Saturday, August 28, 2010

Kitchen Makeover: The Big Reveal

Well, it's official. After six weeks (seven if you count the week we were gone in Utah) our kitchen is finally done! It took far more time, money, and effort than we had planned on, but we are thrilled with the results. So here it is, the moment you have been waiting for! ;)

This is the before shot (This is actually what the kitchen looked like one year ago when we bought the house. We installed the stainless appliances when we first moved in. But in fairness, that was a change we made to the kitchen).

Ta-da! The after shot!

Before...

...And after!

Before


After


We replaced the dirty cream colored sink with a shiny new stainless one. We also put in the fancy pull-down faucet, which I already love!

We replaced all the hardware, too. I wanted something sleek that would parallel the curvature of the appliance handles.

Seems like it worked out!

Here's a close-up of the backsplash. Adam and I didn't have a clue what we were doing, but we just sort of went for it one night. It might be my favorite part of the kitchen!

This is a close-up of the granite. I will freely admit I had nothing to do with the countertop installation. Adam and his friend, Justin, did it all in one Saturday (thanks SO much, Justin!) They did a fabulous job!

And here's a couple close-up shots of the cabinets. I did most of the work on the cabinets.

I painted them ivory, and then applied a dark brown glaze. It took six coats in all (primer, two ivory coats, glaze, and two lacquer coats)! This project took the most time by far of the whole renovation. I thought at times I might never be done with it!

Things we learned how to do over the last six weeks:
*Un-hinge and re-hinge doors
*Glaze cabinets
*Install cabinet hardware
*Use an electric sander
*Cut and lay tile
*Grout tile
*Install a bathroom vanity bar
*Spackle drywall holes
*Connect and disconnect drains/water lines
*Reset a garbage disposal
*Caulk a seam
*Install a sink/faucet
*And that's just scratching the surface!

Most of these things were actually extremely easy to do, but as we never had occasion to do them before, we just didn't know how! I am not sure if I mentioned this before or not, but we are actually re-doing the half bath right off the kitchen, too. It's not quite there yet, but we are hoping we'll have it finished by next weekend.
Several people have asked me what my next project is. I'll admit, there are some ideas brewing, but I think I am ready for a little break! I am looking forward to spending my nights watching a TV show or curled up with a book in hand, rather than a drill, paintbrush or trowel in hand! This has been an insane amount of work, but now that it's over, I can say it has all been worth it.

We couldn't be happier with the results!

19 comments:

Brian, Emily, Charlie, and Lucy said...

This is AMAZING! Holy Cow -- I am so beyond impressed that you guys did all of that on your own!!! When we buy a house (someday), will you guys come redo it?

Kim said...

AHHHHH!!! I love love LOVE it!!!

C.J. said...

Looks good guys! Congratulations.

Beth said...

I'm glad you posted pics, because I didn't get a chance to get a good look the other day. WOW. I am so, so impressed! What a huge project, I'm amazed at the difference! We (meaning my father-in-law and husband .. Nathan's looking over my shoulder right now) did a basement bathroom last year and it took nine months or something to finish. And I don't think it was quite this involved. And I still need to decorate. :-P Yeah, I'm so coming to you for home improvement and decorating tips. A-maz-ing!!

Mari said...

Woo hoo, that is fantastic! Excellent work you guys, I love the cabinets especially. The stain on the white looks great.

brandandbrit said...

It looks beautiful! I love you taste! You did an amazing job! When I own a house and do so remodeling I now know who to go to for advice!

Angie said...

It looks awesome! Doesn't it feel good to get a project finished? I'm excited to see what comes next (and how soon next comes)!

Gbean said...

A VERY ambitious project that paid off BIG time!!! There's something about hard work and your own elbow grease that makes it all feel worth it!!! LOVE IT! A rest is definitely in order...After our latest apartment project, I need one too. Couldn't we meet on some island somewhere and relax? Man does that sound good right now!

LeChem Fam said...

Looks so awesome! Thanks for dinner tonight, SOOOOO sorry my kids & Jeff are a little crazy! ;)

MamaT said...

I LOVE it. I can't wait to come see the new and improved Marchant house. I hope you don't mind me just inviting myself over. I love seeing house upgrades.

Shannon Gish said...

Thank you for sending your blog site. (I can't get over how the boys have grown!!) Your kitchen looks FABulous!

Allison said...

Wow! I LOVE it! 6 coats on the cupboards-I think I might have gotten impatient through that. I love the detail. And the red curtain you added- Looks good with the colors of your kitchen too.

Michelle said...

WOW Meggin!! It looks amazing! That is so fun, I love it. I love how you did the cabinets.. All the hard work paid off! Cute wedding pics. That was the best day, it was fun to see you and your fam.

Melissa said...

LOVE love love it!!! You did an amazing job on the cabinets...really impressed. It's so fun to work on projects together too as frustrating as it becomes.

Dan and Brittany said...

Awesome Meggin. I can't believe you guys did that, I'm not sure we would ever attempt to tackle something like that!

Megan said...

You guys did an amazing job!! I LOVE it!!

Shannon said...

Wow! It looks wonderful. I would love a kitchen like that!

Mary Ann (Crockett) Ahlstrom said...

WELL DONE! It looks amazing. I can't imagine how much time the cabinets took but you should be very proud. It all turned out LOVELY!

Heather said...

so pretty - love the tile work and your eye for design is AMAZING

way to go
how gorgeous