KITCHEN RENOVATION UPDATE
Our kitchen renovation has now reached the halfway mark. And I can just begin to get an idea of what our kitchen will look like. We still have another two and a half weeks to go but I think the second half of the reno will be much more exciting!
Today’s post has before reno images and during reno images, so you can see the progress.
The first part of the renovation was all about taking things out of the kitchen. Taking everything out of the drawers and a few cabinets too.
Our painters took all the cabinet and drawer fronts out to their shop to be spray painted.
As a side note, you can see the color of our entire house before we painted everything. Yes, walls and all trim were all this tan color. It would be a pretty wall color in one room but not the whole house of an open concept home.
The old backsplash was taken out (thank goodness) and so was the sink, garbage disposal and all of the countertops.
You can see near the ceiling where the electrical has already been wired for glass front cabinets that go to the ceiling.
Kitchens By Eileen or KBE sealed off the kitchen from the rest of our open concept home by creating heavy plastic walls. So ingenious!
KBE has done a more than excellent job keeping everything very clean! This is quite an ongoing feat as demolition is a very dusty, dirty job!
For the last week our painters, Two Dudes, have been covering everything that does not get painted with brown paper and plastic and tape. What a tedious job!
Then they sanded and primed for a few days.
And today they started to spray thin coats of gorgeous Benjamin Moore Simply White Semi Gloss paint on everything!
Because our home is so open and the kitchen can be seen from many rooms we decided to paint it the color of our walls. The cabinets will look a little different in color because of their sheen.
It’s a very classic look. Nothing too trendy! I did for about one minute think about painting the half walls around the kitchen a pretty dark moody blue that is so popular right now.
But that was a fleeting thought! The blue trend will be gone before this kitchen needs another update.
And because we have so much backsplash in this kitchen we decided to keep the rest of the kitchen pretty much white.
Simply White is considered a warm white. It has just a taddy bit of yellow in it but appears as a very neutral white. It looks like a more crisp white than other creamier whites.
We love it because it feels warm but looks white.
Once our Calcutta marble backsplash goes in it will bring a bit of tone-on-tone warm color and softness to our kitchen.
Both Carrara (very popular now) and Calcutta are both Italian marble.
The difference is subtle but here’s an easy way to distinguish the two. Carrara is coveted for its soft gray veining. Calcutta is a whiter marble with wider gray veining and can have beige and gold tones in it.
One of the things I was most looking forward to getting rid of was the countertop with that bar height lip around it.
When that “lip” was gone the kitchen looked so much more open!
We chose a white Quartz with very little veining for our countertops. Quartz is a man-made product that is hard and resists staining. Because I love to cook Quartz was a great choice.
I can begin to see what the breakfast nook will look like. It’s such a nice area with three windows creating a true nook, but it just looked so disconnected from the rest of the kitchen. It almost seemed out of place!
With the banquette, this area now looks connected to and part of the kitchen.
I’m just starting to think about fabric to cover the three-inch cushions that will go on top of the wrap-around seating. The cushions will need a fabric that can withstand wear and stains. My hope for this banquette is that it gets lots and lots of use!
I love picking out fabric. Right now I’m thinking about neutral (surprise, surprise) cushions and will add some color with other pillows.
We opted for open storage under the banquette. I could have chosen this seating to have cabinets but thought that was just too much white cabinetry. There is a lot of cabinetry in this U shaped kitchen!
We will fill the storage spaces up with some pretty baskets instead. This will be a great place to store my grandbabies books, coloring books, and craft supplies.
Next week the cabinet fronts go back in and the trim and lit cabinets will be installed. I think that will really change the look of our kitchen.
As things speed up and progress towards the finish line I’ll be sharing updates here and on my new Instagram account @stonegable_blog.
My old Instagram was hacked and ransomed. Obviously, I did not pay the ransom! So the evil, vile people who hacked my account also destroyed it.
I’d love you to join me on Instagram! Go HERE to follow and see more of what’s happening at the Tanglewood house! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I love seeing before , during, and after pictures. So excited for you, I know it will be beautiful!
I hope so Sherree! We opted to have our kitchen cabinets painted instead of getting new cabinets. I hope we make the right move.
Thanks for sharing this.. This is sooo inspirational.. I am so looking forward to see the backsplash.. In my mind backsplash give the “OUMF” to a kitchen! Great idea with the nook! Hang in there! Almost over!
Yes, this backsplash will have “OUMF”!
Love the table in your nook….do you mind sharing where you purchased it? Your Reno looks amazing- as does your entire house! Love your decorating style:)
The table is called Four Hands Round End Table but I don’t see it in stock at Hayneedle. Sorry!
So fun to see your kitchen come together. It’ll look beautiful just like the rest of your house. . We chose benjamin moore white dove for our paint color throughout the entire house. It’s a nice warm white too. I can’t believe how hard it is to even choose a white paint color – so many to choose from.
I love dove white too!
Love what you are doing in your kitchen! It will be so beautiful. Looking forward to more updates.
I am trying to decide if I want to paint my kitchen white, for the walls are gold venetian plaster. My cabinets are BJM navaho white. Its more old world style, pretty but I would like an update. Hang in there, it will be worth it. xo
Hi Liz, I think if I had gold Venetian plaster walls I’d stay away from white cabinets. The two looks would fight each other.
Thanks for sharing. Love to see kitchen makeovers!!
I can’t wait to show you more!
It will be such a wonderful update! Thanks for sharing the details. You will love it!
So exciting ! Can’t wait to see the final product.
We are hoping to start a kitchen renovation also. So glad to have yours as a guide!
We want our cabinets painted also In stead of replacing since they are very nice Amish built cabins. However the previous owner used a Rust-Oleum Transformations paint kit on them. I’ve been told you can’t just prime and paint over it.
Do you have any thoughts or information ?
Thank you and also thanks for your sharing your beautiful home with us and giving us inspiration in these uncertain times. Our mighty God is still in control.
Yes, our mighty God is in control! How about having them sanded. That’s about all I can think of.
Wowza, that’s going to look amazing! I’m super excited for you! Do you taste paint? 😉
No, we aren’t tasting paint. There are big fans pushing the fumes out the windows and all the air ducts have been covered.
Good Morning Yvonne: I really cannot wait to see the final decorations that you are doing. I am sure it will be beautiful. Have a great weekend.
Marilyn
What a wonderful transformation! Can you please share the brand and the name of the quartz that you have selected?
I’ll have to get back to you. We found it from a local stone store.
Coming along beautifully! Can’t wait for the finished details.
Yvonne
Its so great to be able to watch your kitchen renovation in real time. We have gone through major work in several of the homes we have owned and I know how stressful it can be. One big project we did went on so long we considered adopting the contractor as one of the family. Once it was all finished it was wonderful and like childbirth you forget the pain. I am now considering having our kitchen cabinets painted and then new counters.I don’t decide these things as quickly as I used to when younger. I have lots of cabinets and a big expanse of counter so the project will be expensive.
We’ve weathered the reno pretty well. We set up a make-shift kitchen on our dining room table. The thing I miss the most is running water. No pioneer girl, here!
So exciting! Have you decided on bar stools? It’s going to look great! Patience is golden!
I have pretty dark putty-colored bar stools for now. Once the kitchen is done I’ll decide if the bar stools stay or go.
Excited to view the outcome. So happy for you. My kitchen is 50’s original with few updates. Maybe yours will be the inspiration to go for it. Love your choice of materials.
I had those exact same cupboards in my kitchen when I moved to my great room house. I even had a peninsula with a raised bar. We gutted it and had a custom kitchen in a creamy white finish installed, with a nice big island. It was expensive but I’ve never regretted spending the money. That was ten years ago and I still love it! I know your kitchen will have timeless finishes and you’ll be so happy you spent the money. I love banquettes so looking forward to seeing your finished project.
I love all your changes and selections. Of course, since I try and copy lots of your look! Best wishes on this project!
It is looking so pretty. It is hard to be shut out of your kitchen for so long when you enjoy cooking but it will be worth it. I am enjoying my new gray kitchen since I had white for so many years. Looking forward to seeing the finished job.
Looks exciting, Yvonne! Awful about the hacking! I started following you on Instagram today, but have been following you via your newsletters in my email for years!
Oh my gosh Yvonne, I cannot wait to see the finished kitchen! So exciting to watch the progress.
It looks so much bigger!
I love the choices you have made in the kitchen. My last 3 kitchens have had painted cabinetry, and it lends a wonderful, homey touch. The new eating area is great, and I love that you are going with baskets below. They add so much texture and warmth!
Hi Lisa, that’s the plan!
It’s getting exciting, ya hoo. Best decision I made was cutting down bar height to counter level. My kitchen looks bigger and brighter.
It’s looking amazing, my friend! That storage in the nook will be amazing! And it definitely makes it feel more part of the room! (Did you start The Chosen last nite???) 😉
No, I fell asleep! Maybe tonight.
Omg Yvonne.I’m in love with it already.You have impeccable taste. Can’t wait to see it all done.Are you as excited as I am .lol. Good luck with the rest of your reno.Anxiously waiting.?
Thanks Sharon! The top cabinets will be installed on Wednesday and the Quartz will be here on Thursday. Moving along!
It is going to be gorgeous ! Love the white….I am on my third white kitchen. White is so classic and clean. Can’t wait to see your finished project:-)
I’m an off white girl, choosing to paint anything that needs to be white an off white. But when we redid our kitchen my husband was pretty adamant about going white. When it was finished, I was astonished! It’s so cheery! I love being in there amongst all that cheeriness and can’t wait to cook my next meal or can things. Can’t wait to see what your kitchen looks like when it’s finished!
I’ve had a white kitchen for 25 years. And I loved it. I’m so used to the brightness and wanted to bring that same color palette to our Tanglewood home.
Yvonne, your new kitchen is just going to be beautiful! You and Bobby will be anxious to have everything finished and get your kitchen all settled! So happy for you!
We will! I’m excited to cook in it!
The renovation is beautiful. I love some white. It brings brightness to a room
THanks, Carol.
Thanks for writing this great article for us. I have gained good stuff from this website. Looking forward to your next article. I am happy to share this post to my friends. Keep it up.