Kitchen: Before and After

Finally, I am starting to feel like things are coming together. The kitchen isn't all decorated yet, but it's getting there. Here's a quick recap of the process- when we first toured the house, there was weeks-old litter boxes and feces around the floor. It smelled of dung too... A horrible blue-checkered pattern was on the damaged linoleum floor, and the cabinets were probably the originals. The kitchen had an arch in the middle, but it couldn't be seen because it was coved in the cabinets. A awkward layout was also an issue from the placement of the appliances, half-bathroom door, and many entrances.

To remedy this, we had family come help us tear out the cabinets. What a task! Some were completely unscrewed but still on the wall from the layers of paint!! They were heavy too, once we actually yanked them off. This left a lot of patchwork, which I did, and Justin sanded. We also cut a door into the master bedroom, and closed the door to the bath off the kitchen. Justin ripped up the old floor. We painted the walls with White Raisin from the Rustic Refined selection at Sherwin-Williams. Then, we stepped back and Brentwood Builders did the rest. Yay!!

Brentwood put down the new vinyl flooring, which looks like tile even though it's not. They installed the cabinets, which was quite a task since the floor sloped. Evening it out was a pain, I'm sure. They dropped the sink in, put in the electric and new gas line, and finished.

At this point, in mid-November, my kitchen already looked loads better, and I unpacked my kitchen stuff, went grocery shopping, and settled in. But I will wanted some open shelves, so our neighbor Bert (who is amazing!!) made some custom shelves that fit perfectly with the style. We showed him pictures, bought the wood, and then he made them for us. And they look great. We got these in just a week or so ago, and that's why I've been waiting to post, though many people have been asking for pictures. We still have more decorating to do, but this is where we are at now. I'm so pleased!!

BEFORE:

AFTER: