brighter and looks really comfy. Well done!
Beautiful renovation! White kitchens always look amazing. The room is brightly lit now and the new tile floors look great too. Renovating your house is always exciting! Great job, can’t wait to see your future upgrades.
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Hello! I love following your work. I am curious…how long did you vet your current set of contractors? Did you sub out each job? Did you go through several “bad” cabinet makers/painters/tile installers/etc before finding the team that meets your standards? What was that process like?
Hi Collette, great question! In a nutshell, it’s a constant process. Some trades will be great for years and then they disappear, or you admire someone’s work for another builder and then hire them for the next job. We try to start new trades out on smaller jobs, but that’s not always possible. And yes, we sub out each job. So now we have a core team of trades, with some switching out every so often. I hope that answers your question, let me know if it doesn’t!