Before:
The kitchen was divided in half by the peninsula in the photo above. The oak cabinets were nothing exciting, and the appliances were serviceable but ugly.
The parquet flooring was a mess. It bowed, waved, rolled and curled because it was rotten underneath.
After:
You've heard quite a bit about our grief with the floor. We used the same slate tile for the kitchen that we used in the entryway (and bathroom), and finished it with the enhancer that considerably darkened the color.
Cabinets are Ikea, naturally. Cabinet handles, backsplash system and shelves also are Ikea. The backsplash is composed of 3"x6" subway tile with regular white grout that Tai completed overnight two nights in a row (multiple gold stars for him).
We replaced both lights, adding a track in the work area and a basic Ikea fixture closer to our dining table.
We closed off the walk-through from the living room to the kitchen in the name of claiming a bit of useable space. We added a massive cabinet to the kitchen side of the new wall (with a bookcase on the living room side).
Still to come: this mess. This is the washer-dryer cubby hole that needs a plumber's soft touch before we can finish up. Right now it's holding our leftover paint cans, the tile for the cubby floor, some drywall and Miscellaneous Crap We Have Not Cleaned Up.
(We have an appointment with a plumber Thursday.)
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5 comments:
wowza...i love your blog.
That, my friends, is a beautiful kitchen.
This would probably have been more useful at the beginning stages of the renovation, but it still might be worth checking out. Obviously I've never visited the showroom, but the Web site has a lot of good info and detail.
The Sealer/Enhancer for the slate makes it look so great! I need to find some of that for my bathroom which has a slate floor and shower surround. I didn't put it in and would have chosen something less "earthy" looking if given the choice. Maybe the sealer would work a bit of magic. Thanks!
Emily, we chose the sealer/enhancer because it enabled us to use a significantly less expensive slate tile but end up with the look of a pricier product. The darkest slate/ceramic/granite tile was inevitably the most expensive! Plus, we were going for the sleeker look, too.
Doug, I think Tai has been to the Green Building Center, and the word I heard was that it was a nice thought but a little inaccessible in terms of price range. Where's the fun in that?!?
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