Helloooo Kitchen Cabinets

Oak, Oak, Oak.
It was time to part ways.
Our builder-basic home said nothing of originality nor did it even whisper a hint of our style. 

Armed with a small budget, we tore up old flooring and laid down new floors.

I spent countless hours sanding, priming, painting, cutting and staining the cabinetry.
We are thrilled ecstatic with the results.

Ok, I may be the one who is ecstatic as I am no longer spending every waking moment outside of work with a paint brush in my hand.
And if I'm ecstatic, everyone needs to be too.

Or in the very least, pretend to be.

Here is a reminder where we started.

This isn't so much a before shot as it is a during shot.
The walls and ceiling have been painted.

The oak trim is gone from the floors and windows.
The new floors are down.

The view from our family room.

And here is what we have now.

TA  DA!

I love the look of board and batten and incorporated it into the cabinetry. 
I think it brings just a hint of farmhouse, don't you?
There will be more on that later.

 Just a splash of red.

It is amazing how much brighter and open the kitchen appears.
We often hear "WHOA, it's so much bigger in here!" when family and friends see the space for the first time;
which is exactly the goal in mind.

 The hardware on the cabinets are custom, to replace them would have cost us a fortune.

Instead, my husband sanded them down and I spray painted them.
They turned out fantastic.

To add a touch of whimsy, our monogram was incorporated into the design.

Well, there you have our latest redesign.
So much hard work and absolutely worth it in the end!

Over the next couple weeks I will spend time redecorating the kitchen, adding hardware and creating a fun back splash with an idea I have brewing in my head.

I'd love to hear what you think, do you love it as much as we do?
What was a favorite change you've made to your space?



A Monogram

Not that long ago I found myself with a little bit of free time.  Rather than do something completely productive - like going to the grocery store so my family could eat - I decided to spend some time walking around the craft store.  I hung the Bad Mom of the Year Award next to my marathon medals on  my wall.

Walking around the store, I could not remember the last time I had been there.  I felt as if I had walked into a gold mine of creative ideas.  As any woman on a budget, I checked out the markdown section and was happy to stumble upon a big letter "F".  It was big and heavy and black and I loved it.  As there were only two letters there - both the letter "F" (our last initial) - I just had to have it. (My husband is looking at me blankly right now.  Blinking.)

I had no idea what I was going to do with them, but that was beside the point.  Wasn't it?  Maybe?  (Husband's blank look again).

Imagine my shock when the checker rang it up and it was only ONE PENNY!!  I bought both.  I'm such a big spender.

Once home, I found an ugly picture frame I had purchased years ago for a dollar.  I removed the glass and backing.  I then spray painted the frame matte black.  Once the paint dried, I looked around my house to find a spot that needed a monogram.  The perfect spot was found above the walkway leading from our kitchen into the dining room.

A small project, that cost me a little more than a buck, gave me pizzazz in an often forgotten space.

What do you think?  I love it!