Ta Da...Our Finished Kitchen!

I first posted about our kitchen renovation waaayyy back in June!! The renovation began in July...with a couple of update posts later in July and then in August. I was starting to wonder if I would ever post the "final" pictures! Maybe you were wondering the same thing! :)

Everything was pretty much complete in August, with the exception of 2 things: a new kitchen table and a light fixture for over the table. We found a table that we love at the Pottery Barn outlet in Gaffney over Labor Day weekend. I convinced Graem to take a detour through Gaffney on our way home from the football game in Charlotte (haha, not really "on the way" at all). It was just what we were looking for -- dark wood (to contrast with our new lighter cabinets), oval, and a good size for the space. Unfortunately it would not fit in our car. So I headed back up on Monday in the truck, which turned out to our advantage because they had tagged our table as a Labor Day doorbuster! That kind of stuff never happens to me! I brought it home and it sat in our garage waiting to be assembled for...a while.

I was indecisive on a light fixture...the hardware on our cabinets is dark, almost black, and the metal on the light fixture above our sink is gray. I finally settled on a simple chandelier...the clincher was the name -- the Graham chandelier. :) It's not as dark as our hardware but it works.

The week before Christmas I finally conceded that the kitchen will never be 100% done (sorry, Graem). Our house is a work in progress. I just dropped off some prints to be framed last week which will hang on the wall beside our kitchen table. Point being, I better go ahead and post these pictures because if I wait for everything to be perfect I will be waiting forever!



























{I had originally planned to use shades on the bulbs, but I've decided I like the bare look. I want to switch the bulbs out for some round bulbs, like these.}




For our backsplash we used subway tile in a herringbone pattern behind the cooktop stove...


...and the standard pattern (I think its called railroad...or maybe train track) everywhere else...


I am really enjoying everything about our {mostly} new kitchen. I feel like there are so many things I agonized over...the hardware, the backsplash, the granite, the lighting, the paint colors...but everything really came together. I have always dreamed of building a house...well, you know, not actually building one but paying someone to build one for me. But after going through this kitchen re-do I'm not sure I could handle all the decisions that would have to be made!

Finally!

Our countertops are in!! Oh how I wish I could say our kitchen is 100% done...but now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. This week has been frustrating because of some delays with our granite. I guess I learned my lesson...just last weekend I was bragging to my cousin Alice about how quickly and smoothly everything was coming along. Oops!!

So I mentioned last week that they broke one of the pieces of granite when installing it Monday. They finally - finally (!) got it right yesterday (Saturday). It just happened to be the granite on the counter where our sink is, meaning we have been without a sink and dishwasher all week. We have been doing our best by washing dishes in the bathroom sink!

The good news is that the plumber is coming tomorrow to install the faucet, and he can turn the water on to our dishwasher. Also the electrician will be here to put in the disposal. Lastly, our backsplash will go in tomorrow.

The painters will be back at some point this week to do some touch-up painting. Our cabinet hardware will come in on Tuesday so the knobs/pulls will be up this week (after searching high & low I found the exact knobs I have been looking for at Lowe's for $3.12 each, compared to $13.17 each at myknobs.com). I need to find fabric for a cushion for the benchseat. I have been kind of halfway looking for a pedastal table for our breakfast area and at some point would like to replace the light fixture...but our kitchen will be livable again before I cross all of those things off my list!

So here are some shots of our new counters...I am immensely pleased with how they turned out!!







I have gotten some compliments on the light fixture above our sink. I picked this up 2 or 3 years ago at the Pottery Barn outlet in Gaffney. It has been hanging out in my attic for a while! It was a steal -- I got it during one of their 1/2 price lighting sales. It had some scuffs on the metal, but nothing a gray sharpie couldn't take care of!

This is what happens when you go without a sink and dishwasher for a week...


I feel like I have mostly been posting about our kitchen lately, so here are some pictures of the boys from our trip to the Saluda Shoals Splash Park last week...my camera battery ran out of juice after snapping just a couple of shots!

Coming Along...

I had to spend part of last week in Washington, DC for work. Not only was I thrilled to come home to my sweet family, but I also came home to a kitchen where much progress had been made in my absence!

The cabinet doors are up.
The new light fixtures are up.
The cabinets, island and benchseat have been painted.
The walls & ceiling have been painted.
The double oven and microwave are in.







I used the oven over the weekend to make...drumroll...cheese toast. :) Keep in mind we still don't have countertops or a stove.





In the beginning I spent so much time obsessing over the color of the cabinets that the color of the walls was an afterthought. I went with Wade's recommendation and didn't think twice about it. When I got home from DC, the color of the walls made my stomach sink. It is darker than I expected. But after looking at it all weekend I have decided that I really really like it. It is such a drastic change...from dark cabinets and light walls to light cabinets and dark walls.

The countertops & sink are being installed today...I got a call earlier that one of the slabs of granite cracked during the installation, but they will fix it.

The oven and disposal will go in tomorrow.

For the backsplash I've decided on classic white subway tile. I love the look, and I think it will complement our white trim and contrast with the walls and cabinets. The backsplash will go up on Thursday.

That just leaves the hardware (knobs & pulls) for the cabinets & drawers. I have searched high and low for what I'm looking for...an oversized plain round knob in a dark finish with cup pulls in the same finish. I have scoured catalogs and yesterday I thought I finally found exactly what I wanted. Wade checked the price today. The knobs are $9.60 each and the pulls are $15.60 each. I need 30 knobs and 9 pulls. Do the math...that is too much! So I will keep searching. If anyone has suggestions, send them my way!

I can't wait to see how the granite turned out!

Progress

Our kitchen renovation is coming right along...I think we are about halfway through with everything, or at least a third of the way. Hopefully at the latest they will be done by the end of next week.

It has been really hard to live without a stove or an oven. It is also hard to live with only a tiny bit of counter space. But the hardest so far has been living without a kitchen table. Our dining room table is not an option either because all of the stuff from our empty cabinets is currently being stored on the dining room table. It is really difficult to eat out with a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old...but without a table we can't really do take-out either! Over the weekend we set up a little kid's table for the boys which has helped.

I'm told that by the end of this week all the cabinetry and painting will be done, so at that point we can move our table back in. Next week the new countertops will be installed.

Here are some pictures from the end of last week. The cabinets have all been primed...



This is the little bit of counter space that we have to work with, which is mostly taken up by the coffee pot, sink and microwave. You can also see our new can lights in this picture {even though one bulb is not working}. Oh what a difference the new lighting makes! I love it! This week they will put in a pendant light over the sink.



The island has been wrapped in beaded board, the legs of the island have been tapered and they added a bookshelf {love}. You can see Ro in the background coming through a freshly painted white door {used to be stained}. All of the formerly stained doors are now white, this has really brightened up the rest of the house.



This cabinet is where our double oven will live...it has already been painted Benjamin Moore "Sundial," which is what all of the cabinets will be in the end, except for the island and the bench seat, which will be BM's "Chelsea Gray." The walls will be BM's "Boardwalk." Note the white doors in the background.



Sundial...it looks lighter in person...


Chelsea Gray...


Boardwalk...


They have built our bench seat and wrapped it in beaded board and primed it. It has two flip-top lids and Mason keeps calling it the "new toy box."



Less than two weeks and hopefully it will all be complete!

Empty Cupboards

I spent Sunday afternoon cleaning out some of our kitchen cabinets. Thankfully I did not have to clean out all of them, only the ones that are being re-configured, as well as the ones that will have glass doors (we are not having all of the cabinet interiors painted, only the ones with glass doors).







Oh yeah...we also had to move our table to the garage. Isn't Roper so sweet sitting there looking at his book? Don't be misled...he doesn't sit still for very long very often!


The crew arrived Monday morning as I was pulling out of the driveway. I could hardly believe how much they had done by the time I got home...all the cabinet doors were off, most of the countertops were off (good riddance), the cabinet for the new oven was in, the old oven cabinet was gone, the cooktop had been removed...lots of drastic changes!





This picture makes me feel exposed!


They saved the microwave...its a good thing we have it since we don't have a stove or an oven for the time being!


Dan was back today and worked on trim, the oven cabinet and the banquette. His work today was more tedious, so the results aren't as drastic, but you can still see lots of progress!

Way Before...

I was trying to remember exactly how our kitchen looked when we moved in and I dug up this old picture. I took this picture during our home inspection...