When we first looked at the house we really liked the kitchen cabinets and the counter tops. The previous owners had updated the kitchen in 2007. The cabinets are KraftMaid and the granite counter tops are from Lowes, but I can't determine the name of the color, they don't have a match currently. I highly recommend the cabinets, they are of the highest quality and they have the soft close feature! No slamming drawers when Will makes me mad! :) Inside the cabinets is the best feature, full size pull out shelves that neatly organize our pots/pans, Tupperware, Pyrex and baking sheets/pans. My favorite feature is the built in silverware organizer that is two levels! When I saw this, I was pretty much sold on the house!
We were so lucky that the previous owners had invested in the custom cabinetry and granite/back splash installation when they updated. I will have to say, I wasn't a fan of the back splash at first, I had even thought about tearing it out, covering it up or even painting it, but that leads me to my next point! What a difference paint can make! The kitchen was originally a pale pale sky blue, which is beautiful in a bedroom or bathroom, however, in a kitchen it left a lot to be desired and washed out the room. We knew we wanted gray, however, have you ever tried to pick out grey paint? There are WAY more than 50 shades!
We finally settled on Sherwin Williams Functional Gray. I had them mix the color in at 50%, and it was the exactly color of the swatch. This is a painting tip for any color, but especially darker colors. The paint changed the entire vibe of the room! Not only is it refreshed, but the cabinets pop and the grey and brown tones in the back splash stand out! I went from hating the back splash to really liking it!
We also updated the appliances. The original appliances were white and when the owners updated they only updated the oven/range, so of course they bought a new white slide in. It was a very nice oven, however, the white did not go (in my opinion) with the cabinets or counter tops. The owner also took with them the refrigerator, so we had to buy that. Since we were shopping for appliances around black Friday we actually got an excellent deal on an entire suite of new appliances at Lowes. We liked stainless, but now GE makes a matte stainless called Slate. It doesn't show finger prints and it isn't quite as shiny. We decided on a french door fridge with a freezer drawer, the slide in convection oven/range, a vented microwave and a high efficiency dishwasher. These are by far the nicest appliances I've ever owned and I'm SO excited to use them!
Our kitchen that started with great potential has turned out to be more than I imagined! It feels like a gourmet kitchen out of a magazine! We couldn't have done it without the help of my dad who gave us a tutorial in painting 101. Needless to say, I think we'll be painting the other rooms in the house that need an update! We are using the kitchen furniture I had in my house, which were previously my parents', that we've had since the early 90s. I love them, and they look even better in this house with the cabinets! I organized a few of our dishes and platters on the hutch but can't wait to get everything settled after the wedding.
Without further a do, I give you the before and after of The Bird Nest Kitchen:
I hope everyone has a great week and GO TIGERS!!
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