Transformation Thursday: The Kitchen

I've shown you my little kitchen a handful of times, but what I've never shown you is where it started. Now, we were NOT in the market to gut our kitchen. We anticipate doing that in the next couple of years, but much like the rest of the house, it at least needed a little updating.

It had decent bones. Of course I loved the hardwood floors. I liked the white cabinets and I didn't mind the white appliances at all. The countertops aren't what I would have chosen, but I decided I could live with them for now. What was really bugging me was the lighting. Eek that lighting. Let's take a step back into 1997...er our kitchen in March 2008.







So keeping in mind the fact that we had less than a $500 budget (not including the window and sliding glass door), we updated the space pretty nicely.

• Carl and his dad ripped out the ceiling and installed new recessed lighting (That alone made a huge difference!)
• The walls got two coats of Ace's Wool Coat- flat
• Carl installed a new faucet
• Added brushed nickel hardware to all the cabinets
  
• The floors were refinished along with all the other floors in the house as well by us
• New window casing, window and blinds
• New sliding glass door

And I'm being completely honest, this is what my kitchen looks like about 99% of the time if I'm not working in there. Dinner, baking extravaganzas and Carl's popcorn fiascoes are a whole other picture. They say the kitchen is the heart of the home, and I totally agree. Keeping it clean, clutter free, and overall cozy is a huge priority of mine!