34 It's DONE!! Oh I am so excited. It was so much work but I am so in love with my white "farmhousey" kitchen.
Before I show you all the new stuff...lets look at the before:
We started this journey in September when we removed some cabinets and added open shelving. You can find all that info here.
Here is right after we closed on the house. I have no idea what hubby is doing behind the stove...
This is right after we moved in. Notice the track lighting, awful chandelier over the dining space. We did get the laminate counters replaced before moving in and added a drop in black granite sink.
Over time we fixed the lighting issues. The pendant above the dining area was always in the way, it wasn't centered over where the table had to be. Plus it was UGLY. So we replaced it with recessed lighting and also replaced the track lighting with recessed lighting. Then had an electrician add pendants over the peninsula. (they are from Amazon)
So much better...but I wasn't finished. I wanted those cabinets white!! And I wanted to add height to them. And crown molding, which fell off the month we moved in. And then never got replaced. So I started sketching out ideas and of course browsing Pinterest. I started to get worried that when if we added height to all the cabinets the small space would feel closed in. So then we decided to take out those side cabinets and add open shelves.
So happy we did! It really opens up the space, and they are so pretty and fun to style. We received beautiful china when we got married and now we can show it off all the time.
My husband built the upper portion of the cabinets. He was learning as he went, so it did take a while longer than I wanted...lol. But they turned out so great! A mistake left the middle portion open, but it actually is so much better this way. We debated glass fronts for the doors, but then I loved how the chicken wire added more farmhouse charm. There is also bead board on the back.
Which also continues in the back splash. I debated subway tile, but I wasn't positive that I would LOVE it with our granite. And tile is a lot harder to replace. Down the road we may change out the bead board. But for now it fits perfectly! We also debated removing the granite back splash. But I insisted it would be so much cleaner. Hubby agreed after it was gone, that I was right.
The hardware is from Ikea, and goes perfectly with the farmhouse style while also bringing more black accents. I think it helps blend our black appliances.
My favorite part, is the peninsula. Hubby totally outdid himself! We added ship lap to the back and sides and then built posts on the sides. He custom made them with baseboard. I wish I had taken pictures of the process but it was a lot of trial and error. Here is one side.
And then this is the back.
Materials for ship lap and baseboard we found at Lowes. Our paint color is Behr Swiss Coffee. This was the biggest DIY project we have taken on yet, and its not finished!! We want to add a bar area next to the dining area, with a beverage fridge. And maybe I can also convince hubs we should replace the faucet. Don't worry ya'll...I'll keep you posted :)
