PDA

View Full Version : A total kitchen transformation....


Cookiebaker
10-11-2006, 10:58 AM
I finally got around to taking some pictures now that Mark found the camera battery and charger :D; and I just wanted to share the complete makeover my kitchen has recently experienced.

First, the old pictures:

http://www.pt.plainolpup.com/old%20kitch1.JPG

http://www.pt.plainolpup.com/old%20kitchen1.JPG

http://www.pt.plainolpup.com/old%20kitchen2.JPG

And NOW, for the new.......


http://www.pt.plainolpup.com/kitch2.JPG

http://www.pt.plainolpup.com/kitch3.JPG

http://www.pt.plainolpup.com/kitch4.JPG

http://www.pt.plainolpup.com/kitch1.JPG

We still have some small touching up to do. For example: install the under cabinet lights; install outlet covers; install the plate under the dishwasher; polyurethane (sp?) the bay window and sliding glass door; etc. etc. But we are FINALLY getting there!!! :D :cool:
JenBKR
10-11-2006, 11:01 AM
:eek: Is that even the same kitchen? Wow it looks great! I'm jealous!!
popcornbird
10-11-2006, 11:02 AM
Wow, wow, wow!!! Is that really the same kitchen? :eek:

Its GORGEOUS!!! Congratulations. There's nothing like having a lovely, spacious, clean, and new kitchen, all to yourself. Cooking will be so much more fun now! :D
Pembroke_Corgi
10-11-2006, 11:06 AM
Haha, I was going to ask if it was the same kitchen too! :D

Your new kitchen is beautiful, and I especially love your new floors! (But I also think your old kitchen was nice & cozy looking too).
Karen
10-11-2006, 11:27 AM
What kind of flooring is that? The new kitchen looks great! :)
Uabassoon
10-11-2006, 11:33 AM
It looks amazing! I'm so jealous of your kictchen!
Logan
10-11-2006, 11:34 AM
Oh Anna, it is simply gorgeous!!!!!! :) What a transformation!!!!! I know this has been a tough renovation, but so worth it in the long run!!!!! I'm so excited for you.

Logan
catlover4ever
10-11-2006, 11:43 AM
If you did not tell me that that was the old kitchen I never would have beleived it........what a transformation!!!!!
krazyaboutkatz
10-11-2006, 11:46 AM
Wow!!! What a difference. It's gorgeous.:D
Cookiebaker
10-11-2006, 12:11 PM
Thank you so much for the nice comments!! :)

Karen, the flooring is Brazillian Cherry hardwood. We love it, but are disappointed only in how easily it gets marked or dented. But we love the color and how it turned out besides that.

I am loving cooking in the new kitchen. It's so different than the other one, mainly because I have counterspace to work on now. SUCH a big difference!!

Thank you again! :)
Samantha Puppy
10-11-2006, 12:13 PM
You know you're all grown up when you get jealous of someone else's KITCHEN!!!! It looks fabulous and you are so lucky to have the two-tiered oven!!!! Oh man... color me green.
lizbud
10-11-2006, 12:16 PM
Wow, it's gorgeous. Are you sure this is the same house? :D You guys
certainly did an outstanding job. Do you freelance? I have this kitchen...... :)
jazzcat
10-11-2006, 12:36 PM
We are planning to remodel our old 70s style kitchen next spring. Wouldn't you and Mark like to come help?? :D ;)

You did a great job and it looks fantastic! Looks like you picked the same finish for your cabinets that I want. I think it's Spice Maple or something like that. I LOVE the new windows too!
kimlovescats
10-11-2006, 12:48 PM
Beautiful!!! I LOVE that bay window over the sink!!! :eek:
My Peanuts
10-11-2006, 12:50 PM
Gorgeous, simply gorgeous!

I love the refrigerator!
pitc9
10-11-2006, 01:24 PM
OMG!!! :eek:
That ROCKS!!
My hubby and I just finished re-doing our kitchen too, but it doesn't look as good as yours!
smokey the elder
10-11-2006, 01:52 PM
Neat...I want one too! :D
Dorothy39
10-11-2006, 04:36 PM
First off, when seeing the OLD kitchen, I felt that it was sooo warm and friendly ~~~I could almost smell fresh Apple Pie from the oven!!

Then, PRESTO CHANGEO!!! WOW!!!!! :eek:

I couldn't believe it was the same kitchen!!!! I sure do admire what you two have done!!! I want that stove with the microwave mounted over it!!!

That plant in the Bay Window over the sink is incredible!!!!

Your new kitchen looks like a photo out of Better Homes and Gardens , I swear!!!!

Yeah, I could get used to fresh Apple Pie in that kitchen any time!!!
Edwina's Secretary
10-11-2006, 04:56 PM
We did a total remodel of the kitchen in our house in Chicago....horrible while it is happening but such fun when it is done!

Love the floor. Swiffer has a great cleaner for wood kitchen floors.
slleipnir
10-11-2006, 05:06 PM
Wow, what a difference! That's so beautiful!
Rie Rie
10-11-2006, 05:12 PM
WOW is right!!!! I'd have to saythe window over the sink is my favorite thing. That's what I want in my new kitchen, the window ove the sink like that one, when we get around to building our new house. The floors are beautiful, love the color. GREAT JOB!!!
Pam
10-11-2006, 05:50 PM
W :eek: W!!! What a huge difference. I love watching the programs on HGTV where there are total renovations and, believe me, your kitchen could be on HGTV. Did you say that you and Mark did it yourselves? :cool: What is your countertop material? It looks exactly, from the picture, like the countertops we just put in. Ours is Formica Solid Surface (less expensive than Corian for sure, although very similar to look at) and the color looks exactly like mine. We recently replaced our floor and countertops and hubby asked me if it will make the meals coming out of the kitchen any better. :p What a neat thing to have it all done before the wee little one comes. :) :)
I_luv_rusty
10-11-2006, 05:57 PM
Wow!!! :eek: What a major difference! I love it. :D Is that that same kitchen?? ;) Good job, you guys did a excellent job!
cyber-sibes
10-11-2006, 05:57 PM
WOW! That is gorgeous! What fun!!!! I love wood. Very sharp with the black stove. That bay window and the snack bar are wonderful, too. Congratulations on a job well done!
Daisy and Delilah
10-11-2006, 09:11 PM
WOW WOW WOW!!! It's absolutely gorgeous!! Great job. I love the way it looked before too. :)
Maya & Inka's mommy
10-12-2006, 03:34 AM
WOW!!! WHAT an absolutely fantastic kitchen!!! Did you guys do this all by yourselves??? This kitchen looks like as if it came right out of an high-standard magazine!!!
CONGRATS!!!!
Cataholic
10-12-2006, 08:30 AM
That is simply AWESOME! Beautiful! And, even MORE inspiration to me to finish mine. I really, really like the breakfast bar. It has made me change my mind on what I was going to do.

Any chance you could send the picture with the breakfast bar in it to my email address? I REALLY want to incorporate that into my kitchen!!!!

Johanna
AdoreMyDogs
10-12-2006, 08:50 AM
Wow! Just amazing! I love it, it's just like something you'd see out of a fancy magazine! Good job!
mruffruff
10-12-2006, 09:06 AM
Absolutely gorgeous!

I love all of the windows. And the layout is perfect. Great choices of colors and appliances.

Can we get even more pictures? :D
Rachel
10-12-2006, 09:55 AM
I can only echo what everyone else has said. What an excellent result you achieved. Did you have the help of a decorator or someone to arrange the layout? I love all the choices that were made. Everything goes together so well. How long did the process take from beginning to end?
Laura's Babies
10-12-2006, 10:24 AM
WOW! :eek: That is STUNNING!
gini
10-12-2006, 12:01 PM
Your kitchen is absolutely beautiful from top to bottom. What excellent taste you have!

I bet it is fun to cook in that kitchen!

Congratulations!
Cookiebaker
10-13-2006, 07:53 AM
Wow! Thank you so much for the wonderful comments!!! :D

To answer some of the questions:

No, we did not do the work ourselves, though we ended up doing a lot more than we intended! We did the plumbing, re-wiring, flooring, and installed the appliances ourselves. We had 3 contractors that did the majority of the work: The first one, Bill up and moved to Montana 6 weeks before he told us, and left us high and dry. :mad: The second contractor was a yahoo who lied, did very poor work, and finally left after having a temper tantrum at Mark because we didn't like the way something was done. :rolleyes: And the third contractor, we found through calling a wrong number, has done all the "finishing" trim work, etc, does awesome work, and we are soooooooo happy with him! :D

We went through Kitchens of Distinction by Nelson (http://www.nelsonskitchens.com/) to get us initially started. Nelson met with us to find out what we were looking for in a kitchen, and also brought some really great ideas, too. He was totally meticulous (down to the 1/16th of an inch!!!). So he did the layout and encompassed everything we wanted, and he also sold us the cabinets.

As far as the decorating goes, I pretty much came up with the colors and design of everything -- it was pretty frustrating sometimes because I felt like I was flying on a leap of faith that something would match. For example, I only had a 2"x2" square to remind me what the counter top color was; and I didn't have a sample of what the cabinets would look like, nor the flooring either. So the fact that everything blended together in the end is nothing short of a miracle.

The three lamps are from Hubbardton Forge (http://www.hubbardtonforge.com/) and we got an awesome deal on them because Mark got a vendor's discount from them.

Cataholic, I could definitely send you the pics, or you can copy them right from this thread. :)

Rachel, the process was quite lengthy, mostly because of the snafu of contractors. We started saving $$ for the kitchen in 2000; started the work in May, and are just finishing up now (October).

Dorothy, you can come for apple pie anytime!!! :D

Thank you again for the wonderful comments. :)
zoey
10-13-2006, 08:26 AM
Hey that looks really nice!
I'm glad you stuck w/ wood grain b/c I like that kind the best . :p That extra storage space i'm sure is coming in handy!
It looks so warm and inviting. I could almost smell the pumpkin pie baking! So nice that it is done before the holidays. It's wonderful that you guys saved up for it, too, rather than just putting it on credit as i think most people do, these days. there's such a good feeling to save, in anticipation. And the results are fabulous!
sasvermont
10-13-2006, 08:42 AM
What kind of countertop did you get? I am thinking about having mine re-done and like the look you have.

Thanks,
SAS

P. S.

Looks like a nice place for a baby to be....warm and cozy.....Mommie will be having fun cooking and feeding the little one is such a sunny room!

:D
Pam
10-13-2006, 04:26 PM
What kind of countertop did you get? I am thinking about having mine re-done and like the look you have.

Thanks,
SAS

P. S.

Looks like a nice place for a baby to be....warm and cozy.....Mommie will be having fun cooking and feeding the little one is such a sunny room!

:D

SAS and I are on the same wavelength. I had asked about the countertops too. Also we both thought that it is a lovely kitchen for your wee little one to grow up in. Some day he/she will be eating at that breakfast bar! Hard to imagine, I know! :)
elizabethann
10-13-2006, 04:34 PM
That's a beautiful kitchen. When are you inviting all of us over so you can cook something delicious in your new kitchen? :D
Cookiebaker
10-13-2006, 06:02 PM
SAS and I are on the same wavelength. I had asked about the countertops too. Also we both thought that it is a lovely kitchen for your wee little one to grow up in. Some day he/she will be eating at that breakfast bar! Hard to imagine, I know! :)

Pam, I am so sorry that I missed your question when I responded to the thread. :o The countertop is Corian, and I do love it especially because there are no seams and no cracks for junk to collect in. :) The color is "Burnt Amber"

I know, I can't really imagine what the kitchen is gonna be like with the patter of little feet around!! :eek: :D :cool: I can't wait to find out!!! :D
Pam
10-13-2006, 06:06 PM
Pam, I am so sorry that I missed your question when I responded to the thread. :o
:D

Don't worry Anna, I am just enough of a pain in the neck to ask again! LOL!

Did you put in the sliding door also? What was there before? A normal door? I just love what you have done. I could never get these ideas on my own. You and Mark must be so happy with the final result. :)
Freckles
10-13-2006, 06:38 PM
What a great conversion!
I'm kind of asking what Pam did. Did the two windows in the first picture change into the 3 bay windows? Or the sliding glass door?
Cookiebaker
10-13-2006, 08:35 PM
Did you put in the sliding door also? What was there before? A normal door? I just love what you have done. I could never get these ideas on my own. You and Mark must be so happy with the final result. :)

Pam & Freckles, yes, the 2 full sized windows got shortened and widened to become the bay window. Where the sliding glass door is now, there used to be a "normal" entrance door and next to it was a full sized window. We are hoping to put on a deck next spring, but for right now the silder opens to a whole-lotta-nothing. :eek:

Yes, we are so happy with the results! We started saving for this kitchen 6.5 years ago, so its been a long time in coming!!! My old kitchen was so cold (hardly any heat to it); and DIRTY -- the floor never looked clean no matter how much I scrubbed it, and the countertops were just plain nasty, cinched together with rusting metal strips; disorganized because I only had 4 full sized cabinets, and very little counterspace. So I truly feel like I have moved into a mansion! :)

Thank you for asking!!! :)
Cookiebaker
10-13-2006, 08:44 PM
And elizabethann -- You are invited to come for dinner anytime. Only thing is, you HAVE to bring Fenway, too!!!!!! ;) :D
*LabLoverKEB*
10-13-2006, 10:18 PM
Oh, wow! It looks AMAZING, Anna! I'm on LOVE with your new kitchen! It looks soooo great! I bet you are sooo happy! :)
CatLuvrs
10-14-2006, 07:01 AM
What and awesome transformation! It looks great!
trayi52
10-14-2006, 09:23 AM
Ooh, what a beautiful kitchen!! I am absolutely green over your new kitchen! Now I want my kitchen redone. Very jealous indeed!

I hope you enjoy your new kitchen, you deserve to have life easier, especially now!

Willie :)
Bengalz
10-14-2006, 09:29 AM
Your kitchen is gorgeous and I'll be you're just loving it!! We just renovated our kitchen this past summer and I am having so much more fun in it now :D

Betty
Anita Cholaine
10-14-2006, 09:35 AM
I want that kitchen in my house :D
It looks gorgeous, you did an amazing job!
Vermontcat
10-14-2006, 04:23 PM
Anna, your new kitchen is just beautiful! :D
It doesn't even look like it's the same house as the before pictures.
Add me to the list of people who want to come over to dinner. ;)

Have Malone, Emerson and Marigold checked out the new kitchen yet?
I would love to see some photos of them in their new kitchen. :)
*iluvskipper*
10-14-2006, 06:27 PM
HOLY CRAP THATS GREAT I LOVE IT!!!