As most of you know, we’re pulling up stakes and moving in just a few months, and so it’s time to look back at what I’ve accomplished around the house in the almost-tw-years that we’ve been in Nashville. All in all, I’m pretty proud of what we’ve done with this house.
The kitchen was by far my biggest job, and all of that hard work definitely paid off:
{all credit and thanks for this photo goes to Alise O’Brien, photographer, and Bonnie Broten, field editor and stylist, from Better Homes & Gardens Kitchens + Bath Makeovers magazine}
BUT, if I had a little bit more time, there are some things I’d add to the mix. And if I could go back again, there are a few things I’d do differently.
Here’s what I’d add:
1) Get rid of the flat ceramic cooktop and put in a gas cooktop. The wall that the stove is on is an exterior wall, and there’s already a gas line to the house for the hot water heater and the heat, so it shouldn’t be too hard to have that done, right? Everyone knows that gas, with its quick ability to raise and lower temperature quickly, is what real chefs want. And I, although by no means a “real” chef, have always loved cooking with gas.
photo credit: Alise O’Brien
2) Get rid of that recirculating exhaust hood (what’s the point of that?!) and vent a big old hood to the outside. Preferable white and custom built, but that’s just me. I know I could build a gorgeous one!
3) Add some open shelving and/or glass-paneled cabinet doors to make pretty displays of all of my white dishes. Like Amy did here:
4) Add under-cabinet lighting. This makes such a big difference, but it’s hard to appreciate until you’ve had it in one of your kitchens. Then it’s hard to ever go back.
5) I’d also find a wine fridge that fits into the island, and pop off one of the cabinet doors to make room for it. Wine deserves its own fridge in our house!
Here’s what I’d do differently:
1) I’d find someone to spray my cabinet doors and drawers, or else I’d probably pay to buy new ones–at least the doors–no need to replace the boxes. The painting was a pain in the rear and it seemed like it took forever. I love how much money I saved, but sometimes money spent is well worth it for time saved.
2) I might even change the color of the cabinets from white to–gasp–pale gray or light blue. Now, that is a change that is best made when one intends to stay in the house for years, because not all buyers want kitchen cabinets that are such a decisive color, but wouldn’t that be fun? Maybe with nice crystal knobs?
3) I would adore marble countertops, like Amy’s, even though I’m not sure she’d do it all over again {more about that HERE}. They are so pretty, though! How about marble on the countertops that go around the wall, and butcher block on the island? LOVE!
The good news is that I’ll have another house to decorate in a few months. I’m always drawn to kitchens that have already been remodeled, but doesn’t that take some of the fun out of it? Maybe I should start looking at horrible oak cabinets, 80’s wallpaper (there is still plenty of that around!), and brass fixtures. I love a challenge, after all!
If you could wave your magic wand and fix your kitchen up, what would you do first?
Thanks for stopping by!
Just updated my kitchen. Kept my custom oak cabinets, kept my wallpaper. Love them both. Added quartz counters and a new (still glass top) cook top. Guess we all like different things and that’s good-in my book.
DJ, if you’re happy, then that’s all that matters. I’m guessing you probably spend more time in your kitchen than anyone else in your family (that’s how it works in my house, at least!), so it might as well be decorated just the way you like it!
Glad you posted this… we are about to give our kitchen an update.
Now your island is viewed from the side , what does the front look like.
I like how you gave it a furniture look. My husbands concern is what do we do
with the front once the sides and back are done with molding. He would prefer to mitre the wood trim , but what do we do with the front……Any suggestions.
Linda, I will email you a picture so you can see what we did. Be on the lookout!
I love the light fixtures in your kitchen. Where did you find them?
Beth, they are from Ballard Designs, and they are the recessed-to-pendant converter kits with the seagrass shades.
We redid our kitchen from scratch. Time crunch (kind of), budget and diy-ing it all, everything for the first time, caused us to do a few things not quite the way I wanted. I have black granite countertops which are pretty but not in love with the fact they have to be shined everytime they are wiped. I am still in love with the brown granite I originally wanted 5 years ago. Maybe some day. I would also have continued wood floors instead of laying tile. I also love gas cook stoves. So much easier to control the temp!! And I am getting ready to add open shelves on either end of my cabinets. I left just enough amount of space to fit some in and match it up to the countertop. Imagine that. ha Oh, and I am slightly jealous that you will have a new space to fix up. If I didn’t love my home, I’d move just for that reason.
Well, Nancy, you are more than welcome to join me in Savannah and help with redecorating! Sounds like we have pretty similar taste, and I FEEL YA on the black granite. It is SO unforgiving when it comes to keeping clean! Thanks for stopping by.
I agree with those gas ovens. I love to cook especially with guest.
Mika
I was so happy to stumble across your site when I was searching “kitchen tile paint” 🙂 I am definitely going to paint my beige and gray backsplash white! We are waiting on doing a remodel so I am looking for inexpensive ideas for now. Any experience in painting the counter tiles as well? What about painting the tile floors in the kitchen and entry? Any suggestions would be very welcome! Thank you!
Hi Lauren–
I’m so glad you found us by happy accident! I haven’t ever painted countertop tiles or tile floors, but since you’re planning a remodel in the future, you don’t have anything to lose by trying. I would definitely recommend oil-based paint for the counter and the floor, though, because that’s going to be more durable. Also, be sure that your floors won’t be slippery after you paint them. Maybe a floor paint? Let me know how it turns out for you, and thanks for stopping by!
Would you do the same kitchen faucet? It’s so pretty and I wanted to know what kind it is.
Ginger–I would. I love it! Here’s the link to my source page for the kitchen:https://www.11magnolialane.com/shop-our-favorite-things/ I actually bought it on Amazon. Hope that helps!