I don’t think this post is going to propel me into creating a home design section of my blog. Not because of the results of the renovation (because those are beautiful!), but because I don’t capture it in a way that does it justice. I will stick with food pictures because I should have taken better pictures with the real camera instead of snaps on my iPhone. Convenience reigned supreme though, and here we are.
I bet you can still get a good idea of the difference this renovation made. The kitchen felt like it doubled in size. The island is AMAZING. The appliance garage is so helpful. And I really love under cabinet lighting. Let’s dive in! First, a look at our before:
Kitchen Renovation Before & After
There was never anything wrong with our kitchen. It functioned well for us for over a decade, but there were little signs that an upgrade would be nice. Our cabinets were peeling. The island had a funny shape and I often wish it were just a bit bigger. Things like that. So we decided if we were going to do some improvements, it made the most sense in our situation to do a complete overhaul.
The plan was a total gut and renovation of the kitchen including: new cabinets, replacing the desk area with a large appliance garage, new range with hood, replacing the island and extending it into the eat in area to provide seating, and to bring the wall above the ovens to the ceiling.
I know it sounds silly because that is an extensive list, but I really believed everyone when they said it would be a 2-3 week process. Silly, naive little me. But I felt we had done the precursory work. We had the plans drawn, the cabinets ordered, and the contractors lined up. We hired two guys from our neighborhood to do the demo, so I moved everything from the kitchen cabinets into the dining room (whew- that was a feat), and we got to it.
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Things began quickly:
Demo was fast and even the dry wall to take the wall above the ovens to the ceiling moved along quickly. Then everything slowed down and there was plenty of blame to go around. We didn’t think to move the electrical outlets until after they had patched the drywall, so we had to cut into it again to relocate them. We decided to flatten the odd angle in the ceiling and had to call the crew back out. Our cabinet people mismeasured one cabinet and it had to be reordered. Then they forgot to order doors to the appliance garage which was another few week delay. So on and so forth.
I’m sure if you’ve done renovations before, this is not surprising, but for me, having the space I usually spend most of my day in be nonfunctional for an extended period of time got to be pretty frustrating. We made do though. I used my Instant Dutch Oven for almost every meal. We used paper plates when needed. We ate simply. We made it work and slowly we started to see progress.
Related: 6 Instant Dutch Oven Recipes
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And finally, about 4 months after we kicked things off, the kitchen was COMPLETE! It was honestly biting off a lot more than we initially thought, but it was worth it. The renovation essentially doubled the size of the kitchen. It made it feel like a more cohesive space and offered a lot more storage, having the appliance garage instead of the desk area that inevitably ended up as a junk drop zone.
Drum roll please…
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Kitchen Renovation Superlatives
Biggest pain: having to repair drywall more than once because we forgot to move the outlets the first time, then moved the lights- lots of construction dust!
Biggest surprise: I truly thought it would be a 2-3 week project. It was 4 months said and done.
Favorite upgrades: double pull out trashcans, soft close cabinets and drawers, undercabinet lighting, the HUGE island space, appliance garage storage space and hidden coffee maker, hidden outlets, workstation sink with the grate at the bottom
Kitchen Renovation Specifics
- Countertops: Cambra Ironsbridge Quartz
- Cabinets: Fabuwood Allure Galaxy Dove and one custom appliance garage
- Faucet: Delta Trinsic in Champagne Bronze
- RO Water: Cloud Water Filter RO with Gold Faucet
- Workstation Sink: Ruvati 30″
- Fridge: Counter-depth GE Profile
- Pendants: Bellevue 15″ Wide Pendant with Hammered Glass Shade
- Paint color: Sherwin Williams Creamy
- Range: GE Monogram
- Hood insert: This one
- Bar stools: 26″ Cane Back Counter Height
- Window Shades: Bamboo Roman Shades
If I missed anything that would be helpful, please let me know in the comments. Happy to share! 🙂
Kelli H says
Thank you for this post! Our kitchen reno is adding up VERY quickly & we’re having a hard time choosing a general contractor to manage it. All their bids are SO different and they are so hard to get numbers from. Was your hood ordered through the cabinet company or is it a different brand? I love the custom look of it. Such a nice upgrade for you guys!!
Brittany Dixon says
I understand the trouble finding a good GC. We ended up acting as the GC and it was a lot, but saved a lot, too. The hood was ordered through the cabinet company and is a Fabuwood hood with this insert: https://amzn.to/45mZ1Ac
Renee Lange says
wow just really Beautiful 🤍 and so much bigger Love it
Brittany Dixon says
Thank you; the big island has been so nice!
Monica says
I love it! We have been talking about doing a remodel and it makes me excited to think about, but also worry about putting all the pieces together!!
Brittany Dixon says
I believe if I had my expectations right, it would not have been as frustrating. When I did a poll on IG, most people said a full kitchen took at least 2 months, usually closer to 3.
Alexis says
The new kitchen is beautiful; congratulations. I’d like to know what was helpful in making decisions and coming up with a vision / plan. Did you have an architect or designer help? How did you know what you wanted.
We moved into a new home last October, knowing that we want to change up the oddly set up kitchen, but I’m finding the project too big and daunting: I want to have a good vision before spending the time and money, and I don’t know how to find it!
Brittany Dixon says
Great question! Originally we met with a designer who helped us walk through some ideas. We really liked her vision, but with a 30% add on for her to take on the project, we decided to take it on ourselves with the help of friends that have an eye for design. The cabinet place we went through did the drawing as part of the proposal and that was really helpful! If I had to do it again, I’d start at the cabinet place and have them come out and see the space, then brainstorm the design together.
Ange says
Looks so amazing! With the extended time frame, did your renovation go over budget?
Brittany Dixon says
Not necessarily; it was just slow. We added some things on (like flattening the ceiling) that took the cost higher, but that was our own doing 🙂
sherry says
Y’all did a fabulous job with the renovation! I know it was a headache at times but it looks like it was worth it!
Heather says
I would love to see pics of the hidden coffee, appliance garage, and outlets.
Looks fantastic!
Brittany Dixon says
Great idea; I’ll add them to the post this weekend 🙂
Bekah says
It’s beautiful! Do you think you could share more about the appliance garage and hidden coffee pot? They are both intriguing!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh yes! I’ll snap a picture and update it in the post by Monday 🙂
Sarah says
This looks amazing!!!!! So much bigger, like you said. And much more functional. Beautiful job!
Kathy says
WOW!! So beautiful! Thanks for sharing!!! I am sure it is so fun to be cooking in there too. 🙂
Cindy P says
WOW! It is soooo beautiful! LOVE the appliance garage!
Brittany Dixon says
Thanks! The extra storage is so helpful!
Megan Rymon says
Your kitchen is beautiful! I’m currently planning our kitchen for our new build and making choices. This was really helpful. Do you have details about the backsplash?
Brittany Dixon says
We got the backsplash from Floor, Decor & More. It’s called Lattice Valentino Polished Marble Mosaic and was $17.99 per square foot. So excited for you and your new build!! 🙂