My Kitchen Reveal: Before & After
Happy Thursday ladies! I can’t believe I’m finally sitting down to write this post – I thought I’d be sharing it in July or August at the latest ;). It’s true what everyone says about renovations…they take much longer than anticipated! I’m going to be sharing all the details, but if I miss anything or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!
We gutted our kitchen in May (you can see what it looked like in this post), and we’re finally done! A few ‘before’ shots to refresh your memory (sorry for the terrible pictures, this was the day before we started demo, and I realized I needed ‘before’ photos as we were clearing out the cabinets)…
Lol I do not miss this – the cabinet door under the sink had literally fallen off in January, and one of my stove knobs broke off the week before this picture! Needless to say it was time!
The fridge was literally a freezer and would freeze ALL of my produce no matter how much I adjusted the temp!
And here’s what our kitchen looks like now! We worked with Lowe’s to complete our renovation & couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out! We were originally going to get our cabinets from Lowe’s and find an independent contractor to complete the reno, but ended up using Lowe’s contractors for the whole project (along with 3 other bathrooms) – more on that below!
I thought I would break this post down by answering questions I’ve received…
1. How long did you live with your kitchen before you renovated?
2 years.
2. Why didn’t you renovate before you moved in?
Everyone told us to live in the house for at least a year before renovating to “feel out the house” and “figure out how it lives”…in the end I’m so glad we decided to wait because when we first moved, I had a different vision for the kitchen than what we ended up with. I think this was really great advice, and I’m glad we took it!
3. Did you work with a designer?
No, I designed the kitchen myself along with Lowe’s (they know all the dimensions and cabinet options), but I think if I were to do another kitchen, I would hire a designer. There were so many decisions to make throughout the process (especially after install begins) & I was constantly second-guessing myself. It would have been nice to have someone who’s done this before guiding the process and making decisions. But I’m really happy with the way it turned out, so it was fine!
4. How did you choose Lowe’s?
We searched for about a year before we decided to work with Lowe’s – we met with independent contractors, custom kitchen cabinet companies, as well as kitchen & bath designers who have their own contractors. In the end, we decided to go with Lowe’s for a few reasons: the quote we received for our cabinets (all real wood) were comparable with MDF cabinets from the custom cabinet companies, & we knew we wanted real wood cabinets (the real wood cabinet quotes from the other companies were more than double Lowe’s quote), I talked to a designer who had used Diamond cabinets in a few of her kitchen renovations and she highly recommended them, and Lowe’s guarantees their work 100% – you don’t have to worry about chasing after your contractor or pay more if you want things fixed. They stand behind their product & work of their contractors. I’ve heard way too many horror stories of people having to hunt down contractors & pay double for them to finish the job which would be so stressful! We had a few snags (what renovation doesn’t?), but in the end everything turned our perfectly and I’m so happy we went with Lowe’s.
5. Is this your forever home?
No, probably not.
6. What would you do differently?
Really the only things I would do differently is find short-term housing during the renovation, OR renovate before moving in & hire a designer! I’m really happy with the layout and how everything turned out!
7. How long did it take?
We gutted the kitchen in May, and it was somewhat functional at the beginning of Sept, but not finished until late November.
8. Will you share sources?
Yes, all sources are listed below!
9. What is your favorite part of you new kitchen?
Having an island & open shelves! I knew I wanted a big island and open shelves, and I love how both of these pieces turned out! Oh and the lighting! We changed our minds at the last minute because the pendants we were planning to order were wayyy too big for our space (this is why a designer would be great lol), and the brass really warms up the space. I swear I love them more every time I walk into the kitchen!
10. Are your countertops marble?
No, they are quartz (specifics below)! We put marble in our kitchen in California and it was my biggest regret! It was such a pain to take care of – always scratching, staining and chipping, so I knew I didn’t want marble (even though I love the look!). I saw this countertop in a home, and was shocked when they told me it wasn’t marble…I was sold! It doesn’t have that “manmade” look, it looks so real and it doesn’t stain, scratch, or chip – YAAASSSS!
Okay, more pictures!
I originally wanted to do gray cabinets, but our real estate agent said white is safest and since we will most likely be selling this home (at some point), we went with white! I wanted some warmth, which is how we landed on the brass pulls & pendants.
I love vintage rugs – especially in the kitchen.
I love having a big sink – this one is great because it’s 2-sided, so you can install it either way. One side has rounded corners for a classic look, and the other has sharper corners for a more modern look – I went with the rounded side.
I had a hard time finding stools that I liked with a back (I felt a back was necessary with kids), but love these because they are super comfortable and neutral.
Sources:
Cabinets – Diamond Reflections in ‘Jamestown’ (Lowe’s)
Countertop – Quartz Master Calacutta Borghini
Hardware: brass pulls & knobs
Floors: red oak with 50/50 mix of Fruitwood & Classic Grey stain
Stools: Restoration Hardware (we got the perennials fabric & so happy we did – I spilled a full can of Diet Coke on a stool and it wiped right off!)
Appliances: Viking
Lighting: Circa Lighting (medium, brass)
Sink: Blanco (white)
Faucet & Hot Water Faucet (both in chrome)
Runner Rug: Etsy (love this shop)
Canisters (flour, sugar, tea)
Please let me know if I missed anything, or if you have any other questions! xx
M&B
