Really nice! The pantry side of the kitchen looks like you get a lot more utility, especially.

I envy your budget. Wonderful results!

Wow...big change for not a big budget...I love it!!! I'm especially impressed with your DIY backsplash. It turned out great!

My eye was drawn to the yellow and then to the sink. Then I read about those being your kids' selections. Tell them great job!

I also really like the countertop. But the best is all the storage you gained. Thanks so much for sharing your work!

Beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing your pictures.

Your kitchen looks great! I'm impressed with how you chose quality, budget-friendly options. The kitchen looks lighter and more open, but the dark counters add style and interest. Removing the valance, paneling, and wallpaper trim really creates a more spacious feeling. Building in the fridge makes a big difference too.

edited to add - the wall colour is one of my favourite elements!

This post was edited by feisty68 on Thu, Jun 12, 14 at 17:32

It looks fabulous! Great job! I think you can ditch the energy guide tag on the range now though, lol. I found that funny since you hadnt replaced the range, is there a reason you kept it?

You did a great job! Enjoy your work and creativity.

Wonderful job! Congratulations on your patience and good planning. How nice that you included your boys' choices. It all looks fresh and functional. Thanks for sharing.

Very nice, liking the black countertop / marble backsplash combo. Did you take the Bazz UC lighting? I used their direct wire kit, worked nicely.

Very, very nice!

Congrats! Very nice kitchen. I love all of your choices.

I thought your counters were soapstone until I went back and read your list. They look beautiful! Great job on your pretty kitchen!

Thanks all! I am loving it! The only real problem is when one of us is in the fridge or pantry and someone else wants in the other one. Then it's Hey, wait a minute, I'm in here! LOL

Alex 9179, that was kind of big budget for me! LOL I think I got almost everything on sale except the flooring and UC lighting and backsplash tile. But the tile was cheap, $5.69 sq ft.

dcward89, I am so proud of that backsplash! I'm very thankful my friend spent almost two full days helping me out with it. I'd never used a tile saw or installed tile of any kind before.

OOTM_Mom I didn't replace the stove because that one still works fine and I'm trying to only buy things that are necessary. I'm on a tight budget and couldn't see spending the money right now. If you mean why didn't I take the EnerGuide sticker off, believe me, I've tried but it's stuck on there pretty good and I don't have the patience to sit there with a tub of goo gone and a toothbrush! LOL

Feisty, the old owners had a love affair with 4 inch nails and glue! What a pain trying to rip down those cabinets. They were open backed, so the wall was the back of the cupboard and they had this weird metal veneer on them, and they were nailed to the wall. The paneling was all glued on and the old backsplash was the same formica as the countertop and that was glued on too. Let me tell you, I ripped my hands/gloves to pieces when I was trying to get that off the wall.

The boys knew that I had veto power over everything, but the Domsjo was the cheapest sink Ikea had and it's really pretty and I can't for the life of me figure out why a 12 y.o. boy would be interested in a sink, but he thought it was the coolest thing ever, so done deal!

I had a couple of paint swatches up and the 8 y.o. liked the yellow the best. I'm naturally drawn to green and was really loving the Kittery Point Green, but it's very close to our living/dining room colour, Palladian Blue, so yellow it was.

The boys were great during the demo, and renovations and even though we weren't disrupted for terribly long, we were out of sorts for a couple of months as I had used my income tax return to put new laminate flooring throughout the upstairs in mid-late March and then we started the kitchen reno two months later. Next up, flooring for the sunroom and the bathroom.

Amck, I'm not normally known for my patience, but when I see something on a good deal that I like, and I have some money to spare, I'll buy it and hang onto it. When I bought my laminate flooring for upstairs, it was quite a good deal for good quality stuff, so I bought extra for when I have the time and money to fix up the basement, I already have the flooring. I'm doing the same next week when Costco has their click vinyl tiles on $8 off per box. It will be perfect for the sunroom and it goes well with my laminate, so I can also put it in the furnace room and laundry room which are adjacent to where the flooring will be in the basement. Just planning ahead. LOL

Nicely done! The new version looks so crisp and efficient! I really like your design and finishes choices and how they work in the space.

Wow, this is wonderful. We're in the final days of renovating a kitchen that's about the same size, so I know just how difficult it would be to effect such a huge transformation on such a small budget. It's really a stunning transformation that doesn't look like a low-budget project at all. I love the combination of white cabinets/dark counters/marble backsplash. You must be so thrilled with the final result! Congratulations, hope you and your kids with such great taste are really enjoying the new space!

Very smart collecting the needed items as they went on sale and clearance. What a difference enclosing the fridge made! Really like your backsplash and sink, too. Well done!

This is great. Thanks for posting.

I have been thinking about using the very same cabinets and sink, as well as keeping white appliances. I keep trying to figure out how strange white appliances will look with the cabinets or not, so it's really helpful to see pics. I'm not really decided on counter or floor materials yet, but I have been gravitating toward something in pretty much just the colors you chose.

Nice job, it looks really cool.

Beautiful job!! I am just completing a kitchen remodel also, and couldn't help noticing your backsplash tile. I have selected the same and am wondering if you would share more information about that tile. Was that the Venato marble from Lowe's? Did you experience any yellowing, darker greying when first set? If so, did that eventually fade back to the original white background? I just started setting mine and I'm considering ripping it out because it changed color so drastically from the dry tile I selected.

Great job!!

Really well done and very budget smart. You really can have a beautiful space without spending the money some do.

Oddly, I really don't like black granite counters but I quite like the matte look of those laminate ones. The don't steal the show from the nice cabs and backsplash.

Looks great! Love your backsplash

Looks great! Thank you for sharing your budget, shows just how much can be done with a modest budget. I am impressed. That your sons participated in the decision making - how cool! Beautiful cabs, countertop, & BS.

OMG - we do have the same exact kitchen, including placement of windows, except mine is 7'11'' x 11'9'. Your layout (stove, sink, fridge,) is exactly how mine used to be.

Where are the pet food bowls in the "after" pic? Mine were under the back window, in front of stove. :-)

Again, GREAT job. Thank you for sharing.

Barb4288, I just finished grouting the second wall yesterday. The tiles were almost pure white before setting them on the wall. Everyone was telling me get white mortar, but really, I'm no expert. I asked the guy at the store and he was very young and he suggested this one kind. An older guy happened along and said that was the best choice, given my tiles, which I had brought along to show them. The mortar was gray cement colour. I won't say they've discoloured, but now they look more like you expect marble to look, rather than almost pure white. I saw that tile at Lowes USA (herringbone pattern on mesh?) and it looks more like marble from the beginning. Does that make sense?

Mdln, currently the bowls are in the bathroom! LOL I may put them in front of that window. I'll have to test it out to see if it drives me crazy or if the boys (or me) trip over them every day.

Thanks everyone for your kind words! I appreciate it!

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to tile for Barb4288

MGMum we sound similar!

I started buying for my bathroom a year ago. I also wait for sales and/or closeouts. I found Amazon warehouse to be a great source if you're willing to wait for the item's price to lower. I also use Ebates, when the store participates, or a cc with a good rewards program.

LOVE this! I'm also doing a small galley and not changing the footprint- it's great to see it done so well. That laminate is really beautiful- I actually never would have guessed it was laminate! I'm very impressed by your kitchen for its beauty and function, but even more so when I see your budget! Well done!

Great job, so pretty!!! I am LOVING your counters!

Mg, you did an amazing job! I love the backsplash. You must love the additional storage space.

I really like how this turned out! And I like the sticker on the range--that makes it new, too! ;)

Is that really IKEA's cheapest sink? It's one of my all-time favorite sinks, from anywhere! Your boys have good taste. Love the yellow, too. Nice choices all around.

GREAT job on the backsplash!

Maybe a hairdryer on the sticker would help soften the adhesive?

Lovely & unbelievable that you did all that with $9000. Great choices & how wonderful that you had your kids participate in the decision making.
Enjoy your new kitchen!

Really pretty and functional kitchen for only $9,000! I am amazed. I love the choices you made. The counters look high end and do not look like Laminate. I like the white shade on the Adel White Kitchen Cabinets with your other choices. I love your backsplash! I know you will enjoy your new kitchen.

Gosh, I really really like the countertop. I would never had thought it was laminate! Great job with the whole thing.

bump

Lovely job!

Thanks all! I am still in love with it! :)

@mgmum I came across this post because I'm investigating black Alicante countertops. Yours look fabulous! You really pulled off the look of real soapstone. It looks like you possibly had them thinned a bit? I've read about people having them taken down to 3 cm (apparently that's the normal thickness of soapstone?). Can you share any insight on this?

Thanks, Jane! I just measured them and they are 3.5mm top to bottom. It's called an eased edge I believe. I love them. They are very durable, they are almost 2 years old now and no issues at all. They do look smudgy sometimes because there is no texture at all and it's a matte surface, but I don't find it terribly noticeable.

Mgmum, thank you very much for measuring! I am researching it now and also posting on GardenWeb for additional guidance. Was your measurement actually centimeters?

So nice! Congratulations!