Sunday, May 31, 2015

My kitchen makeover-before and after

Blog what blog? Huh? I have been so overwhelmed with work and house reno and life that I can't see straight but I have been dying to show this off. This was a major part of the upgrades that have to happen before we sell but it doesn't hurt that I like too.
We all love a good before and after so here is my partial kitchen reno. We left the cabinets in place and chose a quartz counter with white subway tile backsplash. There is also a new sink and faucet. I should add that marble was a no go since we are selling.


 I am purposefully keeping the shots tight here. We still have the floors to do.
Here is the before.

Can you say fugly Formica?
 We added this light several years ago. I recommend it if


you like to clean glass while standing on a ladder once a week. uh huh.

Let me start with the counters. I will do my best not too swear here but it was a trying process. I started my shopping at Lowe's and Home Depot for a baseline price thinking they would be the cheapest. *sigh* Nope just the dumbest. *sigh* You see, everyone in this area has brown granite (or some form of brown/beige/black) in their kitchen. The guy at Lowe's made such a weird face when I mentioned a white marble-like counter with my brown cabinets. He asked why on Earth I would want such a thing. *sigh* My tongue still hurts from biting it so many times with so many stone people. I mean, really, if you are wearing brown pants do you reach for a brown shirt? Duh! And hasn't anyone opened a freakin' shelter magazine in the last 5 years? Ugh!


I did find a lovely white and gray veined granite that I could have loved and loved hard but the dealer was an asshole and kept changing the price. I ended up with Cambria quartz Torquay. My goes pitter patter each time I look at it.


The best part is that Mr. Designdumonde has got some mad skills and he installed our gorgeous backsplash. Check it out.


He insisted I call this "design on a dime". They were the perfect spacer
The mosaic insert took the better part of a day...hunched over. My poor guy. It was truly on a dime because the materials were about $225 for a backsplash that would have been at least $1000 installed by someone else. It took a bit longer than we estimated. The next bit was the caulking and I found a tip on Pinterest that saved the day.

Caulk is so difficult to get right. Taping with painter's tape did take 3 hours but the result is perfection.



We have a running joke that we are making our house so much nicer that I won't want to leave. We are adding hardwood floors and still have painting to complete in the kitchen but we are this much closer to moving.

14 comments:

LPC said...

Very, very nice.

Kristen @ Pursuing Vintage said...

Kerry it looks great! I think the quartz is gorgeous.
I stopped in a "kitchen counter" store a few months ago to price out counters for my kitchen - the guy said quartz is the way to go because it wears better. Too many issues with marble. See... the next people will thank you!

ArchitectDesign™ said...

Looks great! Yes -best not to ask the opinion of contractors and at home depot.... i don't even want to know, i won't be able to control my eye rolls or the JUST NO!
Isn't it sad we always do these things as we're moving. Every time I Move I think 'why didn't I do this 2 years earlier??' haha

Karena said...

Kerry great job and bravo to your husband!!
It is so difficult to do just enough; yet not want to stay and enjoy your makeover!!

xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Coco Chanel

Raina Cox said...

That all looks amazing! So clean and rich-looking.

I think it might be cheaper for me to fly your Hubs (and you and Miz. H) out than to have a tile installer tackle our backsplash. Your guy would be game, wouldn't he? ;-)

home before dark said...

You've been holding out on us that Mr. DdM is so talented. Lucky you.Your "temporary" kitchen is looking good. So glad someone else has spoken up on the horrors of open glass lanterns in the kitchen. You are so right about that!

Elizabeth "Libby" Day said...

Beautiful from every angle. And you were right on with the counter top. Your talented Hubby did do a great job and he may be right about it being difficult to leave. And then again, maybe not. We'll see.

Bethany [at] Powell Brower Home said...

that looks great!! i wanna see the whole thing so bad but the snippets are all phenom!

designchic said...

It looks amazing. Love the backsplash and the mosaic insert is gorgeous…can't wait to see more!!

Charlotte Skinner said...

Looove the counters and your hubs did an amazing job on the backsplash! I know what you mean about contractors and sales reps second guessing you. That's usually my cue that I'm on the right path!
~Charlotte
SimplyLoveDesign

Woodside Park said...

Looks gorgeous, Kerry! Backsplash looks great - I love the rope trim. Cannot wait for the FULL reveal. xo L

Unknown said...

Fantastic! It looks amazing and love the countertops. Im glad you can enjoy it for a bit. I wish I was as far along as you in my kitchen, but it might take moving, or a big event to get it done! Hope you have a great summer. xo Nancy

therelishedroost said...

Love the neutral abstract! I chose quartz for my butlers pantry its so forgiving! Cant wait to see the reveal.
xo K

Unknown said...

It seems that you are way into the process now, yet there's still a lot of work to be done. That is normal. At least you are now identifying the details that may not seem like an inconvenience at first, until you think about it. That lamp, while looking classy, appears to be such a bother to clean. You're now spotting these things, so you can just proceed from there.

Arthur Bryant @ Contractor Express