Greige Kitchen Reveal (before and after pics!!)
We are FINALLY 100% finished with our kitchen including lighting and furniture, and I am happy to share some "after" pics before everything is a total mess, lol! In all seriousness, I got SO MUCH help from these boards, often in times of crisis (ie GC would ask for a measurement or pose a question about something that I had no clue about and needed an answer right away, and I was always able to get great input here!). Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I hope that I can "pay it forward" and now help others as much as I can! I know how hard it is to have to make SO MANY DECISIONS, and can also attest to the joy of being on the other end of a six month project (although we are still a little shell shocked, and have yet to have anyone over to see our new kitchen! Need to get back into the mindset of entertaining again in the new year!!).
Our previous kitchen dated back to the late 80's, and although minor updates had been made over the years, it was really time for a complete overhaul. We were not sad to say goodbye to the green striped faux painted walls, the 27" ovens, the formica countertops with hunter green border, or the vegetable backsplash. :) I'm also very happy that I no longer have to use a lighter to get my burners to ignite!!
As you can see in the before and after pictures, we ended up removing a wall near the door, which resulted in a galley-style kitchen, which we love. Great work triangle. We wanted to open up the space, so we also added two 48" barrel vaulted walkways, leading to the family room and dining room. And, we added new windows along the wall so that we could move from an island cooktop, to a full range against the wall (with hood). There was a lot of wasted space at the "eat-in" part of the kitchen, so we opted to ditch the big (old) oval table for a smaller round one (perfect for our family of five), and extend the cabinets all the way along that wall, giving us much more usable space. The kitchen does not get a ton of light, so our main goal was to open and lighten everything up.
Because we were doing a retrofit, we ended up going with custom cabinets, and were very pleased with the results. Some other specs below (many of which were a direct result of information found in this forum!):
Cabinet color (perimeter): Duron Estate Greige (saw sample at cabinet maker and knew right away it was the right color! Not too gray or too yellow/beige. Just right!!)
Cabinet color (island): Sherwin Williams Black Fox
Wall color: Sherwin Williams Shoji White
Countertops: Madre Perola Quartzite 3cm w/eased edge
Hardware/Pulls: Top Knobs TK595 and TK 594 Oculus Oval Polished Nickel Pulls (various sizes)
Hardware/Knobs: Top Knobs M1317 Ringed Knob Polished Nickel
Crystal knobs on hutch: Emtek Old Town
Sink: Elkay Crosstown Collection Stainless Undermount Single Bowl
Faucet: Brizo Artesso Pull-Out Spray Kitchen Faucet (touch faucet - very cool!)
Fridge: Sub-Zero 48" Built-in side by side refrigerator with exterior water/ice (which is a "must have" according to my kids)
Range: Wolf 48" Dual Fuel Range with 22" griddle
DW: KitchenAid w/Pro Handles (KKDTE254ESS)
Warming Drawer: Dacor 24" Custom Panel Warming Drawer (IWD24)
Backsplash tile: Highland Park Antique White Arabesque
Grout: TEC Praline Powergrout
Floors: Refinished in Dark Walnut (very glad to be rid of our 80's red-tinted hardwoods!!)
Pendant lights: Visual Comfort Grosvenor Pendants (Polished Nickel)
Breakfast light: Visual Comfort Classic Ring Chandelier (Polished Nickel)
A few musings post-project about some of our decision dilemmas:
SINK: I REALLY struggled with going single or double bowl. I wash a lot of dishes by hand and was really wed to having two bowls. Ultimately went with single, primarily b/c we relocated sink to the island, and this way I can pile all of my dirty dishes into the sink if I have people over and do not have time to wash them first! (It's amazing how much you can fit in there!!) I do still miss the functionality of my double bowl, but have gotten much better about scanning the room beforehand and making sure to scrape any food down drain before filling sink to wash pots and pans. I wish we could have included a prep sink with DisposAll, but we did not want to sacrifice the space needed to do so...
COUNTERTOP: We knew we wanted to do quartzite, but were torn between polished and honed. Ultimately decided to keep it polished b/c it was more reflective of light (room is pretty dark), and we also liked the look of polished nickel for fixtures/hardware, so it was consistent. I do love the texture of honed or leathered, but the stone looks beautiful polished and every day I find myself finding some new pattern or facet in it. :) Also we were torn btwn Mother of Pearl and Taj Mahal, and went w/MoP b/c it seemed to go better with our Greige cabinets. TM was a little warmer; MoP was a little cooler tone.
POT FILLER: Struggled with whether or not to include, but b/c our backsplash is an arabesque pattern, I did not want to put any "thing" on it (no outlets, etc.). There are definitely times when I wish I had one since the sink is across the aisle, but I think the disruption of the tile pattern would drive me crazier than having to carry a full pot across the (narrow) walkway!
TV: We initially were not going to include one, but decided to put it over the fridge at the 11th hour. Family is very happy that we have one there for football games etc. Very glad for the retractable doors!
Things I'm glad we did:
FAUCET: KD suggested the "hands free" model, and I highly recommend it to anyone with small children. It's fantastic!
COFFEE STATION: This is my FAVORITE kitchen feature! It's so nice to have the coffee machine in its own little area, so that my husband is not underfoot in the mornings. Highly recommend!
WARMING DRAWER: Again, was not going to include one but decided to at the last minute. TBH we have not used it a ton yet, but I think/hope that we will when the kids get older and we are not able to eat together every night! Also appreciate that Dacor has many different sizes available.
I queried the family about things they wish we had done differently, and not one person had anything to add! So I think that means we met our needs very well, whew! Never want to go through that again!! :) :) :)
I will post some before and after pics below, and add some more detailed pics in comments section. These are all taken w/iPhone so not the best quality, but if I don't do this now, it may be 2017 before I get around to sharing...! Apologies that this ended up being so long!!!
Panorama from family room before:
Panorama from family room after: (note the wall is gone)
Island before:
Island after:
Eating area before:
Eating area after:
View from corner before:
View from corner after:
"Mom desk" before: (sorry it's hazy but I cannot retake! This was ALWAYS piled with clutter and everyone's junk...)
Hutch after: (all clutter is hidden behind antique mirrored doors!)
Comments (47)
ncgisele
8 years agoDrawers are definitely the way to go for storage!
Coffee station closed (it's in the middle cabinet here):
Coffee station open:
Oven and hood:
Warming drawer:
Microwave and pantry closed:
Microwave and pantry open:
Related Discussions
Kitchen Reveal - Before and After Pics!
Comments (38)Awesome remodel! I had to go back and forth a few times to see what changed where.. lol. The fridge wall is much more usable and you added a wall dividing what I think is the living room, which really made a nice eating area and the brightness is so much better in there. Very nice!...See MoreReveal - before and after NYC kitchen (basically done)
Comments (52)We did not use him but check with C & M Home Improvement (Matt). I wish we had used him. I cannot recommend our contractor. Not only was it a chore managing the GC and his team because they screwed up something almost every day from little things like using the wrong paint color in wrong rooms (and asking us to pay to replace paint, which we did not); to installing items incorrectly (drywall in shower instead of cement board); and using the wrong type of glue for our hardwood floor installation (thankfully, I caught that early & forced them to buy the correct glue per my flooring retailer recommendations); as well as trying to complete an 8 week project in 5 weeks (missed a lot of days due to other jobs booked). In the end, the GC tried to force us to make design changes to accommodate their schedule. We didn't. Instead, I pulled out the contract and reminded him of the $100/day penalty for them not completing the project on time & I had a record of all days that the workers didn't show up since we only moved down the hall on the same floor. The added frustration was using Google translate to communicate with the workers when the GC wasn't around. Only the plaster guy spoke English. I had to call/text the GC when there was an issue and he would call & translate to the workers or come by to translate. I resorted to using Google translate. Months later when it turned out they incorrectly installed an item, he suggested my husband fix it. This wasn't the first time that happened. During the renovation, the GC suggested my husband make adjustments although we were paying the GC for that work. We refused each time. A couple of weeks ago, he sent his dad to reinstall the item after the vendor sent us a free replacement & installation paperwork. A 10-minute installation job took an hour & 4 attempts since the directions, instead of being used, were strewn on the floor and upside down. I wish I did have his tile guys contact info. He did a great job and we gave him a cash tip. He took his time & our bathroom tile came out amazingly well, just as I pictured. If you need hardwood flooring installed, I recommend: Celso at Shine Star Floors shinestarfloors@gmail.com Office assistant is Lorrany http://shinestarfloors.com 109 Jersey Street, Harrison, NJ 07029 Tel.: 973-736-1346 Fax: 973-736-2096 They came with a crew of 5 to get the job done in 1 day but our GC wasn't ready so we ended up not being able to use him. However, I was pleased with everything from communication and customer service despite them not actually doing our floors. When we had an issue after the GC finished, Ceslo told us to buy a humidifier to stop the weird snap, crackle, pop noise we were hearing due to the building heating system drying out the floors....See MoreFarmhouse Kitchen Reveal (Before & After)
Comments (15)mrspete - I love the cooktop on the range but despise the ovens. It's a Maytag Gemini we purchased in about 2012. I had an older (1990's?) Gemini double oven in my last house and loved it (which is why I bought this one), but I can't get it to bake evenly and it sucks at preheating. It will say it's preheated, then I'll insert food to cook or bake and then it says it's preheating again and it never gets back up to full temp, and then cooks/bakes unevenly and burns the bottom of everything. I'm pretty disappointed with it. If you can find a model that works well, the top smaller oven is super convenient. If I was a better baker, I think I'd have to swap it out - but this week I decided to treat myself to an Instant Pot instead...I hear it makes great cheesecake :) My cabinet guy wasn't too happy with my choice of cabinets over the fridge. I wanted the top cabinets to all be the same depth, but he insisted that I wouldn't reach them if they didn't line up with the front of the fridge. I'm not even 5' tall and told him all fridge cabinets are useless to me - even if they do line up with fridge. Also, my parents recently had to hack into their over-fridge cabinets to install a new fridge, so I wanted to leave some space to update the fridge later. I can reach the baskets and use them a lot for hauling meals out to the field. Ian Mac - laminate floors were from Lumber Liquidators: Warm Springs Chestnut Joe - Nice acreages are tough to find in our area, so when we found a house with a decent foundation and shelterbelt, we grabbed it. 3 weeks later we got hit by a tornado and it wiped out most of the outbuildings and trees, but the tank of a house didn't move - must've been the weight of all the plaster with 97 coats of paint built up on the walls over the years? Living through the reno felt a lot like living through The Money Pit movie. The mudroom/laundry and garage additions were worth the pain though! Here's some before/after pics: Iowacommute - here's a couple of closeups of the sink - the first one is with a few weeks of daily use grime, the second one is after I scrubbed it for a couple mins with a Scotchbrite. Wilsonart recommends using Ajax too, I use that about once a month and it really helps to spiff it up. I'm not super happy with the sink, it was recommended by our cabinet maker as the only option for an "undermount" (integrated) with Formica, but it's kind of a pain to keep clean and I've noticed some small cracks starting in the corners and around the drain. When I brought it up to kitchen guy, he lectured me for not using a grid in the bottom, I suppose that would help. I don't remember the name of the color of this sink, but it's not the white one... since our cabinet doors were Pearl, we went with the offwhite sink. Before cleaning: After cleaning: Cracks :(...See MoreDIY Family Room on a Budget Reveal Before/After Pics
Comments (33)The overall look is vastly improved, you've done a wonderful job. My only caveat is the TV wall, which looks too busy for a room that has a busy (although very nice) rug. I would streamline that wall extensively, and consider doing something different in the hallway where there are the three round objects. I would also eliminate the pouf by the chair, and reconsider the vertical row of pictures, which might look better placed horizontally in the hall. This is all minor stuff, the new look is awesome!...See Morencgisele
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoTHANK YOU so much for all the wonderful feedback! I'm sorry I've dropped off the face of the earth but btwn going back to work after 2 weeks off and having a sick kid at home I feel like I've been hit by a fast moving train... I wish I knew how to hyperlink back to specific people so I can respond directly but I will try to address a few questions that I've seen!
Table -- we definitely had to replace that sucker! It was Pottery Barn circa the mid-90's, and was very "well loved"!! We did have a smart idea that actually my PAINTER suggested -- we painted it (the same color as the island, b/c we had a lot of it left over and loved the color - Black Fox), and moved it up to our playroom to use as a game table (took the leaves out). It looks like a million bucks, and it's so nice to be able to reuse it! I do love our new table (which was the last thing to arrive, just last week!). I definitely wanted round so we had more space to navigate, but we were torn btwn 60 and 54"... Went with the smaller one which is perfect for five, but might be tight for more people! But, I do think any bigger would have been a little crowded down at that end of the room. I had to keep reminding myself to think about our day to day needs as opposed to much more infrequent entertaining or hosting situations. Day to day it is perfect!! And yes we did just keep our existing chairs and reupholster. Tried to tie in a couple of "pop" colors (turquoise and orange) so it was not so monotone. We also had considered painting the chairs to match the table more closely, but I like the contrast of the wood! Here is a close up picture (with one chair removed):
Hutch -- definitely was a great idea to hide clutter! Funny story: My 11 yr old took one look at it once the glass was installed and was horrified! "Mommy did you actually PAY for it to look that way? It's all spotty!" :) Very funny to see things through the eyes of a child!! Here's a close up of the mirror:
Oven/Range -- I hope I love my griddle some day! I'm really intimidated by it. I actually bought steaks to make on it tonight. I wish I could find a griddle cookbook!! Please lmk if anyone knows of such a thing! I need to just keep trying and hopefully the love will grow... :) My husband uses it for breakfasts but that's about it so far!
Outlets - we did include just one pair of outlets at the hutch, and tbh we have not really plugged anything in except the phone. So we have an outlet and a phone connection in there. Otherwise, we put an outlet on each end of the island (facing the window wall). We do not have any outlets on the other side (facing the pantry wall), which sometimes is annoying but mostly I would use it for my laptop, and I can just reach around. Aesthetically it would not have been the best. Also, for some reason my GC was very down on installing plug mold under the cabinets. He did not want to put it in, and I did not want outlets on the backsplash. Ultimately he put regular 2-gang outlets (?) up under the lip of the cabinets, mounted against the bottom of each cabinet -- genius idea. So now I have two plugs (if that makes sense) under each of the three cabinets. Definitely more than I need! And we put a couple of outlets in the coffee bar, and had a couple on the walls. So far so good!
Floors - One more thing I'm really glad we did while we were redoing the floors, which I never would have thought of, is to replace our old metal A/C registers with wood ones that are flush with the floor. My GC suggested it, and I think they were like $10 a piece -- another genius idea!! They look SO great compared to the old ones! I love the small updates that end up making a big difference!
Microwave - this was a tough decision as well. We were going to put it in the island, but I was worried about it being too crowded wherever it went. We really only use it for popcorn and an occasional reheat. It's definitely not a super convenient location, but I thought it was the lesser of two evils! (ie in the way, or out of the way!!). It is also nice to be able to close those doors and not look at it, too.
TV over fridge -- someone on this site gave me that suggestion, literally at the very last minute, and I'm really glad we did it! Funnily enough, my husband wanted to put it between the two windows by the table, but then I realized we would not be able to see it b/c of the light fixture. So then he wanted to put in recessed cans, which I briefly considered, but I really like having a hanging fixture there. So over the Refrigerator it went. Here is a picture of it taken from the family room with the TV cabinet open. A great side benefit, which we did not plan for, is that apparently my husband can sit on the sofa and watch two football games at once, since we arched that doorway -- he can clearly see it from the other room!
While I'm at it, here is a pic of the kitchen from the Dining Room (other doorway). I was hesitant to put the oven against the wall b/c this is literally the view you have as you walk into my front door -- you can see through the dining room and into the kitchen. But, I figured, it's a beautiful appliance, and at some point you just have to make the best decision you can with what you have. It was either on the island (I was not crazy about having a ceiling-mounted hood), or against the wall, so the wall is where it ended up.
Last thing -- this is pretty much off topic, but I wanted to share my favorite "score" during our reno!! Unfortunately we had some scope creep, and since we were redoing the floors, we ended up redoing a couple of bathrooms and the laundry room - partially... Husband did not want to rip and replace cabinets b/c after all it's just a laundry room! So we kept the boxes, replaced the ugly doors, repainted inside and out, installed new floor tile that we found at Home Depot (previously had been linoleum), got new sink/faucet, and then I was left with what to do about countertops. I looked and looked at builder-grade granite, but it was all speckly and just not what I wanted. There were so many great options but all were more than I wanted to spend. One day at Home Depot I happened upon the laminate area, and lo and behold, there was a laminate in the SAME PATTERN as my quartzite - Mother of Pearl! I ended up spending $325 on the countertops, which I think look AWESOME, and coordinate w/the rest of the house really well!
I'm afraid that if there is such a thing as over sharing, I crossed that boundary LONG ago... Sorry for such a long post!!!!!! Oh and the pig - I do love that guy! He is a pitcher actually. Still need to do some work on "accessorizing" a rather monotone kitchen... I admit that I had to google towel pig and now I must try to find one!!! :)
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
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