Kitchen before and afters!

Here was the low-down on our kitchen when we moved in

• Green laminate countertops
• Small white fridge with several rust spots
• Overall, older white appliances
• Small microwave located in the pantry
• Faux-brick backsplash painted the color of brick
• Green walls
• Small louvered doors between the kitchen and living room (already removed in our before pics)
• Note that the pot rack and fridge in our before pictures are actually after a few changes that were of immediate priority.

Here is a pic of the kitchen before we moved in. It turns out that pictures were hiding several rust spots on the fridge.

Here are what I consider the 'before' pics.

Some 'during' pics

I reserve the Minnesota sweats for painting and working on the house.

Six weeks and a lot of pizza and chicken nuggets later...

Since these images were taken, we have replaced the stove with a stainless steel version and purchased 2 sturdy iron and wood stools for the breakfast bar.

So here is a break-down of the after state of our kitchen

• All new stainless steel appliances (fridge, stove, dishwasher (not shown) and microwave)
• New matching granite on all surfaces (yes, we had to even replace the island piece which we first attempted to match)
• New under mount stainless steel sink
• New oil-rubbed bronze fixtures and water tap (I bet you could never tell that they aren't part of the same set!)
• Replaced faux brick with tumbled marble tiles
• Replaced microwave from pantry and hood above stove with a over-the-range stainless microwave
• Added 5" crown moulding above the cabinets for a seamless transition
• New design above sink to modernize the cabinets a bit
• Added pot rack near the stove to free up a TON of cabinet space and allow easy access
• Raised cabinets around 6" to open up the room and allow room for the new refrigerator and microwave
• New under mount lights under the cabinets (not shown)
• New cabinet and wall paint
• Added some chalk board paint under the pot rack for some messaging fun
• Restructured the breakfast bar to be one surface instead of 2 small levels
• Removed louvered doors between the kitchen and living room to open the room up more
• New stools for breakfast bar area (not shown)
• New mail filing system near the breakfast bar
• New brackets for under the breakfast bar

Ok, now that you have the before and afters, what do you want to know? Would you like instructions on how-to or information on where anything is from? Let me know in the comments!

Also, stay tuned for tips on not breaking the bank during a kitchen remodel. Any ideas on how much you think this one cost? Leave your guess in the comments.