Before and after - antique cottage kitchen
The kitchen is about as clean as it’s going to get and the forsythia branches I cut are just beginning to bloom, so it’s as good a time as any to post an official before and after (though I don’t consider this project truly *done* done yet, and I’ve posted some of it before). This forum was and continues to be super helpful for an indecisive overthinker like me, so thank you! Totally worth enduring the Houzz hazing rituals.
Here’s the before; not awful, basically functional, but very little drawer storage, none very deep. Typical early 2000s Tuscan-inspired kitchen with some updates (backsplash, honed counters) from the prior owner. I HATED this floor (indestructible but always looked filthy) which made no sense in my house (an 1800s barn converted to a house circa 1900). Not pictured here was a horrible reach in pantry that was just a stack of sagging shelves reached via a closet door. Kitchen was closed off from the dining room and rest of the house, which just didn’t work in a small house like this.
Scope of work involved removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room and replacing windows in both rooms. I performed other renovations on the interior and exterior as part of this project. Construction lasted roughly from March-September 2023, and finished about on budget. I lived in the house through construction, and survived with most of my sanity intact.
Here’s the after!
IDs on key finishes/fixtures:
- Cabinet/wall/trim color: FB Pointing
- Hardware: Merit Metal UL Brass
- Island top: Walnut Woodworks
- Hood: Best WP28M
- Perimeter counters: Olympian White Danby marble
- Faucet: Rohl San Julio C-Spout, polished nickel
- Ceiling lights: Ralph Lauren Marine Flushmount
- Backsplash: Levante Sirocco Glossy 4x4 Field
I kept my 20 year old Sub Zero fridge and Viking stove; they work fine, they’re the right size for the kitchen, and the lead time can’t be beat!
Regrets: Backsplash is the only major one, and I’ll likely replace it in the near term. Otherwise, I would probably have spent the extra few thousand for exposed butt hinges, but that’s with the knowledge that the project has finished on time and budget! I also wonder what drugs I was taking when deciding electrical switching…
Things still to complete/buy: Stools for island; maybe a different rug at the sink (an antique cotton dhurrie maybe *isn’t* super practical here…). Eventually will swap out kitchen chairs. For the open shelves, planning to eventually fill with dish/glassware I actually use. Don’t love the overstyled look. I just don’t have that much I want to look at every day right now!
After drying out all winter and settling (in a 120+ year old house where “plumb” is a foreign concept) there are also a lot of minor trim and caulking issues my contractor is coming back to tackle.
It’s funny, the only thing I KNEW when I started this project was that I did NOT want a white kitchen. Now, the space feels so open and bright that I can’t imagine it in the navy blues or murky greens I’d originally planned on.
Comments (26)
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Comments (10)I think you did a terrific job on your kitchen--great transformation, and you have all the elements I'd like to have in mine (rangetop, double ovens, island, backpack storage, etc...). It looks like you must have knocked down a wall and/or used available square-footage. Or, did you add on to the house? Please let me know, as I have a smallish kitchen, but like how you were able to expand your space and storage so nicely....See MoreBefore and After Antique White Dura Supreme
Comments (1)We are also considering using Dura Supreme. Have you been happy with the quality? any problems?...See MoreFinished Kitchen-Before and After Pictures
Comments (15)I love the color of the cabinets. That dark stain "just goes" in that kitchen.... perfect choice. I think that you should stain the door to match the cabinets. I think it would add a lot to that area. We purchased extra stain when we ordered our cabinets so we could stain a door. We used a wood conditioner first (which helps to even out stain and avoid the "blotch-iness" that your contractor mentioned). It turned out beautiful. And... if the stain doesn't look good.... you can always paint it!! But my vote is to stain the door the wonderful chocolate color of the cabinets....See MoreBefore and After: Kitchen Facelift
Comments (42)Have been thinking about your light fixtures. The one over the kitchen area is the equivalent of a ceiling fixture, but on a chain, right? I suggest that it spread sideways more, cover more realestate of the air if that works for you. [I also suggest that there be a piece of art riding high on the walls so that you bring eyes up to that fab vault.] Not sure if you are looking to replace the fixture over the table also. It's the currently unfashionable shiny brass, but it's also "important" enough to be a thing unto itself and something you might not want to replace. A gutsy person might find a way to remove glass, refinish it in a darker finish, and replace glass again, but not sure if that's a good thing. You didn't give us much help on your design direction, so have picked up on the ideas above. I looked at Overstock for a dark finished metal. These are roughly in your affordable range and generally have some drama. This exercise was very educational. And then there's this one in the Open box outlet at Lamps Plus (for $99.86 each, two available): http://www.lampsplusopenbox.com/31902.htm Elk lighting makes this one, which has some movement and drama: http://www.lightinguniverse.com/chandeliers/elk-lighting-5-light-elysburg-chandelier_g290271.html?isku=2693627 There's lots more out there awaiting your spending hours on the Internet...Have fun stormin' the castle....See More
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