A surprise kitchen!

13 years ago

I am SO excited about this!

When we decided to gut our kitchen, my hubby and I planned to put our cabinets, appliances, lighting, etc. on Craigslist or have a yard sale or something. That was two years ago, and as some of you know, our contractor kind of disappeared on us and we're just now getting going again.

Since we originally started the project, my sister and her husband moved here. They live in a rental house that belongs to my parents. It's a very cute, but very small, mid-century home with a galley kitchen with a whopping 7 cabinets (bases and uppers combined!) My sister has a custom cake/cupcake business which she runs out of her home (the business kitchen is in the basement), but the family kitchen is far from functional. The cabinets look like shellaced plywood, and my sister hates them.

It occurred to me the other day the cabinets and much of the stuff we're tearing out of our house would be great in her house. Most of it is in the 5-8 year old range, including the simple shaker-style cabinets, which were installed just before we bought our house. So, I talked to my parents and asked if they thought my sister would want any of our things for her kitchen, and the conversation ended up in a grand plan to do our own version of While You Were Out. :o) My dad is going to pick up our cabinets and he and my mom are going to paint them white. Then we are going to send my sister and her hubby on a weekend trip, rip out their current kitchen, and put in the new stuff. We even have a new section of Formica pre-fabbed countertop that my sister had already expressed interest in for their kitchen. It's the perfect size.

I figure we can easily double the number of cabinets they currently have, plus give them a lot more counter space. We have nice lighting, a cute faucet, hardware, even leftover backsplash tile. My parents have leftover floor tiles from their recent kitchen remodel, too, so they are going to get a new-to-them kitchen that will cost virtually nothing.

My sister is going to be completely THRILLED. I would never be so bold as to do this if it was her "forever home," but I know she will be happy having things 200% better than they were. It will be good for my parents, too, since it will be attractive to new renters when my sister's family moves out in a couple of years.

I will post some pictures when we get things underway. :o)

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Comments (36)

mtnrdredux_gw
13 years ago
Wow! That's great! And so green, too!
craftlady07
13 years ago
what a great idea! I'm sure you guys are going to have a lot of fun pulling off this surprise for your sister!
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Katie S
13 years ago
Love it!!!!! Be sure to take lots of pictures!!!
shelayne
13 years ago
How wonderful! She is going to love it! Yes, post lots of pics!
worldmom
Original Author
13 years ago
Here are a few pics of the kitchen as it is now:
From Jaime house
From Jaime house
From Jaime house
From Jaime house
contemporganic
13 years ago
Love that idea! What a great ways to reuse items and help family. I love surprises!
flwrs_n_co
13 years ago
Wow, all that in a weekend! You're a wonderful sister to put this plan together. I think it's a great plan and wish you all the best of luck pulling it off! Can't wait to see pics!
steff_1
13 years ago
That is so much fun, the surprise part anyway. Yes, we need pictures especially the reveal.
momtofour
13 years ago
That's so cool!! What a great idea! I think you're a great family for doing this for her. There will be 'after' pictures, right?
marthavila
13 years ago
Wow! What a generous, giving spirit! Your whole family is very blessed. I'm really looking forward to this reveal.
dianalo
13 years ago
What a great idea! When you are done, I have a few rooms here that will need some work. I can go away for a weekend anytime you want, lol....
breezygirl
13 years ago
That is fabulous! You are a great sister! I can't wait to hear how it all comes together and what her reaction is.
kathec
13 years ago
I can't think of a better surprise! Good Luck! Definitely document the during and done and hopefully her reaction.
rhome410
13 years ago
Can't wait to see the 'after' and hear about your sister's reaction! Terrific!
txpepper
13 years ago
You're a very good sister. But then, your must have a very good sister that you would want to do this for her.

And kudos to the parents!

If I were your sister, you would have a lifetime of cake.

:-)
Pepper
Adrienne2011
13 years ago
This is such a wonderful, loving thing to do! It also makes a lot of sense. :o)
Stacey Collins
13 years ago
This post made my morning! What a great idea. I'll be looking for more photos!
formerlyflorantha
13 years ago
Glad to hear you have such a good use for the kitchen you are removing. In these tough economic times, this looks like a win-win for the family.

Can you lure sis to do a tour through a fabric store, furniture store, library book on kitchens, Finished Kitchen Blog, or something similar to verify her taste & etc.? Find some excuse?

Hate to be a wet blanket, but personally I despise surprises so this one would not be a great idea if I were involved. Even though this is your parents' place and they can dictate decisions, if your sister and brother-in-law are going to live there for a long time, they might appreciate having a say in the goings-on. If it's only the cabs that are being changed out, that's not so bad, but if there are decision points that affect usage of room, that could be an issue later on.
mythreesonsnc
13 years ago
What a great idea! I am sure she will love it and I think it is especially great that you will be able to give her a countertop which you know she likes already. Best of luck on the project --- Can't wait to see pics!
remodelfla
13 years ago
I have a friend who did this with her sister for her nephew who was stationed in the Middle East. Her two brothers who were "slow with work" contractors pitched in. Not one of them could really afford it but they did it anyway. The excitement that family shared in preparing this for their "hero" was off the hook. They already coudln't wait to get their hands on this boy but now they were even more excited... just to see his face when he walked in. It was a beautiful thing... I think you guys are great.
laxsupermom
13 years ago
Great idea! I love that you're surprising your sister with a new kitchen and finding a home for your not so old cabs. Can't wait to see the pics.
Susan
13 years ago
that's a grand idea---i hope she loves it!
boxerpups
13 years ago
You are the best sister ever!
Truly sweet that you are giving your sister a surprise
kitchen makeover.
~boxer
Buehl
13 years ago
I agree with everyone that this is a wonderful & loving thought for your sister...but, to be honest, I was going to post pretty much what Florantha posted (except I was calling myself a party pooper!)

My reason was that if it were my kitchen I would want to have a say in what was done to it...after all, I'm the one that works in it and knows what I need and/or want...and I may not have expressed those needs and wants verbally, completely, or to the "right" people. If it were me, I would be very unhappy with this kind of "surprise". My DH did something similar for me many years ago in the laundry area of our basement. I had mentioned that I wanted a long table with a laminate top that could be used for folding laundry, sewing, or other things. So, one weekend while I was away he decided to "surprise" me w/one. The trouble was, he used particle board for the table...with unfinished cuts...b/c it was less expensive and easier for him to create a table top. I cannot use it for any of my tasks b/c it snags the clothes! I put on a "happy face" about it (he was trying to do a good thing, after all), but in reality, I was very unhappy... He didn't understand my needs/wants fully and interpreted them his way. (Yes, I tried putting various coverings over it, but they either don't work well or get in the way.)

My point is, you don't really know what your sister needs/wants...just what you and your family think she needs/wants.

However...

Why didn't I post this last night? A couple of reasons, but the main one was that I realized this is a rental and owned by World_Mom's parents. So, in the end, this is really her parents' house, not her sister's so if they want to do it then it's their choice...and they do!

Maybe someday her sister will get a home of her own and be able to design her kitchen the way she wants it, but for now this will most probably be a very nice change for her.

Good luck!
desertsteph
13 years ago
i think it's a great idea also. It is a rental, not her 'owned' home. If it will give her more storage, more counter top and look better than what is in there now - then she should be pleased. The house has in it what her parents had in it anyway - anything making it better should be a plus.

also, the cabs in the rental don't look so bad either (at least compared to what i've had in the past 20 yrs). There's someone out there who would be grateful to have them also.

if they aren't going to be used in a garage, basement etc of any in the family. donate or put at the road with a 'free' sign.

document with pics for us - and for your family!
melissastar
13 years ago
What a nice sister you are!
aliris19
13 years ago
Dear Worldmom: I agree you must be an incredibly nice sister! But I want to just sprinkle a whiff of unease into the mix alongside florantha's and buehl's.... Frankly, part of the fun of being somewhere new or different or all the rest is dictating what you want. That goes even for hand-me-downs. Is there a chance you could give them the gift but without the surprise that disenfranchises them from the fun part, the planning and setting up just-so? OK, planning may not be *fun*, but it is what it's all about....

Maybe would it be possible to, say, just take down the cabinets and get sis out of the house for a few hours, move them into the garage, cover them and make a big deal of their uncovering? (The cabinets not sis!) Then they could be involved in the decisions like layout, paint color, etc.

I say this coming off this situation just a little bit myself. Long story short we have an almost all-new house here that we're currently camped out in, no kitchen, etc. My husband started to just present various stuff fait accomplis -- all done and felt very proud of himself and grand and, well, *nice* for just doing this. And some of his reasoning is that he knows buying stuff and making decisions is really, really hard for me. Consequently I don't really love the planning process; it is just too painful. And yet, and yet.... I even more don't want him to just chose something I'm not really liking. While I know your cabinets are chosen, still there are decisions to be made (color, placement, etc). If stuff is going to go in fresh, let the lucky recipients take a hand in the doing, I say. Otherwise it's all a little bit -- sorry to say because I know you'd never intend this -- infantilizing or condescending. Let me qualify -- I don't know any of you and I can't say for sure whether this is happening; if it were me, though, a teensy bit of me might wind up feeling alienated in this way....

I hope everyone is very happy in this wonderful family project!
aloha2009
13 years ago
I don't know a renter out there that wouldn't want their place upgraded.

Will it be EXACTLY what she wants, probably not. Will she love it? almost for sure! If not for how great it looks and functions, for the wonderful family that would do all this for her.

I'm anxious to see the after pics and how it all went!
dar5
13 years ago
I know my sisters...one would love it, one would not. One has my taste in styles, the other does not.

I don't think you'd go to all this trouble if you had any doubt your sister will appreciate it. I say go for it, get excited and have fun.

You can always leave the walls primed and let her pick out the paint color and a few new accessories...
ncamy
13 years ago
What a wonderful fun idea! Good luck.
worldmom
Original Author
13 years ago
You know, as I was typing my original post last night, I had this nagging thought that this whole plan might seem a little presumptuous, especially to people who don't know us personally. I have two other sisters, and one of them would absolutely HATE to be the recipient of this "gift," while the other one would be OK with it. (For the record - I would hate it, so I get where those of you with objections are coming from.) But this sister would love it, I am 100% certain. She and I have very similar tastes, and I've listened to her talk about what she would do to her home and kitchen (if she had the money) for the last year.

After talking with my parents and husband, we are realizing that we are looney if we think we can do all we have planned in one weekend. So our new, modified plan is to let her hubby in on the secret, and then let them come home to a work-in-progress kitchen (which they then get to help put back together). ;o) Not quite as exciting and dramatic a plan, but more realistic and with the added bonus of giving my sister more input into what's done. As I said, I'm certain she would have been ecstatic if we'd been able to pull off the whole thing, but I think the new plan will be the perfect scenario.

Thanks for all the advice and enthusiasm, everyone!
elizpiz
13 years ago
Worldmom, I love this and especially the new plan. Like you, I have two sisters, and I know for certain that one sister would love the surprise, the other not. Plus two of us have similar tastes also (in three there's always an odd one out, isn't there?)

Our family is *big* on surprises and it sounds like what you've come to will be absolutely perfect. Regardless, I am sure your sister will truly appreciate and love the generosity behind this great idea.

Will await the reveal eagerly!
Eliz
fiddleddd
13 years ago
This is such a 'feel-good' story. It has to be a happy ending! :-) I'll be anxious to see the pictures when it's completed.
xc60
13 years ago
I love the idea and you and your family are so kind. She is going to be thrilled, what a great surprise.

My mom passed away of cancer in 2003 when that show was popular. We would always watch the show together and talk, laugh..... about it.

About 2 months before she passed we went to visit her, her living room was always arranged the same. My dad and hubby and I rearranged the furniture quietly when she was having a nap one day giving the room a whole new look. She always told me how she loved waking up to the new room and it gave her so much enjoyment in her last months.

I'll be waiting for your update when she sees your surprise!
User
13 years ago
PICS!!!!

I want pictures!
formerlyflorantha
13 years ago
This story gets better and better. Wish you well, Worldmom!

A surprise kitchen!

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