Kitchen Remodel REVEAL!
The kitchen had great bone structure and now has a pretty new look for a new decade!
This kitchen remodel has been quite a journey with the world closed for most it.
Of course it came down to the wire, with the last pieces arriving the night before the photoshoot.
It’s One Room Challenge Kitchen Facelift REVEAL time!
Click through the 8 weeks of progress if you’d like:
The Before | Design Constraints | Design Plan | Remodel Mess | Paint Plan | Tile Plan | Lighting Plan
I’m SO ready to share the beautiful kitchen pictures with you!
Most of them were taken by my very talented professional photographer friend Tiffany Ringwald.
Kitchen Remodel Before and Design Plan
When I bought this spec home 10 years ago, the kitchen was what sold me!
It was in mid-construction, so I could put my stamp on the design and the kitchen is where I plunked down money for upgrades.
Spending money in the kitchen is always a wise investment!
In this older unedited photo, you can see how dark off-white my cabinets really are and how intense the blue paint is.
The larger kitchen island was a new concept for the builder that they designed per my request to replicate a kitchen table.
In my mind, the “after” reveal of my kitchen started with what it looked like 10 years ago because every year I’ve made little updates.
You may enjoy this home tour: 10 Year Before and After Home Tour with PAINT COLORS!
Here’s what it looked like before the kitchen was gutted during the remodel…
You can see I’m making minor improvements, so this wasn’t a costly remodel and why I like the term “facelift!”
The layout is obviously the same and the general color scheme, but I’m adding new more modern elements like lighting and counter stools.
Plus a gorgeous new backsplash!
The kitchen cabinets had yellowed over the years, so I decided to go with a bright white paint.
Then the gorgeous Annie Selke Argento tile in Sky has a blue gray fleck that I wanted pull out with the paint color.
My favorite cabinet paint is Valspar’s Cabinet Enamel and I wanted to use it for the kitchen cabinets.
Luckily, Valspar’s Pelican 4007-1A was the PERFECT match to the tile.
Valspar’s, Summer Gray 7006-17 matched the background of the tile pulling the total color scheme together.
You’ll see in the reveal how I took the Pelican color and used it throughout the space!
The former counter stools were beautiful, but always sat so low. It felt like my chin was on the counter when eating LOL.
I’ve had a hard time finding stools that fit under the island, so I quit fighting with it.
An easy fix, since we were painting the island a new color, was to cut the fascia board/skirt shorter.
Now the island can accommodate a normal height counter stool and even my son’s big football thighs fit underneath.
List of kitchen updates you’ll see as part of the reveal:
- Freshly painted cabinets, island, walls and ceiling.
- Open basket island pendant lights. (guide to size and height here)
- Large format backsplash tile.
- New fabric roman shade at kitchen window.
- Additional art pieces.
- Low profile woven bar stools.
- Fun new accessories.
- Larger more modern cup pulls on drawers.
Plus I tackled three additional projects to update some other areas:
- How-to Add Soft Close to Any Cabinet
- Replace Worn Stove Labels and Refresh Knobs
- Simple Ideas to Organize Spices
- How-to Convert Old Under Cabinet Lights to LED
Phew! I guess a lot happened in the kitchen over a few weeks.
Thank you to The Tile Shop, North Charlotte for providing tile at a discount (mention Porch Daydreamer sent you!) and to Progress Lighting for donating the light fixtures for this project.
Contains hand selected products, with affiliate marketing links where I may make a small commission if a purchase is made. {full disclosure here}
Kitchen Remodel Facelift Reveal
Here I am walking through the new kitchen!
Ya gotta love how a professional can capture these shots.
The first thought I had when I saw the pictures is how much BRIGHTER the kitchen looks!
To me it’s a great change because the kitchen gets very little direct sunlight throughout the day.
Now the paint color, tile and open pendant fixtures bounce the light around the room.
Painting the wall leading into the dining room Summer Gray makes the kitchen feel wider.
The woven low profile stools let more light in from the family room too.
The Special Backsplash Tile
Ah, the backsplash tile! It really is special and unique.
The only way to truly show it is with a detailed close up shot installed.
When you see it in the full room photographs it looks almost white, but up-close it’s definitely a pale blue gray with a little shimmer.
Since the tile has a texture, to me it almost looks like a grass cloth wallpaper was used behind the cabinets.
That was the look I wanted…uniform and even with a hint of color.
It is installed with only a 1/16″ grout line to create that feel.
We did the same thing in the shower during master bathroom remodel.
The Pelican paint brings out the blue in the tile and I’m so happy with how they complement each other.
Do you like the new simpler cup pulls? The previous version had a shell detail that was due for an update.
What’s SO cool about these cup pulls, is they can be installed on 3 inch drill holes but are 5 inches wide for a bigger statement.
If you want to learn all about how to measure for cabinet hardware read this: The Right Length Cabinet Pulls for Doors and Drawers
At this angle, you can see how the Pelican color flanks the backsplash tile on the wall and ceiling to pull out the blue.
I’m loving the new custom roman shade and pretty fabric that adds warmth and softness at the kitchen window.
Kitchen Island Lighting and Stools
It’s fun watching people as they walk into my “new kitchen” to see what they comment on first.
Unanimously, both men and woven walk over to touch the counter stools and look up to the pretty lights!
Plus they love that super huge round woven basket filled with pretty things.
In this shot, you can get a feel for the scale of the Progress Lighting Landree lights in Polished Nickel.
They give that large scale WOW factor, without being too obtrusive in the space because they are open.
With an island 8 ft x 5 ft, I could go with “larger than life” lighting.
Plus the lights look right on trend in a two-toned finish of an antique silver leaf and polished nickel.
New deep seated woven counter stools now fit nicely under the trimmed down skirt.
We all love how comfortable they are (including Mick the Maltese), which I was worried about since they had a low back.
They seriously cradle you and Mick can lay down too!
With all of the cool tones in the room, the grays and browns in the stools help to warm up the space and provide lots of texture.
Shop the Look
Now on to the pantry area!
Two-Toned Kitchen Cabinets
It’s a big decision choosing kitchen cabinet colors.
After writing, 20 Cabinet Paint Color Combos for the Kitchen I decided I definitely wanted to mix white and a color.
With my home being so open, the colors had to work with the ENTIRE downstairs.
Plus always keeping an eye to resale I didn’t want any color that was too polarizing.
So a gray blue in the same value as the white was my best option!
The change in color is very subtle and really hard to see in a picture!
In person, the island is definitely a gray blue and the back wall cabinets look white.
I love the Pelican paint on the wall and ceiling to add more depth and dimension to the deep crown moulding.
Plus the paint colors work well as you look into both the dining room and foyer too…so many shades of blue to contend with right?
On a whim, I decided to paint the interior panel of the pantry door Summer Gray to bring out the architectural details of the cabinets.
It feels very fresh and new to me…what do you think? I can alway paint them all the same color later LOL.
Then a quick little update was to slipcover the chairs in the sitting area between the kitchen and family room.
They have a nice tailored feel now with the drop skirt and striped fabric.
Please let me know in the comments what you think of the new kitchen details!
I hope you’ve enjoyed the tour and learning about how and why certain design decisions are made.
It’s important to me to share the process, so when you tackled your own makeovers you are armed with as much information as possible!
Check out: Ultimate Guide to Updating an Outdated Kitchen
Sources and Contributors in the Charlotte, NC Area
General Contractor: Roger Garcia, Finishing Touches Construction
Photographer: Tiffany Ringwald
Tile: The Tile Shop, Annie Selke Argento in Sky
Paint: Valspar at Lowe’s, Summer Gray (white) and Pelican (gray blue)
Lighting: Progress Lighting, Landree in Polished Nickel
Cabinet Hardware: Amerock Ashby Cup Pulls and Sea Grass Knobs/Pulls
Slipcovers: Slipcovers by Kathy
Want to see some of my other room reveals?
- Master Bathroom Remodel Luxury Hotel: REVEAL
- Modern Coastal Powder Room: REVEAL
- ORC REVEAL: Modern French Country Dining Room
Please follow me on Facebook and Instagram so you never miss a how-to, design tips, and lots of paint advice!
Until next time…
Porch Daydreamer
Tracey
Everything looks beautiful and fresh!
Would you mind sharing where you bought the pretty lamps shown in the photo of the runner? They are on top of the mirrored chest by the upholstered chairs.
Thank you! Ah those lamps…I get asked about them a lot. They were a Home Goods score years ago and I’ve never seen anything like them again!
Wow, gorgeous facelift! Love all the soothing texture that was added. Love it!
Thank you so much Tammara! I’m glad you like it 🙂
Looks amazing, good job! I love everything you did!
Thank you, June! I appreciate you stopping by and glad you like the updates.
Love what you did to the kitchen!
Thanks, Jenna!
Can’t wait for next weeks ! Great space !
I love the two-tone pantry doors so much! They’re such a fun detail and go perfectly with the rest of your home
Thanks so much Lindsey! I took a risk and glad it paid off 🙂
Beautiful makeover!
Thanks for stopping by and I’m glad you think so!
I love what you did, your choices are perfect. A beatutiful kitchen!
Thank you! I’m so happy with how bright it is now 🙂
I rushed to order the barstools as they will be perfect in my new kitchen. Your reveal must have made everyone want them because they are SOLD OUT! Hope they will be able to restock. Love the new kitchen look! The Pelican color paint is a wonderful choice.
Curses! Looks like they won’t be back in stock for a while. I’ll sign up for the alerts and see if I can find someone else who stocks them.