Sorry...I split them because I thought the first post was too long!

That is so sweet and so charming! I love the yellow! It is near impossible to be grouchy in such a happy space!

I love what you did--you must be thrilled!

Oops...just realized the before shots obviously show the old fridge, but new dishwasher.

Thanks, shelayne! That's exactly what I was going for...happy and charming, so thank you!. :)

The old space was very cold, literally and figuratively. The reno not only solved the physically cold issue, but made the room feel so warm and cozy, even with the white floors and appliances.

Lovely!

As you have gotten rid of so many cabinets, I am wondering how you have managed all the stuff in them? have you moved it to the pantry?

Love the glass shelves between rooms, chandelier in the kitchen, wall color, contrasting green shelves. Great job!

The before was kind of cute, but the after is cuter and brighter, and the kitchen has such great character. Charming and cheerful, it definitely is! BIG improvement to go with white and glass on that pass-through cabinet. (I also wonder how and what you're doing with storage now, without all the uppers)

Eleena...over the past 5 years we have focused on minimizing the "stuff" we own to only those things we really need and use. So believe it or not, a lot of the cabinets that were there before were simply empty. The only thing that I needed to move were our every day dishes and glasses. They are now in the hutch in the breakfast room, where my little girls have easy access to them in helping to set the table.

Pre-reno, I mapped out the kitchen and made sure there would be a place for everything we would need, accounting for future additions to our tools here and there. I don't mind having small appliances on the countertops...it makes it easier for me to cook, and therefore, much more likely that I will. :)

So what is there now works great for us. I figure anything large that I didn't anticipate can just go into the pantry. And any future owners could always add more cabs, if they wish.

My standmixer will be joining the microwave and toaster on the short run of cabs...it's currently in the horribly disorganized and dusty pantry. All of my pots and pans, as you can see, are under the prep table, which I love for easy access, even with needing to bend down. Maybe in another 25-30 years, I won't like the bending so much...

Thanks for all the nice comments!

Very pretty. LOVE that rug in the dining area. Where did you get it?

I also need to find something to house the oils/vinegars...I knew going in that I didn't have a dedicated spot for those, but I would like the kitchen to evolve over time, so I am confident I will find some small, old cabinet or some other solution. I may switch them with the pasta in the lower drawer--putting the pasta in a wide-mouthed container on the countertop-- and put the bottles in the drawer propped on an angle or something.

The rug is from overstock...it's an indoor/outdoor. I'm probably going to move it back into my dining room, because I'm not "feeling it" where it is...too long or something.

Just realized I misnamed the breakfast area paint...it's Whispering Peach (not pink).

I like blue, but the yellow is so cheerful and is very warm and inviting! It really changes the whole feel of the space.

Opening up the little sunroom was a great idea. I love the new island/table, with the chandelier...and the cozy little eating/seating area, on the sunporch is wonderful :)

great job creating a very charming and sunny space! i love that indoor window looking into the dining area.

So sunny and buttery and cheerful! Great job -- very warm and homey.

Love it! So cute, and the white appliances look perfect with it- a nice change from the SS appliances I see everywhere these days (including my own kitchen). Great job!

Oh, I love this!! The shelves, the yellow cabinets, the counters, everything. Nice job, enjoy it!

What a bright and cheerful kitchen! So charming! I love the color of the cabinets, the green shelves, the kitchen chandelier is so pretty (and the tulips are the perfect accent)! Beautiful!! :)

Adorable! Seriously, your kitchen is cute as a button. I love your new breakfast room and that pass-through cabinet is genius.

Nice job of using white appliances as accents!

Thanks for posting--lots of good ideas in here for real-world in-place kitchens.

I liked your before kitchen--very cute--but the added window and the increased visual space from taking out the uppers really improved the space.

I'm glad that you still have the stainless work table. When I was looking at the befores, I was expecting that you would have replaced it, but I was very happy to see it back in its proper place. I have a couple in my kitchen and love them.

hlove-
Your kitchen looks so LOVELY!! The yellow is beautiful! Thanks for the shout out with the lemon and banana! lol Congratulations!

We liked the before kitchen, too...from a distance. They were painted cherry veneer cabs from the '50s. So, the typical drawers falling out when you pulled them too far, too many lower cabinets with that shelf way in the back, etc. etc.
It's absolutely astounding to me how much more I can fit into all of the drawers than I could in the old cabs.The ticking wallpaper was cute, too, but the forest green/magenta/navy wallpaper underneath was actually beginning to bleed through...so not so nice up close. :)

And the larger/longer window was a must-have for me....it's the best view in the house and I wanted to capture as much of it as I could. And I wanted to keep as much of the old space as possible...hence keeping that one original window between the kitchen and breakfast room.

I love my stainless table. We bought it 2 weeks after moving into the house. There's certainly not anywhere near the typical overhang room for the chairs, but they actually work great for the girls helping out while baking, or just having a cup of coffee/glass of wine with friends.

Thanks again for the nice comments! This was a labor of love, as I do love this house. We didn't want to over-improve and wanted to honor the simplicity and charm of the rest of the house.

Thanks, 2LittleFishies!!

Very cottagey and pretty. . Love it.

Very nice job! I'm a bit biased, as I'm also renovated an old house and doing a yellow kitchen (painted the cabinets with BM Advance, too!). I really like the pulls you choose, particularly the finish. Is that an antique brass? I struggled deciding between chrome (or bright nickel) and ORB, but never even thought about old brass. It looks great!

equest17...loved the Advance paint, didn't you? Have you posted your finished kitchen yet? I remember seeing them after they were painted (I think?)...loved your beautiful cabinets.

The hardware are two different brass finishes from Amerock...weathered brass and rustic brass. They're pretty close to one another. I really love antiqued brass...there's some throughout the house on a couple of built-ins and the window latches, so I wanted it in the kitchen, too.

I love your kitchen! Unpretentious and charming, and it looks as though it fits perfectly with the rest of the house. I have a couple of (now) interior windows too, so I like seeing what you've done with yours. Your colors are so cheerful!

I love what you did! What a charming and sweet new space you have! I like how you finished the chandelier and that stainless island is somewhat unexpected, but seems very functional. Great job with the enclosed porch... and I, too, love the pass-thru glass cabinet!

Wonderful! Homey and warm, and a lovely color :-)

What a sweet, cheerful kitchen--I can imagine you baking in there with your daughters. I love the colors, the open shelving and the stainless work-table. You've done a great job!

WOW, I completely love this. You did such an amazing job. I have a yellow kitchen too so I am partial to begin with, but yours is particularly inviting; I just admire it so much.

Great job with the painting -- I cannot believe you did that yourselves, it looks totally professional. The section with the green open shelving over the yellow bases beside the fridge is wonderful. Great knob choice as well.

Congrats on a beautiful new kitchen and may it bring you many years of joy.

hlove, what a sweet kitchen and I love all the special touches - the hutch cab, the foil/saran holder, the light fixture and settee seating. I'm not a blue person myself and am partial to yellows and greens. What a nice size room you had to work with - I have a tiny kitchen myself. Enjoy your new space - it's lovely!

Thank you all, again, for the kind words! I've so enjoyed looking at so many of your kitchens and have learned so much from all of you!

mama goose...you're the reason I only put cup pulls on the top drawers instead of on all of them. I loved how your mixed hardware looked and now I love the mix, both aesthetically and ergonomically in my own kitchen, so thanks!

:) I missed that detail! I knew when I looked at your new kitchen it gave me the same 'feeling' that mine does, and has many things in common--it's small, simple, warm and charming. It's great to see another reno using craigslist and ebay. I'm looking forward to seeing the hutch redo.

Coincidentally our old kitchens were very similar, too.

I just love love love what you have done. I think it's perfect.

What a delightful and charming kitchen...it makes me happy just to look at it.

I'm a total chicken when it comes to color and would never have thought to do the shelves green, but it's lovely. How did you know they would work so well together?

mamagoose...I love the feeling of your kitchen. I've looked over your thread countless times for inspiration!

mermanmike--thanks, so sweet!

Kat3kits...Thanks! DH and I just love color. We had originally planned to do a mixture of white and green cabs, but decided to change the yellow because it felt warmer. I still love green, though, and we plan to have it all through the rest of the house. To me, it's pretty much a neutral right out of nature. I just kept holding up different greens to the yellow cabs until I found just the right shade to complement the yellow we had chosen. Although this year was an anomaly, winter gets pretty dreary around here, so the spring-like colors make us happy!

I love what you have done, so simple and so smart. Like you I don't have a lot of counter space and I appreciate how you use your island table. If I may ask, what are the dimensions of your kitchen. Hawthorne yellow looks so much brighter on the chip, but so mellow on your cabs.

Love your kitchen!So glad to see the white appliances and the tan counter top with yellow cabs - I am trying to talk DH into painting our cabs. This gives me a great idea of what it would look like with our Corian Sandstone counters.

very pretty!! the chandy looks so good in the space.
I think 2 wicker baskets the same colour as the stools would look great on your fridge.

I'm a yellow nut so of course I love your kitchen - I think Hawthorne yellow has got to be the perfect yellow, definitely yellow but not overpowering and very pretty.

I love the windows - I would pick windows over upper cabs any day. The green shelves are such a nice touch and the pass through cabinet is perfect.

It must be great to hang out in that nice friendly space. Enjoy!

What a cozy, warm, open inviting kitchen. I love all the architectural details that your remodel accentuates. And the weeding out of what isn't needed...freeing, isn't it! :-)

hlove - love the kitchen! Good choice of colors. I have a question on your hood. How high is it above the range and, at that height, does it perform well? The reason I am asking is that we have our range in front of a window and I am wondering if a hood would work for us.

Enjoy the kitchen!

I love it! Your girls will love growing up in such a charming kitchen! It looks so warm and pretty, great job! Enjoy it in good health.

I forgot to mention I absolutely love your chairs!

silvergirl426--the kitchen is 14' x 14'. I toyed with adding more cabs, changing the layout, but nothing else felt better than was already there. I'm sure the layout gurus on this forum might have done differently, but it really functions well for me. I hate to feel crowded and cramped, so the open wall (where the dog bowls are), creates a feeling of space that feels very comfortable for me.

oasisowner--my DH originally wanted bright blue countertops (!), but I talked him out of it and went neutral. I think we're both happy with the results, especially since the shelving is green.

carp123--great minds think alike! I have been trying to figure out what to do above the fridge, if anything. I love wicker/rattan baskets, just trying to figure out what to put in them...I like everything to have a real function!

momo7-thanks! It was a leap of faith, but I so love the Hawthorne..no regrets!

AnnaA--yes, freeing! And I know just where everything is and what I have. I still have a lot of empty space in the drawers..just waiting to find the right organizers.

mc15--ah, the hood...kind of a long story. It didn't exactly work out how I wanted. It originally hung down lower. It is a deep hood (24"), which I chose when we were going to put in a 10' wide window. But the window was too expensive, so we went to 9', but I forgot that the hood would no longer fit inside the window, enabling it to be pushed back further on the ceiling. So it is flush with the cabinet depth, which I love for capturing all of the steam/smoke. But when installed at the highest recommended height, it was too low for DH, who is 6' 2". So we had our contractor raise it to 76" high. It actually does work fine, it's just so loud now! But I'm having the contractor back to see if there's anything he can do about the loudness...it wasn't this loud when it was lower. I'm sure if we had bought a higher-end hood, it wouldn't be an issue. So, if no one in your family is tall, it would probably work at a normal height. We might go ahead in the future and have our contractor build something different for us...we'll see how it works going forward.

gr8day--thanks for your kind words!

CEFreeman--I bought the chairs (Restoration Hardware) shortly after moving in. Not sure if they actually go with the kitchen, but I absolutely love them, too. And I spent way too much money shipping them to us, so they're staying! I tell myself they coordinate well with the trees out the windows. ;)

Thanks again, everyone!

hlove,

I absolutely adore your kitchen! It is funny because I was going to ask you where you got those killer chairs! I think they make the room complete. They are stunning in your kitchen. I cannot imagine a better pair of barstools sitting in that space. They are the cherry on top!

Well done!!!!

I love it! This has to be one of my very favorite kitchens!!!!

I love what you did with your kitchen. The yellow is so inviting and makes me want to come visit for tea. Congrats on a job well done. Enjoy and we want pictures of KAW (kitchen at work)