I love blogging. This is somewhere around my (er, our) 75th post, and I can't even say how much I (we) have enjoyed it so far. It has been so much fun to meet random people around the Web who share the same interests as we do, and who can inspire us with their triumphs and encourage us with support of our own endeavors.
When we started to look at houses, it became painfully obvious that we weren't going to get everything we wanted (particularly in the kitchen and bath areas), and it was pretty discouraging. Reading about your successes over heinous flooring and outdated cabinetry literally gave me the push I needed to take the plunge. Below is a collection of my favorite kitchens, from you, the blogging public. You are not professional designers; you have real, reasonable budgets, and just look at what you have done! It is inspirational, to say the least!
Becoming-Home, before
This New York couple has made some dramatic changes to a cute little cottage that needed some serious TLC.
Becoming-Home, after
Beautiful! I love the contrast of dark counters with white cabinets. Be sure to read all about their cabinet-painting woes and congratulate them on some exciting news.
ThisYoungHouse, before
You've seen this one before, but it couldn't be left out. That valance, blue counter tops, linoleum -- oh my!
ThisYoungHouse, after
What a difference closing off that doorway made! The kitchen now seems purposeful and intentional -- definitely not an afterthought! And I think we alllllll know how much I enjoy a blueish-greenish-grayish wall.
Darby, before
Darby is the identical twin sister of Erika over at Urban Grace Interiors, so you know that good taste probably runs in the family. She and her husband bought a house that looked like a set for That 70's Show, but they didn't let a little (okay, a lot) wood paneling intimidate them! Check out her recent posts with before-and-after images of some of their room re-dos.
Darby, after
We want to knock out some upper cabinets, just like this. It's very encouraging to see such dramatic results and know they did much of it themselves. Can you even believe those are the same cabinets?! Some white paint went a long way in lightening up the room. There's that wall color again ... And those vintage school house pendants -- Erika, hook me up!
No. 462, before
This kitchen was also plagued by a layout that produced unused space (not to mention the avocado green dishwasher!).
No. 462, after
Out of the 70's, and into the new millennium with stainless steel and a soothing palette. Subway tiles (laid by the handy husband) add a vintage touch.
No. 462, after again
Removing the wall added space for a seating area, and made the dining room much more accessible to the kitchen. L-O-V-E those dining chairs!
It doesn't stop at kitchens with these folks, either, so be sure to click through and see what everyone has been up to.
Now, the moment you've been waiting for (drumroll please ...) here's our before shot. We're really not in too bad of shape, from the looks of this photo. What you're not seeing, is that behind the photographer is the washer and dryer with a window above, and the door the to carport. Sooooooo awkward. This is really another post for another day, but here's to hoping our remodel will look as great as these!
When we started to look at houses, it became painfully obvious that we weren't going to get everything we wanted (particularly in the kitchen and bath areas), and it was pretty discouraging. Reading about your successes over heinous flooring and outdated cabinetry literally gave me the push I needed to take the plunge. Below is a collection of my favorite kitchens, from you, the blogging public. You are not professional designers; you have real, reasonable budgets, and just look at what you have done! It is inspirational, to say the least!
Becoming-Home, before
This New York couple has made some dramatic changes to a cute little cottage that needed some serious TLC.
Becoming-Home, after
Beautiful! I love the contrast of dark counters with white cabinets. Be sure to read all about their cabinet-painting woes and congratulate them on some exciting news.
ThisYoungHouse, before
You've seen this one before, but it couldn't be left out. That valance, blue counter tops, linoleum -- oh my!
ThisYoungHouse, after
What a difference closing off that doorway made! The kitchen now seems purposeful and intentional -- definitely not an afterthought! And I think we alllllll know how much I enjoy a blueish-greenish-grayish wall.
Darby, before
Darby is the identical twin sister of Erika over at Urban Grace Interiors, so you know that good taste probably runs in the family. She and her husband bought a house that looked like a set for That 70's Show, but they didn't let a little (okay, a lot) wood paneling intimidate them! Check out her recent posts with before-and-after images of some of their room re-dos.
Darby, after
We want to knock out some upper cabinets, just like this. It's very encouraging to see such dramatic results and know they did much of it themselves. Can you even believe those are the same cabinets?! Some white paint went a long way in lightening up the room. There's that wall color again ... And those vintage school house pendants -- Erika, hook me up!
No. 462, before
This kitchen was also plagued by a layout that produced unused space (not to mention the avocado green dishwasher!).
No. 462, after
Out of the 70's, and into the new millennium with stainless steel and a soothing palette. Subway tiles (laid by the handy husband) add a vintage touch.
No. 462, after again
Removing the wall added space for a seating area, and made the dining room much more accessible to the kitchen. L-O-V-E those dining chairs!
It doesn't stop at kitchens with these folks, either, so be sure to click through and see what everyone has been up to.
Now, the moment you've been waiting for (drumroll please ...) here's our before shot. We're really not in too bad of shape, from the looks of this photo. What you're not seeing, is that behind the photographer is the washer and dryer with a window above, and the door the to carport. Sooooooo awkward. This is really another post for another day, but here's to hoping our remodel will look as great as these!
YEAH!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!
ReplyDeleteIf you need any advice let me know! Loved seeing my sis' before and afters in there... what a transformation!!
Heading to Texas!
E
ps- added you to my link list!
ReplyDeleteAlso, don't forget that beyond those upper cabinets and oven is a prefectly nice-sized breakfast area. If this were the "after" shot I wouldn't have to mention that because the whole space will be opened up and won't feel like separate rooms. I love our parquet linoleum.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you don't have too bad of bones to work with. New counter, appliances, some new hardware and you could have a pretty good look going.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the floors too. :)
we thought so too, initially. but we'd really like to move the stove, have a bigger oven (hard to tell in this picture, but this one is miniature!) and make better use of the cabinets with corner lazy susans, etc. you're right though, it's not too bad, totally livable until we can spend the money to do it well.
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer! Thanks for letting me know about your post! And Thanks even more for including a picture of my kitchen! I am very flattered. What a great post to see all the before and afters! I will have to check in and see how you are coming along. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's true that renovating kitchens are expensive. I'm so inspired with these photos! Why? My husband told me that we're going to renovate our kitchen. He wants our new kitchen functional and tiled. We're planning to depend on Brandon tile suppliers or opt for ceramic tile, Tampa, Florida-based supplies. I'm sure it's expensive but with better results. Thankfully, we're able to save money for that anticipated kitchen renovation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!