Kitchen Remodel: Part 2

Renovations are moving along quite smoothly at Andy & Carole’s home! By the end of week 1 we had taken their kitchen down to the studs, reworked plumbing & electrical, moved the entrance into the kitchen, leveled the floor, and finished it off with new drywall. (If you didn’t catch our first post, you can find it here!)

We had some beautiful custom cabinets constructed for their space. I love the sleek sage paint color Andy & Carole chose. It is warm, unique, and goes great in their charming, ranch-style home. They chose to pair the green cabinets with white ones as well. I love the way the two colors give contrast and dimension to the space, and I can’t wait to see it all tied together with the rest of the materials in place.

All of the cabinetry was installed on Monday, cabinet hardware on Tuesday, and we were ready to get started on their butcher block counter tops by Wednesday. Butcher block is not only a more economical choice than most stone counter tops, it also adds texture and is a functional way to bring in a beautiful natural element. We purchased these counters a couple of weeks ago and stored them on location. This gave the wood time to acclimate to the climate of their home to avoid any warping or swelling after they are installed.

After the counters were cut to size, we rubbed a few coats of high-quality butcher block oil on the top and bottom of each piece and gave it time to soak in. This gave the wood a darker color and adds to the water resistance. We then sealed it with a top clear coat to ensure it is water tight. We installed their beautiful farm sink as well. I love that they chose a white sink to tie in the white cabinets on the opposite wall.

Andy & Carole chose drawer base cabinets instead of a more common style base cabinet. While drawers are typically more costly than standard shelves and doors, as they are more detailed, this is an area where they decided to spend the extra money to get the result they wanted. I say it was money well spent! They look beautiful. The drawers add functionality to their storage and the drawer pulls add character and detail.

I love the way these white cabinets turned out. We debated on whether or not to do 6 larger drawers or 12 smaller drawers for the base cabinets, and I’m so glad we went with the 12. It is still really clean and bold without being too modern for their cottage style kitchen. A microwave will soon go in the large opening, and the spaces to the left and right of it will be open storage for cookbooks or other small items. This wall used to have a small built-in desk, storage, and the refrigerator. After relocating the refrigerator, they now a great place to heat up a quick lunch, set the crock pot to cook, or pour some evening drinks.

We were able to keep their existing pantry (behind the folding doors on the right of the image below). During phase 2 of the renovation (when we replace their floors and add under cabinet lighting) we will rebuild the pantry doors to match the shaker-style cabinets in the rest of the kitchen.

Stay tuned for week 3 as we do some painting, create custom butcher block shelves, and install the tumbled marble back splash!