Kitchen: Before

The madness has begun! Ever since we moved in, I could see our kitchen's potential. It really is the heart of the house, with doorways leading to the living room, dining room, sitting room, front entrance, and laundry room. The space is great. But there are a few things about it that drive me nuts. For one, the cabinets. Without looking at the rest of the room, the cabinets are perfectly fine. Basic cherry cabinets that are in good shape. But the flooring throughout the house is this antique Southern Yellow Pine. And the color of the floor is close enough to the cabinet color that the two just look weird together. I've wanted to paint the cabinets white for a while now. I think it will really brighten up the kitchen, and the white will just fit in better with our old Colonial.

Another thing we disliked about the kitchen was that all the appliances were white and super basic models. It makes sense-- this house was a rental for years, and the owners obviously bought the cheapest appliances they could find. Do they work? Sure. But they are ugly and poorly designed. Our new appliances start arriving on the 25th of this month. I can't wait to get them!

Finally, there are the countertops. They are truly awful. They are this tan-colored laminate that would be ugly even in mint condition. But throw in all the burn marks, chipped spots, etc., and they are just gross.

Here is a "before" picture, so you can see what I am talking about... Anyway... I started painting today! ACK! I ordered a few Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations kits online, and they arrived yesterday. So this morning, I taped off a section of upper cabinets and got to work. I know a few people who have used this product, and it gets really good reviews. And after painting the cabinets at our old house, I wanted to go with something that would have a more durable finish. So far, I am really impressed! Step one is deglossing, step two is painting (which I am almost done with), step 3 is an optional glaze (I'm not doing this), and step 4 is the protective clear coat. I'm still painting, but I have to say that the paint itself makes it all worthwhile-- and I have become a paint snob, haha! It's thick and buttery. I can't wait to share the results! So, that's that. I'm going to try and get the whole kitchen done over the next few weeks, and then I will share an "after" photo. We won't be getting rid of the counters for a while, since that is pricey, but we will most likely be replacing them with granite or quartz. This kitchen is going to be AWESOME!!