Clean Slate Kitchen Reno

This is a great day to finish up the Clean Slate series, don't you think?! Oh, how I wish we would have had some day light and just an hour extra to style this kitchen. It's transformation was quite incredible! Especially for 2 days!!! Hopefully you can see that even though the pictures don't do it justice.

Here's the before. The seemingly small space was rocking a fruity wallpaper border, peel and stick tile, a not-so-pretty built in dining area, and a dysfunctional pantry.

The main problem with this kitchen was the layout. It was choppy, disconnected, and cramped. But I felt like there was a very simple way to fix this problem and completely change the feel of this kitchen.

Here's was the layout of the space before.

And here was my proposed plan.

As you can see from the diagram, I wanted to take the corner cabinet out and put a new one in to create an "L" configuration.

Here is a photo of Step 1- taking out the cabinet.

As you can see that left a large open space in the corner, but that was not a problem since the new countertops would cover the gap. We also had to move a vent- but we just extended it to come out the bottom of the cabinet. See the after photos to see what I am talking about.

By creating this "L" shape, I was able to tie the stove in with the rest of the kitchen rather than having it sit oddly alone in the middle of a wall. This layout is also much more functional for cooking.

We also removed the built in dining area and the small pantry.

The whole south wall had to be re-drywalled because of unpreventable damage that occurred during demo.

The other project that took some time was enlarging the opening from the kitchen to the dining room. This really helped to open the space up and made not only the kitchen feel bigger, but the whole house.

Next, our beautiful granite was installed. It was generously donated by a local vendor.

Of course, we did plenty of other things along the way that made a huge difference. We painted the cabinets, installed new flooring, replaced the light fixtures, built a new and much bigger pantry, created a pot rack, and installed new appliances (which were also donated).

So, are you ready to see the after? Let's get one more look at the before first!

BEFORE

AFTER

I know that the space above the stove looks like it's lacking something. We didn't have time to hang the microwave that was supposed to go there, so we had to leave that project for the homeowners. Obviously the rest of the space is also completely lacking in the styling department, but the bones of the space are really beautiful. It's got a great color scheme, fixtures, and feel. PS- Isn't that butcher block great! I got it at a local flea market. It is the perfect piece to finish off the "L" composition and it's on wheels for easy movement throughout the space!

Here's the very simple but functional pot rack that I had some volunteers make. You know I'm a big fan of copper pot racks!

Here's a photo of the pantry that we built for the family. Obviously it's much bigger than the last one. The plan was to frost the doors so that the clutter was concealed, but still allowed the piece to feel light. Unfortunately, that was another project we had to leave for the homeowners. And I hate those two randomly placed bowls on top of the cabinet.

So, can you see the beauty in this not so perfectly styled and photographed kitchen? I'm really tempted to call up the home owners and see if I can come get some better pictures in my free time (if I ever get some!). :)

I'll leave you with the best pic I have of the space.

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for reading!