Kitchen Reveal

Remember way back (almost one and half years ago!!) when we were renovating our kitchen?!  We'll the kitchen is most definitely renovated, and it has been for some time, but I was waiting to photograph it until it was "finished."  And then I realized, I don't know when that will happen.  It's still missing art, lamps, accessories, etc., but the bones of it are renovated, and we decided it would be fun to share!

Our inspiration and before pictures are right here, and we shared lots of progress shots here.  Even though these after pics aren't perfect, they're much more impressive after seeing what we started with!  Truthfully, I didn't style these pictures at all - like I wanted to!  I asked J.D. to grab flowers from the grocery store so that I could try to spruce things up before taking these pictures, and he came home empty handed.  He said only neon flowers were available, and he decided to pass! 

Okay, picture overload below if you're interested....

We are loving the kitchen!  It's completely transformed the house, so much so that I think we'll stay here far longer than we originally planned.  It's changed the way we live in the house.  J.D. usually comes down here super early and works before Virginia gets up, and I spend lots of time in here cooking.  (We never hung out in here before.)  We eat breakfast together most mornings in the kitchen, and the little sitting area is a combo of Virginia's playroom/where J.D. enjoys a drink while I cook.  We added no square footage, but the house feels bigger, and the addition of the French doors have made us use the back yard so much more.

I'm still on the lookout for a piece of art to use above the loveseat, and a better lamp in that area.  If anyone has any questions, please let me know!  We have sources for everything written down, but it's been a little while so they aren't on the top of my head! :)

~Mary Keller

A Well Accessorized Kitchen

Our kitchen renovation is really just about complete but I really need a few new accessories to bring the space to life!  We're loving using the new kitchen, and with the exception of just a few things (a new loveseat & chair for the seating area, and a new pendant over our table) everything is complete!  Looking at our kitchen reminds me of how important accessories are to a space.  Here are a few on my list...

 

We try to support a local olive oil shop, Pour Olive, just up the street from us for our specialty olive oil, but this Glass Oil Dispenser would be the perfect addition to keep our cheapie Bertolli Olive Oil that we use daily.  These inexpensive wooden bowls would be perfect for countertop kosher salt, and this spoon rest would hopefully keep me from ruining our new counter tops!  I'm usually pretty frugal on things like soaps and lotions, but we swear by Mrs. Meyers cleaning products.  They stay out on our counter tops next to the sink so they look pretty, and my dishwasher (J.D.) swears they are better than when I buy the cheaper stuff.  A little plant in the kitchen adds so much life, and ever since I laid eyes on this project of Jamie's features in HGTV magazine, I've been wanting a pair of Staffordshire Dogs to tuck in my kitchen book shelves!

~Mary Keller

1.  Recycled Glass Oil Dispenser via Terrain; 2.  Wooden Condiment Bowl via Terrain; 3.  Hand Thrown Spoon rest via Anthropologie; 4. Mrs. Meyers Geranium Kitchen products; 5. Cutting board via Terrain; 6. Plant holder via Terrain; 7. Blue Staffordshire Dogs via Furbish

Our Kitchen is just about finished!

I'm super excited that our kitchen is really just about finished!  Below are a few quick sneak peeks before everything is finished up!  The cabinets still need their hardware.  Fridge, stove and hood need to be installed.  Cabinets are still missing a few details, but we're definitely getting closer to the finish line.  The biggest difference is the addition of the French doors.  They've added so much light, and they have such a better view vs. the old single door. 

Next time you see the kitchen everything should be done and in place!  Wish I could have everyone over for dinner and a glass of wine in the new kitchen.  JD's requested Ina's Parmesan Chicken over salad for the first dinner in the new kitchen.  I can't wait to make that, plus all of our other warm weather favorites, this August since July was full of takeout and cereal!

~Mary Keller

Kitchen Cabinets Are In!

The kitchen cabinets are in!  We still have major work to do, but I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!  With the cabinets in, it's so much easier to see how the space will really feel.  This week the countertops will be cut and the French doors will go in.  I'm really excited about seeing the French doors.  The space will have so much more light!  A few progress shots are below.  I'm sure you're all sick of seeing these shots, but we only have a little over two weeks to go! :) 

 The view from where you will enter the room.  The little cabinet peninsula is where the wall used to be.

View on the other side.  The French doors will be located in the same location as the temporary door.

The original butler's pantry is still in good shape, but we will add a fresh coat a paint and matching hardware.

Sink will be located under this window, with the dishwasher to the left.

Pantry door on the far left, then the little desk with shelves above, space for the refrigerator, and then the oven/storage area on the far right.

 View standing in the middle of the kitchen.  The boarded up door leads to the dining room.  I'd like a little loveseat and chair in the former breakfast nook.  JD can then sit and talk to me while I cook dinner. :)

Happy Early Weekend!

Happy early weekend and Happy 4th of July!!  I hope everyone had a nice short week.  I don't have too many pretty iphone shots to share from this short week, but we did make major progress in the kitchen.  Cabinet boxes are in and the kitchen if finally starting to come together!  I also discovered a new favorite grocery store ice cream.  If you haven't tried Talenti Banana Chocolate Swirl, go try it immediately.  It tastes like the most delicious banana split. :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July.  Heath's heading to Charleston (I'm super jealous) for a nice long weekend.  JD and I are staying put here in Charlotte, and my mom and I have shopping plans to do what else other than keep plugging away at the baby's nursery. :) 

~Mary Keller

So much progress on the renovation!

Guys there has been so much progress on the kitchen renovation!  I'm really surprised how much things have changed over just one week!  We've begun making some of the finish selections.  I was getting a bit nervous about my decision to paint the lower cabinets black, but then Lacquered Life blog posted the kitchen below from Country Living and I fell in love again.

Along with the black lower cabinets, we'll be painting the upper cabinets white.  We've selected Carrera marble on the counter tops and a 3"x 6" Carrera tile as the backsplash.  I've heard nothing but horror stories about using Carrera marble so we're probably crazy!  I just can't find a white granite that looks clean enough, I've always loved Carrera, and similar looking Quartz options are waaay too pricey!  We've selected unlacquered brass hardware, simple knobs for our doors and bin pulls for the drawers.  I'd love to do an unlacquered brass faucet, but the options we're finding are still too pricey!  The faucet shown below is lacquered--why do they triple the price NOT to lacquer the brass?!

 

Below are the latest progress shots:

 The back of the house with the kitchen.  This wall used to have a small window and single door.  We removed the single door and instead will add French doors on the other side.  No more view of our neighbors doing their dishes!

Back of the house with the temporary door.  This temporary door will become our French doors.  Clearly they still have a lot of old electrical items to move!  The view out the French doors will be so much better than the last door location.

Inside the kitchen, the former window has been covered.  The stove will go along this wall.

The new sink will go under this existing window.

The wall that separated the old breakfast room and kitchen is officially gone!  The wall used to be in between these two windows.  It looks so much bigger now.

Looking through the kitchen to where the French doors will eventually be.  The new doors will add so much needed light to this space!

This wall used to have a small window and exterior doors.  Those have been covered and this wall will have our fridge, pantry, desk and oven.  The framing for the pantry is in place!  (Pantries are such a luxury in our neighborhood.  Kitchens are often so small!)

~Mary Keller

Kitchen Renovation Progress

I came home from Chicago to find some major kitchen renovation progress!  I guess it has to get worse before it can get better.  A few demolition shots are shown below.  I'm so excited this is finally happening.  Between now and when the renovation is complete, JD and I will be washing our two bowls, two plates and two coffee mugs in the tiny downstairs bath, living off whatever meals I can come up with that do not involve an oven, stove or microwave!  This should be fun!

Old cabinets are completely gone!  Ultimately the new sink will go under the left window, and the right window will be removed and replaced with French doors.

Standing in the old kitchen looking into what used to be the breakfast room.  The drywall is gone and I can already tell how much more open this space will feel with this wall removed. 

Ultimately this door to the outside will be removed and this wall will instead have our pantry, a little desk and built in ovens.

 Layers and layers of old charming wallpapers!

The former breakfast room looking into the kitchen.  A wall used to block this view! 

~Mary Keller



Kitchen Inspiration (and renovation plans!)

My husband and I have always had plans to give our kitchen a little face lift.  In our current kitchen there is a wall that separates the breakfast room with the rest of the kitchen, and we've always wanted that wall removed.  With our little one coming this fall, this project has been moved up on the list and our goal is to get the kitchen completely renovated by mid-summer!  I've been saving this kitchen as inspiration for years, long before Pinterest was around.  I pretty much want to knock this kitchen off as much as I possibly can! :)

There are a few things about the kitchen that I won't exactly "copy."  The slate tile floors in this kitchen are beautiful, but to save money we will be sticking with our existing hard woods.  (I'm considering painting the existing hardwoods with a similar herringbone pattern when it's all said and done.)  We also hope to use unlacquered brass hardware instead of chrome, if we can find an affordable source.  We will definitely be painting our new French doors, the pantry door, and the window sills black and keeping our eye out for beautiful white/gray stone countertops.  If anyone has a good suggestion other than Carrera Marble, please let me know. 

Before we get started, below are a few before shots:

 The wall between the breakfast nook and kitchen that we would like removed.

The original butler's pantry that we will keep!

The overall view of the kitchen.

The ovens are from the 1960s but I've still been spoiled having two of them!

The stove with window above.  We would like to add French doors instead of a window to this wall.

The existing door that leads from the kitchen to the back yard.  This door and window will be removed.

 

~Mary Keller

If anyone has a source for the top kitchen images, please let me know.  I would love to give credit for these images.  Thank you!