Show Us Where You Live- KITCHENS

Today, I am back on the SHOW US WHERE YOU LIVE Tour, over at Kelly's Korner!

This is KITCHEN DAY! And I have to say, I am SUPER stoked to show off this transformation. We have, at this point, changed every room and closet in our home since we moved in a few years ago. But the kitchen is, by far, the biggest (and my favorite) transformation!!! Hope you enjoy the results.

And this might make you enjoy them more....we only spent about $8,000 on this kitchen AND our bamboo floors that go throughout the house (except the bedrooms). I will point out how below...


BEFORE:

Note our UGLY oak cabinets (some say they are okay, but not my taste.) Our old kitchen also featured ugly fruit tile backsplash, and the "centerpiece" fruit basket behind the stove was off centered- kill me now- and the nice cabinets hanging from the ceiling, blocking any natural light and the view to the dining room. It was just BAD. In fact, I refused to look at this house on many occasions because of the pictures online of this kitchen!!!

That awkward space next to the fridge was pretty much useless. It housed our microwave (now serving double duty above our stove) and Cole's most precious earthly possession- his state-of-the-art coffee grinder/maker.

And this area was just CRYING OUT for a breakfast bar!

Ready for the afters? Really, I mean I think you need to sit down, get some water, and hold on. Because they are, in my opinion, shocking...

AFTER:

WOW! I still can't believe the results when I look at the pictures side by side!

These pantry cabinets were the best thing we did! It added so much storage, and because they have sliding shelves inside, there is NO wasted space! The slide out shelves are one of the smartest "while we are at it" moments we had...

Love this! See that faucet? The "mac daddy" faucet? The one that looks like the dishwasher faucet at Lubys? The industrial faucet? Yeah, it was on clearance. $50.00.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!


We love our breakfast bar!!!

Are you just on the floor!!!!????!!!!

***I also must note that these pictures were taken before we added hardware. Our kitchen now wears brushed nickle "jewels." Here is a picture of what those lovely ladies are like....***

Now, here is where we saved...and splurged....

• The Cabinets: BIG SAVE! They are stock cabinets from Lowes (but the doors are solid wood, and they are the same quality construction as my parent's-which cost about 50k!!!). Because my dad is handy, we were able to make them fit with a few custom pieces that he built (like a wine rack- that was not complete in these pictures). Also, we got a 10% discount on them (military discount).

• The Tile: SAVE/SAVE/SPLURGE: The granite tile on the countertops was a BIG SAVE. We got it for $1/sqft at an estate sale that a builder was hosting. SCORE! I found the same tile at a local tile company selling for $12.00/sqft! The backsplash tile is just a nice, neutral ceramic (BIG SAVE) and we used an expensive glass tile as an accent (SPLURGE @ $25.00/sqft) but because we used it sparingly, we didn't spend as much, and pretty much got the same look as, kitchens that have the glass all over the backsplash.

• Appliances: SAVE. Yes. They are white. I know. BUT when we moved in, our stove was brand new, as was the fridge. The dishwasher needed to be replaced, and we needed an "above the stove" microwave. So we kept the white, and got the new white appliances we needed, which were cheaper. Stainless would have been nice, but a little above the neighborhood, so maybe next time. (I am really jonesing for a kitchen with oil rubbed bronze appliances- gasp!!! Have you seen those??? Be still my heart...)

• Labor: HUGE HUGE HUGE SAVE (thank you Daddy!): I am very blessed with a dad who is retired and VERY handy. So we did all of the labor, every stinkin' bit of it, ourselves. Mostly my dad. Cole was out of town for 95% of this, and I found out I was pregnant the day that we ripped up the floors. So mostly my dad. :)

We were also able to save on things like tool rental because my dad has every tool known to man. No really. He does. Just ask my mom. :)

Hope you enjoyed the tour, and see you next time!!!

Remember, I LOVE new followers and comments!!! :)