Here's an old photo I took when we looked at the house for the very first time (July 2008):
It doesn't really scream 'dream kitchen' but we liked the size and layout.
This is early 2009. We had already painted over that yellow-ish color on the walls and were getting ready to start replacing appliances (which took about 18 months because we saved up for them one by one).
And here we are 2 and a half years later:
We really love how the island came out. It was kind of wimpy before but adding trim really made it more substantial looking. The white outlet cover isn't ideal - maybe one day we'll find a paintable one that will blend in more.
My favorite part of this photo is the shiny subway tile. Its so pretty when it catches the light.
The top of the fridge looked bare so I grabbed the few cookbooks we own and put them in this wire basket I found at Home Goods. The glass jar was part of a Christmas gift from my boss. The white tin had a former life as a Christmas tin full of popcorn. Add a coat of white spray paint and now it holds dog food!
Goodies from the garden. I found that little marble cutting board at Home Goods for $4 and had to get it - we couldn't get marble counters so at least I still have a little bit of marble in my kitchen :-) The dinner bell used to belong to Josh's grandmom Donato and he would ring it when he was a kid. When she passed away Josh's mom saved it for him.
I got this old postage scale last year. I had been on the lookout for a vintage kitchen scale but they were always so pricey so when I saw the price tag on this one I snatched it up. Most people don't even notice that its not a kitchen scale. The utensil holder is actually a plant pot from Ikea.
We are lucky to have 2 big windows behind the sink that let in a ton of light. Without them I don't think we would have been able to get away with black cabinets!
I've had a hard time figuring out what to put in that big area behind the sink. That succulent is the only plant in our entire house - our dumb cats chewed on every plant I've brought in (and then puked green stuff everywhere) but they seem to leave this one alone.
This is the area to the left of the sink. We put a hook in the side of the cabinet so we could hang a towel up there. We used to hang the towel on the oven door handle but the dogs always knocked it off so this is working much better.
This is looking back towards the sliding doors that go out to the deck. I got the EAT letters at Michael's and painted them green. Those cabinets above the EAT letters are the first ones that got painted (back in November 2009 - a little embarrassing that it took me 18 months to complete all the cabinets!) and so far they are holding up well.
Treats for our spoiled dogs. They know the sound of the metal lids being turned and come running as soon as they hear it! That frame with the bird/french fry wording is actually hiding a really ugly phone jack that we couldn't find the right cover for.
And just for fun here are those 2 'before' photos with current photos from the same angle for comparison:
(I think the black table and chairs makes for a bit of black overkill but there's nothing wrong with them so they're staying - I think adding a colorful fabric runner to the table will help.)
And in honor of National Dog Day, my favorite kitchen accessories :-)
And that concludes our kitchen makeover! We love, love, LOVE it!!
