As I was looking at old pictures saved on my computer, I came across some photos from our past renovations. Talk about blast from the past!
Eight years ago the military brought us to the east coast . Little did we know we were in for a big surprise! Instead of living on base we decided to buy our first home. At the time it was when the housing market was at it's highest - not necessary the best time to buy....but who knew the bubble was going to burst! After looking at around 30 houses we finally found a fixer upper townhome that was within our price range. And with that came alot of renovations.
Eight years ago the military brought us to the east coast . Little did we know we were in for a big surprise! Instead of living on base we decided to buy our first home. At the time it was when the housing market was at it's highest - not necessary the best time to buy....but who knew the bubble was going to burst! After looking at around 30 houses we finally found a fixer upper townhome that was within our price range. And with that came alot of renovations.
Remodeling the kitchen was one of the first things on our "to do list".
We replaced all of the old kitchen appliances with not so high end stainless steel appliances in other words cheap ones.
(try to overlook all the messiness going on in the kitchen)
(try to overlook all the messiness going on in the kitchen)
Since we were on a budget we replaced the linoleum flooring with laminate cherry wood floors from Lumber Liquidators. Soon after hubby installed them I was ready to rip them off ! Of course that didn't happen.
They had this shiny finish on them that would leave every single foot print. No matter how hard I cleaned them they always looked filthy.
They had this shiny finish on them that would leave every single foot print. No matter how hard I cleaned them they always looked filthy.
See that ugly wood curtain valance thingy? Whatever it's purpose was... we had it removed.
I painted the ugly oak cabinets in white, giving them an antique glaze finish then added bronze door knobbies. In the island we added a butcher block from Ikea.
The pot rack that was so popular back then took it's 80's fluorescent light fixtures place.
The pot rack that was so popular back then took it's 80's fluorescent light fixtures place.
For the back splash we did brick subway tiles and Corian countertops. The faucet and sink was replaced as well.
Alot of blood, sweat and tears went into this kitchen remodel that we tackled 8 years ago. Even though we no longer live here, it's fun to look back and see how much my taste in design has changed through the years. I kinda had a thing for rattan back then!
XO
P.S. I forgot to add that we no longer live in this house hence "past renovations" We have moved on and are currently working on our second kitchen remodel which will soon make it's debut :)
Wow wow wow! What a transformation! It doesn't even look like the same kitchen! Since I have a 'thing' for plumbing fixtures (weird I know), the new taps are my favourite but I really love everything you did!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Believe me Meghan your not the only one with a plumbing fixture fetish :)
DeleteOh em gee! Girl this is such an amazing reno. The backsplash is perfect and I just love it all! I love the natural-ness (I know that's not a word ha) the bar stools and the window shade bring to the space!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Whitney :) I remember it being a total pain in the ass remodeling but it was worth it in the end. I vowed to never remodel a kitchen ever again but that didn't happen!
DeleteI think you guys did a great job! The white cabinets were such an improvement!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kelly! You can never go wrong with white!
DeleteThis is amazing! I didn't realize you had remodeled two kitchens. I think you have great taste. :
ReplyDeleteLet's hope this will be our last one :) Thanks for the sweet comment Angie!
DeleteLooks fantastic. You really took that kitchen to another level! Why didn't you like the vinyl wood tiles? My friend is thinking of using those in her house to save some money, I would love to know why you wanted to rip them out!
ReplyDeleteYou may have moved on from here, Mandy, but 90% of the country hasn't. I bet you could submit these photos somewhere and easily get featured! I'm curious to see what your kitchen style is now.
ReplyDeleteIt is always interesting to see how much your taste has changed over the years! I look back and sometimes think, who was that person that loved this??
ReplyDeleteThat's a serious improvement over the original kitchen! It looks like a totally different room! It's a great example of how you can totally revamp a space without doing any demo or making major changes and without spending a lot of money. Can't wait to see how your latest kitchen reno comes out! I bet the backsplash tiles are fantastic :-)
ReplyDeleteWhoa! What a difference! Even though that remodel happened 8 years ago, you should be proud that your decisions have stood the test of time. That kitchen still looks very much in style as I'm sure it did then. A fun trip down memory lane :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it fun to see everything that you accomplished! I love the brick tile and the countertops. I can't wait to see your new kitchen remodel.
ReplyDeleteblessings,
karianne
Absolutely love what you did with the cabinets! Simply by resurfacing them, you have totally revitalized the kitchen. Refacing your cabinets is a much more cost effective way to update your kitchen, and it is more environmentally conscious as you are reusing material you already own.
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to spend a bundle to enjoy kitchen remodeling. Budget-friendly shortcuts, such as reusing old hardware or choosing high-quality replicas of expensive materials—plus some good old sweat equity—can lead to major transformations.
ReplyDelete