Our kitchen is by no stretch of the imagination complete…we still have a number of things that we want to finish up in there, but we’re getting close! So I thought I’d share a few before and after photos… 🙂

Don’t mind things like the range hood that need to be replaced. Removing that cabinet above the sink was a HUGE game changer. I feel like it really opened up our kitchen and updated the entire space.

We wanted white carrara marble countertops, but because they’re so delicate, and we’re so tough on things, we opted for quartz. We were told that quartz countertops are the most durable of the solid stones, and are heat and crack resistant, so when we found a pattern that mimicked the cararra style we jumped on it.

LOVE that sink!! We agonized over the sink decision, and I’m so happy with the one we chose. We knew we wanted a single stainless under mount sink, but we had no idea how many options there were! In the end we went with the 16 gauge steel (the lower the gauge the better) and the deepest we could find (10 inches). It’s gigantic! We could definitely bathe Lady in there, and maybe even Chief!
The appliances also did a lot to upgrade the space. The oven is new of course, and the dishwasher and refrigerator were hand-me-downs from Joey’s parents. I think the black is a huge improvement, and works nicely with the stainless and black stove. We were so lucky that Joey’s parents were looking to upgrade their set, because appliances would have set us back a ton of money and we would not have been able to call our little kitchen reno done so quickly if we would have had to save for those! Especially since the fridge Joey picked out cost an arm and a leg, that kid has expensive taste! But don’t cry for him, because he convinced his parents to buy “his” fridge, so he gets to visit it every time we go down to Land O Lakes.

It’s also good because I probably would not have picked out a French door fridge if we were buying a new one, but now that we have one, I really like that style…so I’m sold. I guess now we just have to save and wait for Joey’s fantasy fridge to go on sale. 🙂

Since these photos were taken we’ve replaced all the switches and outlets to white ones and put covers over them, so it looks a little more finished now. Also, the eat-in got a little transformation as well…

Unfortunately on a normal day it looks nothing like this, and most of this area is taken up by Chief’s condo (gigantic crate) and Lady’s studio (smaller crate) and the table is filled with dog paraphernalia like treats and brushes and toys. But sometimes I like to take all that stuff out and pretend that our beasts are well-behaved and that we live in a clean, serene space, instead of the loud, sandy and chaotic place we typically call home. 🙂
And a few more photos just for fun…
A shadow box displaying the koozies from our rehearsal dinner lives on the wall between our bedroom and our laundry room.
Fun fact about me…I love the idea of birds, and have filled our home with little bird figurines and other symbolic bird type stuff (nests, houses, cages), I even worked it into our wedding theme…and yet I’m terrified of them in real life. haha. I mean the ones flying around in the wild are fine…but the ones that are not afraid of humans and get too close (I’m looking at you pigeons and seagulls) as well as pet birds, and most of all big birds (like ducks and chickens) freak me the hell out!! 🙂
This sign lives on the back of our dining room door, and I’m obsessed with it. I didn’t make it, I bought it off of this deal of the day website I’m obsessed with (Groopdealz.com if you’re interested), maybe a little too obsessed…but whatever. It’s good to have items in your home that make your heart sing! Right? Well this sign makes my heart sing.

That’s about all the pictures I have, but I’ll leave you with a fancy side by side before and after shot that I have been trying to figure out how to do for months but finally got it to work today! Take that internet! 🙂
Not too shabby if I do say so myself… 🙂

Ok so things left on the kitchen to-do list:
Replace that cream range hood with a stainless one
Add a white subway tile backsplash
Stain the floor grout charcoal grey
Replace the pendant lights for something better
Stain the table top cherry and give the base a fresh coat of white paint
Find chairs to match the barstools
Paint the ceiling white (it’s a slight cream color now…I’m dreading this task though)