Good afternoon! I can’t share full kitchen shots yet because we had an issue with one of our kitchen pendants (the third globe is missing on the far left pendant) so I had to angle all the shots to keep that one out of them so therefore some of the angles are a bit odd and not true full shots but I  wanted to go ahead and share the progress we have made so far in here. We’ve got one bit project left – covering the metal hood over the stovetop, but I don’t think I am going to tackle that until after the holidays so for the time being the kitchen is just about finished.

When we first saw this house I immediately ruled it out because I really disliked the sink being on a wall without a window. After we struck out on all the other houses we’d been looking at though and time was running out, we came back to this one and I tried to visualize what I could do inexpensively to make this wall seem more appealing. We found out that there actually was supposed to have been a window here but there had been some error when it was being built and although the builder wouldn’t add it back in for us they did agree to swap out the shorter cabinets for slightly taller ones to match the ones on the right and to retile and we got to pick a tile from ones that they had in stock. They wouldn’t tile above the cabinets for us so we requested they just tile part way above the sink and I would add a shelf there once we moved in. This was a “market ready” home so we didn’t get to choose any of the design elements or finishes but it was nice that we were able to swap out the tile at no cost to us (although admittedly I would have preferred a window!)  With that in mind we knew the only cost for us would be swapping out the lighting, hardware and faucet and then adding a shelf so with just those little inexpensive changes we were able to make the kitchen feel a lot more our style!

Here is what the kitchen looked like the first time we saw it:

And here it is now:

It’s always exciting to me to find budget-friendly ways to transform a kitchen without doing a complete remodel! And although this kitchen isn’t what I  would choose if I was building a home or completely remodeling one, I love that it went from being my least favorite spot in the house to one I love with just those simple inexpensive changes!

The shelf itself is just a basic inexpensive piece of wood from Lowe’s and you can find the brackets here and stained them with Minwax’s Golden Oak stain. The brass rail though really helps make it look so much more custom and I feel like adds a sophisticated touch to the basic wood shelf. I  am so pleased with how it turned out.

Here’s a BEFORE shot after the tile had been swapped out. I  had asked that they not do the tile on the side area but unfortunately they did, but once we moved in and painted the walls white it isn’t as noticeable looking.

And here is that similar angle now:

I am really looking forward to covering up the metal hood but still trying to decide exactly what I  want to do there so probably won’t be until after the holidays that I tackle that. You can see a little peek into the pantry area where I’ve started wallpapering…I  came up a tiny bit short on the paper so until my next roll comes I can’t finish that off, but once I do I’ll take more photos of that area! And if you look in the way back of the photo you can see the bookshelves I’ve been working on that are almost done too! Just waiting on the library ladder to arrive and then I will photograph that space as well!

And here’s a before of the other side of the kitchen area where we have our breakfast nook:

And here is that space now:

You can see lots more photos of our breakfast nook in our post from earlier this week. 

Well, that is it for today! I’m hoping to photograph our entryway tomorrow to share later this week and then as soon as my library ladder and wallpaper arrive will share the library room and the pantry. I hope you all have a lovely afternoon!

SOURCE LIST FOR KITCHEN:

Wall Color – Pure White by Sherwin Williams in a Matte Finish
Island Color – Evergreen Fog by Sherwin Williams in a Satin Finish
Pendants – Visual Comfort
Counter Stools – Ballard Design (got mine on sale at the outlet but they can also be purchase online)
Brackets for Shelf – Amazon (8″)
Brass Railing on Shelf – Etsy
Brass Handles – Can be found here and here
Brass Pulls – Can be found here and here
Round Wood Tray on Island – Target
Vase on Island – Target
Cake Stand – Target
Faucet – IKEA (similar here)
Round Serving Board on Shelf – local find, similar one here and here
Bowls – have had for years – similar here and here
Brass Watering Can – Target
Artwork on Self – Frame Target, Art – Etsy
Wood Vase on Shelf – Here and here
Dish and Hand Soap – Williams-Sonoma
Marble Cutting Board – similar can be found here
Marble Paper Towel Holder – Similar one can be found here
Copper Strainer – Similar one here
Bust Vase – Anthropologie (also available at Amazon)
Faux Flowers – Target
Candlesticks – Walmart
Candles – Walmart
Green Mugs – Target
Wood Salt and Pepper Mills – Amazon
Raised Wood Tray – Amazon
Napkin Holder – Serena and Lily
Wallpaper in Pantry Area – Wayfair 

SOURCE LIST FOR BREAKFAST NOOK:

Wall Color – Pure White by Sherwin Williams in a Matte Finish
Chandelier – Shades of Light
Table – Lulu and Georgia
Rug – HomeGoods (but can be found here)
Chairs – Walmart
End Chairs – Can be found here and here
Vase – Pottery Barn
Drapery Rods – Amazon
Drapery Hooks – Amazon
Drapery Panels – IKEA Hannalill
Placemats – Similar can be found here and here

Warmly, Jenni