FINALLY...the Kitchen Reveal

I know y'all thought I forgot to post about it but I didn't.  We started our inquiries with several 5 star kitchen companies for refacing in January.  We decided at the end of January based on price and product who we were going with and on Valentine's Day, we were painting our kitchen ceiling brown to ready it for the treatment we were doing to it.  The next phase getting everything done would begin March 16th.  For those keeping track...when Corona week hit.  So basically for a week, we were subjected to multiple people coming in and out of the house on the daily at the beginning of a pandemic.  Oh, did I mention that was the same day the Mr started his new job?  It was stressful to say the least.  At the same time, they were also skimming/smoothing our entire first floor ceiling as well as centering the dining room light and installing much needed recessed lights in the living room.

Even when the majority of the work was done, on our last day, the shelter in place order went into effect so we were done whether we were done or not.  One cabinet door was missing and I had to pray that the manufacturer didn't go out of business in the meantime.  We made the best of it until late-May when that door came in and we noticed some issues with a few other doors on the manufacturers side.  It took until the end of July to get done!  It was not the quick one week job and Covid issues weren't even the problems we encountered other than it stretching out two extra months.  You have no idea how nice it was to breathe and then I didn't want to look at it anymore so I gave it a few weeks for the love to come back.

Here's a reminder of what our kitchen looked like before:

I am very inspired by Colonial and European farmhouse aesthetic.  Mixing whites, woods, brick and textures.  It's something I always loved in places we've stayed in New England but never thought to replicate because for 24 years I've always been so worried about "resale value."  Screw resale value.  We should be happy in the place we are for as long as we're there and you can't please everyone so if they don't like it they can change it.  I decided to start thinking about what I wanted in there without the "resale" boundary I'd been adhering to my whole life.

I follow an IG account of this woman who has the most amazing exposed beam ceilings in her historic home.  I spent weeks drooling over it and wondered if I could potentially recreate them in our two butt kitchen.  When I floated the idea by the first two contractors, one gave a hard no and the other one said no but that we should look for a "finishing contractor" who could likely do the job.  I looked on home pro sites that night and it was daunting to find someone who fit the bill in the description.  The thought of going through another process was disheartening and I didn't want to go ahead with the job as a whole and not get my "dream" kitchen.  (As much dream given the space allowed.)

The guy we went with didn't bat an eye when I showed him a Photoshopped version of what I wanted the space to look like.  He got very excited and said "yeah, we can totally bring one of our woodworkers in to do that!"

Now those ceilings I lusted after?  I've got 'em.
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It was soooo much work for us to tear down the crown molding we were so proud of well over a decade ago.  Even with lighter walls and honey cabinets, it still felt so dark in there so white was going to have to be it even though it took a little convincing the Mr.  Our kitchen was white when we moved in but a totally different layout.  No pantry or lazy susan.

This spice cabinet is the one that didn't have the door on it when the shelter in place kicked in.  It would not lend itself to being "open concept."  Even though no one was going to see it, I needed something visually more pleasing than our vitamins and cooking spray open to clutter the space when I looked in.  I got these mocha water hyacinth baskets at The Container Store to be delivered and it helped.

We still use them even with the door on.

One of the biggest things I loved which was a last minute addition was the reclaimed brick veneer on the side of the pantry.

They are from a factory that burned down in Connecticut and I'm so happy with how it turned out.  I think having the side of it white would've been wayyy too much white in there but it breaks things up nicely in the middle.

It took forever for me to find the bin pulls I wanted for the drawers in there but finally did.  We decided not to go with the Shaker look and just slabs on the fronts because the drawers are tiny

While I do wish there was some detail to the drawers, it could've looked too busy with trying to use pulls and the contractor said we could end up with bumped knuckles trying to do the pulls with the shaker style.

Sometimes as I'm walking to the kitchen, I just kind of stop and take in my favorite view and have to pinch myself.

(Purplish light is from grow lamps so it casts a weird hue.)

The ceiling and beams are made from reclaimed barnwood, the real thing, not the replicated stuff.  We went in and hand picked each piece and although we had issues there too, I'm just glad it all came together in the end.  It was the first thing that was done on the kitchen and for the first week, the Mr and I would stand there staring at it and giggling like 4 year old girls.

It is definitely a showstopper and I know not everyone's cup of tea and that's just fine with me.  It's our cup of tea and that's all that matters!  😁

The Mr said every time he looked into the kitchen, he felt like he was transformed to a Vermont tavern.  It is quite reminiscent of a place we went in Manchester, VT so it's like a mini vacation when we peek up.

We got some reclaimed beam skins both to go above the kitchen sink as well as to make into a sturdy coat rack with rustic looking hooks.

You may remember the poop show that was our window sill/stool issue.  We had them use some of the reclaimed lumber to remove the sill and picture frame it so it's no longer an eyesore now.

Simple but effective.

Above the fridge is a deep shelf installed so I can switch out stuff as I want to.  The recipe in the middle is one of my Grandma's that I got put onto a small canvas.

Here's a side by side of things.

Pantry area.

Sink area.

It was a long, irritating and kind of soul sucking process which just negatively reinforces the word "reno" in the Mr's mind.  Now, we can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that room is updated and done in a way that we love and not just the most of our personality we can get in while keeping it bland.  We've been here 24 years, I don't think we're going anywhere too soon.

See something you like?  Shop our reno!  Below are a list of the products and where to buy them.  A few are affiliate links so I may receive a small commission for blog expenses if you buy through them.

Chelsey 4 in. Matte Black Drawer Pull 

4" Mission Bin Pull

Ivy Hill Subway Tile- Catalina White 3" x 12" Ceramic Wall Tile

Bostik Neverseal Pre-Mixed Grout (Charcoal Black)

Eagleton 13 1/2" Wide Oil-Rubbed Bronze LED Ceiling Light

FRWYJT015PG Pull Down Single Handle Kitchen Faucet

Karran Drop-In Quartz Composite 33 in. 1-Hole Single Bowl Kitchen Sink in Black

Karran Black Decorative Flange/Strainer

Reclaimed Brick Veneer New England Mill Blend

Ceiling is reclaimed barn wood (check your local area) sealed with Varathane Matte Polyurethane

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