Kitchen Refresh and a New Year

First post of the New Year. Lots of ideas and goals for this new decade. But before I bore you with that, let’s get to the pretty pictures.

This post has been a long time coming. The job was actually completed back in November, but we waited on appliance pulls (still waiting on one) and a few other details before I had time to do a glamour shoot of the new space.

The idea to paint the cabinets was actually a byproduct of another paint project entirely. The kitchen opens to a two-story great room with lots of windows that reflect quite a bit of yellow-green light into the room. And the gorgeous floor in there is a dark orange terracotta tile. The result was a lot of warm yellow light bouncing around everywhere.  I felt like I needed to balance all that warmth with a cool color somewhere, but I didn’t want it to be the walls of that great room.  And I spied the cabinets.

I have always been a fan of white kitchens. In fact, I had all of my cabinets painted white in our Kansas City home several years ago.  But I suddenly felt like these had to be grey-blue.  And I knew there was no way I was going to get Jay on board if I didn’t Photoshop it.

And so, one afternoon, I did.

original

photoshopped

original

photoshopped

These two pictures were enough to convince Jay we needed to make the change.  I spent the next few weeks getting bids and talking to painters and we were underway in less than a month.

When we first looked at this house last year, the kitchen stopped me in my tracks. The counter-to-ceiling glass front cabinets, butcher block, and professional cooktop were stunning. I was even more surprised to learn that the kitchen had been remodeled in 1989. It was 30 years old. The owner at the time owned a restaurant downtown and it was evident from the choices he made. Am I ever grateful. Quality craftsmanship and design lasts the test of time, my friends. And DRAWERS. All the drawers you can handle.

before

after

Recent upgrades had been made to the rest of the appliances, the farmhouse sink and granite surround. At some point, a beverage fridge was added to a small peninsula near the range, and that easily compensates for the loss in cubic space that a counter-depth refrigerator can have.

You can see here how the great room would influence the kitchen so much .  The beams had been painted white when we bought the house, but I had them painted brown soon after we moved in. I think they help reflect the Tudor style of the home.

One of the sweetest things is this little water spout for pets. We use it all the time!

I am so glad we hired this project out. The doors were all removed, and then cleaned, primed, and sprayed offsite. And speaking of doors… the seven 10-frame doors had to have the glass cut out before painting, so that when the glass was reset and sealed, you wouldn’t see any of the white underneath. Doug and his crew (and my dad, at one point!) worked with painstaking precision to make sure that when these beauties were open, they would look just as good as they do when shut.

I love it so much. The grey-blue could read dark; instead, it further cozies up the space. When I come down in the morning to make my coffee, I still cannot believe this amazing kitchen is ours. We’ve gone through a couple parties and are figuring out how it best works for entertaining and holiday cooking.

The previous owner had a table in the middle of the room, and I do go back and forth on that. If I came across a small counter height farm table one day, I’d probably jump on it for this space. I would want to tuck a couple stools underneath. For now, we are being forced to– GASP — eat at the dining table. What a revelation. I will say we eat more as a family like this.  It’s much less hurried. So maybe the table stays out for now…

Curious how close the photoshop was? (Click on the photos to enlarge.)

Pretty cool, huh?

Do you have a space that you are itching to change? Are you curious to try a new paint color or furniture in a room? I can take some of the uncertainty out of that project before you even start.  Email me for rates and details.

I’m also looking to post one a weekly basis this year. Let’s see if I can keep to that schedule. My calendar is booking up with clients and projects that I am dying to share!

Kitchen details:
Paint: Benjamin Moore Advance, Color: reduction of FB DeNimes by 25%
Painter: Wonderwall Painting, LLC, in Columbus, Ohio
Rug: Loloi 

Appliances are Kitchenaid, except for the rather vintage Viking Range.