our kitchen upgrade: before & after

when daydreams become reality... 

since i'm not really sure where to begin...i'll start with this picture i came across of how our kitchen looked when we first moved in...um, yeah...diamond in the rough, perhaps?

everything was green. and not a good green. and there was wallpaper. again, some kind of green flower thing. then a green & mauve navajo print border. and yes, a carpeted kitchen floor...needless to say, we updated the original kitchen to what is pictured below before we even moved in. we just left our rental home that was all white. naturally, i could NOT wait to get our own house & paint everything. and i continued to do so. and have loved it. however, four years later, i am driving my husband crazy because i am loving the all-white look...that we left...and i couldn't stand. isn't that how it goes, though...

our old oven and fridge were both donated to someone in need. 

i loved our stony brown walls with our white cabinets but i was also ready for a bit of a kitchen face lift. side note: our fridge at the time was over 30 years old & starting to fall apart (like tape holding the handles together), so we decided it would be a good time to update our appliances, too (which we've never done). we started with the much-needed fridge, then found the coordinating (double-wha?!) oven.

the face lift has turned into full on surgery. 

the above refrigerator was our temporary fridge until our new one was delivered

i believe it was at this time in the painting process that i realized i wanted to paint my shabby chic cupboard white, as well. (cue husband eye-rolling) i told you, paint it all white. 

one of my hopes when painting everything white (including repainting cabinets) was the line of vision would no longer be stopped at the top of the cabinets where the brown overhead begins. that the eye would continue to move and the whole space would appear bigger. same thought with painting the window trim and space between the cabinets white. beginning and ending lines would disappear and everything would appear bigger. and if i can't actually have more space, then by-golly i will fake it. 

appliances arrive & they are beautiful! and a bit scary. i mean, i've never had new appliances and i'll be honest...i feel so much pressure! i am scared to death i'm going to break something or do something wrong and ruin them. it's like driving a new car off the lot. which, coincidentally, i have never done either. anyway, on with the painting...

thank you to netflix for keeping me entertained during my renovation. i have now watched the entire walking dead series. 

i found that when repainting the cupboard i also felt the need to clean out my shelves & cabinets, too. i like using the cupboard as the main serving hub with our everyday jars (cups), plates, bowls, and utensils. but i wanted to keep a more clean, organized look. and oh, how i love cleaning out. i like to keep what i love & use the most. donate what i don't. keep it simple and intentional. 

this, my friends, is what i was dealing with in our cabinets. weird, old, yellow, contact paper. it was horrendous. i used hot water, soap and a razor blade to peel what i could off before my fingernails started falling off. this small portion shown was finally done...after 3 hours. (i know there are adhesive removal agents out there, but i was impatient and didn't want to go to the store again.) so i decided to leave the rest in the cabinets and just paint over it. maybe not the most professional advice but that's real. and it looks great and you can't even tell so i don't even care. 

you know what they say about curiosity.

okay, STOP. so, we bought the ikea butcher block countertops. chickened out of the whole diy thought. but God blessed us with an awesome friend who stepped in & helped us...is that still, technically, diy?? i don't know. maybe "dit" do-it-together?? anyway, he even mitered the corner for us! huge deal. cherry on top. i was holding my breath the whole day. just waiting for him to say it can't be done or wasn't going to work, but shame on me! it did. 

i woke up the next morning...and the morning after that...still shocked to find these glorious countertops in my kitchen. i just can't believe all that pinning on pinterest was actually for something!

yes, here she is, friends. let me introduce you to Bessy, the farmhouse sink. i want to bathe in her.

how is it that a faucet can be so inspirational? i mean, i kind of feel like a real chef. i could probably make some fabulous dish every night now purely due to this faucet. (i believe that was the driving force behind my husband agreeing to it.) and yes, after much debate, we decided, what the hey & finally bought this magnetic knife rack. and we're both so glad we did. we love it. 

i pinned a few old recipe cards above the stove that are wrote in my grandma's handwriting. script = instant art 

changing hardware is one of the quickest, easiest & most affordable ways to update & personalize your kitchen.
these beauties were found on sale at hobby lobby.

after thought: decided to include a (very unstaged) picture of the small space between our fridge and light switch wall (see below). when you are limited with space, you have to use every inch you can (preferably while looking cute & without looking cluttered). using this bar cart from ikea, i can store & access paper goods quickly & easily. using a hook on the wall above, i can decoratively store plastic bags for easy access. 

   

opposite wall. above kitchen table

God has certainly blessed us with the means by which we have had to take care of the home he has provided for us. and while it is easy to complain about what we don't have or covet what others have, it is truly humbling to know he has given us what we need & more. i thoroughly enjoy decorating and providing a warm, welcoming home for our family & others. 

shoutout to hubs for seeing my vision & running with it! i love your face. 

as our lives change & our family grows, our home grows with us. it changes, matures & reflects who we are as people, as a family. 

The wise woman builds her house, 

but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

Whoever fears the Lord walks uprightly,

but those who despite him are devious in their ways.    

Proverbs 14:1