Kitchen Update: Finally Finished!

The day has come! It's over! The kitchen is finished! Exclamation points for all!!

It was quite the push to the finish, especially since I stupidly invited some people over for a reveal a little later this afternoon (way to give myself a deadline! why didn't I just do it next weekend??). But in reality, it's nice to have something to aim for. If you I don't have a real motivation to wrap things up, projects tend to stretch into the "I'll get around to finishing that eventually" category.

Alright, enough of my jibber-jabber! You want to see the finished product, don't you?! Let's do a before and after!

The craziest part is how clean everything looks, haha! That was no easy feat. But just check out the new sightline through to the rest of the house...

Three weeks ago, that picture would have been of a wall! It's truly an amazing transformation. Now that it's done, I sort of want to do it all over again!

Real Time Kitchen Update

It's all happening! The counters are being installed as I type this very post! How freaking gorgeous does that look??

The sink and dishwasher aren't hooked up yet, they're just there for placement purposes. But I don't even care, seeing that counter go in has made the last few weeks of stress and dwindling bank accounts totally worth it!

Kitchen Update: Cabinets and Counters

Drywall and plaster patching are pretty much finished (except for the ceiling), but today was super exciting because we actually got to hang some cabinets! These things have been collecting dust in the garage for months, and I finally got to see them in my soon-to-be-gorgeous kitchen. Anyone who has ever renovated a kitchen knows what a monumental moment this is. 

Beyond just being excited, we had to jump the gun a little on installation, because the countertop guys are coming tomorrow to measure things. Speaking of countertops, want a sneak preview of what I picked? OF COURSE YOU DO!

After much research and debate, I finally went with Carrera marble for the counters. And I am so glad I did - isn't it gorgeous?! I went to Planet Stone, deep in the valley, for wholesale prices. Of course I've yet to see the final quote, but whatever it is, it'll be worth it. Just looking at those two pictures side-by-side gives me goosebumps. 

Kitchen renos are so fun!

(Almost) Cooking with Gas!

Now that Christmas is comfortably behind us, I am in full planning mode on the kitchen renovation. At this point I'm just sourcing materials, but I never knew how exciting weekend trips to Ikea and Home Depot could be!

I've been buying things as I find them, so that I don't run the risk of them being out of stock (and I can pay things off as I go, instead of a huge bill at the end). Check out the mood board I put together...

I am loving those grey cabinets, but they are surprisingly hard to find. I went to the Kitchen Store in Culver City the other day, and they looked at me like I had two heads when I asked for grey color samples. I said to the guy, "Mark my words, in two years you will be inundated with people asking for grey cabinets!" Turns out it was for the best, because Lowes not only had better prices, but also threw in free hardware and a free kitchen sink cabinet! Cha-ching!

By the way, did you notice the little vintage oven, above? It was a craigslist find for only $300! And it totally works! It's estimated to be about the same age as the house, so I'm totally feeling the synergy.

I can't wait to start knocking down some walls!