The kitchen was first and foremost for us in this house. It’s where the coffee is made, it’s where we prep and eat meals, it’s where company gathers, it’s just the most important.

The first two are pictures from the real estate listing and honestly I think they're too forgiving. It's amazing how a wide angle lens and good lighting can make something appear. Our new home had fabulous green counter-tops, vinyl flooring, the cabinets were a cheap plastic and were buckling and falling apart, and sort of a yellow tone..  and that bulkhead. I hated the bulkhead.

DEMO:

It took a lot of convincing to get Bobby to tear it out. He was certain it was necessary and we were going to be in a money pit if we removed it.. but I begged and begged and he finally decided to pop a hole in it. It wasn’t great news, but it wasn’t as awful as he thought. It had every single electrical wire from our house running through it, however the upside was it wasn’t our AC/heat ducts. With the help of his dad, they successfully rewired it all and Bobby realized why I pushed so hard for it. This kitchen instantly felt twice as big and I was THRILLED that I was going to be able to get 42inch cabinets.

We also decided to rip out this doorway. I originally wanted the entire thing gone, header and all. Unfortunately it ended up being load bearring, but the difference it made in the space is incredible. We get so much more natural light through now and I've grown to find the trim/doorway charming.

Our trim is 1x6 boards that came pre-finished from Home Depot, the color is Behr Excellent White.

We have the same flooring throughout this level; they are Pergo laminate Scottsdale Oak. Hardwoods were out of the question due to our budget, and with three dogs I love the durability and the look of these. I feel like a lot of people scoff at the word laminate, but it has come a LONG way and most people visiting our home don't know until I tell them. Don't get me wrong - I love nothing more than thick wide plank authentic wood flooring, but this is a great alternative if you want the look for less.

Our cabinets and countertops took a few weeks to arrive, so we were able to finish all the flooring during that time. Ripping up the flooring in this kitchen was absolutely awful. I can't even begin to estimate how many staples were in those 2 layers of vinyl.

Possibly the best part of our kitchen renovation was that we were in the thick of it the month of November - which meant Black Friday Sales. We got everything 25-40% off from countertops, cabinets and appliances for the whole house.

DETAILS:

• Cabinets: Lowe's - Allen + Roth Aveley, 42 inch.

• Cabinet Hardware - Lowe's

• Countertops - Lowe's - Quartz, Silestone Lyra

• Runner - rugsusa.com

• Barstools - Target

• Chandeliers - Home Depot

• Cast Iron White Sink - Home Depot

MY FAVORITE: OPEN SHELVING

We made our shelves with 2x10's and L Brackets from Lowe's, we found that the stainless steel brackets were way cheaper - so I just spray painted them a matte black.

We stained them with Minwax Weathered Oak, used a masonry bit to drill into the tile and they were done! So simple and easy and it made such a fun impact on the room.

It's also a really fun way to show case all of the pretty kitchen things I've collected over the years. I have a mix of Hobby Lobby, Anthropologie, Target, Marshalls and some hand me downs. I don't really have a method, I just know when I see something that I have to have it. I also rearrange these shelves about every 2 weeks... weather changes, changes in mood, some weeks I love color, some weeks I want everything white.

Our subway tile backsplash are 3x6 tiles, and we went with a Charcoal Grout. We actually started with light grey, and I had a panic attack. Which resulted in us scrapping out fresh grout and going to Lowe's and buying a dark... BUT, I'm so glad we did because I love the contrast with the dark hardware.

& OF COURSE: SHIPLAP

We use thin plywood for ours (obviously not authentic) but it's pretty and a very cheap project!

Fun story: Right before we painted the island, Bobby was shaking the paint can and the lid flew off mid shake. On our floors. My winter jacket. My purse. Everywhere. It wasn't funny then, but it's funny now. Bobby isn't allowed to shake cans in the house anymore.

CONCLUSION:

Stay tuned for more fun to come!

xo, Rhiannon