Home makeover: Kitchen

 

I have been slack about posting our home projects tht we did before all the craziness began. I actually had this post done a while back and hadn't posted it. Enjoy!

 

The kitchen was our biggest hurdle because it's a very small space, particularly when it comes to cabinet space. We tried to open up the kitchen as much as possible and utilize any extra space we could. We got rid of our second set of dishes, so we only use our nicer ones. We kept the same gray-white-black-red color scheme as the dining room to make it feel like the rooms were one. This kept all our dishes and kitchen stuff coordinated in both rooms (side note- I was really thankful we never registered for china at our wedding. Not practical for us or for this kitchen).

 

 

BEFORE (not loving that dark red, or the ridiculousy low-hanging ceiling fan. Note the reappearance of the gold, as well. That fridge was not included in the house so we had to get a new one):

 

 

AFTER (I apologize for my terrible pictures. The light coming through the porch doors made it hard to get a good shot):

 

 



I had to add some racks to the small pantry door to hold spices.

Pictures on the hallway off the kitchen.

 

Not a complete re-do, but considering the fact that it cost less than $150 (minus the fridge, which we would've had to buy no matter where we moved), it definitely served its purpose.

 

What we did:

• Painted the walls (Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray)- housewarming gift from parents
• Replaced the 27 gold cabinet knobs with silver (Amerock from Amazon.com)- $25
• Replaced the two gold doorknobs (Gatehouse from Lowes)- $25
• Mounted the knives on a magnetic strip on the wall (super easy access when cooking), mounted the paper towels (we have to move these farther back), and put in racks on the pantry for spices (Bed, Bath and Beyond for knife strip and Lowes for racks) - $50
• Replaced the ceiling fan with a flush light fixture- this made a HUGE difference, even though I couldn't get a decent picture of the light, which we love (Calypso light from Ikea) - $30
• Spray painted two frames that held our existing art (Valspar black from Lowes)- $5

 

 

Someday in the far future, we would like to:

• Try our hand at putting up a white backsplash
• Get a couple of stools for the little bar.
• Find something small to hang on the back wall.
• Maybe someday replace the table and chairs, but after our kids are older. I like having a set that I don't mind getting beat up with little kids. This is the one I've had since college. The chairs are a little small, but we are small people so it works for us.

 

Disclaimer: Our kitchen is NOT this neat on a typical day. I moved all the dirty dishes and food to take the pictures.