Current Kitchen

I started an "update" of the kitchen over a year ago.  Started, but then hurt my ankle and ran into logistical and other issues.  So, my kitchen sat in that awful state for way too long.

But after a year, a friend took pity on my plight and helped Beorn get the ceiling sheetrock patched and wire a light over the sink.  Once that was done I could texture and paint the ceiling and get the whole thing moving again. 

The new light over the sink was a reStore find.  I was patient on this one (and that's a risk when dealing second-hand) and managed to get the fixture I wanted when it went on sale.  They even let me switch out the glass for something smaller, so I still got the great metal base I wanted.

After the ceiling, I painted the walls.  I went back to the original yellow I had picked out while waiting to get the house, the one I gave up on since it didn't look great with the cream countertops.  Then I layered the old (paler) yellow on top with a sponge.  The result is rather Tuscan.  I really love the color and the texture of it.  And you know me... not swayed by trendy.  So my kitchen redo is going even more YELLOW, instead of white, like the rest of the world.

During all the waiting I found some great chairs for $10 at DI.  They were metal and had lines that would really match the kitchen.  So, home they came.  Having pretty chairs got me thinking about the kitchen bench and whether it was the best fit for the kitchen.  One benefit of such a long delay in the remodel was lots of time to think about things before we did them.  We even took several weeks to try and live without the bench before we sold it.

While looking for fabric to redo the seats, I found my perfect kitchen fabric.  Botanical theme with cream (like the counters), yellow (like the walls), blue (like my china) and green (like my glass).  All my colors wrapped into one!   I splurged and bought enough to do curtains as well.

In the big window, I made a simple valence and restrung (with a few new beads) the bead chains.  This time I used something flexible, so they would hang straight.

Once the ceiling and walls were painted, I took some trim from the reStore and had Beorn help me with the window problem.  I hinted ages ago that I had found the solution to windows that aren't level... it was to build another (long) plate rack over the two windows.  I also inherited a giant 8 foot level just in time to help get it up there.  We found just the right balance of level-and-crooked so my not-so-level house looks right.  I painted in the gap between the window trim and the shelf.  You have to really look to see it.

I found the perfect brackets to hold up the shelf.  They have curves, like the rest of the kitchen, that are just right to hold the curtain rods.

I think the plate shelf might be my favorite part of the kitchen.

I also have started refinishing the cabinet doors.  I like the dark brown wood, but they are old and worn and look it, in a not good way. 

So, last weekend I started the process of sanding and staining and replacing hardware (another reStore find).  Only the upper cabinets by the fridge are done, but they're looking good.

I'm not close to finished... there's still the backsplash around the sink to take down, then painting that side of the kitchen, finishing the cabinets, building the perfect table (the tiny table is an experiment, it's not staying), eventually replacing the tiles behind the stove, the floor and the counters, etc.  But things are moving again!  I'm hoping to get a lot done this summer, as I found out the hard way that things are too busy during the school year with me working.

But it is getting done...

Before:

After: