Alrighty. I think I am part of the 95% done club now....Pics..

16 years ago

I have been so out of sorts these past days. It has been so stressful with the painters here. The long story that I never shared (that I will shorten so we can get on with the pics is this: our house is 14 years old - built by a less than desirable builder - we are the original owners - the siding and windows had to be replaced - which is how this whole project began. DH and I decided to take care of EVERYTHING now so this has turned into an almost complete whole house remodel).

This all began last October and this is the approximate order of events:

new IPE deck to replace very small PT one

new roof on house

new Hardiplank siding

new Andersen windows

kitchen remodel

all new interior doors

all new interior trim work (crown moulding, window trim, neck base moulding throughout)

move carpet from dining room to DD's room

wood floors to replace dining room carpet and ceramic that ran throughout old kitchen, main hall and front foyer

redo downstairs bath/mudroom/laundry area

I think that covers it. All that remains now:

finish work in kitchen

painting living room

painting dining room

downstairs bath demo and redo

The kitchen work that remains is minimal now:

finish custom hood - ACTION: builder

finish custom windowsill - ACTION: builder

one more coat of poly on site finished wood floor - ACTION: Floor guys

SHOP for stools and fun stuff :) - ACTION: DOROTHY

Now - just for fun since I don't think I have ever posted the OLD kitchen and want you to see what we have left behind:

[IMG]http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/dorothyct/Kitchen/IMG_1901.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/dorothyct/Kitchen/IMG_1902.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/dorothyct/Kitchen/IMG_1904.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/dorothyct/Kitchen/IMG_1905.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/dorothyct/Kitchen/IMG_1907.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/dorothyct/Kitchen/IMG_1917.jpg[/IMG]

And the AFTER which you have seen some of.....Now we have the cabinet hardware, all the light rail is in, the appliances are all in, the paint is on!, etc. :

[IMG]http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/dorothyct/IMG_4010.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/dorothyct/IMG_4011.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/dorothyct/IMG_4012.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/dorothyct/IMG_4013.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/dorothyct/IMG_4027.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/dorothyct/IMG_4029.jpg[/IMG]

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Comments (38)

dorothyct
Original Author
16 years ago
Sorry!

Before pics:
dorothyct
Original Author
16 years ago
and today's AFTER pics:
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rhome410
16 years ago
I REALLY hope you don't mind, but here is the link to your album. So much easier for people to see your wonderful transformation/beautiful, beautiful kitchen. (It decreases the dramatic effect, but increases the number of "Oohs and ahs" you'll get!) You must be thrilled.

What's your granite?

Here is a link that might be useful: photo album
rhome410
16 years ago
As always, I'm one step behind! Enjoy the gorgeous new kitchen.
amcofar
16 years ago
Wow! It's hard to believe it's the same space. You went from a Vega to a Rolls Royce! I love the granite. You've managed to create a kitchen that won't look dated in any way for many, many years to come. Congratulations!
cat_mom
16 years ago
What a nice job! It seems like it was done so quickly, too (though probably not to you!). Enjoy your new kitchen!!!
kristenfl
16 years ago
Wait, I had a Vega! OK, it looked great, but stopped running. Just like our kitchens, we can only keep them running so long.

You're new kitchen is fabulous! Everything is so tastefully done. I love the legs on the cabinets. You must be so proud!
mommycooks
16 years ago
Looks wonderful! Thanks for sharing, and enjoy it all.
bob_cville
16 years ago
What a stunning transformation. You've gone from a poster child for why oak cabinets have fallen so far out of favor to a simple, beautiful, functional kitchen. I really like the corner details in the granite backsplash. And I just love how the colors of everything works so well together.

Welcome to the 95% club.
Buehl
16 years ago
Wonderful!!!

I also like the unique detailing on your granite backsplash!

I don't know if this was the effect you were gong for, but the backsplash behind your cooktop looks like a waterfall spilling out behind and around your cooktop...cool!
napagirl
16 years ago
Love the curved corners on the stove backsplash!
The whole kitchen is a magnificent transformation.
kitchenkelly
16 years ago
Wow! That is amazing. I am a big fan of your granite.

Congrats!
fnzzy
16 years ago
wow!! that's gorgeous. I think the cool curves on your backsplash is great! And I love the new window. Everything is just nice and new and fresh!

Your old kitchen wasn't even that bad - it was similar in feel to mine lol. Mine was white and green too. That's probably why it felt homey to me. :)
bbtondo
16 years ago
Wow! I love your kitchen! It's very similar to the space that I'm working with. I also want cream cabinets. What cabinets are they and what color? Also, what kind of granite is that? I really like the legs on your peninsula. What a great idea for my kitchen.

Enjoy!

Barb
rosie
16 years ago
I also really like the way you handled the edges on your backsplash. And the way your cabinets are now part of the architecture of your home instead of boxes bolted to the wall.

Bob, like me, loves your new cabinets and the way the colors harmonize. For those who have oak they still like or have to work with, I just wanted to say that in the picture your original oak cabinet material is really quite handsome (even if they are worn up close, maybe), but it's how the materials are used that is making such a great difference. Good job!
glad
16 years ago
it looks great! if only we could get through the process with less stress, right? thank goodness for wine. :) costa esmerelda was my other choice -- you're giving me some buyer's remorse. ;) though a gold granite worked better with my colors, the costa is just such a beautiful stone. enjoy it!
btw, what part of ct are you in -- and if southern - where is your granite form? i'm in stamford.
malhgold
16 years ago
Looks fabulous...like it was meant to be there all the time. Very classy looking. I too love both backsplash areas. How did you come up with that idea? Congratulations!!!
robynpa
16 years ago
Awesome transformation. I love your cabinets!
dorothyct
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you all! I am very happy with the changes. I wanted the room to feel inviting and to be a place I wanted to BE in. The old kitchen was cold and uninviting - the tile was broken from poor subfloor, the cabinets were garbage (doors warped, shabby). Anyway.....thank you for your kind words.

Here are answers to questions from above - hope I have not missed any:

The granite is seafoam green. It is from AKDO in Bridgeport, CT.

The cabinets are Decora - Toulan door style - Chantille is the color (no glaze).

The backsplash idea was stolen from one of the many magazines/catalogs I had on hand. As soon as I saw it I knew it was "the idea" I had been looking for. If memory serves (and it sometimes does) - it was a page out of a "Signature" cabinets catalog I had picked up at a kitchen showroom somewhere.
amck2
16 years ago
What a gorgeous kitchen! Well worth enduring the inconveniences of remodeling. You have a fresh, inviting space that I'm sure you'll enjoy for years.

Can't help but Ooh! & Ahh! over that granite backsplash!
Congratulations!
glad
16 years ago
oh, seafoam! i thought it looked a little dark for costa, but i'd seen one at everest marble with some black and looked similar - at least from the pic. now i don't need to have buyer's remorse! i never made it to akdo, but it has a great rep. and at least a couple of people here bought there.
divamum
16 years ago
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I particularly like the cabinet feet on the cooktop and sink.

This kitchen strikes me as another example of how before wasn't didn't actually hurt your eyes, but after is simply stunning and shows just how much can be done to enhance a space. Congrats!
raehelen
16 years ago
Dorothy,

If you meant October 07, boy, sounds fast to me!!!
Hangs head in shame, still not a member of the 95% done club, and we started in May/June 07! (Though we're totally DIY, does that give us a little lee-way? :>)

Love all your details, bet you like looking out at your backyard instead of a white stile!

Are you planning on putting a table back into the eating area, or just stools at the peninsula?
pugger
16 years ago
WOW!
gracie-2006
16 years ago
Your kitchen is gorgeous and what a fabulus transformation!Wow! I have not posted here in awhile since our re-model. It is fun to be back and escape from the cold weather! I have a question about your refrigerator. I love it! I can not tell what color it is? Who makes it and is it custom made? I love your granite choice and backsplash! Enjoy!
dorothyct
Original Author
16 years ago
:) The table is gone from the eating area - the whole old layout was not very good - the eating space was VERY tight. When people were seated on all sides of the table no one could get around to get to the back door or to the bath/mudroom that is beyond the kitchen. The new layout is just the peninsula eating. We have tied the dining room to this space with the wood floor and paint colors - I intend to use that room WAY more than we used to - the old dining room was used once a year. I want it to be another space we love - we are on our way!

Gracie - sorry the pic of the fridge leaves much to be desired right now. It is a Subzero 650 - the front is stainless but right now we have it protected with the cardboard until all these contractors are gone from our lives with their step ladders and trim pieces swinging about. I'm paranoid someone is going to whack it with something. :)

Raehelen - YES - I believe DIY gets you a TON of leeway. I wish we could do the DIY but DH can hardly work a hammer.
bob_cville
16 years ago
I just noticed the doors to the room in the background that changed so that they now echo the look of the cabinet doors, they look great.

I also wanted to clarify my comment about the original oak cabinets. They are exactly the look that I picture when someone says 1980's builder's grade oak cabinets: The doors slightly askew, indicating their poor construction; the door panels with their excessively random grain so characteristic of the rotary-cut veneer surface (a particular dislike of mine); and the cabinet end panels that don't quite match the cabinets in color, probably because they are vinyl sheets with a oak-like pattern printed on it, stuck to the cheap particle board the cabinets are made of.

I'm not maligning oak cabinets, or oak in general. Oak can be quite beautiful, and I actually chose it for my new cabinets, I'm simply saying that enough people have seen cabinets like I described above, that when they hear "oak cabinets" they picture "cheap, crappy oak cabinets" and they therefore choose something else.

So dorothy, welcome again to the 95% club, I hope your stay here along your way to the "completely and totally done club" is shorter than mine has been, and congratulations on your new beautiful kitchen.
cheri127
16 years ago
Dorothy, your kitchen is beautiful! I especially love the floors. Could you please tell me what they are and who the manufacturer is? Thanks.
dorothyct
Original Author
16 years ago
Cheri - the floors are white oak - they have been site finished. I am not sure of the brand but I can try to find out. I think the color in the photos is much more red than they are in real life. We did not stain them - we just had them put poly on and the color deepened perfectly. Thanks for the compliments.
roserx
16 years ago
That's a handsome and substantial looking kitchen faucet. What's the brand and model?
clax66
16 years ago
Wow, what a lovely transformation of your space! From the '80s oak look to the new century sophisticate (or should I write "00s"?)

I love your white cabinets and your window! (I have ordered white cabinets...always inspiring for me to see photos of white cab kitchens). Enjoy!
brutuses
16 years ago
Wow, what a beautiful transformation. Love that extra touch with the granite backsplash. You did a beautiful job.
polie
16 years ago
Your new kitchen looks so much better. Congratulations.
megaul
16 years ago
Dorothy,

I LOVE what you did to your entire kitchen. I am especially drooling over your window. It's exactly what I've been visualizing for my redo.

Could I ask the window dimensions? Also, are the windows at the end, casement or double hung?

Thanks.
dorothyct
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you all! You are making me so happy. :) I am not really a cook and have to say that the new space is inspiring me. I love being in the kitchen.

Roserx - the faucet is Grohe's Bridgeford. It is awesome.

Megaul - the window is an Andersen 400 series. The sides are casements and the center is a fixed picture. The dimensions are 6 feet wide by 3 feet tall. We originally discussed a taller window but it didn't work out and now I am so glad - with the taller backsplash behind the sink we get to see more granite and we don't have all the water splash on the window! :) I love my new window! :)
msrose
16 years ago
dorothy - Everything look gorgeous! I have those same dreadful builder grade oak cabinets :(
What color did you use on the walls?

Laurie
luckyj
16 years ago
Stunning! I am planning an island with legs as well, but I love that your "table" area on the island has an apron. Was this just a standard option with your cabinet company or did you have to get a special builder to do that? Congratulations on being so near the end. I hope you are enjoying it already.
dorothyct
Original Author
16 years ago
msrose - the walls are BM chestertown buff.
Luckyj - the apron on the peninsula counter is an add on piece - Decora has a lot of custom-type add ons - our GC did all the carpentry for touches like this one that I wanted. I found inspiration in photos and did my best to copy what I found with Decora's offerings.