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Before and after photo?

Lavender Lass
8 years ago

It's so much fun to see everyone's kitchen photos, but there's so much pressure to have everything done! At least for me :)


So, what if we all post ONE photo of our kitchen (or other space) by Monday....and another photo of the same space, at the end of January?

I know some of you are finished, but many of us are not...and there's almost always one more area we need to organize or update in our home. If the kitchen is done, maybe choose another space.

And as for clutter....who cares? It will just make the 'after' photo look that much better! LOL

What do you think? Sound like fun? Have a Happy New Year!!!


Oh, and here's mine. Lots of work, still to do...





Comments (49)

  • ImWithJoe
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I agree. Like on the build forum. Here is ours a few days ago. Project was supposed to be done November 16 ..hahaha. Hospice dog's food and drugs on the counter and all. Grateful for running water and electric. This week ceiling and wall painting done. Next week - perhaps range and frig and complete electric work. 2-3 weeks backsplash and floor refinish. 4-5 weeks - custom shelf under range hood.

    Lavender Lass thanked ImWithJoe
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  • malabacat
    8 years ago

    Here's my after photo. Our kitchen is basically done, a few tweaks still need to occur but that's it.

    Lavender Lass thanked malabacat
  • banana suit
    8 years ago

    Our kitchen earlier this week.

    Lavender Lass thanked banana suit
  • Wendy
    8 years ago

    Here's mine, as we speak.

    kitchen: flowing as one space · More Info

    Lavender Lass thanked Wendy
  • desertsteph
    8 years ago

    ya gotta laugh a bit at this... who else would post not yet done, torn up, old / bad kitchen parts etc for others to eagerly pour over... only us!

    but I love looking!

    Lavender Lass thanked desertsteph
  • blfenton
    8 years ago

    Beautiful projects. Wendy - do you have a before pic?

    Lavender Lass thanked blfenton
  • designsaavy
    8 years ago

    Before:


    Now:



    Gonna be quite some time before it's finished because of the budget.

    Don't you just love the plexiglass and green tape behind the stove?

    We will be adding backsplash and tall crown molding hopefully (fingers crossed) in the next month or two.

    What a fun thread, Lavender. Love seeing all the finished and in-progress pics!


    Lavender Lass thanked designsaavy
  • rebunky
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Here is the cabin kitchen right now. Fridge will actually go where the w/d is. Desertsteph, LOL, that is so true!

    Adding: designsaavy WOW! That's gorgeous and I cannot believe that's the same space!

    Lavender Lass thanked rebunky
  • Amber
    8 years ago

    This was my kitchen in mid December. I'm too tired to go get a current pic!

    Lavender Lass thanked Amber
  • blfenton
    8 years ago

    Amber - love the feet and the vented (?) look under the sink.

    Lavender Lass thanked blfenton
  • hendricksfamily92
    8 years ago

    Rebunky, I have been eagerly awaiting an update on your cabin! Love to see the progress.

    Lavender Lass thanked hendricksfamily92
  • jess1979
    8 years ago

    This is how it looked this morning. The refrigerator will be in the spot straight forward, the stove will be in the empty spot on the left, on the end of that run will be the wall oven/micro comb (no cabinet yet), wine cooler between the two pantry cabinets and an island in the middle. They are used cabinets we put them on cardboard so we could try out different layouts and this one seems to work the best.

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  • happy2b…gw
    8 years ago

    DH" "Why are you taking pictures?" ME: Lavender Lass has an idea and started a thread." DH: "Oh, should have known GW had something to do with it." DH: "Are you sure you want to show the mess?" Like desert steph wrote: we get it. My DH is a skilled DIY-er. After countless years of putting other projects ahead of remodeling this kitchen, even renovating a kitchen in a second home, the work here has begun. In 1980, we enclosed the carport to create this dinette. When the kids were little, we ate here. Now DH and I eat on an island in the kitchen.

    I emptied the cabinet to prepare for the demolition. The plan is to remove the brick wall to open the kitchen. There is a support column already in the wall that we have to work around functionally and aesthetically. We are discussing moving the door which leads to the garage closer in and creating a storage closet for heavier kitchen items in the alcove. It would mean losing the brick feature: I am optimistically hoping that the brick and pine boards can be used somewhere/how in the new kitchen. It is a nice feature in the house.

    Loving the diversity of this thread and looking forward to Monday.

    Here's our start.

    Lavender Lass thanked happy2b…gw
  • bpath
    8 years ago

    Hmm...not remodeling but thinking I should post a pic to see if I actually get the counters cleared, cabinets emptied of things we don't use to make room for things we do, (and maybe get the new DW and fridge) by the the end of the month...

    Lavender Lass thanked bpath
  • fldirt
    8 years ago

    Before 7/13

    After making christmas dinner so messy….

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  • motherof3sons
    8 years ago

    Lavender Lass it is good too see your plans are coming to fruition. I have been absent a couple of years and it is great to see familiar names again (and their projects)!

    Is a kitchen truly ever done? i still can't decide how to decorate. Dislike the window treatments and they will come down soon. My #1 son and dot-in-law heard me say I wanted something above the sink window, but did not know what to do. They went to our family farm and salvaged some wood to make this sign for me. I cried when they presented it to me. My Dad, my farmer, died two years ago at Christmas and we miss him terribly. His family settled on this land in the 1870s.

    here is a recent shot after Hubs hung my Christmas gift.

    Lavender Lass thanked motherof3sons
  • designsaavy
    8 years ago

    Happy2b, I love that brick. Sure hope you can incorporate in some way.

    Lavender Lass thanked designsaavy
  • suzanne_sl
    8 years ago

    One can hope this will look better by the end of the month, but as things have been going it's hard to say for sure. The various tools and parts along the perimeter are in aid of finishing the install on the MW (the vent isn't fully connected). The stuff on the island is kitchen utensils that have been in storage in the garage for 6 months. Most of it goes in top drawers, but I think we won't fill those until the granite in installed on the 15th (!!!!). Meanwhile, cardboard counters and clutter is an excellent look ;-)


    Lavender Lass thanked suzanne_sl
  • heatheron40
    8 years ago

    Well, here it goes!! The really before.....while the "hole", deck and walls were being constructed. I painted all the ceiling boards for the addition while we had a false ceiling up so the wood could be conditioned. Oh yea, 3 years ago this endeavor started...

    Today:

    Parents just left today, kids still here. DD doesn't leave until the 16th- hard telling what will get done by the end of the month! Hopefully this will provide a little motivation for the last 15 days. The mess is making me a little squirrelly! Don't worry these are just temporary counters- enough that I can get some work done.

    Thanks Lavender for a little push. Heather

    Lavender Lass thanked heatheron40
  • mushcreek
    8 years ago

    Sorry- Couldn't resist!

    Before:

    After:

    Lavender Lass thanked mushcreek
  • happy2b…gw
    8 years ago

    Way to go, mushcreek.

    Lavender Lass thanked happy2b…gw
  • oldbat2be
    8 years ago

    My hat is off to all who have posted. I love the concept, started a posted about planned improvements, started cleaning the areas so I could photograph, and got distracted.

    mushcreek - neat!

    motherof3sons - I'm sorry to hear about your father, please accept my sincere condolences. Seeing your kitchen at work was like seeing an old friend - such a happy surprise. If you don't like the window treatments, I'll be happy to photoshop some color variations, to give you some direction (start a thread if you like, or just PM me). When something works as well as all of your elements do, I'm mentally saying to myself (prior to adding anything new) my version of the Hippocratic oath: First, Do No Harm... There will be a way to accomplish what you want, without conflicting with what you've already done.

    Lavender Lass thanked oldbat2be
  • motherof3sons
    8 years ago
    OB2B it is great to "see" you again! Thanks for the condolences. It was time for Dad to go, but certainly does not lessen the pain. As far as the window, I am considering not having anything. The kitchen needs a wee bit of color. Still experimenting 3 years later! Any new projects?
    Lavender Lass thanked motherof3sons
  • lisa_a
    8 years ago

    Great idea for a thread, LL!

    My kitchen is done but in 2 weeks, we start on our laundry room and master bath reno. Supposed to take 5 weeks. Can I play along with pics of those 2 spaces?

    Lavender Lass thanked lisa_a
  • weezel
    8 years ago

    I took pictures last week to try to get a better perspective...tile, new hardware, and a light over the sink...already promised my husband I'd get it done by the end of the month! (After I promised I said I'd try really hard )

    Lavender Lass thanked weezel
  • Debbie B.
    8 years ago

    Lavender, what a great idea! Thanks! I'm not moving into the house I just bought until June, so I just texted the previous owners, who will be living there until the end of May, and asked if they'll snap a couple of quick pics for me. I'll post as soon as I get them.

    Wow, dhygarden, amazing! I bet your grandkids will love hanging out while you cook! :-) Designsaavy, also a wow! Can't wait to see the finished product! Desertsteph, you are funny, but good point! :-) Happy2be, love love love the brick! Hope you can use it!

    Motherof3sons, I'm so sorry about your dad. My dad died in October 2012 at the age of 93. I miss him every single day. Up until the last six months he still read every paper I wrote. I love the sign your children made, but I don't have great eyesight and can't read it. What does it say? What a touching, generous gift. Before I read your reply to OB2B, I was going to ask if you would consider not having a window treatment there...the windows are so pretty and it doesn't look like there are any neighbors out there who could be looking in.

    Mushcreek...best before photo EVER! :-)


    Lavender Lass thanked Debbie B.
  • Patti
    8 years ago


    After


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  • jml248
    8 years ago

    pattisue, love that peninsula counter! I love that use of space for a larger kitchen. Did you knock down the wall behind the fridge in the old space? (I'm trying to visualize the transformation)

    Lavender Lass thanked jml248
  • jml248
    8 years ago

    Here's our kitchen before:

    (looking in from the mudroom)




    We have our new stove in temporarily , so we ripped out the peninsula and some upper cabinets.


    But first we have to finish the bathroom remodel because we are ripping out the original bathroom (the room behind the stove) to expand the size of the kitchen.

    So it's pretty much my bathroom progress (and the random stuff we've ripped out of the kitchen along the way) until later this spring when I hope to have the bathroom more or less finished.


    yay this is fun!

    Lavender Lass thanked jml248
  • Patti
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    jml248, yes, we knocked down that wall. It was about where the middle of the gas range is in the after picture. We are enjoying the new kitchen even more than I ever anticipated.

    Your stove is a beast! Awesome looking.

    Lavender Lass thanked Patti
  • Meris
    8 years ago

    Just took this. Didn't know what perspective to take it from. Fun thread. This new kitchen stuff is exciting!!

    Lavender Lass thanked Meris
  • motherof3sons
    8 years ago

    @debbieb - sorry to read you lost your Dad too. My Dad was 92 when he passed. The saying was selected by my son and it reflects my Dad in so many ways. It reads "There are better things ahead than any we leave behind." I look at it every day and think of a conversation Dad and I had shortly before he became ill.

    Lavender Lass thanked motherof3sons
  • mabeldingeldine
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    PattiSue, your granite is gorgeous! Thanks Lavender for providing a diversion/procrastination opportunity ;)

    DH and I have been renovating a 1320 square foot house as a possible retirement home. We will be renting the home until then.

    It was a tired 70s starter home that had fallen on hard times. Before:

    We've done a big remodel, the kitchens and bathrooms right to the studs, and new flooring/paint etc. throughout. We still have a few things to go, but we are close to finished. Here's a couple of current snaps from my phone:

    It has been a challenge trying to design with renters in mind, yet ultimately for us. Since the photo we have hung the only wall cabinet, to the left of the fridge. I've begun constructing a 10" pullout to the left of that based on an idea I found here on the Kitchen Forum.

    We have tenants lined up so I should have a final reveal post soon.

    Lavender Lass thanked mabeldingeldine
  • Lavender Lass
    Original Author
    8 years ago

    So many great photos! Thank you all for posting :)


    Sorry, it took so long to check back. We are slammed with the first of the year at work....but I will try to get back and respond to so many of the comments. Hope everyone is having a good 2016.

  • fldirt
    8 years ago

    mabeldingeldine…nice digs for renters! Beautiful kitchen…

  • Debbie B.
    8 years ago

    Hi all! Still awaiting "before" photos of my sad little kitchen, lol. Patti Sue, I thought your "before" kitchen was really nice! :-) But "after," wow! Nice job! jml248, what an awesome range! What brand is it? Your kitchen will be beautiful! Meris, whew! Exciting indeed. motherof3sons, thanks. What a lovely sentiment your son chose. Mabel, my home is 1979 and has almost the exact same kitchen layout, the only difference being the refrigerator is on the other side, next to the dishwasher. But wow, I wouldn't let a renter near that new kitchen! :-) I hope you find someone great that will treat your kitchen as they should. I can understand how tricky it must be to design something both for renters now and your retirement home later on.

  • Patti
    8 years ago

    Debbie B, thank you! But if you thought my before was nice, I must have submitted the wrong pic! Haha.

  • Debbie B.
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    OK, folks, here are the pics of my "before" kitchen. I would just like to emphasize that I do not live there yet. The previous owners still live there, and the mess you see is theirs, not mine! :-)

    pic 1: starting far left. When you walk in the front door, look to your left, the refrig is maybe 7 feet from you. As you can see, lol, the space between dishwasher and refrig is used to store plastic grocery bags. I'm going to take the dishwasher out and put in base cabinet drawers and get a portable DW. Also doing all new cupboards/cabs, counter, sink, all by IKEA.

    pic 2: the view from the living room. What is cutting your vision off on the right is a humongous, hideous built-in china cabinet that acts as a room divider, separating the LR from the eat-in kitchen. I'm having that knocked out before I move in, creating a great room, since the individual spaces are so small.

    pic #3: close-up. As you can see, some idiot put the range in such a space that when you open the door, it only opens about halfway and then slams into the cab under the sink and can't open further. When I remodel the kitchen, the new range will obviously be moved to the right. You can also see that the microwave takes up valuable counter space. I'm going to get a hood with microwave combo to free up that corner space, which is so hinky.

    pic 3: Moving right, we started with the frig, then the DW, sink, around the corner to the range. Now the range is on your left. As you can see from pics 2 and 3, I hardly have any counter space at all. And other than under the sink, this set of drawers (all of which are broken) and that once cab the current residents have blocked off with stuff, are my only base cabs, which is why I'm taking out the dishwasher to get another cabinet of drawers. The big bluish "box" on the right looks like it could be a neat pantry, but actually it's where the furnace is. Current residents have a white plastic shelf thingy here. The range will be moved over and take that space where the drawers are now and hopefully I can fit a cab of drawers to the left of the new range, but not sure yet. I need to go out there and measure as soon as the ice on the road melts.

    Pic #4: immediately to the right of photo #3 is the hallway (covered by an old blanket tacked to the wall, LOL) leading to main
    bath, laundry, 2 bedrooms. Still going right, after the doorway you see the shelves the current residents are using as a pantry. Then you see part of the dinette set, which is being used for storage also.


    pic 5: Here's another view of the dinette set. They've cleaned it off and it looks like it's been shoved up against the back of the china cabinet. Then I see they've added another shelving unit, which wasn't there before. They don't use the dinette to eat on, since it's usually piled high with stuff. They generally eat in the LR in front of the TV. I really want a place to eat; I've never been a fan of the eat while watching TV thing, and I actually don't own a TV, so having a table to sit at is important to me, even though it's just me. The plastic cart from pic 3, the other pantry from photo 3, and this new shelf thing will all go with the sellers when they move out. I'm going to pull the dinette set out (they gave it to me), back to where it is in photo 3 and eventually get a new one.

    I like that there are two big windows, one at the sink and one almost
    directly across from it, at the eat-in area. My problem is obviously
    storage and I'm super open to suggestions! I'm thinking stand alone
    pantry (pantries)? Also thinking about IKEA's "high" cabs that go floor
    to ceiling and are shelves on top and drawers on the bottom. Thoughts?

    Note: I edited this post to put in photo #3, which I didn't have when I first posted.

  • Debbie B.
    8 years ago

    Hey all,

    I don't want to hijack Lavender's thread of before and after photos, so I copied and pasted my above post into a new thread. If you have suggestions for my kitchens, please reply on that thread. THANKS!!! :-)

  • mabeldingeldine
    8 years ago

    thanks for the love, Debbie B. and fldirt. Not to worry, the first tenant are my sister-in-law, and brother-in-law. I've seen their home and have no concerns about how they will care for this one.

    Lavender, hope things are progressing well for you!

  • jml248
    8 years ago
    Debbie and pattysue thanks! It's a BlueStar which of course I discovered on here.

    Really loving this thread. Anyone have any updates?
  • happy2b…gw
    8 years ago

    Last Sunday, Jan. 3, I posted a photo that marked the beginning. The following two photos document the progress. This is how the dinette looks today after one week. Miss the brick.



    The brick and pine boards are gone but neatly stacked elsewhere for use in the future or donation. The ceramic floor is partially out, the debris taken to the dump. So far the dirt and grime are confined to this area. DH is working alone. We have been planning a new kitchen for years and years, but other projects at a vacation home and here at home took precedence ( and truthfully we were also struggling with the plan- better but not finalized yet) with DH doing most of the work which included a new kitchen, patios, a portico with columns, two bathroom remodels, a new dock house after Isabelle. It sounds crazy but my DH always has a project. This is the third remodel for this kitchen. Almost 40 years or so ago soon after we purchased the house, he enclosed the carport to make the dinette and added a garage adjacent to it; however, the galley kitchen that includes a a large eating area, connects to the dinette through a doorway. Over the years, we have stripped and refinished the cabinets, added an island in the eating space, changed countertops, updated appliances and floors, vaulted the ceiling on one side. The current plan is to remove the wall to open the kitchen to the dinette, install new cabinets, countertops, appliances, and wood floors etc. This week I have been tweaking the plans, reading the forums and Houzz, and thinking about finishes. Regards to everyone. I have enjoyed having a peek into your kitchens. It is nice to be in such good company.

  • ImWithJoe
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    We are getting "Oh, so close." For those who think it may never end....I hope the end is near for you as well. We still need tiling, some knobs, floors redone, and a few other whatnots, but the end is near!

    October 2015

    Nov 2015

    December 2015

    Today



  • happy2b…gw
    8 years ago

    Wonderful transformation. I like how you used wood on the counters on the island. Cool faucets.

  • oldbat2be
    8 years ago

    nightowl - what fun to see your transformation along with my favorite faucet(s)! Your lighting choice and colors are spot on.

  • Mags438
    8 years ago

    This is fun!

    Before:


    During:

    Thats my basement below the joists. No subfloors.

    After:

    Still at ABB (all but backsplash) but one day I hope to get tile selected and installed. Maybe 2016 will be the year.


  • happy2b…gw
    8 years ago

    Backsplash is the most difficult choice, I think. I am trying to think ahead as I consider selections for cabinets, counters, backsplash, and paint. I do not want to paint myself into a corner.

  • Wendy
    8 years ago

    It's well past February and is very slow going, but here is my before and after. Hopefully Lavender Lass will start a new thread for the upcoming month.

    kitchen: flowing as one space · More Info

    before/after kitchen · More Info