Tuesday, May 29, 2012

My new kitchen!

When we decided to redo our kitchen I started going crazy looking at pictures, blogs, more pictures, of kitchens so that I knew exactly what I wanted. We started debating in January over painting our cabinets white. We kept deciding that since we have white appliances and off white tile that white would be way to much white. We bought a ton of sample paints and non were quite right.
I wanted a kitchen that felt loved, vintage, cottage like, farm ish, etc. The kind of kitchen that you can picture someone baking an apple pie in or a Mom making her children's lunches for the day while she sips on her morning coffee and sings. I wanted a kitchen that looked like it had been in the home for years. I wanted a kitchen that I LOVED and felt like the heart of the home. Light, airy and full of life.
I decided to go and see what the cost of new cabinet doors would be that I could add over the cabinet bases we already have. I was shocked when they said around $8000. Holy cow! I did however on this trip fall head over heals in love with a cabinet made by Martha Stewart. I loved the color. The color made me think if the kind of kitchen I wanted. I had to have that color. A little detective work and I was able to find the paint name and color code to have a gallon of it made. Yup, I fell in love with a discontinued color. Go figure. The color is called Ocean floor by Martha Stewart and they can look it up in the computer at Home depot.
Here is the drab 1980's before picture complete with oak, oak and more oak.I hated that the floor was a different color from the cabinets. I hated that it was dark, worn out, dirty and just old.

Sorry about the no doors in this picture. I really need to remember to do before pictures. 


And..........Here is our new and beautiful kitchen and TONS of pictures of all her glory. I still need to add rugs and cute stuff but I want to find the perfect things instead of just getting stuff that works but I don't love. What I love most is that the cabinets have a neutral feel so we can change the decor color based on the season. I can't wait to see it in the fall with pops of orange and red. I am thinking spring will be a deep teal and maybe winter will be navy. 

Who doesn't love a farm table?


The wainscoting adds such a statement and custom looks.  Not to mention how light and bright it makes it feel. 

Chalkboard cabinets. The kids love them. 

A few kitchen towels tucked into a little basket and of course live plants. Adds a cared for feel while still looking used. 
The birds and the bees:)

My plan is to add a conversion chart in the cabinet for oz, cups, tablespoons, etc. I hate having to pull out my cookbook (iphone) to look up how many oz. are in a cup. 

Looking for the perfect rug but so far I have no idea what to add that will look great. For now wood floors are fine. 



One of my very favorite pieces in the kitchen is an antique plate that I love. I also have a special love for my cutting board. Did I mention I made it in college? 

It doesn't even feel like my kitchen. I feel like I am on vacation in someone else's house. It's so pretty and makes the feel of the open concept part of our house feel totally different. Of course it makes me want to redo more stuff to get that feel in the entire house. 

We tried 6 different curtains and nothing had the feel we wanted. For now we will use the tie back  Pottery Barn knock off's. 

Would you ever know that the light switch cover is spray painted plastic? They look like a million bucks. We screwed some big cup hooks into the underside of the cabinet to hold a few of my favorite Polish mugs. 

Our converted drawer to store sink stuff. $10 and I love it!

I can't believe how much of a difference a few knobs can make. How did we ever live without them? 

and a few side by sides of the before and after. 



and one more


Here is the price break down for our kitchen.
Wainscoting back splash - $30.00 One sheet of wainscoting, one tube of adhesive and we had to convert the outlets to stick out a little more for $1 each.
Paint on the kitchen cabinets - $27.00 and we only used half of the gallon.
we had primer and all of the tools already so no cost there.
I got my knobs in contractors packs at Home Depot and did all 27 cabinets and 12 drawers for under $100. Who knew knobs we so darn expensive?
We spray painted all of the switch plate and light switch covers, hinges and the oven hood with a bottle of left over spray paint from another project.I love the Rustolium Oil rubbed bronze, what a huge money saver.
The curtains are the same thing I did in the master bedroom with the $5 Walmart flat sheet and some cheap ribbon.I sewed these ones since I knew I would want to wash them more often.
We also converted our old and worn out table into an amazing little farm table for $15 by adding a new wood top.You can still look from the underneath side and see the vintage window we used the first time around.
The kids favorite part is the $10 we spent on chalkboard paint to convert a few cabinets into chalk boards for our market list and weekly schedule.
Total for the entire project was under $200.00!!! Take that $8000 Martha Cabinets!
It did however take us 9 days and a ton of hours to complete the look but I am THRILLED with the final look. It is exactly what I wanted. My kitchen makes my heart go pitter patter and I keep doing a happy dance when I see it.

Thanks for looking,
Ali

We are linked up over at
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

36 comments:

  1. WOW WOW WOW!
    I think kitchens are one of my favorite makeovers and your kitchen is just gorgeous! It doesn't even look the same. $200 sure beats 8000.00 wonderful job. I'll be sharing with my readers between FB and feature. Thanks for linking up.
    XO
    Kristin

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  2. Amazing!! WOW! Can I ask you... I love your Light that hangs down from your kitchen sink area- I need one and LOVE yours... where did you get it!? Your kitchen looks fantastic, I love the Lightness and airy feeling! Great JOB!

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    1. It was actually silver and I got it from Home Depot. http://www.housetohome2012.blogspot.com/2012/01/jan-22nd-crib-rail-blanket-rack.html if you go to the bottom of this old post you can see the before and the kit. I spray painted it oil rubbed bronze by rustolium to match the rest of my kitchen. It looks amazing and was super easy.

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  3. Ummm... this is FABULOUS!!! I can't believe the transformation. Great work!!

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  4. What a fabulous makeover!! I do hope you'll visit me at My Dream Canvas!

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  5. I found your blog shortly after I decided that I want to paint MY oak cabinets... I think I could make our kitchen look fantastic... but Brandt loves the oak as it is - and is very much not wanting me to touch it... **sigh**.... I'm just gonna have to live vicariously through YOUR blog!! LOL GREAT GREAT GREAT job on your kitchen!

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    1. I had a few family members that said the same thing. I think my hubby was the same way but after 6 years of hearing me complain he finally just told me to go for it. I did do our two vanities in out bathrooms to show his I could do it before I took on a huge project like this. I also showed my husband a million pictures of people who redid their oak and how much better it looked. Thanks so much and good luck if you get to do yours.

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  6. Your kitchen looks amazing! I love everything you have done and I adore the colours! They are very similar to the colours we chose for our kitchen! You must have great taste!

    Best wishes,
    Natasha in Oz

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  7. Great job!! I'm always thinking white when I think of painting the cabinets (I have a 1980s "trackhouse", too), but this opened my eyes. Our counter is off-white with a wood trim (I don't know what they were thinking in the 80s), so I've been scared of white cabinets with the off-white counters. Thanks!

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    1. We were stuck on white cabinets but we have the same off white counter. We did use a white back splash but with tan walls the counter works. I was in the same boat I didn't want my counter to look dirty and dated. Best of luck with your kitchen if you take it on.

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  8. It looks gorgeous! I'm glad you didn't go with white - I love the contrast you got with the gray!
    Awesome job!

    Brenda
    cottage4c.com

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  9. omw! its absolutely amazing! i've been wavering about painting my kitchen cabinets, but this makes me sure that it's the right way to go! i'm ur newest follower, cant wait to dig in!
    michelle
    http://allthatglitter-mwimp.blogspot.com/

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  10. Very nice! Your kitchen feels so airy and open now. Good job!

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  11. I have the old 80's oak cabinets and I love your redo! I especially like the idea of using the wainscoating and placing those farm house accents! Do you mind sharing what shade of green you painted your cabinets? Love them!

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    1. Sorry if this is really late but the color is called Ocean floor by Martha Stewart.

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  12. “I wanted a kitchen that felt loved, vintage, cottage like…” – I think you were able to achieve that! The kitchen looks and feels exactly like those kitchens in the countryside. It looks bright, warm, and lively. I think the color white suits the kitchen pretty well. Everything looks clean and in their proper place. I particularly like the chalkboard cabinets where you can list your to dos and reminders. It is immaculately perfect!

    -Terence Watthens

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  13. The transformation was remarkable! From a dull and almost lifeless kitchen, it’s has transformed into a wonderfully refreshing! It must be because of your color choice. Anyway, congrats on your new kitchen!

    -Anthony Selby

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  15. Would have to agree with everyone here! Great color choice! :D You must be feeling pretty proud to have done an amazing job. It looks updated but still with a classic feel to it.

    - Mathew Bergeron -

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  16. I love the color of your cabinets, and they look so nice. I just found your blog after we got an estimate of $7800. for a cabinet refacing in the Martha Stewart ocean floor color. We thought the same thing (too expensive!) So now my husband wants to use some rustoleum cabinet paint kit to do ours. But I don't like the colors. He's afraid if we use regular Martha paint, it might scratch off over time. How are yours holding up? I didn't see anything about a top coat. Did you use a satin or flat paint? Any advice? Yours look like a professional did it. Great Job! Thanks, Cindy Joy

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    1. Hey Cindy Joy,
      Thanks so much.The cabinets are holding up really well. I did 2 coats of Zinsser Bullseye 1-2-3 primer and I used a high quality paint from Home Depot that they suggested for painting wood. It is Glidden Duo paint and primer in one. I used eggshell base 2 since I wanted a farm look and not to much shine. I didn't use a top coat although I think it would be great if you liked the shine it would give. It has been 9 months and they look almost as good as the day I painted them. I keep a small mason jar under the kitchen sink of paint and if I see a scratch or ding I use a cheap sponge brush to touch up the paint. The main place I have to do this is the lower cabinet by the sink. I must run into it a bunch when I am doing dishes. I basically have retouched 2 or 3 times since we painted it and it took all of 2 minutes each time to do it. I still LOVE my kitchen. I don't regret painting the cabinets or the color one bit. People are amazed when they see the kitchen in person and what a difference it is. We were looking at the cabinet kit from Rustoleum as well but I also didn't like any of the colors and it was pricey to me. If you ever want the paint number (some home depots don't make that paint color anymore since they sell the cabinets now) hit me up with your email and I can send you an image of the can. One thing I really love about the cabinets is how they are a greenish color but feel really neutral. I like to decorate for the seasons and it has looked great with all the decor changes. Thanks again,
      Ali

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    2. Thanks so much Ali. That would be great. If the color coding is on it, they probably would be able to make it. I know I looked for that color chip at Home Depot, and couldn't find it. I didn't know, until you said, that they quit making that color. That color is nice. It looks more like a vintage color than most of them. The greenish color is what I liked about it, too. Everything else is too gray, or too brown. My email is tkirsch7@verizon.net Thanks, Cindy

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  17. Hi Ali! I found this post because I am trying to find the color code for Ocean Floor. I noticed you offered to send the code to cindy-joy, and was hoping you'd be willing to pass on to me as well. My email address is rebekkawise@gmail.com. Thank you in advance for any help you can offer!

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  18. Hi there; would you mind sharing the color code for Ocean Floor? anne.justice@gmail.com.

    Love the kitchen!

    Thanks,
    Anne

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  19. This is useful and interesting concept about Online Reputation Management services and usefulness. Strategies is great and is one of the very strong benfits.I impresed from your blog chek out some more information about New Kitchens Sydney you can also watch this site.

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  20. I am very happy to see this post because it really a nice post .Thanks



    modern kitchens toronto

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  21. Hi, the color is great. I want to suggest a great product I found at Home Depot for the grout. It's called Grout Refresher. Comes in about a 10 oz bottle I think. It's so easy just brush it on with narrow paint brush. Then after hour mist with water and scrub off residual with old toothbrush. Very easy. No need to scrub hard. Then wipe clean.. Your grout will look brand new white. It also seals it. It comes in several colors. Your bright white backsplash makes the grout jealous :)

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  22. Do you still have the color code? Courtneyh@hotmail.com

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  23. Love your mugs hung up. I have a lot of polish mugs too and would like to do the same. What size hooks did you use?

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  24. Thanks for always being the source that explains things instead of just putting an unjustified answer out there. I loved this post.
    Kitchen Cabinet

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  25. I ran across your blog while searching for the Martha Stuart Ocean Floor paint. I love your kitchen...it is almost exactly what I plan to do with mine. Even the hardware is what I had picked out! I'm going to try to get this paint, but I did find something similar as a back-up. Thanks for sharing your remodel! acj717@gmail.com

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  26. I was wondering if you still had the paint color code for Martha Stewart's Ocean Floor that you could email to me. My email is Jonesmikeh@gmail.com
    Thanks so much and your kitchen looks AMAZING!! You should feel extremely proud!

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