Before I get into the Christmas decorating, which I’m scrambling trying to finish, I wanted to go ahead and share before and after shots of my kitchen. Oh, how that space has changed. If you weren’t here at the beginning, you might not know how BAD it really was. Well, it was extremely dated, dirty and ugly and nothing short of a gut job would do. How happy I am that we did gut the space and start over.
If you’ve been with me through all of this process, you’ll remember this pic. Dated pine 70’s cabinets and this kitchen was filthy disgusting. I couldn’t wait to get them out of here. We closed up that door above that went into the living room and that was the best decision we made too. That gave me room for my open shelves and to extend the lower cabinets and countertop all the way to the windows.
AFTER: It’s a whole new space and I could NOT be happier with my kitchen. It truly is a dream kitchen to me. It has everything that I need and it’s all handy and just the right size.
Sink side before. Dated laminate butcher block, nothing in this kitchen could be saved (except for that old fridge, it’s now in my storage room downstairs).
AFTER: Lighter and brighter and my Ikea cabinets are the bomb. Love, love them!
Another disgusting Before shot, those lower cabinets were falling apart, they were so bad.
Here’s a shot from the same angle as the Before pic. Amazing the difference!
And now, it’s a whole brand new kitchen with Kashmir White granite countertops and a Metallic Gray Blanco granite sink. You’ll notice that I finally got that window painted.
And another view of the dishwasher and fridge. My cabinet installer did a great job building in the fridge and I love how it turned out.
Looking back to the dining room, this is the only door coming in here now and it works just fine. I adore my new kitchen! In fact, I adore my whole house. I added my cute little chalkboard by the door. That was a yardsale find, actually a mirror that I painted with chalkboard paint. It will come in handy for grocery items.
Those open shelves made from salvaged wood that I got from Southern Accents in Cullman, AL are such great statement pieces in here. I’m so glad I saved them from 2 years ago and finally got to use them in my new home.  That subway tile is exactly what I wanted too and I’m really happy with all my choices. Planning a kitchen from scratch can be quite intimidating and I really tried to make classic long-lasting choices and I sure hope I did.
My coffee station is to the left of the sink.
Did you notice I painted my island? I thought bringing in the gray in the rug and countertops would be a nice balance and I really like the color (which is Timbermine by Dutch Boy, in case you are wondering). And I finally figured out the best way to place it in here, all the way against the windows. I like it a lot and can still get into my large bank of drawers and the fridge to the left.
The chevron runner is from Ballard Designs.
That green pottery piece on top of the island is a bean pot and was a gift from a reader and it came from Celebrating Home. She let me pick out what I wanted and it’s a cooking pot. What sweet readers I have! Thank you, Leah! I have barely had time to start cooking again, I’ve just been grabbing what I can from the grocery store, but soon I’ll be back to cooking meals again.
My bunny chef will be on guard on the island.
And looking back towards the pantry (which I love, love), this kitchen is all I could ever dream of. Truly, it’s very functional, has plenty of storage space and I adore it. It’s the nicest kitchen I’ve ever had.
Here’s the post on the breakdown of all the kitchen costs, so check it out for all the details. It was a very affordable kitchen renovation!
Thanks for sharing in this renovation journey with me, it’s been so much fun having all of you along for the ride! I can hardly believe I’m actually in here now, but it sure feels good. Â
Don’t forget our Holiday link parties start on Tuesday and Layla’s up first with mantels! Since I don’t have a mantel, I’ll be showing you my dining room sideboard all decked out!
Monday at 3 pm EST, I’ll be doing a Google hangout with these fun bloggers and we’ll all be sharing ways to use cloches from Wayfair. It’s all about the Holidays and how to make them fun and festive!
Love the new kitchen! It would have been so hard for me to make holes in the subway tile and put up those shelves. You are a brave girl!!!!
Ha, Gwen, my brother-in-law, Bruce, came over and installed them for me and I was biting my nails as he drilled holes in my tile. It WAS scary!
Hi! Love to read your blog. I’m from east Cobb and now live in Pensacola. I liked reading about the White Rabbit…I visited there a few weeks ago with my mom who now lives in Dallas.
I have a question about your cabinets. Why didn’t you take them all the way to the ceiling? Do you have lighting above them? Congrats on the kitchen. It’s beautiful!
Hi,Whitney, good question! That would have been great, but my cabinet installer advised me to do it this way, because to do traditional crown molding up there with all the cuts and precision that would have to be made, it would have cost me a lot more money for him to do it all, so I opted for this method and used Ikea’s small crown around the top. And you know what, it doesn’t bother me a bit, I love it as is. There are no lights around the top, just under cabinet lighting.
That is such a crazy transformation! Absolutely inspiring Rhoda!
Hi Rhoda…Love the kitchen, you did an awesome job. So much like the pendant light over your sink first thing that caught my eye. Also, white is definitely my color for the kitchen and I couldn’t love your granite choice more. I am saving the name. I am truly a cook and the kitchen is the heart of my home. Windows are my thing also and like your windows so much. I can do without other things for my home to have the kitchen I desire. Great job Rhoda!
Rhoda, your kitchen is beautiful! I can’t thank you enough for the shout-out about the bean pot and the link to my website! I think you will really love cooking with your bean pot. I thought your readers might be interested to hear that our Last Chance clearance sale begins this Friday morning at 6:00 Central time, and we will have a lot of beautiful items on sale for amazing prices. In fact, this Venetian Parsley bean pot is retiring and will be included in the sale. This is a great way to accomplish your Christmas shopping because everyone loves our pottery. I wish you continued blessings and a very merry Christmas!
Just beautiful. Job well done. Your home is beautiful.
Rhoda;
Your kitchen is beautiful; you should be very proud of it! As a professional Interior Designer , I have to say that all of the selections you made were just how I would have directed you, if I was your designer………a timeless, classic-look (not trendy) with a wonderful blend of your own personal touches!
Dawn
Looks Beautiful … great job!
love IKEA!!! we did the same and what a difference a new kitchen makes. there is just nothing that comes close to the easy and value of an IKEA kitchen.
Rhoda,
I’ve just been catching up with you. I am so excited about your new home! It is going to be such a lovely retreat for you.
The kitchen is a dream, the living room so beautiful – love those windows! – the basement ceiling in black is an inspiration, the wood floors are beautiful.
When I was a single mom, my dad helped me out with lots of home projects, renovations. My parents were truly a godsend, my support network, my best friends. What a blessing your parents are!
Very pretty~~so happy for you.
Merry Christmas!
what a fantastic makeover! I LOVE Ikea cabinets
How is that even the same room?! And how in the world did you do that much work?!?! so impressive…I know you just gaze at it every time you walk in. So beautiful, Rhoda!!
Rhoda, It is absolutely fabulous. Closing off that door was brilliant. It so shines with your personality. I love it. Congratulations on all of your successes. Hugs, Diane
So fabulous!! It is very impressive – you have my favorite granite – Kashmire and the Blanco sink is VERY good quality as is the Moen faucet! and the IKEA!!! aaah! Love the whole thing – thanks for sharing – have a great week! ;-))
Thank you all so much for the very kind comments! I am so over the moon with my new house and it’s so much fun sharing it all with folks that “get” it!!
Love love love it!
How wonderful, Rhoda — it’s lovely, every inch of it! Enjoy!
xo Heidi
Hi Rhonda!
I love the new kitchen! It looks perfect and brought life to a dark space. Enjoy and Happy Holidays. Pat
It’s amazing!!!! Fantastic job.