this is our eat in kitchen (amazing how more cluttered it looks in the photo..gosh, LOL). i love the size of it. HOWEVER, i couldn't stand the dark brown cabinets that came w/ our home. but knew we would rid of them someday.
we started backwards...thing is we had plans on just refinishing the wall cabinets & replacing them w/ matching doors to the floor cabinets. but after pricing a variety of styles/colors from different places, we decided to replace them all together, but later. since the man wanted Ikea cabinets i got granite counter tops like i wanted. a happy medium ;)
we were going to go with white. believe me i wanted white cabinets in a seriously bad way. then i thought about the upkeep of having to keep them clean. OMG, i am annoyed at cleaning all the white doors in the house, so i can't imagine having to constantly wipe the cabinets down weekly either.
we spent an entire day removing everything out of the cabinets to putting all the floor cabinets together. OMG, what a daunting task. we were both sore for several days.
after we came home from dinner, kids were placed in their jammies & watched a movie while we finished the rest of the cabinets. by 1030, i walked into the family room & they were quietly asleep. so sweet!
we were up til 1230 am putting the last of the cabinets together & making sure they fit where they will be living permanently.
we ordered our granite on a Saturday & they came to measure that Monday...
then Tuesday, our countertops were installed...only took them about 2 hours. Tim started working on the plumbing later that evening. we ordered a garbage disposal b/c the old one had a broken seal & needed to be replaced.
our appliances will be mixed white & stainless steel until we decide to replace the white one. we did buy a new dishwasher, LOVE it!!!
fast forward....
a two weeks later, we were excited to pickup the wall cabinets!! Tim took an extra day off from work so he could install the brackets & cabinets and make adjustments before installing the doors.
our kitchen table was filled all the way around...
Tim put cabinets together in the garage...
while i put them together in the family room, which is where they lived for a couple of days.
that blank spot on the left, we had a cabinet that was too small, so Tim had to exchange it for a larger one...the hard part of installing the cabinets is over. now the doors, shelves & door handles (my job)
under cabinet lighting installed. we still have to install lighting under the single cabinet by the phone & under the cabinets by the fridge...
as of today, this is what the kitchen looks like...
there is a new stainless steel range hood. since our fridge is only 6 years old, we will keep it for at least another 4 years before replacing it w/ a new stainless french door w/ freezer at the bottom & the stove, well, i am saving up for a double oven flat stove top. i have been wanting one in a bad way! hopefully in the next year or two i will have it ;)
i still have to adjust the cabinet doors & wipe down the cabinets a bit...
the cabinet to the left of the dishwasher was an added bonus...that is where our bakers rack was. adding that has really made the kitchen seem larger & it's nice having the extra counter top space, too.
these new cabinets are much longer. as you can see, we have to readjust a few light switches & outlets so they are not hiding, lol.
under mount sink was a must! i love it. i can fit my largest pampered chef pan in the sink flat!!!!
here is a close up of the granite...
all my spices & some dry herbs sat above my stove, but now they have a happy home inside the cabinet.
adding the corner cabinet was such a good idea...gave us a lot more storage. weird at first w/ having that opening at the very top though. i will find something decorative to put up there later.
we went w/ drawers, too...this was a must. lots of room for all our plates, bowls & the kids cups.
as you can see, we still have to add the kick plates to the floor cabinets & the decorative strip under the wall cabinets. both super easy. we plan on installing tile flooring next year & it's nice to know the kick plates will be really easy to remove once we are ready to replace the vinyl flooring.
this side of the kitchen is used for baking...i like having a separate area in the kitchen we can use for baking cookies & cakes.
i was going to keep the walls blue, but after seeing the new cabinets in place, the blue just doesn't work. so the next big thing is choosing color, more neutral. i am looking at having a painter come in to paint our kitchen & the hall/foyer area, too. the mobile island is also going to be repainted & that won't happen until i figure out the wall color.
the next big challenge is picking the back splash. i know what i want & have a few samples, but i am wanting something different from what i have. i just need to do some shopping around to find the right mix of colors for the style i want & will share pictures when done.
