David123, you did an amazing job with your kitchen renovation. I especially love your new French Door Stainless Steel Refrigerator, your backspash, the wall color, the counter tops, the cabinets and that beautiful toaster. I love your rug but I think that was in your former kitchen but it truly now looks great with the changes. Thanks for sharing.

Looks terrific you will have to fill us in on the details. It's frightening how costly it is, we didn't DIY so had to downgrade our materials and appliances a bit from what you have been able to incorporate but it's quite amazing how much of an impact you can make on what at the outset seems like a space with nothing to recommend it and one's seemingly inadequate resources to try and change it. Congratulations.

The kitchen looks fantastic.

Although, I must ask since you draw attention to it. You said that the kitchen was on a budget. What was the budget?

The budget was under 25K. It was what were able to save for a few years, and after learning how much it would cost to add all new cabinets, appliances, countertops, etc we realized there was no way we could even touch what we wanted it to look like and function like on that amount of money.

our kitchen has north-eastern windows and very little light, so we knew we wanted it lighter, and darker cabinets would have made it a dreary space (here in WI, we don't need any more darkness)- even though we LOVE dark cabinets and used them in our basement- we didn't think it would be the best choice in the kitchen. When we priced light painted cabs we were shocked!

We live in a moderate suburban subdivision, so putting in a 75K + kitchen would be a total monetary loss if we need to relocate. And if we did spend that much, we would have needed a home equity loan and did not want that tacked onto a sale if that needed to happen. Hopefully we won't need to relocate, but it is always a thought, unfortunately.

Anyway, we like it and it functions so much better, even with little structural changes (added some pull-outs, changed the corner lazy susan, increased the size of the fridge by adding smaller cabs next to it, added to the desk, added a thin cabinet instead of a railing between the kitchen and family room, and adding a drawer microwave and a real hood so our non-vented OTR microwave hood did not make our upper level smell like dinner).

Good work! Looks very fresh and inviting.

Joanna

I love it-- great job!!

Let us know how you like your double oven range.

I think anytime a family uses as great a sense as you guys have to come up with such a beautiful space...well my hat is off to you. You have a kitchen to be proud of and you didn't break the bank. Congrats !! c

Love your backsplash, who made the tile? what color is it? - very nice kitchen, such a warm and inviting look - you sure got a lot of bang for your buck - Enjoy!

debs

The tile was by Jeffrey Court, called Irish Ice, color Donegal (a crackled glaze).

Regarding the double oven range......Pros: it is really great to cook different items at different temps at the same time, which I actually have used quite a few times. Also, the top range heats up in a flash! Great for quick dinners Cons: The lower oven is LOW- it is hard to get a heavy turkey out of it, and I'm paranoid that my stupid cats will run into it when it's open. I love them, but one of them is one of is certainly not the brightest crayon in the box. Also, the top is black, and shows EVERY speck of dust and whatnot there is. I preferred my grey electric cooktop. So, I'm kinda 50/50 on it.

What a great looking kitchen. I love the little cubbies you built in around the desk and was happy to see that you found a home for the microwave that wasn't over the range.

Great job! I had seen your blog on another thread and had actually bookmarked it to show my DH the cab you replaced the railing with. I love all the little tweaks you made to the existing kitchen.

Seems like lots of oak kitchens with white counters have bitten the dust lately! This is quite a change and must be a joy to walk into. It's beautiful. I like your microwave center and your desk is particularly wonderful.

Thanks for your comments. The desk is great- I know a lot of people don't like having a desk in the kitchen, and one of my best friends really gave me grief about expanding it rather than adding a baking center or a bigger pantry, but I use it throughout the day, the kids do too. It is like a central hub in the house and I wouldn't trade it for anything (well, I guess I could come up with a few things...). The cubbies were so painful to paint. We had them built around the baskets I found (rev a shelf, but for a great price through online research). In retrospect, I should have primed the wood and gave a first coat of the enamel BEFORE assembly. Oh well, it's done.

Did you paint your existing cabinets? I thought they were brand new until I just read your last post about painting.

What an amazing DIY! I also have the Maytag Gemini range with the two ovens. I LOVE it! Thanksgiving was a breeze having that extra little oven. My top is a speckled gray, so it's not bad at all showing dirt, etc.

You should be very proud of your kitchen. It really is beautiful.

Barb

I had to keep going back to the before kitchen. The transformation is amazing and you didn't change the basic layout! I love the crackle tile backsplash...amoung other things.

I had to keep going back up to look too...wow what great
changes with keeping the original footprint! Its awesome that
your were able to do it. It came out great, congrats!
vic

Really nice job! I too had to go back and see if those were the original cabinets. What a difference!! Congratulations!

Your kitchen looks really good, it is amazing what a little paint and tweaking can do. Of course we can't forget the hard work. It looks like a different kitchen. I love your desk and am wondering what size it is. I also like the idea a central hub. Robyn

Beautiful! I love the arches in the island and desk area, and how your island granite mimics that shape. So many wonderful tweaks to transform the space. Isn't it great not have to white laminate counters any more??? Enjoy!

David, the kitchen looks beautiful! Soft, soothing colors... I love how the window shade ties it all together. A great kitchen!

If you don't mind my asking a really silly question - what paper towel holder is that? I've been looking at which one to get, and I really like yours! Does it work single-handed?

Thanks!

dreamy indeed! nice work...

David, I LOVE LOVE they way you expanded the bookcase/desk cabinet. Microwave drawer area is awesome too! I could not tell from reading and looking at the pictures whether you replaced the cabinets or refinished them. Good job on the budget, very difficult not to bust it!

Fantastic transformation! I'm so jealous of you DIYers, wish so much I had those talents.

My favorite parts are the backsplash tile and microwave and desk areas.

Can you tell me what your granite is?

Congratulations on a fabulous new space!

Erika

Terrific job! I like the contrast of the white kitchen. The oak all blended together.

Thanks everyone. The paper towel holder was purchased from Target a few years ago, and it does work single handedly. It has a spring on the thingy and keeps the towel in place.

The countertops are not granite (although they look like tropic brown) but are Cambria quartz in the new color called Reading. We love them- they do not stain, are fairly scratch resistant, and the installer was a dream to work with, plus they are manufactured very close by so it was less cost for shipping, etc.

If there were any other questions I am sorry if I missed them- after all, it's New year's Eve!

I really like your island and your desk with the small cubbies. I love your tile color and the sink area.
Oh, to have a window would be so nice. Feels good when it's done, doesn't it?
Happy New Year!

Tell me more about your cabinet changes and the paint please? I have to do another kitchen on a tight budget, and if I could make those cabs look as ood as yours, with a few additions of course, I'd be all over that!

Congratulations! You have created a beatiful warm room.

igloochic, I have a lot of the gory details in my blog. Basically, we took our existing cabs, swapped out a few with new ones from the same brand to keep the same doors/footprint, (for the drawer micorwave, to expand the desk, to add the bookshelf of the island, and to expand the fridge).

Clean them, degloss them (liquid sand or sandpaper, depending), prime 2x, sand the primer, paint with Sherwin Williams Proclassic satin, sand lightly, then paint again.

The accent glazing was the tricky part and we were not clever enough to find an easier way- I think if we went with a glossier paint, we could have used stain pens- but their sheen stood out too much with the satin paint.

I tested the scratch resistance a number of times before the project and only one thing scratched it, and that was a saw. I guess different cabinets might have different varnishes to start out with and might not hold the paint as well....the helpful folks at the paint forum were great!

Here is a link that might be useful: Dream Kitchen on a Budget Blog

Excellent work!! We're aiming for 25k in our new construction kitchen so I know your pain!! You did a great job - love the brightness you added with the white, love the sink area and MW station, but I really like the backsplash, going to have to head to the blog for details on that!

It's wonderful! The color of the wall and tiles really give this kitchen an inviting warmth. Love it.

What a great transformation! I will have to check out the blog, for sure! I love your new microwave area--that would be perfect in my kitchen. Can you tell me more about it? My cabinet length is 50", although the wall is 53". How do you use that little area?
Thanks, and congratulations again on a job well done!

Here is a link that might be useful:

The tweaks you made to the layout (moving the microwave and expanding the planning center) create better flow and more useful space. The clean lines and sink area are pleasing to the eye and practical. Great job on a limited budget.

You did a beautiful job. Lighter and yet warmer. Way to go!

heyker- thanks for the compliment-really to everyone that took the time to provide a nice comment ;-)

Most cabinet manufacturers make a cabinet that can fit a drawer microwave (or warming drawer). My cabs are by merillat, a fairly mid-low end cabinet company, but they have a very nice upper middle line that makes these more "specialty" cabs.

If you go to the sharp website, they will give specs for fitting the 24" drawer microwave in different cabinet widths. Mine is in a 27" cabinet, but I think they can go in narrower widths, too, as we needed to add a filler piece on either side.

The total width of my tall pantry cabinet and the micro cabinet is 54". I bet you could find a combination of cabinets that would fit your space.

I do love the space, it is easy for the kids to use, and easy to put a hot item up on the counter right after taking it out. The only drawback with a drawer microwave is that tall items don't fit in it- but I only had one thing that so far has not fit, and that is my pampered chef microwave rice steamer- just too tall. However, it is a small price to pay for convenience and a fun kitchen toy! And, its a nice break up of all the same cabinet heights, having that tall cupboard there.

I love your new kitchen. Mine has a similar look with tropic brown granite. I will be repainting and glazing my already white cabinets soon. I may call on you once we get started. Great job!!!!

I am partial to your remodel job!!! I did a very similar remodel to my kitchen and I found your blog somewhere along the way and it was nice to know someone else was painstakingly painting their cabinets!!! I wound up doing a heavy glaze on mine, but I really like your look as well with the just the outline in glaze.

Your whole kitchen looks fantastic!!! Congrats and enjoy!

CLAPCLAPCLAPCLAPCLAPCLAPCLAPCLAPCLAP!!!

I'm beside myself. Your kitchen has very much the same layout mine will have, minus one thing I'm now suddenly nervous about and regretting in advance: double ovens on the left of the sink -- with counterspace inbetween, but they make my kitchen extend much farther into the family room than we can really afford the space for. And my KD even suggested a range/oven combo instead, but I "insisted" on separate double ovens. I can't even remember why!

You're using Cambria quartz composite, as I am (in the "Sutton" color), and also have an under-counter microwave. White cabinets, subway tile...I'm channeling!

My kitchen is in the tail end of being installed, so I'm at max insecurity and anxiety. Seeing yours is truly encouraging! Really an awesome, fabulous -- and cost-effective (which ours so isn't, but it's part of a massive remodel) -- transformation!

Beautiful job! Love all the choices you made. Looks GREAT! Congrats!