Hi friends! It’s so hard to believe how fast this month has gone by! We have been dabbling in a bunch of little projects here and there and have realized that the renovation process has gone quite differently in this house than our last one. With all of us at home 24/7, it has been really hard to get things accomplished, not to mention the delays on materials due to Covid. But we have pushed through and can almost see the vision for our kitchen renovation plan come to life.
Before I share our plans, let’s take a step back and remember where we started. The kitchen was a dingy, white and dated. The cabinets were original to the home, but were probably refaced in the last 20 years. The floors are a grey laminate, and the appliances, minus the refrigerator were updated stainless but unfortunately not functioning properly. The refrigerator was about 20 years old and very nasty, but I took one for the team, and cleaned it thoroughly when we moved in so as not to rush to make a decision on a new one to early on.
Where we started:
One of the first things to go was the range hood and soffit. It was an eyesore and it blocked a ton of light from entering the breakfast nook.
Demo Fun:
Original (General) Floor Plan:
The Floorplan we decided to go with:
We decided to eliminate the penninsula, and moved the oven to the sink wall to really open up the space. We decided to keep the functionality of a double pantry because I just really love having them (can you tell:)
Sink wall with stove
Refrigerator wall w/ pantry cabinets
The Cabinets
After spending weeks planning our kitchen through Ikea, we found out pretty quickly that most of their cabinet frames were out of stock and back ordered for months due to Covid– so we needed to seek out an alternative option. We ended up going with Home Depot’s Hampton Bay Designer Series Cabinets, which are supposed to be a step up from the basic in-stock cabinetry in both quality and in the options that are provided. At first glance these cabinets are quite beautiful, simple, and would do the job to update this kitchen on a budget. We paid about $3k for the following cabinets:
- 2-18″x90″ pantry cabinets
- 1-36″ pots and pans drawer base
- 2-refrigerator side panels
- 1-over the refrigerator cabinet
- 1-30″ sink base,
- 1- 15″ trash pull out cabinet
- 1-15″ drawer base cabinet and
- 1-12′ drawer base cabinet
- Toe kicks
- Filler strips
Once we received the cabinets and opened them up to finally inspect them–about a week after they arrived, we came to find that 4 out of the 8 cabinets we ordered were damaged. On one of the cabinets the holes for the drawer glides were all stripped, causing the drawers to be unattached from the cabinet frames, on another the cabinet front was damaged. On one of the pantry cabinets, it was basically smashed on the side, and lastly, the above the fridge (bridge) cabinet was completely smashed as well. While they will be replacing the cabinets, it caused an entire months delay, pushing back our already stretched out timeline. This was extremely disappointing considering we had held off for so long, we really could have just waited on the Ikea cabinets. I don’t think I would have felt so bad if these cabinets were readily in stock in the stores, but the fact that I now have to wait a little over a month not knowing what condition the next cabinets will be in, really bums me out. But, that’s water under the bridge, right?
So let me share what we were living like for the past few months:
I put up some basic open shelving, and painted the base cabinets a blue color. We wired for a sconce over the sink and removed the old lighting.
And then some progress:
After living with the blue cabinets for a while, I got board and was going to repaint the cabinets a creamy gray, and then I had a real come to Jesus moment, like Carli, don’t do this to yourself, lol.
Once the cabinets arrived, I re-routed the electrical wires for the stove so that we could move it to the sink wall and free up that bottle neck that was literally the bane of my existence.
We removed the rotted old sink. Patched up the walls and filled gaps so no critters could get in. In the pic below you can see that this window was much larger at some point, however, when they filled it in they didn’t do a great job, so we believe it was a major entryway for mice in the past (there was a ton of evidence behind these nasty cabinets-gag!!).
Then we started playing around with cabinet layout-dry fitting everything in place. I think this is my favorite part of DIYing a kitchen. I can’t imagine allowing someone else (a kitchen designer) who hasn’t spent time in a space, tell me how it would work best for me or my family. I think that’s why I enjoy being able to purchase cabinets from Ikea. Because you can add and take away if need be, and truly customize your space to your liking.
We were pretty thrilled to get the last of the old dated cabinets out, and we are ready to embrace this clean slate! I am grateful for the old kitchen though, being without a kitchen is no fun, and it could have been worse, but now we look forward to seeing the rest of this space come together.
Now let’s talk about the fun stuff!
*This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Which means if you click on a product link and make a purchase, Made by Carli will receive a small commission.
1// Ceiling Light
I’ve been eyeing this light for a while, I love that it’s clean and modern and mixes a little black with gold in a classy way. It’s been out of stock for a while, so I’m praying I can snatch one up (or something similar, before it’s discontinued.
2// Wall Sconces
I actually ordered these sconces for the bathroom but they just didn’t fit with the rest of the design, so I decided to use them in the kitchen.
3// Open Shelves
Since there isn’t much wall or counter space in this kitchen for that matter, I decided to go with open shelves in 2 places: next to the sink, and over the pots and pans drawer. I’m a fan of open shelves and have used them in both of my past kitchens.
4// Ranghood (DIY)
In our last house we chose a stainless steel range hood, but in this kitchen I really wanted a more built-in look so I will DIY a range hood like I did here. The image in the collage is a good I’m inspired by from Michael at Inspired by Charm.
5 and 6// Paint Colors
I am using SW Snowbound for the upper portion of the walls and Behr Ginger Sugar for the wainscoting
7// Counters:
We were going to go with a quartz countertop like we did in our last kitchen, but when Daltile reached out, we decided to look at a few slabs of their quartzite. We chose a beautiful creamy colored stone called Mont Lucia. We love it because it’s very unique with its beautiful rust veining throughout. We will use it as counters, along with a 4″ backsplash and then a slab backsplash behind the range. Daltile is graciously providing the slab, and we pay for fabrication and installation.
8// Refrigerator
We decided on this Samsung side by side refrigerator. We love that it has no handles, the ice maker is in the door, and the finger print resistance is key for our big family.
9// Faucet
For our Faucet and sink, we are collaborating with Elkay. Elkay has an amazing selection of sinks and faucets. I chose this pull down style in matte black and chrome. We are all very used to a pull down faucet from our old kitchen, and I like that it has an industrial type feel.
10// Sink
Friends! This sink is going to be so amazing, seeing how we will have little counterspace. The Elkay Workstation, provides so much function with all of its added accessories, it’s the perfect way to maximize workspace in the kitchen.
11 & 13// Appliances: Samsung Electric range, Dishwasher
13// Cabinets
*I discussed these above
14// Knobs
15// Handles
I found these cabinet knobs and drawer handles at Ikea. I like that they are simple and come in large size.
16// Floors
We decided to remove the laminate floors and will replace them with hardwood to match the floors in the dining room and living room.
We are so excite to wrap this kitchen up. Our goal is to create a warm and inviting kitchen, which will become the heart of our home. Stay tuned for what’s up next:
Next up: DIY Vent hood and New floors
