The Heart of the Home

If it's true what they say, that the kitchen is the heart of the home, then we needed to be on a transplant list...and STAT! That was two years ago though, and thankfully a wonderful donor came along and now things are pumping and not even missing a beat!

When we first looked at this house, which was a chore in and of itself since Mr. Tide didn't even want to get out of the car, I knew one of the first things to go would be the kitchen. It wasn't that it was horrible, or even that old, it wasn't even 10 years old, but I knew that with my dish obsession and with a teenage boy still at home who needed lots of nourishment, there was no way this was going to work for us!

Aside from it's functional shortcomings, it wasn't exactly our style either, with mauve countertops, a floral tiled floor, and pickled wood cabinetry. Again, nothing outrageous or hideous by any stretch, but I just wasn't onboard with it being my forever kitchen.

This is how it looked when the previous owners were packing up. You can click on the photos to enlarge them.

The previous owners were in their late 80's and everyone on our street says that she was an amazing Italian cook, they had 2 refrigerators inside the house, and 2 more in the garage! I bet there were some yummy meals prepared in here.

I knew it would be quite awhile before we could start the renovation, since the kitchen was just the tip of the iceberg, so I thought painting it a cheerful apple green would help! I also knew from the day we bought the house that this peninsula would have to go, I wanted a much more open feeling space.

I like pastels, but the pinkish hue of these cabinets just didn't suit me well. I felt like I was living in the Barbie Dream Kitchen!

Finally, almost 2 years later, it was "Showtime" and we started ripping everything out. Had we lost our minds? Renovating a kitchen is bad enough, but to start renovating a whole house...all at once...we must be crazy! At least the cabinets went to a good home at our local Habitat Re-store

Walls came down, which meant dust came UP...and went EVERYWHERE! Drywall dust became a 5th food group in our house as we suffered through nearly 4 months without a kitchen. Cottage cheese became a staple in our house, as did food from the local Mexican restaurant!

Richard was our wonderful contractor, here he is in front of where the new sink wall will be and the new windows. Once the wall was gone I kept asking why we needed to put another one back up...the view was so nice with no walls! At that point my husband asked if what I really wanted to live in was a Yurt so that I could roll up the walls each day! Hey...not a bad idea!

Ahh the new window was finally in, and the new family room windows were in too, this was an exciting day. I confess that I would sometimes stand and pretend I was doing dishes just to see what the view would be like!

And then finally the dust had all settled and the light was shining bright at the end of the tunnel and we had a brand new kitchen! It was a long journey, and it still continues, we still don't have our backsplash installed. We own the tile but haven't found the pile of money I swear I buried in the backyard to get it finished! One day it will all be done, but for now I'm as happy as a clam with how it looks and how it functions!

The peninsula is gone and I finally don't feel like a prisoner in my own kitchen, flow is better and I love having an island again!

I love the simplicity of it all, the crisp white and the stark black make it both homey and serene... I hope.

We added a doorway to the right of the old fridge and moved the fridge over so that I could have a tiger maple topped hutch and a huge food pantry. To the right of the range is a dish pantry, for all of my dishes and crystal...I really do need a 12 step program for this addiction, though I can blame my Mom for some for them, since I inherited both dishes and crystal.

And I love, love, love the new windows. I can't wait until Springtime when I can throw them open and savor the warm breezes. Last Summer and this past Fall it was so nice to have the cool air blowing while I was cooking. The windows were "box" bayed out so the sill is extra deep and I love to use it as another place to showcase personal mementos.

Thanks so much for taking a moment to visit the new heart of our home. In the past 6 months (although it seems much longer since this kitchen has been living in my head for over 23 years!) it has been beating strong with lots of brownies, chili, roasts, and even a big turkey with all of the trimmings. It's now a place where everything has it's place, and a place where family and friends are welcome to gather and enjoy the simple things in life, like a good home cooked meal!

***To see more detailed pictures of the kitchen click HERE.***

 I'm Linking up with The Lettered Cottage for A Few Of My Favorite Room Re-do's!!

Be sure to head over to Good, True and Beautiful for Just for the Joy of it .

For more Before and After's visit Thrifty Decor Chick for her Before and After Party.

Today I'm linking up with Chari at Happy To Design for Sunday Favorites

And

Transformation Thursday over at The Shabby Chic Cottage

 

I'm linking up for Remodelaholic's Anonymous over at Remodelaholic.