Kitchen Makeover

Awhile back, I posted about the updates we've been making to our house in the laundry room and guest bathroom. Those changes were welcome and, especially in the laundry room, long overdue.

But the biggest change we've made was to the kitchen. Back in June, we had our cabinets, woodwork, and walls painted. We knew it was way too much to even consider doing ourselves so we hired it done. This process was a little more disruptive than I'd anticipated but I love how everything turned out. If you're considering doing a similar kitchen project, read on!

This is a BEFORE picture of the kitchen with our golden oak cabinets and olive walls. A few years back, we replaced the original white counter tops with black Formica solid surface which we decided to keep. In addition, we've been replacing our all-white appliances with stainless steel. The goals for this project were:

1) Paint the cabinets and woodwork
2) Paint the walls
3) Replace a few windows with rotted sills
4) Add a backsplash

Here is the AFTER with the changes done. It's hard to overstate how much lighter and brighter the kitchen is with these changes.

To prepare for a kitchen update like this one, it was necessary to unload all the cabinets. This is no small task, especially when they are as ridiculously full as ours. But it made for a good opportunity to sort through stuff and I vowed to put back ONLY the items that we need in the space. Everything else was donated or stored.

Lily and I worked on this task for a couple of days.

 

 Everything that came out of the cupboards went into the dining room for sorting. For the most part, our cabinets are filled with dishes, pots and pans, and utensils. Once everything was out of the cupboards I covered it all over with sheets in anticipation of the dust  -- and also just to conceal the mess!

Meanwhile, we picked out backsplash tile to match our cabinet paint color. Since our contractor was available, we had him go ahead and install it. I have wanted a backsplash for years but had been hesitant to take the plunge. I absolutely love how it turned out and wish we had done it years ago!

Next, the painters came to set up for the project. I guess I was mentally unprepared for the amount of kraft paper and plastic that would be installed. This part of the project took a solid three days! During this time, the crew also removed all the cabinet doors and drawers to take them to the shop to be painted.

 

Lily was a good "snoop-ervisor" throughout this project. In spite of the fact that cats tend to get stressed when their routine is upset, she did quite well with the kitchen being torn up for a bit. She loved being able to go into cabinets at will!

 

 

The painters sealed off the doors and openings to the kitchen. We went in and out through slits. There is a lot of sanding involved in a project like this. Even with the plastic, a fine dust travelled all through the house.

 

 

 As careful as I was about removing all the dishes and such from the cabinets, for some strange reason I had the idea that I could leave all the food behind the bi-fold doors of the pantry cupboard. NOT A GOOD DECISION! 

 

 

 

I guess I thought that because the shelves sit back a bit from the doors, we'd still be able to access them. But alas, our pantry shelves (with food) got sealed in, too, along with the fridge! We had to use a knife to cut a slit in the plastic to access Lily's (and our) food. Eventually we 

 

 

Had I thought this all through a little better, I would have set up a temporary "kitchen" in our basement area where we have a small fridge and sink. If you're doing a similar project, that would be my advice for you! As you can see from the picture below, you will not have access to your kitchen for several days.

 

 Once the taping was done, the crew sprayed the cabinets in place. We had a darker color (same as the upstairs bathroom vanity) sprayed onto the island. I initially wanted to do all the lower cabinets in that same color and I still think that would have been nice.

After the cabinets were done, it took another week or so to get the doors back from the shop. Meanwhile I sorted through everything and tried to "curate" the items I put back into the cupboards. I will say that sorting process was long overdue. 

 

The walls remained olive for awhile before we could get the painters scheduled again. I really loved how the olive color looked with the new cabinet color. 

But alas, it was time for a change. The walls were painted with a neutral taupe, the same as in the laundry room and upstairs bathroom. Although I loved the olive color, the taupe is much more restful. 

I never would have predicted we'd undertake this kind of kitchen update but I'm really glad we did. I have really enjoyed our "new" old kitchen!

With the kitchen done, the dining room is up next, hopefully starting sometime this spring. Then we will be mostly done with house projects, other than smaller ones we can do ourselves!

 

Thanks for stopping by today!
jp

Feline Friday: I Can See Clearly Now?

 Since May, we've been having some updates done to our laundry room, upstairs guest bath, and kitchen. Lily has been a real trooper throughout the process, having to spend numerous days in her "apartment" (AKA the guest bedroom) while the contractors do their thing.

This past week, our new windows were finally installed. Ideally one would install windows FIRST before any painting was done, but due to the delay in getting the windows and the availability of the painters, we had them installed LAST. As a result, the paint will have to be touched up and the tile patched back together. It will be a few more weeks before all that can be finished.

But now we have nice new windows, replacing the old ones which had rotted out over time. The old muntins were broken in places and were difficult to take in and out. The new windows have muntins which are actually between the panes of glass. This will make cleaning them so much easier...no excuses now!

The trim around the new sink window did not fit the opening exactly as expected, so some of the backsplash tile had to be removed (*sigh*). The tile guy will fix all of this in a few weeks.

 The holes in the window trim will be patched and caulked, and the paint around the windows will be touched up. Once all of that is done, then the kitchen will officially be FINISHED!

 

The new windows had a plastic film over them and when it was removed, the glass was sparkling clean! The windows are probably the cleanest that they'll ever be. I quickly re-installed Lily's window bird feeder knowing she'd LOVE having such a clear view of her feathered friends!

 

Instead, she can barely keep her eyes open! Her feathered buddies come and go to the feeder and she sometimes doesn't even wake up to see them!

 

 

 

So much for her appreciation of the new windows! haha

 

Feline Friday: Snoop-ervisor Lily

 Lily has had a very busy week! She's the Project Snoop-ervisor for our kitchen update which just got underway.

First, I needed to empty all the kitchen cupboards. Lily assisted me at every turn. She especially enjoyed it when all the cabinets were empty and she could go right inside to take a look-see.

 

This particular cabinet was one she had never inspected before!

 From her high vantage point, Lily could tell me where I needed to do more cleaning!

It took several hours for the two of us to empty all the kitchen cupboards and wipe them down.

As you can see, she kept a close eye on me the entire time! 

Lily was alarmed to see how much stuff came out of those cabinets. MOM, do you have to put it ALL back?

 The next day, the crew arrived and began the prep work for this kitchen update. The cabinets, island, and trim will be painted. The walls will be painted later this summer, after we replace a few windows that have unfortunately passed the point of no return.

While the crew is working, Lily is confined to her upstairs "apartment" where she has all the comforts of home and room service several times a day. She seems quite happy there most of the time and it keeps her from being underfoot.

At the end of the first day of prep, Lily did a full kitchen inspection. She checked her beloved corner cupboard and assured me her secret passageway to Narnia was still intact.

After the second full day of prep, Lily took another stroll through the work site. Everything looked weird and sort of space age! She expressed alarm that the fridge which holds her tasty food was not at all in the right place. I assured her that it was still plugged in and would dispense her NOMS at the proper hour.

Stay tuned for another update from Lily, Project Snoop-ervisor Extraordinaire. The train has left the station, as they say, and there is no turning back!