Kitchen Before and After

We’ve been in our house now for three months and this is my first post showing any official “after” pictures from the full renovation we did! Thankfully the kitchen doesn’t require a whole lot of decorating so its one of the few spaces that feels done in the house. I really love to cook and so I feel like I can honestly say its my favorite room in the house.

Before I dive into the before and after photos, I want to share a bit about my overall vision I hoped to achieve. I knew I wanted a white, timeless kitchen with a large island that we could eat at. We didn’t change the location of the kitchen, just knocked down some walls to open up the space a bit and due to a load bearing wall, we were a little constrained on space so we couldn’t do a very wide island. I was a little concerned it could look too skinny but it ended up fitting the space really nicely without feeling too cramped.

Marble countertops were my top choice, but ultimately, I just couldn’t take the risk of the maintenance of them with kids (and myself!). I couldn’t believe they were actually the cheaper option that quartz but we ended up choosing a marble looking quartz. I’m so glad we did because we live and eat in our kitchen and I love that I don’t have to be the “marble monster” of being constantly concerned something is going to stain or chip them.

Pendant lights were something I envisioned over the island but since the ceilings are low in our 1960’s ranch, I couldn’t do anything too dramatic. I went with an open lantern and hung them almost flush and I’m really happy with how they turned out.

I also decided to go with chrome and polished nickel for my hardware. As much as I love brass, especially in a white kitchen, I just felt that it would look outdated eventually and its more of a trend right now. I’m still scarred from the 90’s polished brass, ha, and I really feel like the silver tones give the kitchen a timeless and sophisticated feel.

Next was the choice about appliances and while a commercial grade range was my first choice, the price was just more than I wanted to spend and our house did not have gas already hooked up to it. I ended up going with a wall oven and a speed over (that duals as a microwave) and a glass induction cooktop. The cooktop is SO easy to clean and I’ve really enjoyed the quick speed that induction cooking allows me to cook at.

Every item is linked at the bottom of the post but don’t hesitate to comment if you have any specific questions about a source.

Alright, ready to see the before photos?

We knocked down the wall between the kitchen and breakfast area, closed off the wall that led from the kitchen into a butlers pantry and just added a built in pantry where that space was and expanded the opening from the dining room into the kitchen to give a more open concept feel.

Ready to see the after?!?