The New Kitchen, Part 7 - Wrap Up

Thanks for following along on my new kitchen series. What an exciting adventure it was for me and my family. I couldn't have done it without a husband who understands that my sanity lies in my creativity and if I can't take a few hours (or many, let's not split hairs) away from the kiddo to get these things done, I wouldn't be half the mom I am. He supported me and all my messes throughout the process but in the end, he knew it was worth it. We both love the new bright kitchen I created for under $400. So without further adieu, the before and after shots.

Before (you've seen this one before if you've been following along):

And after:

At first we were blinded by how the light reflected around in there. It was shocking how bright it was and how clean and usable everything ended up. I picked up some spice racks and a few super susans (my mom's name is Susan, we don't call those spinny things lazy susans in our family) to help organize my cabinets. My favorite change within the cabinets though was that I reinstalled an old pull out wire drawer the previous owner kept cleaning supplies in but I put it on the opposite side under the sink and it now holds our trash and recycling containers. Before the overhaul, the trash and recycling were near the entrance to the kitchen which wasn't very convenient but it was the only place they would fit. I also lined all the shelves with clear shelf paper so they'd be easy to clean and the dishes wouldn't stick to the painted surface.

By the time fall rolled around and it started getting dark earlier, we realized the light fixture in there also needed an upgrade so I picked up something I'd been eyeing up at Ikea. I also made some changes to the kitchen cart to inprove on our limited counter space. I still dream of updating the counter tops but with the rest of the kitchen looking so good, I hardly notice them anymore.

Our kitchen today (picture taken after midnight one night recently):

To recap, I started with a new low budget peel & stick tile floor then moved on to the cabinet hardware. When that didn't leave me content, I added trim to the doors and drawers and painted them, painted the cabinets inside and out, stripped the wallpaper then patched and painted the walls, ripped out an ugly partial wall, moved the dishwasher in next to the sink (and the cabinet over where the dishwasher was) and updated the lighting. In the end, not a day goes by that I don't think to myself, "I love my kitchen."

Thank you for reading

The New Kitchen, Part 1
The New Kitchen, Part 2
The New Kitchen, Part 3
The New Kitchen, Part 4
The New Kitchen, Part 5
The New Kitchen, Part 6