Kitchen Now & Ideas

I don't want to tell anyone how much time I've spent obsessing over working on gathering ideas, information and inspiration about our kitchen remodel. I've practically memorized all the kitchen pictures on bhg.com, their network site kitchenandbathideas.com, and myhomeideas.com. When I find a new blog, I usually head straight for the kitchen tab, and let me tell you, there are some amazing do-it-yourselfers out there! 

So to give you an idea of what we're starting with, here are some pictures of my kitchen that I took today. We've lived here for just short of 2 years, and it was horrible when we moved in! We had absolutely no money for upgrades, so my MIL and I scrubbed and painted everything we could. It took 8 hours to clean out the fridge. Seriously. Those pictures are on another computer, so I'll show you what we have now.

Make-do "Hutch" and Fridge

I use this hand-me-down bookcase for extra storage--towels, trivets, cookbooks, and toys! Notice my barn finds on the top? That's a $100 craigslist fridge, not the 8-hours-to-clean fridge. When we "do" the kitchen, this will be a built-in hutch/desk area and the fridge will be look built-in too.

Storage/Coat Closet

I'm keeping the closet, but I'll trick it out with shelves, a counter top and tons of outlets for all of those little gadgets--mixer, blender, toaster...

Stove Wall

Who knew how tricky it would be to find stock cabinetry to fit exactly in that space and allow the top cabinets to be the right distance from the window!

Corner & Sink Area

South Wall

The funny empty space with the wire shelf used to house the stove. It was an extra-wide stove, so when we got the craigslist stove and fridge, the new fridge was too tall for the old fridge space, and the new stove was too small for the old stove place! My very talented husband :) changed the power dealy-bobs around so we could but the new stove where the old fridge had been and the new fridge against the wall by the closet. This space let us move our table closer to the window, but those weird upper cabinets don't let the table line up. They're built-in as a unit and I desperately need the storage, so I couldn't knock them down. It works for now!

Dining Area

I love my dining room set, as I mentioned here. I love my funky window treatment too! We're thinking about bumping this area out a couple feet to add more windows (those views and the natural light!) and make the space more comfy for that big table. 

I have my heart set on beaded board wainscoting with a shelf for pictures (like the one of my sweeties I re-painted) to lean on. And a bench instead of so many chairs.

So there you have it! The 360* tour is complete. I'll leave you with some inspirational pictures that'll do more to explain the style and feeling I want to capture. Hope you enjoyed my soon-to-be-BEFORE pictures!

Oh, the earliest we'll get to the remodel is March. That's soon, right? :)

(Images are from bhg.com, kitchenandbathideas.com and myhomeideas.com, linked above.)

~Ellie