Kitchen Remodel With New Floor, Wall, Island, and More

Kitchen Remodel With New Floor, Wall, Island, and More

contributed by A Whimsical Bohemian

Well it's been a 2 month process but we couldn't be happier with the outcome of our kitchen makeover 2010.  I am beginning this post with some "before" and "after"s of various elements that went in to the makeover and ending with full kitchen shots. Click on photos to enlarge them...some may not be as sharp or well lit as they should be but it took me forever to just get these.  It's really hard to tell in photos but although we did NOT enlarge one square inch of the space it seems WAY bigger now. It feels warm and comforting and over time, as we all do, bits and bobs may change around and it definitely needs a plant or two and some real flowers on the table. Soon we'll be adding a bit of Christmas in there as well.

At the end of this post I've listed some product information you may or may not be interested in.

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I call it our "Urban Farmhouse French Italian Eclectic Kitchen" (quite a mouthfull, eh?) Just don't call it "country".

So to start with we earlier began by replacing the large sliding window.....long before we began anything else we had that done. That thing nearly broke my shoulder everytime I tried to open it.

Old window....cluttered and the colors looking like an easter egg.

Changed to two double hung, energy efficient windows installed through Sears....AND new pendant lights BohoHandyman installed with can light conversions.

We were slowly removing stove etc in prep for the new floor below

Old floor

New floor

Then it really all began.......

First I knew I wanted a breakfast bar/island and searched far and wide to find one or at least find something we could build or repurpose in to one. Enter the antique buffet I found on Craigslist.

Front

Back

Making the base for an extended top

We found a great deal on real copper sheeting and then had it fabricated to fit snugly over the new base of 2 layers of 3/4" plywood....extending beyond the back to accomodate bar stools.

BohoHandyman took the back off and added bead board which I then stained to match(not seen in this photo) We experimented with different legs or brackets until I found the perfect thing at a consignment store.

I found this corbel but it was really wide so BohoHandyman sawed it perfectly in half and mounted the halves on either side of the buffet.  Voila!

Now it needed stools so we could sit at the breakfast bar......again the search was on and AGAIN Craigslist came in handy. We bought 2 upholstered bar stools (I forgot to take a before shot of them, I hated the fabric). I then took them to our reupholsterer and had them covered in a plain canvas....giving me a blank slate to work with.

Although this before is not THE actual stool it shows what they looked like before blank:

 

Front

I used a stencil for the center of the seat bottom and painted the rest.

The center back I traced the stencil used on the seat and then painted it in, repeating it and then painting the rest freehand.  Now we have 2 barstools like no one elses.

We then wanted to make the opening btwn the kitchen and living room smaller by adding a "pony wall" on either side...which BohoHandyman built.

Before

After - they are the same on either side.

*Note: the living room side wall has not been touched up yet. I knew they needed something in upper corner and nothing we tried looked right. finally I remembered two pieces we had hanging in our patio that BohoHandyman cut in half each. We then placed each half mirrored against the other on the kitchen side and the living room side.

This is the kitchen side......I haven't finished painting the living room side yet. In case you don't know the word hanging there means "eat" in Italian. A word my Grandmother used a lot.

We also grappled with what to do above the microwave - the cupboard contains the vent for the fan and the plug for the microwave. We didn't want to leave the doors on as all the others were removed. Finally I asked BohoHandyman if he could make a sort of "wall" inside the cabinet to cover those things...... which he did. 

Before

After

Please forgive the blurriness.

I got the two brackets from the local consignment shop and then we cut down a half round piece BohoHandyman had made for something else and added the shelf. The "wall" he made in the cupboard was covered with beadboard wall paper.

Before the room and cupboards were painted we had taken the doors off and lived with it that way for a couple of weeks. I sort of played with the contents and after a few days we knew we wanted open shelving.

BEFORE BACKSPLASH

...... you can see also that the countertop and backsplash have a dark grout...something we've hated for years but at this stage we cannot afford to replace the counters...sooooo 

 

AFTER

as you can see the cabinets were painted, the backs are beadboard wallpaper. We decided to leave the lower cabinets alone for contrast.

We covered both sides of the back splash with real wood beadboard and the center behind the stove is actual embossed tin. I ordered it on line and they custom cut it. Before we istalleded it I painted it white and then dry brushed it with the wall color. Also, you can see no more harsh grout lines.....I ordered a product that had me scrubbing each grout line first, then "painting" them white. Thereby making it all one color and everything sealed in the process. (and what a process it was) It's a good interim solution and looks so much cleaner too. One day we'll have a solid surface counter and the farm house sink I dream of.

A couple of posts back I showed you the pantry door we made from an old screen door...since then we added beadboard wallpaper to the inside to further conceal any silhouettes of the contents.

The wood piece above the door is from wood box from a Provence winery we carried home on the plane some 13 years ago.

*********AND NOW TO THE FULL SHOW**********

 BEFORE

 

AFTER

(as I said things on this side are not finished being painted yet, the living room is next for a makeover)

I do apologize for the darkness of some of the photos as the lighting isn't the greatest and I didn't want to use a flash.

 
BEFORE

 

AFTER

(chair rail and new baseboards were added) The table and chairs came from the consignment shop....our original table and chairs were just too big for the space.

 

The light fixture over the island came from Lowe's.

 

 

Inside the white cabinet are 2 stacks of vintage 50's tablecloths I collected over time but had been packed away. The big white mirror and the black shelf (which started off white) both came from my favorite consignment store.

Under all the cabinets BohoHandyman used beadboard he cut to fit and we painted the trim color. We are presently searching out just the right legs to make them look more like furniture.

On the right is a small narrow chalkboard for announcing daily specials (ha!)and hanging on it is an art piece I did called Ima T. Pott. 

I am really in to old photos of old French or Italian cafes (especially with outdoor seating)....one is above the shelf and the other above the microwave. I have another I ordered that will hang on the wall by the pantry door when it arrives.

(sorry again for the bad lighting)

Note the wood pediment BohoHandyman made for above the window and the back door. I have a curtain rod to hang high above the window but haven't found the right fabric or valance yet, it really needs some color there. Soon I hope.

Last weekend I found that old Regulator clock at the consignment store and fell in love...since she'd had it awhile she gave me the deal of the century. (it winds and it works)The mirror hanging there (oops it looks like it needs a bit more windex) was in my parents living room when I was growing up.

 

THE END

Product information:

The paint used on the walls is by Mythic Paint and the color is called Richmond Gray although it's actually more grayish sage. The trim and cabinets were painted with Mythic Paint called Ballet Slipper.  The beadboard wallpaper was ordered from Home Depot (although it wasn't Martha Stewart when I bought it a long time ago)which we didn't need to paint.   The tin we used behind the stove is from the Tin Man. The grout color/sealer is fromGroutShield. Rugs came from TJ Maxx and Tuesday Morning (big one). The cover on the dishwasher was purchased years ago from a place no longer in business and it has stayed on all these years.... there is a place  I found recently where you can order various covers OR have your own art made in to one. I'm thinking of doing one with one of my own art one day.   The little black chandelier came from The Lighting Showplace that I ordered on line.  Pendant lights came from Lamps Plus. Can light converters came from Lamps Plus as well....these enable old can lights to be converted so you can hang a light in it's place. The floor is by Armstrong called Natural Creations in Weathered Oak.

We love going to Estate Sales, checking the consignment shop, Craigslist, EBay, Flea markets...wherever.... even our own stored items in the garage to find things to repurpose or that will enhance a space. The fact is you don't need to break the bank when making over a room if you just use your imagination, some paint and happen to live with a very handy guy. I am blessed to have had so many visions for this kitchen he was able to carry out....teamwork is essential and we are proud of the team we are together. There are also so many resources you can find on line...which is how I found out about the grout stuff and  the Tin Man. I knew what I wanted to do and just googled it.

I hope you enjoyed this long winded tour - I was most happy to finally share with you all what has kept me away from blogging for long periods of time. Of course now my mind is already going in circles as to what I want to do in the living room.....it never ends does it?

Next week I will announce some information about the final One World One Heart 2011.

Now let's go sit in the kitchen and have hot cuppa together, shall we? I so appreciate your stopping by!

Love,

Lisa

XOXOXO