Hold on tight...we're going for another ride this week in my time machine. Did you take your Dramamine...you know this thing goes pretty fast! I'm setting the dial for 1991...destination: Kitchen.
I've pulled all the "before" pics you'll be seeing (except one) from an ancient VHS tape we made on our second walk-thru of the house...prior to actually purchasing it.
I played the tape, stopping it periodically to take a photo, so the pics are not the greatest quality...but I think you'll get an idea of what the kitchen looked like prior to renovation in 2002. A link to the kitchen renovation has been posted on my sidebar, but this is the first time I've posted the "before" pics from the tape.
The pic below was taken right before renovation began in 2002, so it's the only "before" pic you'll see that was taken after we had actually moved in. At this point, we had already replaced the stove, microwave and dishwasher. As you can see the kitchen felt very small and dreary with all the stained cabinetry.
After: I painted the inside of the cabinets myself and had the exterior painted professionally.
I added Kichler, xenon under-cabinet lighting. I almost never use the overhead canned lighting I had installed because the soft glow of the under-cabinet lighting is so much nicer. If you're planning a kitchen renovation, I highly recommend Kichler. You are not going to believe this, but...I have been using this lighting since 2002 and have NEVER had to replace a bulb, yet. Isn't that amazing?! :-) (Oops, forgot to turn the light over the t.v. on for the pic...it is usually off for a better view of the t.v.)
Below you will see a "before" pic taken prior to our moving in. You can't really see it in the photo, but the formica counter top had been melted in two spots where apparently a previous homeowner had placed a hot pan.
And now for an "after"...the name of the granite is "Portofino."
I decided to go with an ogee edge, as opposed to the standard bull nose or squared off edge.
No more beige, formica back splash...yipee!
One of the more expensive parts of the renovation was this narrow trim piece that runs along the back of the back splash, and the accent tiles you see throughout. I think they add a lot to the kitchen and were worth the expense in the end. I chose neutral colors for the kitchen hoping I wouldn't tire of the look...it's been 7 years and I'm still loving it. :-) I've added color in the decorative/accent pieces I've used in the kitchen...those are always easy to change out for a new look.
Here's a before pic showing the awful, awful stove/microwave. It was all one unit and you could barely lift the lid off a pan to stir because of how low the microwave was in this one piece unit...very poor design.
I always wanted a double oven...this Maytag double-oven fits in the space of a single 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 the 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 the glass could be added...it really opened the kitchen up. You can read more about this, HERE.
Decided to go with red accents...
This may be my favorite addition to the kitchen...a dish washing detergent dispenser. This appealed to both my practical and aesthetic side...no more unsightly detergent bottle sitting out on the counter. :-)
Before: Dull, stainless sink...
After: A shiny, white Kohler sink...one side is nice and deep for those really large pans...
Below you will see a pic showing the desk area before renovation. (You can also see the vinyl flooring that was pitted and in terrible condition.)
Don't know if you can see it, but there was a stiff, wire mesh in the cabinet doors above the desk. I replaced the wire mesh in these doors with glass...looks much better and keeps dust and such out of the cabinet...something the wire mesh did not do. Note how the counter ends right behind the faucets in this pic...after pic coming just ahead. :-)
After: I carried the granite over to the desk area in the kitchen. This pic also shows the glass installed in the doors of the cabinet above the desk.
No more vinyl flooring...I love hardwoods in a kitchen. They are really comfortable for standing and working.
I had the granite cut larger than the counter had previously been...to create an eat-in bar area for the kitchen. Scan back up two photos and you can see how it looked before. 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.
Before pic of the breakfast area... All the trim was stained and made the kitchen feel very dated and dreary...
After: Stained trim is gone...breakfast area feels much brighter and more open. The open door leads out onto the screened-in porch.
Another "after" pic of the breakfast area...this is the view while standing at the sink. (The room you see through the bay and off to the right is the screened-in porch.)
Hope you enjoyed this kitchen renovation. Let's go check out all the great "Before and Afters" posted below for your visit today!
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