The bones of this kitchen were really great. The kitchen is open to the living room, and just off the living room is a huge deck and beautiful backyard. The kitchen cabinets were not only in great condition but very custom. The only problem was the kitchen was a little outdated.
The kitchen cabinets were painted grey. The appliances were updated, and the laminate countertops updated to concrete. Finally, the entire space got new floors. I know people have conflicting views on painted wood cabinets, but I think it can go either way if done well. To me, it all depends on what you want to do with the entire space. So this was the plan...
The plan was to match the original home's floors. The home is an older home, built in the 1920s. The space you see is an addition. The original living room is the space you see off to the left of the photo. The homeowner wanted to renovate the home based on the original finishes. She also wanted the floors to match the original hardwood in the old living room. This meant the cherry wood was not going to work. The expense of replacing these cabinets way to high, so the plan was to keep them and paint them.
One simple solution to update this kitchen was to extend the bar top. The bar top was not usable as a seating area because the countertop did not extend off the top. The home owner is one who hosts her family and friends often, so she needed a place for people to sit and eat. Simply extending the bar top added room for four chairs.
We searched high and low for a stainless steel refrigerator to fit in the place. The problem was the black refrigerator was very custom and practically brand new. The homeowner also loved the function of this fridge. Since the style of refrigerator was looking to be a very pricey replacement we decided to keep it so the homeowner could use the money on a new backsplash and countertops.
The microwave over the range was extremely low. So low, that if you put a large pot on the stove you wouldn't be able to stir or pour things into the pot. This was a tricky fix because we couldn't lose the upper cabinet due to how the cabinets were installed.
Our solution was switching out the microwave for an under the cabinet hood. Finding a shorter "under cabinet hood" was a little harder than expected. The search was worth it because now there is plenty of space for stirring and cooking. We purchased a cabinet depth microwave and placed it in an open upper cabinet on the other side of the fridge. Many people don't know that upper cabinet depth microwaves are an option. They are smaller, but if you only use your microwave for warming, then it could work for you.
The subway tile backsplash with light gray grout brightened the space up. I love how the homeowner hangs her adorable measuring cups on the backsplash with 3m hooks. The bronze cabinet knobs with patina are from Anthropologie.
The countertops were made and installed by a local company that specializes in concrete countertops.
The countertops are unique and give the space character. If you love the look of the concrete countertops just know that over time the concrete will patina a little. It is a countertop for those who love the look of "used" imperfections.
The white tile floor was replace with a wood floor installed at an angle. This wood floor matches the color of original hardwoods in the old living room.
Keeping existing kitchen cabinets sometimes can be tricky in a kitchen renovation but it opened up the budget to transform the entire space.
If you love a good before and after makeover check out these makeovers here on Curbly.
