Ok, if you have a weak stomach, you might want to look away at this point. (LOL) This was my kitchen before renovation...dark and dreary. This is the only "before" pic I have to share...but it really tells the story of what the kitchen looked like prior to renovation.
You can't see it in this photo, but the genuine builder-grade, formica counter top was melted in two spots where a previous owner had apparently placed a hot pan. The back splash was the same bland, beige formica. Over the years, I had replaced the dish washer and stove. I'm not a huge fan of stainless appliances and I knew I wanted a white kitchen some day, so I chose white appliances along the way.
Ahhhh...much better!
I added Kohler under cabinet lighting that can all be turned on with the flip of a single switch. I almost never use the overhead canned lighting I had installed; the soft glow of the under cabinet lighting is so much nicer.
Got rid of the bulky t.v. and replaced it with a sleeker model. Cooking isn't my favorite thing in the world, so I love having a distraction in the kitchen to help pass the time.
Decided to go with neutral colors in the kitchen...the granite I chose is called Portofino...
Removed the beige formica back splash...yea!!! One of the more expensive parts of the renovation was this narrow trim piece that runs the length of the back splash...and the accent tile pieces you see throughout the back splash.
Wish I had taken a picture of the original stove before it was removed...it was awful. I always wanted a double oven but my kitchen is fairly small. I found this Maytag double oven that fits in the space of a normal one. The top oven is as wide as a full size oven and is perfect for casseroles, pizza, bread/rolls and about 90% of the things you might cook in an oven on a day to day basis. It has a toaster function which is awesome for making toast or heating up leftovers. It also heats up very, very fast because of it's size...so much better than waiting for a full size oven to pre-heat.
The lower oven is full size and will hold anything a full size oven will hold. The double ovens are really handy when you have a turkey in the bottom and a casserole or bread baking in the top. So if you have limited space, but would really like a double oven, I highly recommend this one.
Since my kitchen isn't very large, I wanted to open it up as much as possible. I've always liked cabinets with glass doors so I took all the doors to a local carpenter and he cut the center panel out of each door so I could install the glass...it really opened the kitchen up.
My sister, Glenda, cross stitched this for me years ago...she knows me all too well!
Oink!
Since my kitchen isn't very large, I wanted to give it some special touches. I paid a little extra and had the edge of the granite cut with an ogee edge, as opposed to the standard bull nose or squared off edge you usually see in most kitchens.
Decided to go with red accents...
This may be my favorite thing in my new kitchen...a dish washing detergent dispenser. This appealed to my practical and aesthetic side...no more unsightly detergent bottle sitting out on the counter.
Before I had a dull, builder-grade stainless sink. One side is nice and deep for really large pans.
I carried the granite over to the desk area in the kitchen.
I had the granite cut large enough to create an eat in bar area for the kitchen. Whenever I entertain, guest seemed to love sitting here. I purchased a "counter depth" KitchenAid refrigerator. Counter depth refrigerators are several inches taller than normal refrigerators and about 4-5 inches less deep. It gave me several more inches of much needed space.
Standing at the sink...this is the view. The room you see through the bay and off to the right is the screened-in porch.
A shot looking across the breakfast room and out onto the porch...
Hope you enjoyed this modest little kitchen renovation. Enjoy the many wonderful "Before and Afters" that are posted above for your visit this day!
BLUE MONDAY:
I am so excited to be participating in Blue Monday for the first time! Be sure to visit Sally at Smiling Sally by clicking HERE, to see more great Blue Monday posts.
I collect Flow Blue and for this Blue Monday, I thought I'd share two of my largest pieces of flow blue.
If you aren't familiar with Flow Blue, here's how Wikipedia describes it:
"Flow blue is a style of stoneware, sometimes porcelain, that originated in the Victorian era, sometime in the 1820s, among the Staffordshire potters of England. The name is derived from the blue glaze that blurred or "flowed" during the firing process. Most flow blue ware is a kind of transferware, where the decorative patterns were applied with a paper stencil to often white-glazed blanks, or standard pottery shapes, though some wares were hand painted. The stencils burned away in the kiln. The blue glazes used in flow blue range from gray-blue to sometimes greenish blue, to an inky blue; however the most desirable and sought-after shade is a vivid cobalt blue. Mulberry is another form of flow blue, where the glaze is more purple in hue."
The first flow blue piece I have to show you for this Blue Monday is this platter I bought while antiquing on a skiing trip in Oregon many years ago. I've heard that the more "flowed" a piece is, the more valuable it is...not sure if that's accurate...but I do love the pieces that are really nice and blurry! :-)
This platter hangs on the wall above an old plate rack that holds some other flow blue and Blue Willow pieces.
The other large piece of flow blue I have to share today is this bowl. I love it but I had some trouble figuring out where to display it due to its large size. I finally decided on the top of the armoire in my upstairs family room since this room has a largely blue theme and contains several other pieces of my flow blue collection.
I think this bowl may have been under a large pitcher, back in its day. What do you think?
You can see how large it is in this pic...
Be sure to stop by Sally's for some more fun today!
I can't wait to see all the great "Before and Afters" posted for this Met Monday!
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