A few months ago, I visited my neighbor Eryn to check out her master bathroom renovation. Trust me when I say IT IS FABULOUS, and I'll be posting about it the minute she
tells me it's officially finished.
That will happen soon, right Eryn? ;-)
Here's a preview: Walls were removed, beautiful tile work was installed, and the vanity, lighting, and custom details are absolutely stunning.
But while I was there admiring the bathroom awesomeness,
I couldn't help but notice her kitchen. Here's why:
I thought, wouldn't we all love to rip down walls and create custom spaces, to live up to the vision of perfection we hold in our minds? Sure. But sometimes, a few strategic changes can dramatically upgrade a space while we're making decisions about our broader renovation priorities. The homes in our neighborhood were built in the early 1980s, which means the possible projects are literally endless. ENDLESS. And a girl's gotta start somewhere!
The Lowdown
Cabinets: Builder standard oak finish
Floors: Linoleum, with a dated floral pattern
Windows: Large window into the kitchen provided lots of natural light, but the lack of window treatments produced the "I'm living in a fishbowl" effect.
An opening between the kitchen and living room was drywalled over, which closed in the space and blocked a beautiful view of the backyard.
Below is a "before" shot of the cabinets.
You can see that the nice butcher-block top disappears
because of the monochromatic wood tones:
tells me it's officially finished.
That will happen soon, right Eryn? ;-)
Here's a preview: Walls were removed, beautiful tile work was installed, and the vanity, lighting, and custom details are absolutely stunning.
But while I was there admiring the bathroom awesomeness,
I couldn't help but notice her kitchen. Here's why:
I thought, wouldn't we all love to rip down walls and create custom spaces, to live up to the vision of perfection we hold in our minds? Sure. But sometimes, a few strategic changes can dramatically upgrade a space while we're making decisions about our broader renovation priorities. The homes in our neighborhood were built in the early 1980s, which means the possible projects are literally endless. ENDLESS. And a girl's gotta start somewhere!
The Lowdown
Cabinets: Builder standard oak finish
Floors: Linoleum, with a dated floral pattern
Windows: Large window into the kitchen provided lots of natural light, but the lack of window treatments produced the "I'm living in a fishbowl" effect.
An opening between the kitchen and living room was drywalled over, which closed in the space and blocked a beautiful view of the backyard.
Below is a "before" shot of the cabinets.
You can see that the nice butcher-block top disappears
because of the monochromatic wood tones:
See the white space above the sink {below}? It's about to be gone! Yeah! ;-)
Here you can see the floors and the huge window {beautiful, but lacking privacy}.
The wall on the left was basically wasted storage space,
which cannot be tolerated in these tiny kitchens!
The wall on the left was basically wasted storage space,
which cannot be tolerated in these tiny kitchens!
Post-demo, the opening between the kitchen and living room now looks straight through to
the gorgeous tree-filled backyard, and provides even more natural light:
the gorgeous tree-filled backyard, and provides even more natural light:
And now, the best part...after shots!
Below is the area above the cabinets, which was previously a blank wall.
Now, there are floating shelves
which provide lots of storage and look great!
Eryn also installed beautiful white plantation shutters over the large window:
Below is the area above the cabinets, which was previously a blank wall.
Now, there are floating shelves
which provide lots of storage and look great!
Eryn also installed beautiful white plantation shutters over the large window:
Here's a close up of the floating shelves:
Look at this transformation. Isn't paint amazing?! The white cabinets make the kitchen look fresh and modern, and I love the contrast between the cabinets, counters, and appliances.
Here's a close-up of the new floors. A vast improvement over floral linoleum!
| BEFORE  BEFORE  | AFTER  AFTER  |
Project Summary
Cabinets: Original cabinets, painted white {hardware will be added}
Floors: New tile {peel & stick!} from Home Depot
Window: Plantation shutters from Next Day Blinds
Walls: Floating shelves from Wayne Hopper Carpentry
Eryn, thank you for being a Reston Remodelista!
I'm looking forward to showing off your master bath soon! :-)
Cabinets: Original cabinets, painted white {hardware will be added}
Floors: New tile {peel & stick!} from Home Depot
Window: Plantation shutters from Next Day Blinds
Walls: Floating shelves from Wayne Hopper Carpentry
Eryn, thank you for being a Reston Remodelista!
I'm looking forward to showing off your master bath soon! :-)
