I’m terrified to write this post. I’ve been putting it off for a long time, focusing on achievable projects like hallway rugs and closet makeovers, but I can’t wait forever. It is time to do our kitchen renovation!
Where It’s Been
I can’t launch into any discussion of the future of our kitchen without reminding everyone how far it’s come. Here is what it looked like when we first bought the place:
Yes, very yellow. What isn’t pictured is the similarly very yellow wall scrunching in the space right next to where that picture was taken from.
We were doing several renovation improvements to the house before moving in, so we added on a few things to make the kitchen livable, like removing the walls to create an open floor plan, running our new bamboo floors into that space, and replacing the yellow counters. For the blow-by-blow, I wrote up a whole post on this “half makeover.”
We also installed a temporary backsplash using renters wallpaper (still one of our most popular posts!) – a move I really can’t recommend enough for anyone who wants to update a renters kitchen, wants an interim solution, or wants an easy update. It took an afternoon and has held up for nearly four years so far.
All this made a big difference and created a room where we’ve been happy to cook for the last several years.
However, as we’ve slowly worked on the rest of the house this has gone from one of the nicer rooms to one of the worst. A lot of the things that we didn’t take care of in that half makeover are bugging me more and more. It’s time to take them on!
Where It’s Going
We don’t have the 100% finalized plan for the kitchen (we’ll create that as we go) but we do have a good idea of what we want and an excellent idea of what we hate about the current set up.
The good news is that we like the layout of the kitchen.
The sink, fridge, and stove form a nice triangle, the dishwasher is near the sink, and the main counter workspace is right between the fridge and the stove. So we don’t have plans to change that, meaning that we can keep most of the current cabinets and save a ton of money.
However, we do want to get new appliances. We already replaced the dishwasher recently when the original one broke, but the stove and fridge, while working OK for now, need to go for ones that are more efficient and more attractive. The current fridge is probably my least favorite part of this current kitchen. It is big, beige, and the main thing you see when you look in that direction from either the living room or dining room.
It also juts out far past the cabinets. I know that is normal in some cases but I. hate. it.
Both will be replaced with stainless steel, and we’ll get a counter-depth fridge and frame it in so that it looks like it is the right size for the space.
As I mentioned, we’re saving a lot by keeping most of our cabinets, but that doesn’t mean they’re not going to change a lot. The wood looks OK in some of these photos, but really it is chipping in a lot of places. And did I mention the handles installed right in the middle of the doors?
We’re not sure on the exact plan yet – painting, refacing, a combination – but trust me they will look very different.
And there will need to be fixes along the way, like our corner/lazy-susan cabinet which falls off of it’s hinge every other day.
We’re also going to have to demo some of them. The pantry wall will have to go if we’re going to fit in a wider and shallower fridge.
And that’s really OK, because this storage isn’t working at all. The cabinet is narrow and deep, impossible to keep organized and to get things out of.
I really want to take it down and replace it with something with sliding drawers so that we can access our food better. So the overall plan is to keep the main set of cabinets but then totally replace everything on this wall.
Aesthetically, we’re still figuring out all of the details (that is part of the fun, doing that as we go) but we do know some of what we want. Brad already vetoed my plan to paint our cabinets bright yellow, so we’ll be doing something a little more reasonable/timeless.
I’m thinking we’ll remove the cabinet right above the stove so we can put in a nice hood, and pick out some fun, statement tile to liven up a more neutral cabinet choice. We’ll also replace the bare-bulb light that is currently over the sink.
So that’s the plan! I can’t promise that this will go quickly or smoothly. If you know me at all, you can bet this will take a long time, with some starts and stops along the way.
Any Advice?
We’re still pretty early in this planning, so now is the time to share any words of wisdom you have on the renovation, or any ideas/suggestions based on our layout. I’m sure I’ll ask for thoughts along the way, but I’d love to hear any ideas you have now!
And wish me luck!
I have no words of wisdom. I’m just looking forward to reading all about it!
Kitchen renovations are a nightmare! Run away while you still can…
Important to get new efficient refrigerator, will save lots of money and carbon emissions! And work better! But beware that some stainless steel shows fingerprints easily, very annoying. I love the look but I think there are now some steel that don’t show fingerprints.
All I can say is the handles in the middle would have driven me completely around the bend in four years!
Love your blog. It looks like you have two entrances into the Kitchen/dining room. Have you thought about closing the kitchen entrance from the hall and just use the wider living room to dining area doorway We had similar at our house . From the centre … not a misspell ..am Canadian 🙂 … hall there was an entrance to the dining room then another on the wall to the right of the doorway into the kitchen. In the hall again not 4 feet past the dining doorway was a five foot hall with a closet on the right as you walked through into the kitchen. Wish I knew how to make and post a drawing for you.so someone could walk through the dining entrance and into the kitchen …the path was like showing the way a door opens into a room. A slight arch to the right as you go through the opening between the two rooms.. urgh I can not figure how to explain…anyway one more try.. so as you entered into the dining room from the hall to the right there was the corner where the two walls met making a backwards L shape In the main hall where the little hall entrance was it narrowed to the back of the house which made that area deeper. we closed off the little hall entrance which gave us a deep spot for the fridge and a closet for the vacuum etc on the centre hallway side. That left us with only the entrance in the dining room . We took down the wall between the dining room and kitchen leaving that small L wall. I am sure this is as clear as mud which s why am not a blogger. Very tempted to delete the whole thing but I have been writing and rewriting for a minimum of 45minutes. Hope you can sort of figure this out. Anyway if you closed up the one entrance it would at least give you more leeway for shifting the fridge. My dad has a counter depth fridge and it is a nightmare . Pretty but no where near the storage space. maybe they make even wider ones than 12 years ago. Its a thought…rambling one. 🙂 Looking forward to following the redo . Not even going to re read just posting,,,sorry to all you readers also. 🙂
I think it was wise to let Sage blaze the path and renovate her kitchen first! Just kidding but I’m very excited to follow along with your kitchen reno adventures!
You have the best expert as your blog partner! How wonderful that Sage did her kitchen first. My only advice is something I also recommended to Sage… purchase a CORDED drill. The difference in power is pretty amazing. Other than that, I can agree with another commenter that a counter depth fridge may be worth rethinking. My mom used one in her beautifully renovated kitchen. She does NOT cook and hardly even eats at home, and it is too small even for her household of one!
I am only offering advice because you asked for it!
I started cleaning houses a few months ago because I was looking for a little part-time thing that included activity. I have 8 different houses that I work with (not every week) and so I am hands on with a lot of appliances. Stainless steel is not good, although I believe that it still provides the most attractive look in photos, in actual use it is awful, greasy stuff that doesn’t even look good when I have just finished it. I often do them twice and still walk away, shaking my head. My own fridge is a smooth surface white (no orange peel texture) and it rarely looks dirty or smudged to me. I do have one house that has the new black stainless steel and it cleans up very nicely but like all black appliances, it does create a dark spot in the kitchen. I have decided to just stay away from stainless on my next rehab.
I don’t know much about the counter-depth issues but I suppose that you could just pick a minimum interior capacity and see if the fridge provides it.
We have an older stainless and little ones in the house that love getting their hands on it and as long as we wipe down each day, it’s fine! There are different textures even with stainless and I think you’ll find one that works. Other option: have you considered a vintage fridge that harkens back to mid-century?
Check the internal capacity, I think you’ll find they can hold as much if not more than what you currently have. A lot depends on height & width, not just depth. We changed to a counter depth refridge for the condo and it made a world of difference in appearance and moving around the kitchen. I don’t particularly like the French doors on the upper section so in my new kitchen here we’ll have a single upper door with 2 freezer drawers below, counter depth. Check out a big appliance store like Yale in Framingham to see and feel out all the possible configurations and decide what you like (before buying somewhere cheaper ;-))