From Before to After: How a Building Professional Remodels His Kitchen
Friday, September 25th, 2015
Like many homeowners, we bought our house with intentions of doing a few renovations shortly after signing. We saw the kitchen had great potential the day the realtor walked us through the house. As a professional builder, I see finished kitchens on our job sites quite often, so I had a clear vision of what the space could look like with a little work. Actually living in the house helped us determine the must-haves we needed and my wife came up with a few kitchen design ideas, inspired by Pinterest.
Fast forward three busy years and we still hadn’t begun our kitchen project. Last winter, we found ourselves snowed in for what seemed like weeks. It was then we finally decided to convert the kitchen and dining room into a more functional layout, upgrade the countertops and appliances, and transform the unused breakfast nook into functional cabinet space. As luck would have it, we were able to finish our kitchen by spring, just in time to celebrate our daughter’s first birthday.
We had three main goals we wanted to accomplish with our kitchen renovation. First, we wanted to open up the cramped bottleneck space to make it more suitable for both living and entertaining. Second, we wanted to upgrade finishes and appliances. The original countertops were made of green Formica and the appliances were mismatched– not very visually appealing to say the least. Third, we wanted to maximize kitchen storage. Here’s how we did it:
Tearing Down Walls for an Open Space
Before
Before the renovation, moving about in our kitchen was tight and uncomfortable, primarily due to its awkward horseshoe layout. This made it difficult to entertain, something my wife and I really enjoy doing.
After
By tearing down some walls, we opened up the space which made the kitchen more accessible. As parents, this renovation was also very beneficial in that we can now easily keep our eyes on our small children as we cook and clean up.
Installing Modern Cabinetry
When deciding on new cabinetry, we knew we wanted a durable material with a classy look that would stand the test of time. Our old cabinets were pressed board with a peeling white veneer.Before
We replaced them with cabinets made of solid wood that were much deeper and reached all the way to the ceiling, which provides an excellent amount of storage space. The new doors and drawers are slow close, which not only mutes the noise of kitchen activity, but decreases the overall open and close strain, extending the longevity of the hinges and hinge plates.
During
The new cabinets are beautifully crafted with crown molding and light rail trim, which gives them a pricey custom look. We also added an additional decorative toe kick molding on the base cabinets for a furniture feel.
After
Decorating with Hardware and Wall Tile
My wife refers to the cabinet hardware and backsplash tile as the “jewelry” of the kitchen. Instead of choosing 5-inch cabinet pulls, we decided on the 7-inch in a sleek stainless steel. While the upgrade wasn’t financially significant, it definitely added to the richness of the space. The backsplash tile was our chance to be creative and give our kitchen the “McMahan” touch. Up to this point, all of our choices had been pretty safe and this was an area in which we wanted to splurge. We liked the look of the traditional ceramic subway tile, but we wanted to give it a little twist. In the end, we decided on a long, narrow, rectangular natural white marble. While the shape was unique, it wasn’t so unconventional that it would go out of style quickly. My wife was very adamant about preserving the beauty of the backsplash tile. Instead of cutting electrical outlets and light switches into the backsplash, we made a few modifications which involved using light rail trim to conceal the electrical plugs and moving the light switches to outside walls. This gave us a wall of pure linear tile that extended the perception of the room’s space. Good call, sweetheart!Switching Out Green Formica for Quartz Countertops
Before
As you can probably tell from the backsplash tile we chose, we love the look of marble. However when choosing a kitchen countertop material, we wanted a quartz countertop because of its low-hassle and durability benefits. Read How to Choose Your Kitchen Countertop: Granite vs. Quartz for details on the benefits of quartz countertops and why we chose them.
During
In order to get a quartz countertop with the marble design we wanted, we took a sample of a marble top we loved to a stone store so we could see if we could find something similar in quartz. They came up with a nearly perfect match and we are thrilled with how it turned out!
After
Updating with Stainless Appliances
Our cooking talents fall way below that of a gourmet chef, however we did want appliances that were of good quality and reliable. We chose a set from Whirlpool that fit our style and complement our kitchen perfectly.
One of the most interesting choices we made was how we installed the microwave. We knew we didn’t want to lose any countertop space. As we brainstormed ideas, we concluded that we really didn’t want to lose any upper cabinet space either. We ultimately decided to go with a microwave drawer, placed in the lower cabinets beside the stove. This allowed us to have easy access to our microwave without interrupting the flow of the upper cabinetry or taking up the countertop.
Overcoming the Challenge of a White Kitchen Renovation
We are very pleased with how the entire kitchen turned out. It’s very difficult to pull off an “all white” kitchen look because, believe it or not, all shades of white are not the same. With a little help from McCamy Construction designer Ashley Jones and a few of our style-saavy friends we were able to match the tones in the walls, cabinetry, tile, and countertop perfectly.Our Favorite Features
My favorite design feature is the under cabinet lighting because of how it brings the kitchen to life. While under cabinet lighting might sound like a small detail (and one that most would cut out of their budget), the way it brings out the natural details of the marble backsplash and quartz countertops completes the look and is well worth the money. Our favorite functional feature is the supersized single basin sink. It can handle the biggest crock pot and even the occasional sink bath for the baby in the house.
Here’s what we learned…
After the renovation, our kitchen quickly turned into our favorite room in the house. What I forgot about successful renovations is how contagious they can become. When one room of your house looks so great, you start wanting to renovate the rest of the house! It’s hard to find a stopping point!So far, we have moved into the dining room and added a new dining room table, a light fixture, and a feature wall made of chic shiplap.
We couldn’t stop there, so we painted the entire downstairs to match the cool gray tones of the kitchen. Up next is our outdated beige fireplace!
Shout out to the following vendors who made this renovation possible:
Wonderful Job, Amazing to me how you achieved more space by moving appliances and sink locations. This must have been a real undertaking for the plumbing contractor.
I also love the under cabinet lighting.
We are remodeling our kitchen because of this amazing kitchen! Can you please tell me the name of the paint used and the name of the backsplash used? They are both perfect and I nothing I find is as beautiful. Thank you!