You guys. I am so excited to finally - FINALLY - be able to post all of these pictures. To set the stage for our little saga, a little background... We have lived in our home for nearly 12 years. When we moved in, we had put in a new kitchen - but it was never completely finished, and was barely functional (I had about 1 yard of counter space total). It was seriously the bane of my existence, and I cursed it daily.
Last year, we landed a pretty good sized account for the Draw Collar, and so as a little bonus to ourselves, we were planning to remodel the kitchen later this spring. Well, lo and behold, after Christmas, I noticed that the floor in front of my dishwasher had buckled. John investigated, and we found that our dishwasher had been leaking for who knows how long. We got the insurance company involved, and our timeline for a new kitchen was suddenly moved up.
This is when the clean-up company came to investigate. Basically, a really rough "before" picture.
After the floor was torn up. To the right you can see the edge of the pantry.
Time to remove the pantry that jutted out into the room.
Once the sheetrock was removed, we could get a glimpse of what the view from the stairs would be.
The pantry was removed. On the ceiling, you can see the outline of where the pantry had been.
John tried to use the opportunity to teach Bryson how to use the saw.
We chose an inexpensive, but beautiful, floor from Home Depot. John was able to install it himself.
We chose to use Ikea cabinets. So, so affordable! But, this is the view I had until I got the cabinets assembled. Overwhelming, to say the least.
The 16 year olds from our church came to help install our base cabinets.
I knew a bit of what I was going to be working with, so here is a gathering of some of the finishes I was going to use. I really wanted a pink wall. (that pink sample on the left).
I actually really quite liked it, but when John got home and saw the pink wall, he thought that the appliances were reflecting the pink, and it had to go.
When we finally got the furniture upstairs, it was wonderful. Having a place to sit was amazing. -the things we take for granted... :)
And finally, it was all installed. I'm in LOVE.
So, there you go. About 6 weeks from start to finish working evenings 2/3 times a week and on Saturdays. We have added a few more finishing touches since taking these pictures, but they will be another post that is more about decorating/styling details.
Having a functional kitchen is making a huge difference in my life - and the fact that it's beautiful is a huge bonus. I walk up my stairs every day and smile - and when the sun hits my disco ball and the polka dots spread around the room, I get a little giddy. The thing that I love the most about this is that I feel like I don't have to be jealous of anyone's kitchen ever again. Which is something that I NEVER thought I would say about my kitchen while living in this house.
I'm beyond grateful that we were able to create such an amazing space for my family. Such a blessing, and I can't wait to start preparing creative and healthy meals for us.
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