kitchen remodel

when we first bought our current house, i was less than thrilled with the kitchen. it is a pretty good sized kitchen, but it lacked function. it lacked luster. it lacked color. it just lacked.

we know that kitchens and bathrooms are the most expensive remodeling projects in houses, but we LOVE our neighborhood, and, houses here sell pretty quickly, so, we decided to remodel our kitchen. we got a handful of estimates, with differing materials (granite, wood species, island size, etc.), and, we decided on a private contractor.

 instead of a total gut, which it didn't need, we went with refacing our cabinets, having a custom island made, hardware switched out, new sink and faucet, lighting, a new backsplash and new countertops. i thought that remodeling a kitchen just meant showing pictures of what we wanted. i was wrong. we had to make decisions on details that i never even knew existed.

initially, i *thought* that i wanted lighter cabinets, granite (until i found out that i had to seal it every year, and, quite frankly, who am i kidding? we're lucky if we get our kids bathed!) and oiled bronze. what we ended up with, and LOVE, is a rustic maple cabinet, a solid surface countertop made of recycled materials and brushed steel. we. love. it.

after weeks of grueling decision-making and months of hard work, our kitchen should be done tomorrow. it just needs the toe kick done, or whatever the bottom of the cabinets is called. we also need to order bar stools, but we are still undecided if we are going with a saddle seat or more of a chair seat.

here are our before and almost afters: