Kitchen with Painted Cabinets

We still have a few things to finish (mostly the counter-to-ceiling subway tile back splash) but otherwise, we're calling this project DONE.

Here are the deets: 

• Cabinets are custom made in a Shaker style, painted in BM Pale Oak 
• Counters are granite River White/Glacier White (it goes by several names) 
• Faucet is Danze Opulence
• IKEA island  - will eventually be replaced or removed
• Whirlpool dishwasher 
• Kenmore fridge (already owned) 
• Five Star 36" range  (major CL score)
• Martha Stewart hardware via Home Depot 
• Lighting from Lowe's 
• Wall color is Behr Oyster 
• Not shown: Red Oak hardwood flooring

A Story about Renovating a Kitchen

It's hard to keep the faith when your kitchen looks like this for two weeks plus:  

You begin to think it will never end.  

You begin to think that burning it all down may be the best bet, including your awesome, Craigslist-score Five Star range.

Then you realize, it will all come together. And you start to chill.

Custom Cabinets in Cary

So not much has happened on the kitchen project in the last couple of weeks. We did get the gas line put in and electrical updates completed. There are some holes in the walls that need to be patched, sanded and primed. Hoping to get our handyman in this week to get that finished up! 

Last week I did get a peek at our cabinetry! Believe it or not, custom cabs were cheaper than the quotes I got at big box stores. I would have explored IKEA options, but our "local" IKEA is in Charlotte, over 2 hours away, and it seemed like too much work to ensure our order would be accurate, plus I don't have the patience for DIY installation.

We found a great custom cabinetry maker who helped us with a vanity for our hall bath last year.  His work is great and cost-effective, too! Without any further ado:

 

I chose a simple shaker style and picked a soft, creamy white with a touch of gray from Benjamin Moore Pale Oak. I am so happy with it!

I am only using two upper cabinets and keeping the rest of the shelving open. I have read positive and negative reviews of open shelving in the kitchen but I love the look and I think it's going to keep the kitchen more open and less claustrophobic. 

Hoping we can get these installed NEXT WEEK! (Although that seems slightly unlikely, more like the week after that).

Oak Flooring in the Kitchen

After we demoed the existing cabinetry and the pantry framing in a weekend, we turned to the floor. The stuff put down by the previous owners was a laminate tile in a faux stone pattern. It was ugly and laid about 1/4" higher than the flooring in the dining room and hallway. So there was a tiny "step down" anytime you entered or left the kitchen.  NBD but one of the little things that starts to bug.  However, what I will say, is that shiz is tough!! We demoed out the entire kitchen, dragged items and tools and scraps containing nails across the floor and it took it all. Had we swept + mopped, I'm sure it would have cleaned up just fine.  Here's a shot of what they looked like under construction dust:

To replace the tuscan nightmare, I elected to use red oak hardwoods to match to the existing flooring in the adjacent dining room. The entire upstairs is red oak so I hoped this would improve the "flow" of the upstairs, which is a little choppy.

We hired out this work, no way could we DIY. The fellas arrived and promptly went to work weaving in the new floor boards into the old to create a seamless transition.

After the raw wood was laid, it's time for poly, baby! They did three coats in a satin finish. It turned out really pretty. Too pretty and now our old floors look pretty worse for the wear next to the new stuff!

Next up! Electrical, drywall patching and CABINETS!!!

Tear it Down (Kitchen Demo Details)

We started by removing the cabinet doors, relocating the fridge to the kitchen and figuring how to shut off the water.  The plumbing under the sink was a bit of a disaster so through trial and error we managed to unhook the water sources for the fridge, dishwasher, faucet and disposal. Jake hates plumbing and he grumbled through the whole thing while I played Cindy Cheerleader.

As we pulled wall cabinets down, we discovered the original pink laminate back splash. I think the entire thing was PINK! Wowzers.

 

Then we turned to removing the wall over and cabinetry surrounding it. It came out pretty easily and I was happy to discover drywall behind the cabinets, I was half-expecting to see open studs. 

The VIT (very important tools) for this project can be seen here: our reciprocating saw and "wonderbar", AKA pry bar. Those things, plus a sledgehammer, made this shebang pretty simple. 


 
On day 2, we turned to removing the drywall and framing around the pantry. This looked a little daunting, as it was built solid as a rock. We used the reciprocating saw and sledgehammer to remove the framing; with a few whacks and cuts, it went more smoothly than expected.
By the end of the day Sunday, we had the room totally cleared and ready for the flooring dudes to come first thing Monday morning!

Next up: laying new hardwoods and refinishing the adjoining dining room.

Kitchen, Way Before

As we embark on a full reno/refresh of the kitchen in our 1965 split level home, I was inpsired to look back and see how far we've come. 

When we purchased the house in January of 2009, things were in a sad state of affairs. The original owners did some "refreshes" (some good, some bad) before selling to the family before us and he bad was bad. 

 Paint solid wood cabs with latex brushes right over the hinges and magnets? Bright blue walls? Faux tile laminateflooring over 2 layers of vinyl? Check, check and check. It was like a bad episode of Design Star. I took a short video to show my mom the layout and I thought I'd share as it shows what we were working with from day 1:

Progress photos of the work we've done to come!

Progress in the kitchen

This evening, 9 bundles of red oak flooring was delivered! Goodbye faux tile flooring and hello hardwoods!

 I spent some time this weekend prepping the kitchen for demo by removing the door fronts from the cabinets and packing away most cooking implements + stuff:

I can't wait to add a bunch more counter space where the storage rack is! It's going to be so nice to have more workspace: I wish I could have seen this kitchen when it was new in the mid 60s. The wall oven was PINK! How awesome was that!?

From a Door to a Window

What I like to call Phase 2 of our kitchen remodel moved forward last week. We took a window out and slapped in a pair of french doors! This means that we can gain flexibility in the floor plan in the kitchen and gain another 3' or so of counter space. A door out on to the deck was sealed off and our fridge will slide into the space.

I'm thrilled with the progress!

Kitchen Planning

Hopefully, soon, very soon, we'll be ripping out our hideous kitchen and starting over.  It's not *that* bad, really, but it's a pretty unworkable space and 2 people trying to cook at the same time is pretty much a nightmare.

So, we're saving pennies and planning.  Here's where I am right now:

I scored this gently used Five Star range from CL - gas cooktop and electric oven with a built in griddle. It's insanely heavy - I dread the day it's got to come up the stairs; it's currently chilling in our carport cleverly disguised with an old sheet.

Digging this Glacier White granite. I think it's also called River White. It has little flecks of red, which look like natural garnets. I like Silestone, too, but it's going to be out of the budget.

Source: gorgeousshinythings.blogspot.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

I was leaning towards a light grey or white cabinet, but these navy lowers are so sharp! I wonder if I would tire of them easily?

Source: centsationalgirl.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

I want mostly open shelving uppers, which will be a lighter color or natural wood. I think that will balance the rich navy lowers nicely.  I may shave a few pennies off by trying some kind of IKEA shelving options here.  I can hear my husband groaning across town at this DIY idea.

Which Kartheiser do we prefer?

Mad Men style or Scruffy?

I never gave Pete a second thought, until last episode...

Recipe for Simple yet Luxe Art

Just assemble these items:

Paper Source fine paper with gold inking ($6/sheet, plus shipping for me because we don't have one in town)

Natural or white burlap from anywhere (I popped in JoAnn for mine)

 

And these budget frames from Michaels (seriously, they are cheaper and possibly better than the old standby Ribba's from IKEA).  I paid $12 for this giant frame in woodgrain:

And my result:

Leopard Upholstery Fabric

Found where else, eBay! I'm going to re-upholster my x-bench with this. Doesn't every room need some leopard?

(BTW, have you noticed eBay bucks yet?  I guess it's credit earned by buying/selling on eBay. Pretty sweet)

I've also been looking at serapes but haven't pulled the trigger quite yet.  

Coral Skinny Jeans

Can I say that these $30 colored skinny jeans from JC Penney rock? Soft, stretchy, lightweight and fit my fuller lower half well.

JCP's having a bit of a moment. I'm liking their new look, branding and products.  There's still a lotta fug in there, for sure, but some great, affordable pieces, too.

Where I've Been

I took a wee break and hopped on a boat with my mom to the Eastern Caribbean.

We layed in the sun -- and looked at the sea.

Did a little bit of shopping

And sightseeing...but mostly just enjoyed the lovely shades of blue of the Caribbean...

Time to get back at it.

Mah Rug's Here

eBay rug has lived here with us for a few weeks and I like it.  I had a hard time finding one at least 14' long but only 30" wide and that wasn't an arm and a leg. This is a new wool rug so it's not all worn and yummy and vintage like I would prefer but with two people and two animals walking on it daily, it should flatten our and start to get a patina (can I use the word patina in reference to a textile? probably not).

New Doors!

Our house, built in 1963, came into our possession in a semi-original state. The original hardwoods are intact upstairs, the funny little doorbell chime box is still there and a few of the light fixtures have come around the bend into vintage-cool territory again.



However, our interior doors were in *bad* shape. They were those lovely flat panel, hollow core jobbers that were really closer cardboard panels than doors. They were also undercut at some point to accommodate browny-green shag carpeting. In the 1970s when people were on such huge quantities of drugs that shag carpeting in unnatural colors was in. I knew the doors had to go.

I ordered some doors from Lowes and we had our handyperson come over and hand them for us.  A job that's best left to the pros, IMHO.

Yay!  Real, solid, sound-blocking doors!  I'm all growned up!  I am in the process of painting them all Doves Cry.  I love the soft gray so much I might consider this color for our kitchen cabinets once we're ready to jump into that project.