Is That Sheetrock Dust, Or Has My Brain Finally Exploded?

My kitchen remodel has been mostly finished for a couple of weeks, but I couldn't bring myself to take a picture of the whole thing until I managed to get my kitchen spotlessly clean.

That's when I remembered: my kitchen is never spotlessly clean.  So I just hoisted the random stacks of things to another room and made it look like we're actually, you know, orderly.

I am incredibly relieved this process is over.  A kitchen remodel is a funny thing--it's extremely stressful, but you feel terribly guilty for complaining about.  There's sort of the whole I'm-getting-a-new-kitchen-so-I-should-keep-my-mouth-shut complex.  But the dust!  And the disorder!  And the exposed wires!  It's enough to send a girl over the edge.  I actually called Melanie in the middle of our ordeal to apologize for not being sympathetic enough when she went through hers a few months ago.

Anyway, it's done, and this post will probably provide more detail than you ever wanted to know about the whole thing.  I learned some things--good and bad--and many of you have written to say you're thinking about a kitchen remodel yourselves.  So here we go.

First, this is the only "before" picture I have.  Notice all the dark trim, the chunky fluorescent lighting, and the hanging cabinet that breaks up the room:

Below is the "after".  We took down that cabinet and changed the fluorescent lighting to recessed cans.  I really resisted that lighting change, mainly because it was expensive and I didn't think it would be worth the money.  Hubs insisted, and I'm so glad he did--the new lighting is one of my favorite parts.  And the removed cabinet opens the space so much.  No more bumping our heads when we try to talk to each other!

Below is a shot from the other end of the room.  I think one of the most dramatic (and cheapest) changes we made was painting all that old brown 80's trim (baseboards, door frames, etc.) white.  It really updated things.  Also, you can see our new tile floors, laid at a diagonal (which I love) with medium grout (which I regret.  I wish I'd gone with my initial urge to use black grout.)

Another shot of the eating area, and my handy-dandy buffet and desk.  This is where all the blogging magic mediocrity happens.  Normally that buffet is piled high with lunch money, permission slips, birthday invitations and other suck-the-life-right-out-of-you paperwork.

Below is our eating area, which now feels much more open with the overhead cabinet gone.  I made the curtains; they were such a ridiculously easy bargain I'm going to devote a whole Works-For-Me Wednesday post to them later:

Here is a close-up of the countertop.  It's quartz, and supposedly it's the most durable countertop material known to all of mankind.  Which means it might--MIGHT--stand a chance in this family.  It's much lower maintenance than granite and you can even chop right on it.

I didn't plan to get a stainless steel sink--it still wouldn't be my first choice.  But it came free as part of a special offer with our countertops, and when you're hemorrhaging money remodeling your kitchen, you'll take anything they offer you for free.  The cabinetry is not new; it was the only thing in the kitchen that stayed.  We're actually planning to refinish it this spring but at the moment I am fresh out of elbow grease.

I have wanted a glass-top stove for as long as I can remember.  It is SO easy to clean.  You can get a good look at the backsplash here, too.  It's tumbled marble, done in a subway tile pattern.  Eventually, I'll hang something decorative over the stove, but I cannot--CANNOT--bring myself to make another decision about this kitchen, no matter how small.

That's it.  Overall, I'm pleased at how it turned out.  Mostly, I'm just pleased it's finished.

Comments

[Elaine]

Oooh! Me first? It's purty... :)

[Melanie]

LOVE IT! We have the same colors in our kitchens. My walls are warm yellowish gold, cabinets same color, counters very similar, red decor.

I love the floors on the angle. Really opens it up! Great choices, Shannon.

[O]

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing so I can enjoy vicariously only with no dust. Or rather, no more than my usual layer.

[Christy]

It is absolutely gorgeous. I even like the "old" cabinets--I'm a sucker for dark wood!

I was really hoping that you would get the black grout. I'm sorry that you regret your decision! The floors are still quite stunning, however.

[Nichole]

OH that is sooooo pretty!!!
And yes it looks SO CLEAN AND NICE! I LOVE IT!
We are in the middles of picking out stuff for our new home so its fun!
:-)

[Angela]

absolutely beautiful!!! I agree with Christy....I like the old cabinets...we have white ones and they are beautiful, but I despise the cleaning they require!!! I guess the darker wood would need it too, but at least you couldn't see it as easy....I would use some of that Old English for dark woods on them....we did that to a door we had in our old home and before we did, we had thought about replacing it so it would look better for potential buyers, but after we used that on it, the door looked brand new!

[jenny]

I heart your kitchen big time!! I especially love the long counter top next to the blogging desk. Of course, I realize that it would be covered in all of the things you mentioned in your post. But, the way I was visualizing it, was with neat little baskets for each member of the family, all neatly organized and such. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!! But really, I do love your newly remodeled kitchen. Very nice!!

[Kendra]

Ditto-it's beautiful! Well worth it, I would say.

[Jynell]

LOVE IT!!! Very, very nice- great choices- exactly what I'd like someday! I'm very very jealous... I mean... HAPPY for you!! :D

[Kendra]

Oops-I also meant to add that I would never have known that the cabinets weren't new. They really look great with bright lighting and new countertop!

[~Amy]

Wow, what a great change! I didn't even read your blog at first...I just looked at the pictures the first thing I noticed was the lighting. Then I kept flipping back and forth checking out my lighting compared to yours. Now, I want to change our lighting. It really changed the look of your room.

Then I went back and read your post. Then I noticed the other stuff. :)

You've inspired me.
~Amy

[Erin - ExpectingExecutive]

It looks great. And, I agree with everyone else...the cabinets look new as well. Thanks for sharing the great pics!

[Adventures In Babywearing]

Wow- it really looks fabulous!!

Steph

[boomama]

It looks great, Shannon - and I LOVE the countertops. Gorgeous.

[chilihead]

Love, LOVE, LOVE it! It is just so beautiful. You have a real knack for decorating.

[momrn2]

WOW!! It looks absolutely FANTASTIC!

[Jeni @ Allen Family Circus]

You'll love your glass cooktop, if you're even remotely messy when you cook. It's still kind of a pain to clean, but so much easier than taking apart the burners and stuff on a traditional stove!

[Ashleigh]

Love every bit of it. My parents are finally coming to the end of what has become a hideous, going-on-three-years house remodel (thanks to a Very Bad Contractor), so the HUGE sighs of relief have been abundant around there, too. Even I am relieved for them.

I was hoping there'd be a picture of your bloggie area in there somewhere, being that you've mentioned before that you have your computer in your kitchen. I've been eagerly awaiting the addition (finally!) of my own laptop to our household for this very reason. So convenient!

[Erin]

Ooo - pretty! Amazing waht a difference it makes :)

[melissa]

beautiful! I love the accent colors.

[kelli]

I came out beautifully! ]
We have some of the same colors in our kitchen (except my cabinets are cherry) and I'm happy to say I have the twin brother to your dining set!

Congrats on surviving it all, you both did it with grace :)

[Rebecca]

I love the splashback and I'm SO jealous of your huge kitchen!

[Lisa]

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing so many pics! I've always said I have the world's greatest kitchen (and it is about the best layout I've ever seen), but now I'm giving my lighting, flooring and countertops the ol' fish eye.

Sigh... better get a job first! And oh yeah, about that kid who wants to go to a private college next year...

[Anna]

It looks great, but one suggestion - if you can live with the cabinets the colour they are do.

I have a tiny kitchen and tried to refinish our cabinets myself as a short term, inexpensive update. They are almost identical to yours and let me tell you IT'S A NIGHTMARE!! The pattern means it's hard to paint, and the paint didn't go on evenly. My low-cost kitchen update is now costing me a fortune as I hate the result so much we're replacing the kitchen 18 months ahead of schedule.

If you could do it with a paint sprayer it might go on better, but otherwise, i'd suggest seeing if you can replace the doors.

Really think hard before painting them.

[Erin Craig]

I think it looks great! I love the tile laid at a forty-five! We do that in the houses my hubby builds. It is always a big selling feature. I also think that with updating everything else it makes your cabinets look great. I would leave them just like they are. You have inspireed me to look into quartz for my counters as we are building our home. Talk about lots of dust! Once again Bravo on the kitchen!