WOW! That is a gorgeous makeover -- and very clever, too! The granite is luscious, as is your mahogany. The floors are gorgeous. Your sink is really cool, too...how do you like it so far? Congratulations on a job well planned and well executed!

What a transformation. You used the same cabinetry? Just beautiful. Grandma would be so proud and enjoy sitting in "your" new kitchen. Congratulations.

Your recycling of the cabinets and morphing some into an island is great. And -- I am reluctant to admit, because I really am not a granite person -- your BA is spectacular.

Great Christmas kitchen, and I hope your holiday rises to the same standard. Congrats to all involved.

Very very Impressed! You did a wonderful job!! Really, this is beautifully thought out and executed. Enjoy your new kitchen :-) I'm sure grandma is smiling

Great job - smartly done! So happy to see it because I am likely doing very similar colors/materials for mine. Any chance you could share your island dimensions and your aisle clearances? I like the way you got 4 stools out of that island - would love to replicate that. And what finish is on your mahoghany island?

Enjoy - it looks wonderful.

Really great job and well designed. It looks amazing and you did so much yourselves!!! Wow I'm so impressed especially with you painting the cabinets yourself, that's a really hard job. Any tips on that? Did you brush or spray?

Congrats and enjoy, it's beautiful, love the granite and the sink too.

You did a wonderful job. I had to look twice, I never would have guessed that those are the same cabs!! They look so professionally done. I really like the island too, it has a lot of character. I like your granite choice too. I think the kitchen looks beautiful and you will enjoy it for years to come. Plus it has special memories which makes for an added bonus.

Absolutely gorgeous!! Your countertops are especially luscious! You must be so happy with how it turned out. Enjoy!

It looks wonderful, MIssyV!! You chose your finishes well, everything looks so good together. And your cabinet maker did a great job creating a seamless revision. Enjoy Christmas in your new kitchen!

I smiled when I read, "It's a joy to open a closet that still smells like "grandma" even after all this time." I know exactly what you mean. That makes your home extra special.

Wow! You painted those cabs yourself?!!! How long did it take you? Your mahogany slab is gorgeous!

Missy- Your kitchen is beautiful! The island is wonderful and exactly what you described, from the beginning :)

The granite and wood are so pretty...and now you have the perfect place for the Christmas tree, too!

Looks great. Especially love the colors in the BA...so luxurious and rich looking. Love the island top too. Can't believe you used the same cabinets- there is no resemblance!

Very impressive DIY, but then I know you're good because I have the same sofa! :)

Looks very nice.

cheers

Really lovely! You guys did a fantastic job! I am loving the color of your granite contrasted with the color of your island. The perfect place to cook up family feasts just like grandma did! What are you thinking for backsplash?

Thanks so much for posting an update. It's beautiful!!! After all the searching for the right countertops, you picked some great ones! You also made a great decision about the soffit paint color. I'm so glad you have a "done enough" kitchen in time for Christmas. Enjoy!

WOW! What a transformation. You were so lucky to have found a cabinet maker that would help execute your ideas. Great job. And, as usual, I am in constant awe of DIY'ers.

What a beautiful kitchen! Grandma's was ideal for 1975 but your new space is bright, fresh, and comfortable. I agree with mpagmom, love the choices you made! Your granite and mahogany are outstanding. Well done!

Holy moly, I cannot believe you painted those yourself. They look so professional -- great job! And count me among the many who are drooling over your granite.

Love the grantie and mahogany! Wow. Great that you could re-use the cabinets.

Love your Christmas tree in the kitchen pictures, too.

Really nicely done! I so appreciate a DIY effort, as ours is still ongoing almost a year later. Love the BA granite and your island and mine are similar in size (I don't have the apron, which I love)....what are the dimensions of the wood top? I'd love to do an apron and legs like that if i could....
Beautiful!

Beautiful! You are so resourceful!

Wonderful job, MIssyV! The kitchen looks so much brighter. I love the painted cabinets--your colors are perfect together. The island is beautiful--such a great idea to re-use the peninsula cabinets with that gorgeous wood top. Enjoy your lovely space.

I love the granite and painting the cabinets is such a big improvement and you did a great job! How many coats of primer did you use and which primer? How many coats of the paint? I love the island! Thanks for sharing.

Wow, thank you all for your gracious compliments!! I have been on here long enough to see some gorgeous, remarkable kitchens, and while we are definitely on the low end of most people's kitchen budgets (we spent just under $8,000 for granite, mahogany, cabinet work, 800 sq ft of flooring, sink, faucet, paint, drywall for ceiling, 3 new can lights & hardware), we are truly loving the new layout. We entertained last weekend while my mom was home from Florida (we are in Ohio) and it was so nice to have people hang around the island all evening. That would have never been possible with our original layout. Now, off to respond to all of you that were kind enough to post....

scootermom.... yes, we are loving it so far! loving the layout most of all. why did i ever doubt these plans??
honorbiltkit....honestly, i looked at granite for 5 months and found i liked granite less and less every time i went. frankly, i am shocked that is what we chose in the end, but no regrets we did. at heart, i am a marble lover, but between the slim selection around here in marble and my uncertainty about my sanity living with 3 kids & marble, I chickened out and went the safe route.
domino3....our island measures 75" from outer leg to outer leg across the 3 bar stools and 3 ft from outer leg to outer leg where the one stool is at on the end. the mahogany is roughly 38" x 77" with some finish my wood worker uses :) i asked for waterlox, but he preferred a product he typically uses, as he felt it was better than waterlox (said he uses it on stair treads, so figured it was tough). i did have it stained to burnt umber, but will say it really doesn't match the sample he showed me. its a bit lighter than the burnt umber stain looked. isle clearances are 55" from granite counter top edge to island top edge along the stove side and 36" from sink run granite top edge to island edge. hope this is making sense :) i am very happy with the space on all sides of our island. plenty of moving around space, you can walk around doors (oven and dw) when open). we have 3 kids and i really wanted 4 seats if possible. this seems to work out well so far.
gr8day....I did hand paint all of them :) Wow, that was a job. Easy, but very time consuming. The process I followed came from a company out on the west coast, Pearl Painters. I have to credit him for taking the time to give me the precise directions via phone while getting nothing but a big thank you in return. He was so kind and helpful. I first sanded with 220 , then cleaned with TSP and water, then applied Krud Cutter with an abrasive pad (green 3M pad), primed using Zinsser oil based primer (2 coats i believe), and 3 coats of waterborne satin impervo (BM). I tried to sand between all my coats too. I just used a small foam like roller recommended to me by our BM dealer and one of those cheapy sponge brushes for the inside trim on our doors.
linelle- it took me most of july and august to be honest. with the hot summer we had, i really had to do a little every day and wait for paint to dry before moving on.
mtnfever....ha ha ha! you must have had that for a long time! ours has seen better days, but hubby says we are not putting money into new couch till kids get older. while i hate that, I understand that. they give it a beating.
kellienoelle....I have very few thoughts on back splash, so I would welcome suggestions! Thinking lighter color, I just rolled the wall paint in that area to hide the yucky yellow color left behind from old laminate splash that was up.
jalsy6 and lynn2006...Someone else already asked your questions and I answered them above. If you need more info, let me know. Glad to help!

AND, motherof3sons, cjc123, holiday2525, nino804, lisa_a, brianadarnell, lavender lass, mpagmom, blfenton, mmhmmgood, taggie, gsciencechick, legallin & mama_goose ...thank you! You are so kind :-)

Lovely kitchen and the granite is a show stopper! Love, love, love it!!!!!!!!

Beautiful job with the paint - how special to live in your grandparents home - enjoy!

It's lovely to see people honor and keep the best of the past, and the memories that come with it. Your kitchen looks wonderful, and I love your choices.

I told you that the BA & Wood would look incredible together!

Awesome Job. I love it. I love the island details too. I'm currently designing yet another kitchen and I want to do the BA again. For some reason I thought it had come down in price a little...hah. I'm sure I can't afford to do it again. Well, maybe not right now. There might be plywood countertops in when I move in! lol

So great to see how this turned out. Congratulations.

It all looks great!! An awesome job of reusing what you have!! So happy for you!!!

Thank you cheri127, Elba1 , rosie , beekeeperswife and Lake Girl.

Bee...I have been so curious what you want in your next kitchen. I have seen your posts as you work on your new home. I always wonder if people will go for change or something they already have and like. I think I paid $79 sq/ft installed and I believe we are in neighboring states (ohio) I will say I was nervous that the BA I picked was different than many of the kitchens we see on here. I think this slab had less of those "spots" I like. But, it works!

Great job. The kitchen looks fabulous. Enjoy your first Christmas in the new style.

Where did you get your stools? I love them. Are they comfortable?

Hi Dilly. The stools came from Target online :) I do like them and love that they add some texture to the kitchen. Time will tell though...I can see them becoming a pain to clean if kiddo's drop food into them. As for comfort, yes they are, but we are in winter season here in Ohio, so I wonder how they will feel against our skin this summer in shorts :) One note, I think they sit just smidge low, so if you are short, you may not like that (and I am). Lastly, the size online is totally off, don't go by that. I need to go give a review noting the measurements are incorrect.

Thank you for the info on painting the cabinets. I just have to say you're awesome for being fearless and doing it yourself!!! Your kitchen looks great. Love the granite, too.

oh my gosh it looks AWESOME! Don't be an apologist for having a low-budget remodel, no one would guess by looking at it, and we need more real-life inspiration. Changing from peninsula to island makes such a dramatic difference.

Beautiful! I love how you made the peninsula into an island, how clever! Thanks for sharing!

Looks awesome! Congrats!

Looks beautiful Missy! You did a GREAT job! Enjoy!

thanks gr8day, we learned alot in these last few months :)

and thank you chiefy76, janealexa, 2LittleFishies and jillandmatt.

Really you did a fantastic job painting the cabinets. I didn't realize that you did all the work until I went back to read the source list. The granite looks so good with all the other elements. GREAT JOB.

I remember your original pictures of the house and really liked it. I'm partial to stained wood, but I love what you've done to the kitchen. It doesn't even look the same, and I adore the wood countertop.

How long has your floor been down? We have a Mannington engineered wood on slab too.

Marti8a, its not engineered wood, ours is actually laminate. We just put it down in September. I like it... until I see a friend of ours real wood :) But, I did what was best for our home and I am happy with it. A lot of people that come over are surprised when I tell them its laminate. Do you get that? How long have you had yours?

Hi,

It looks awesome! Great job!
I really love the BA, so beautiful.

Katie

Hey Missy! I didn't read all of these posts again as there are too many but I was wondering what you finished your island with? I know in another thread you were deciding on oil or waterlox I think? What did you decide? : )

Hi 2LittleFishies....the guy that made it finished it with some type of clear coat, not waterlox, but similar. It was what he recommended, so I trusted his judgment. I debated, but felt if I chose oiled, I would have to deal with stains left from jelly, markers and who knows what else my kids left behind. With the clear coat, we have hairline scratches, and knew we would, but I am glad I chose it. I think the scratches was the lesser of the two evils. Good luck!

Thanks, Missy! I keep going back and forth. One thing that helped was reading that the oil may be hard with kid's hw papers, etc... Might get messy? Waterlox may be the way to go. I just don't want it too shiny : )