Last week was another somewhat slow week. We got delayed with the finish of the kitchen cabinets since my parents and I were going out of town. My installer will be back this Saturday to finally finish up this beautiful space. It’s really coming along and looking great, so I did take time last week to get all the drawers properly installed, as well as the doors. The only thing I haven’t conquered yet is the lazy Susan corner cabinets, upper and lower, so that’s a pretty good week. You’ll see what a difference getting these in place has made.
I’ll show you more of the details of my cabinets and why I love them so much.
All the base cabinets are in and the only area left is the above the fridge cabinet.
Here’s a good look at the massive pantry I got. When deciding on the layout, I really hoped to have room to fit a pantry since I don’t have a dedicated closet for this and this one is going to be nice. This area right inside the door was about the only space I could add one and I’m so glad I did. The corner cabinets above and below will hold Lazy Susans and those will come in handy too.
Here you can see the crown molding installed along the top, as well as the trim molding at the bottom of the base cabinets that will hide my under cabinet lighting.
Stove with microwave above will fit in these empty spaces. I still have to find a stainless steel stove, that will be next.
Here’s the blank wall that will be one big beautiful wall of subway tile soon. And my rustic 4’ shelves will be hanging here too. I can’t wait! I’ve got one more little plan to the left of these base cabinets too that I’ll share later.
To the left and right of my window are glass front cabinets. I really wanted some glass and glad I got them. More than likely, my glasses and white dishes will be housed in these cabinets.
Dishwasher will be to the right of the sink and you can see we are still working on the refrigerator panel and a little surprise cabinet above. I had a 6” filler space there and decided to add a pull out spice drawer, so you’ll have to stay tuned to see how it turns out. Cute, I hope and it will get it’s own little door! I ordered it from this online company, after seeing it used in another Ikea kitchen when I was browsing blogland.
A 24” deep upper cabinet will go over the fridge and when done, will look built in. That side cover panel will come out to the edge of the fridge to give it that built-in look. That area has been one that has sent me back to Ikea several times. The details on putting together a kitchen is mind boggling and I went back 4 times to get all the missing and necessary components to get this kitchen together properly. I think at last we are ready for the finale. I should have a few things to return when it’s all said and done. You definitely have to have some patience when doing a kitchen from Ikea, as there are many little things to consider and have on hand, like side panels, extra hardware, and the right size fridge cabinets.
So, you might notice this beautiful new thing! A gorgeous stainless steel side-by-side refrigerator. I am in love with it big time. This month’s Lowe’s challenge was to give an update to our kitchen with the giftcard we were all given as Lowe’s Creative Ideas bloggers. Well, how about that timing? Coincidental again? No way indeed! Just in time for August, my kitchen is coming together nicely and one of the things most needed in this new kitchen is a refrigerator. I had a side-by-side in my last house and I also like stainless, so I went shopping at Lowes to find a great deal and find one, I did. With my giftcard I was able to get this one on sale. It’s not a top of the line model, but will serve me well. You can spend a boat load of money on refrigerators, but I’ve never done that. This one has all the bells and whistles I need and water and ice in the door is a huge plus and luxury. With a 10% off sale and another 10% coupon, final price was just over $800 and the giftcard paid for most of it.
Talk about a blessing! I have so enjoyed my association with Lowes this year and they have helped me so much on getting my house together.
Water and ice in the door. When you get used to that, it’s hard to go back to not having it.
Inside there’s plenty of room to hold all the groceries I will need to make this a real live working kitchen.
I took time last week to get in the slides for my pantry shelves. This thing is going to be great. Ikea really builds their hardware and shelves fantastic and you would have a hard time finding better door hinges and hardware overall.
Once you know where the screws go, it’s pretty easy to install.
I borrowed my neighbor’s screw gun which came in handy. I have one, but it’s not as powerful as this one. That’s on my list to upgrade too.
I spaced the shelves out, thinking that some would need more height than others. I know this pantry is really going to come in handy for me. The shelves pull all the way out.
The glass front cabinets come with glass shelves and they were easy to install too.
My two 36” base cabinets will also be great and they all pull completely out as well. I’m so pleased with how Ikea puts their drawers together. Soft close Blum hardware also comes with these cabinets and that is one fantastic feature. Those were easy to add too.
I can stack all my pots and pans in these big drawers.
Since Ikea was having their 20% off sale, I decided to go ahead and get their hardware too and mixed it up with these 3. I love them! I’ll put the big handles on the big drawers and pantry, the pulls on the smaller drawers and the knobs on the cabinet doors. I love the mix of black hardware on white cabinets, always have. Some go for nickel, but I like contrast.
I also went granite shopping last week and found a great place in Alpharetta that I think is going to do a good job for me and they came in with the best prices for granite and installation. Update: The granite company I’m using is Legacy in Alpharetta. They had the best prices of anyone I found out there and I think they are going to be great. I saw them working in the warehouse on several pieces and they have a huge selection of all colors of granite too.
I found several in the lighter color palette that I was looking for and ended up choosing Kashmir White, above. At $32 a s.f., this one is affordable. I have about 40 s.f. in my kitchen, so it will come in at just over $1,300 and that includes a 10 year sealer. Not bad at all! I really think I’m going to love this granite and I’ve seen it in blogland more than once.
You can see how the crown molding looks here. It’s a simple crown that doesn’t touch the ceiling and this is what Ikea offers in their trim pieces. I’m fine with this look, there’s about a 3 or 4 inch space above and that will be OK with me. Putting in real crown molding is a lot more labor intensive and would cost me more money, so I’m good with this one.
I think it looks very simple and classic. The panels still have their coating on the sides, so you can still see that in the pics too. We will still have to do the backsplash subway tile too and I do believe we will tackle that one ourselves. My dad and I have both tiled and he has a wetsaw.
I’ve got a few more updates to share with you too from around the house.
A few more updates in the house, I got my lantern from my old house installed in the foyer. Love, love it! So glad I brought it with me.
My old $5 thriftstore light find came with me too and this one works great in my office. It has some cute linen shades that will go on there later (once I start unpacking boxes).
I also opted for a ceiling fan in my bedroom. The old one was falling apart. This one is simple and classic too and it’s in an antique brass finish.
I like how it looks and it will be used a lot. As much as I love a chandelier in the bedroom, I like staying cool better. My electrician added a really cool remote control wall switch in my bedroom too, which will be really nice. It allows me to control the fan from the wall, with Low Medium and High settings as well as turning the light on and off. This is great since the wiring wasn’t done separately originally.
Another update that I haven’t reported on yet. All my faucets got replaced! Moen was a sponsor at Haven and they sent me brand new bathroom faucets and that really makes a difference in updating my sinks. Thank you, Moen! This Satin Nickel finish will mix well with the chrome in the tubs.
Hall bath update
I had a plumber come out and he totally fixed both the tubs, replacing all the hardware with brand new fittings. I was so happy to see this done! Now the tubs need a really good scrubbing, I’ll get to that soon. So, you can see we are making some big progress now. I can hardly wait to get this house finished and it’s getting closer by the day.
I caught mom and dad outside last week, working in the garden. My dad even grows his own potatoes. Aren’t they cute? Dad had just come in from picking veggies and mom was scrubbing the dirt off the potatoes.
Check this out! I came outside and found this sight and had to go get my camera. I asked my mom if she minded me taking her pic and she said no. I said, now this needs to go on the blog. She just laughed! I have the hardest working folks in the world and am amazed at all they do. I hope I’m still going half as strong at their age. I’m so, so blessed to have these 2 as my parents and yes, I know that more every day.
So, that’s the latest and greatest with the house renovation. We are making some big progress and this week I’ll be doing a little painting on the vanities. Dad will be back next week and my granite installer will come out to do the template and get ready for that. I’ll do a breakdown on the kitchen costs for you later too when the kitchen all gets put together with all the components. Then, we’ll start working on those stair treads. After that, I’ll get the final things done in the bathroom and then I’ll really be getting closer. We still have to add shoe molding too around the whole house so some of that stuff will take a little time.
I don’t want to rush it and move in with things still left to do, so I’m going to try to be patient and get all those little things done before we start bringing in furniture. It will be so much easier to do projects with the house empty.
I am thrilled to be a Lowes Creative Ideas blogger and Lowes provided a giftcard for a kitchen project. I opted to get the refrigerator. All opinions and ideas are my own. Thanks to Lowes, my house is getting prettier!
You can find Lowes on here:
Lowes Facebook –
Lowes on Pinterest
Julie Jones says
Hi Rhoda!
Everything looks gorgeous! I am so excited for you. Your posts about your new home are so inspiring. I love seeing the new updates and watching your beautiful house come together. You’re energy has sparked my creative side and I’m going to have to find a project of my own now!! Can’t wait to see the next post! Julie
susan says
This is going to be so beautiful! I just love to watch this transformation!
Melanie says
Looks fantastic!! You are impressive using your power tools!
Wow– your parents even grow taters!! I am surprised you don’t weigh more… I know the food must be good there.
Karen says
Just beautiful !! Everything !! So glad to see a home renovation report !! Cant wait for the next one. Your parents are so precious !
Ann says
Your kitchen is looking great, love the granite.
I love hearing about your parents… You are indeed blessed.
Kirby Carespodi says
Love that Ikea kitchen! And I’m with you on the contrast of black and white…out white cabinets had nickel hardware, but it looks much better with black.
Lucinda says
I love seeing this house come together and how your style has evolved along the way.
A tip I thought I’d share with you about cleaning old tubs…Magic Erasor by Mr Clean.
I’ve used them in Fiberglas and porcelain tubs that have a lot of build up and they really make them shine.
Renee S. says
I used Magic Eraser in the bathtub in our basement that hadn’t been cleaned in years. My husband even tried the power washer, but Magic Eraser did a better job. Great tip!
Heather H. says
So glad you shared the pull out shelves in your pantry! I’m kinda bummed that the shelves in my new kitchen will be fixed (i tried, but that’s all the builder offers) I hope the Ikea ones will work with those cabinets!
Renee S. says
I bought some stainless steel pull-out shelves that you can screw in on your existing wood shelves and added some to my pantry as well as some of the other base cabinets. Not quite as good as what Rhoda’s got but they do work well. I bought mine from a catalog but I also noticed them in either Lowe’s or Home Depot.
vreeland road says
GO RHODA!
Jane @ Cottage at the Crossroads says
Rhoda,
I am so excited to see the kitchen come together. It is going to look amazing with that granite.I look forward to each week’s installment of your progress. And I’m always amazed with the work that your parents are still able to do.
D henderson says
The kitchen is looking great! I am excited for you as i have watched your hard work come together. Your parents truly are a blessing, and thanks for sharing them with us!
Elizabeth H says
I get so excited when I see progress in your new home. Everything is looking so good. And a dose of your parents really lifts me up. They are hardworking and so precious. They look so much younger than their ages.
nancy says
My product endorsement for tubs is KABOOM. I have a fiberglass tub and shower stall which not only gets rid of soap scum but cleans the glass doors and has a nice fresh scent. I use one of the scruffy sponges and dirt just washes away.
Do you have A/C in your house?
My admiration grows daily for your parents.
Rhoda says
Nancy, thanks for the endorsement, I’ll give it a try. And yes, I do have A/C so that is a big plus. It’s the original unit & eventually I’ll have to replace the heat/AC, but for now it is working.
Annette says
Rhoda
Everything looks so bright and fresh, I love the light coming in the windows. You and your parents have done an amazing job on the house.
It’s coming together so nice. I have so enjoyed watching your progress.
It will be worth all the hard work you all have put into your new home.
jewelee says
Latest and GREATest is right. Everything is looking great.
Love your folks and their harvest of potatoes!
Stacey says
Rhoda, you are blessed. I’ve said to my husband before that we are so lucky….he reminds me that we are blessed and we work hard. That is true for you too! I am so enjoying your progress. Do you know what colors you want to use in your kitchen? Do you have a hopeful date to move in?
Rhoda says
Stacey, I loved that green on the wall, so it will be the star. I think I’ll bring in a gray/white fabric (haven’t found it yet) and use blues and greens in my accessories. The white cabinets will shine and I can use most any color I want to in there.
Arlene Grimm@Nanaland says
Loving your kitchen Rhoda and trying not to covet those pull out drawers. If I could re do my kitchen, all the lower cabinets would have pull out drawers. And I agree with you about ceiling fans….I get so aggravated on HGTV decorating shows when they go in and take out the ceiling fans. They may not be very pretty but they are very necessary in the Sunny South. Great that you got such a deal on your fridge too..what a blessing!
Van says
This is going to look AMAZING when you’re done! Very inspiring progress thus far.
SheilaG @ Plum Doodles says
Wow, I love your cabinets, Rhoda, and especially all those pull out drawers! Everything is coming along beautifully!
Your parents amaze me- I wish I had their energy now, let alone a few years down the road!
Mom on the Run says
If you don’t find what you want at the price you want for a stove, there’s a great place on Powder Springs Rd just past the conference center that’s a scratch and dent–my friend got high end fridge and stove there for a song and we’ve yet to find the scratch or the dent. Just something to keep in mind. Shoot me an email and I’ll try to remember the name!