Kitchen Reveal

Kitchen remodel is finished and here is the kitchen reveal. 

You will see me playing around with centerpieces and accessories.  The flowers on the bar are the last hurrah of summer! I will miss my hydrangeas.

 Also, you will notice the ongoing challenges I am trying to figure out with photographing a dark room by experimenting with different camera settings and times of day with the best light.

I need the light over the sink to see but it doesn't look good in a picture. LOL!

I felt fortunate the bar stools could be cut down to counter height. That not only saved money but I really liked them and didn't want to change.  

As I mentioned in Part 1 of kitchen remodel my kitchen and great room are dark so changing the paint color from taupe to white made a huge difference in lighting up the room. 

The following pics show a little of the process of remodeling.

This pic shows cabinet modifications being made for vent hood and new drawer below microwave. 
The painting is finished and I love the new white color.
 I know you are surprised that I didn't change the florescent lighting while I was remodeling. I would have liked to have replaced the lighting but it was too expensive. We'll save that for another time.

Countertop being installed.

I prefer the one level bar. 

I have been pleased with the white quartz I chose for countertops.

Pic before: Bar sink eliminated and microwave drawer added with deep drawer below microwave.

The drawer microwave is a great space saver.

This is the finished new cabinet that repeats the 

feet on the sink cabinet. This new cabinet with deep drawers replaced the desk shown in next pic and gives me much needed additional storage. 
As you can see, I'm still tweaking accessories on top of this cabinet. You'll see several accessory variations in this post.

This was the desk before. Please excuse the terrible pic but I wanted you to see the before and after and this was the only one I could find. The desk was not used much and was a waste of prime real-estate.

This pic shows an proposed idea to add a small 
cabinet below the glass door cabinet for more storage.
I decided against it because it didn't look right and I liked having the whole countertop for serving. I used the new cabinet in my laundry room so it was not wasted. 

I am enjoying this cabinet and don't regret not using the cabinet made for additional storage. I use this space often to serve dessert and drinks.

Trying out different accessories.

Which accessory do you like best? I will enjoy changing them with the seasons.

The drawer knobs were reused except for new matching hardware below sink and on new cabinet. It would have been major to replace all the cabinet doors and expensive to replace the hardware too.

I am learning so much about photographing this room. Obviously, I should not have left the light on over the sink. 

There is also a story about the area over the sink that I alluded to in Part 1. This is a large space with ten foot ceilings and seemed a good place to add shelving and I have gone back and forth deciding whether  to add open shelving there or not. Right now I have an oil canvas hanging there that was taken out of a frame that I already had. I am continuing to look for another painting I like. It is also a place I could hang a wreath at Christmas.  The shelves can always be an option but I am living with it for a while before I decide and regret my decision. 

I love the convenience of the niche over the stove but sometimes the cluttered look bothers me so I might not like the open shelving. 

In my efforts to lighten up the room the oak kitchen table was chalk painted a few years earlier. The wall color was several shades lighter than the original taupe trim color and had been repainted a few years back so I didn't feel as if I could justify the expense of repainting it so I left it. I realize now, how much I wish I had painted all the trim white many years earlier and painted the walls a lighter color also. 

Close up of table.  I've had this table for years. It was stained oak with pressed back chairs. I replaced the chairs and they were originally black. Then I decided to have the chairs and table chalk painted.  I've done too much digging and weed pulling in the past to paint it myself but I found someone to paint it for me. This room has been a work in progress for a while now.
There is so much more to show you about changes made at the same time in the great room, laundry room and bedroom but I'll share them in another post.
Thank you for your patience while I rambled on!
Blessings to you, Bonnie

Linking to : Metamorphosis Monday, Show and Share,The Scoop, Inspire Me Tuesday, The Enchanting Rose, Wow Us , Share your Style Party, Tablescape Thursday, Thoughts of Home,Feathered Nest Friday, Home Sweet Home, Foodie Friday,Dishing It and Digging ,Your Inspired Design,Celebrate and Decorate, Share It One More Time