Last spring, Travis and I bought our first house. We were so excited, and so naive. Turns out home ownership is no joke, but so far so good.
While we were looking, Travis was VERY particular about the integrity of the home (you know, structural stuff, roofing, plumbing, electrical…boooring.) My focus was on the potential for a beautiful kitchen, of course! After lots of searching and a little frustration, we came across a little yellow house with great bones, a GIANT Oak Tree in the backyard, and a large (terribly outdated) kitchen.
Thankfully, Travis is a very handy man, and what he can’t do, his dad can. My contribution to the project was long hours spent on Pinterest and watching all-the-episodes of “Fixer Upper.” Before moving in, we did a pretty major kitchen overhaul, and I am very proud of the work we (mostly Travis) put into it. It turned out just how I envisioned it, and proved what can be done on a tight budget with a little hard work!
Before:
Looking in from the living room. The second we walked into the house, I said, “Well that wall’s gotta go!”
During:
Loved seeing that wall come down!
Here’s the rest of the kitchen before and during!
Before:
Looking in from the small doorway.
During:
With tearing down that wall came the need to move the gas line. That was quite a headache, but Travis had the help of his dad for that major step.
Travis also had to add in a support beam, and we decided to make it visible to stand out as a feature dividing the rooms.
Once the demo was complete, things really started to come together!
Here is proof that I contributed to the project! Lots of late nights spent painting. Fortunately, the cabinets were in great shape, just needed a few fresh coats of paint to bring them into this century.
That floor though!
Much better…
Love that giant sink!
Just about there! Subway tile back splash up, a shiplap feature on the end of the bar, and MY STUFF getting unpacked!
Finally..as it stands today!
After
My favorite personal touch is this little recipe frame. I had so much fun looking through old recipes to find something handwritten from my grandma, Mary Louise and great grandmother, Margaret. And of course, had my mom write down her famous Tomato Pie Recipe. I think this will always be my favorite keepsake.
It was such a trip looking back to how it stood when we first saw the house, the demo and destruction that ensued, and finally how it looks today! I sometimes forget how dated it was, how far we’ve come, and all the work that went into making it what it is today. I am so grateful that it was in such good shape and just needed a facelift. And thank goodness for Travis being able to make my Pinterest dreams come true!
A few notes:
The cabinet paint color was Clark + Kensington Charcoal Cashmer. If you are looking into painting your own cabinets, we found that lightly sanding and wiping down the wood worked better for us and offered more of a color selection than the kit that you can get at a home improvement store. Coming from the perfectionist, there were times I felt like I had made a big mistake painting them myself because the cabinets never quite looked perfect. But once I stopped looking so closely and at every little streak, it was much better than I was giving myself credit for! Getting rid of the florescent lights helped a lot too 🙂
The wall color is the perfect “greige.” It is Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter. We did pretty much the whole house in that color and I love how it is understated and neutral.
What does your dream kitchen look like? What color cabinets? Counter tops?
I do love my kitchen now, but can’t help but browse other styles. I love all the grey, but maybe we will do something different in our next house? A girl can dream!
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