Update: Links to all sources here!
Oh happy day… the kitchen reveal is finally here! I can’t believe it! Five long months of countless hours, days & nights; blood, sweat and tears have finally paid off.
And it truly is our dream kitchen.
But you can’t fully grasp and appreciate how far it has come unless you’ve seen how it looked five months ago. Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we?
When you first walked into the front door and turn to your right, you stepped into a dining area with a funky 70’s bar.
Here’s another view:
The dining area is open to the living room, divided by railing:
Straight ahead is the kitchen door which goes out on the side deck. Just to the right of that was the very small closed off kitchen. Also from the 70’s.
Here’s the view from the sink, opposite of where the photo above was taken:
I knew the second I walked in that the wall needed to be taken down, and the entire room gutted and reconfigured.
We didn’t waste any time.
We worked with a kitchen designer at Lowe’s who helped us find the perfect setup.
I also supplemented the storage by making a pantry, bench seating, and a bar using Ikea cabinets and wardrobes.
Every surface was ripped out, rewired, new drywall, new floors, new electrical and plumbing, you name it.
We trimmed the windows, planked the ceilings, built beams, planked the walls, added recessed lights and speakers…
Tiled the backsplash wall, tiled the bar wall with stacked stone, built some floating shelves…
Built the bar and bench seats, built our dining table, replaced the outdated stair railing…
And so much more. There were lots of struggles and setbacks along the way, but we survived and now we’re able to enjoy this space with friends and family for years to come. I appreciate all of your encouragement and thoughts along the way—thank you for following me on this journey!
Without further ado… the after photos:
Thanks to my parents for letting me raid their property for all the pretty pink flowers this afternoon. Aren’t they gorgeous?
I made this no-sew table runner last week with a couple yards of fabric from Joann’s, some ruffle trim and hem tape.
The flower box was super simple—a 1×4 cut into pieces, secured together with wood glue and my nail gun, then painted/sanded/stained.
The chalkboard on the back wall was a last minute addition, and it’s one of my favorite things in the room.
More to come about it in a future post… (hint: a giveaway is involved).
I had fun drawing on it last night…
I’ve also decided to become a botanist.
Okay, not really. But I did start an herb garden, and after managing to kill all of our plants in FL, I’m determined to keep these babies alive. And cook with them.
Biscuit and Susie also have a little spot for them here.
I made prints of their silhouettes (you can get them for your furbabies at my shop), framed them in cheap Ikea 5×7 frames and stapled some scrap fabric to the back for a little extra specialness.
I also built them this food/water station yesterday out of scrap wood.
They seriously love it. They eat like 5x/day now.
Still also loving these appliances in the island. No cramped cooking here.
I kept the color palette to whites, blacks, grays neutral brown/beige/ivory tones, and navy blue.
This way I can easily switch it up throughout the seasons.
It’s also very relaxing.
Good thing there’s lots of seating to curl up onto.
And thank you guys for weighing in on the bamboo blinds situation. I changed my initial choice after reading through the comments and went with the medium tan/brown.
I think it was the right choice!
Our bar is stocked and ready to entertain.
Which is a good thing, because we have guests coming from Florida on Friday, and a big housewarming party next Saturday.
I’m excited to test it all out!
Here’s a shot with all the lights on. There are 13 recessed lights, one pendant over the sink, and two pendants over the dining table.
I’m mildly obsessed with these pendant lights.
And that’s the story of our kitchen.
Just for fun… here’s some kitty outtakes:
We tried to get them to sit next to each other and pose. It didn’t last long.
She chooses the most random places to plop down and rest.
Update: A few of you have requested wider angle shots so you can get a true before/after comparison (it’s a little confusing since we converted two rooms into one, I know!)
I can’t seem to find my wide angle lens that I used in the before’s (I haven’t used it since those photos, and now I’m freaking out a little because it’s apparently missing…) so I did the best I could with my 24mm lens. Also, the wide angle lens makes the room look a lot larger than it is, so the new photos are a much better representation of size and scale.
To get oriented, here’s a before + after shot right at the entrance. The back of the foyer is the bar wall (the wall was there already, it’s just barely cut off in the before photo—we did rip the bar out though):
Same position, rotating just to the left (the sunken living room is on the opposite side of the railing)…
Take a couple steps forward to the dining room (now it’s one big open room):
Keep going forward and the kitchen was on the right:
Now walk to the sink, turn around and here’s the area you were just standing in (it’s now a built in pantry):
There was a wall here before… not anymore!
Looking back at the dining room from the kitchen area again:
And here’s a shot from the dining area window, looking back out towards the living room:
Hopefully that helps to clear up any confusion!
If you missed any of the Kitchen Chronicles, here’s how it all went down…
Kitchen Chronicles: Planning Stages
Kitchen Chronicles: Demolition
Kitchen Chronicles: A blank slate (+ more house updates)
Kitchen Chronicles: Trimming out the Windows
Kitchen Chronicles: Finished plank ceiling & wall
Kitchen Chronicles: The cabinets & floors are in!
Kitchen Chronicles: DIY Wood Beams
Kitchen Chronicles: New Hardware & Paint
Kitchen Chronicles: The counters are in! (+ pendant light & faucet preview)
Kitchen Chronicles: An Ikea Pax Pantry, Part 1
Kitchen Chronicles: Ikea Pax Pantry Reveal!
Kitchen Chronicles: Building a Bar
Kitchen Chronicles: Building a Window Bench Seat
Kitchen Chronicles: A DIY Subway Tile Backsplash, Part 1
Kitchen Chronicles: A DIY Subway Tile Backsplash, Part 2
Kitchen Chronicles: Stacked stone bar wall & DIY floating shelves
Kitchen Chronicles: DIY floating rustic shelves
Kitchen Chronicles: Upholstered Bench Seating
Kitchen Chronicles: Building a Fancy X Farmhouse Table
Don’t worry, I have a full source list AND price breakdown coming up. I haven’t even started to add it all up yet so this should be… interesting.
I’m happy to answer any questions you may have in the meantime. We’ve learned so much along the way and I feel a lot more confident going into future projects (we have 3 bathrooms on our to-do list… bring it on!)
We’re currently on our way to San Francisco to pick up our friends from the airport and will be celebrating our birthdays this weekend, but I’ll stop in Monday with the source list/budget breakdown.
Have a wonderful Spring weekend 😉
Lisa Fedor says
Stunning. Can you please tell me about the floor? Tile or hardwood? Brand and color?
Lisa Fedor says
Stunning! Can you tell me about your kitchen floor, is it tile or wood? Brand and color?
Jenna Sue says
Thank you! They're from justblinds.com. There's a link to them in my source list post: https://jennasuedesign.blogspot.com/2014/04/kitchen-source-list-budget-breakdown.html
Jessica Ann says
I love absolutely everything you've done. Great job! I've searched, but maybe im missing it. Where did you purchase your bamboo blinds?
Rachel Benson says
I have been thinking of remodeling my kitchen and have been looking around for inspiration. I was thinking about white kitchen cabinets but I absolutely love your grey cabinets. And you wood floors and amazing. Your home looks like a nice place to relax.
https://www.beverly-construction.com
Jenna Sue says
Hi Karen! I posted the source list right after this post back in April 🙂 https://jennasuedesign.blogspot.com/2014/04/kitchen-source-list-budget-breakdown.html There's a link to it in there!
Karen says
Jenna, I know you are putting together a source list but we are in the middle of a kitchen remodel and I need a light over the sink quick. I just love the little cage light you chose. Can you tell me where you bought that? Thank you.
RoxanneK says
Wow! Every inch of this space is perfection right down to the pet food bowls!! Amazing transformation! Sharing on my FB page!
Rebeca says
Great job! Wondefull kitchen.
Jenna Sue says
We scotch guard the fabric which helps a lot, and use lids or splatter guards when cooking. The heat is definitely not an issue, and we haven't had any spills yet!
Anonymous says
I was just wondering doesn't the food your preparing on your cook top sometimes splash onto the bench right in front of it. I know that when I cook certain things like grease or sauce will get on the back of my oven cook top.
Seems a little dangerous with the heat and fabric cushions.
HomeImprovementQuote says
Beautiful inspiration! Wood work is really remarkable. White color gives fresh look. Floor work is amazing. Lighting system is unique. What a huge kitchen.
connie says
I'm stopping by to say Hello by way of The Kitchn. What a beautiful transformation! The white and blues make it a calming place to create and nourish your body. Especially love the kitty silhouettes, what a special touch 🙂
Julie Myers says
I absolutely love the remodel of this! I love everything from your new table and chairs to how much more open it feels! I've been wanting to redo my kitchen for quite some time, but I just haven't been able to make the final decision. I can see how much it changes the home, and I think I'll definitely be getting a renovation soon! https://www.renovations.rdinet.com/your-project/
Emily Ross says
It’s been over 10 months since I’ve remodeled my kitchen and the compliments received from my family and friends just keep coming. I hired the team at Classic Kitchen and Bath in Illinois because they are a family business and have been around for as long as I can remember. Remodeling can be quite a hassle but these guys made the process much simpler for me. It was a great experience working with the team at CKB- a company that prides itself on quality workmanship, timeliness, and customer service. Visit their website today http://www.myclassickitchenandbath.com or call 630-515-9151. I highly recommend them to anyone considering a new kitchen or bathroom.