Kitchen light update!

Sorry for my absence, readers! It's been a crazy week and I'm trying to fight off the sickness that seems to be going around as of late...but I'm here with my promised light update!

 

As a reminder, here's where we started:

 

 

Here's where we were the last time we spoke:

 

 

 

And here we are now:

 

 

Mark went with me on this and we splurged for the $40 light from Ikea, which I spoke about here. We agreed that it was a decent light, met our needs, and wasn't a huge focal point in the house so we didn't need to make an investment into it.

 

We both love how it hugs the ceiling and still provides great light. We could even go a little brighter with our bulbs, if needed.

 

 

It feels as if a weight has literally been lifted off our shoulders in there. The fan that was there previously was so bulky and hung down at least 18", making the space feel really small. With our new tile, counters, and now the new light, our kitchen feels TONS bigger!

 

 

I have to thank Mark for installing the light and thank you guys for all of your comments on my post about our options!

 

Happy Friday!

 

The never-ending kitchen list!

Happy 100th post to me! :)

Now that I've revealed the kitchen renovation, I have some follow up ideas! My mind is always turning...it's a blessing and a curse!

I might have given Mark a heart attack the other day when I mentioned that I wanted to take out the single cabinet to the right of our sink and put in shelves to hold some of our pretty and frequently-used dishes. His eyes got very wide, but I'm not sure if that is good or bad...

I got the idea from (where else) Young House Love:

They installed these shelves in the photo above in their new house as part of their "phase one" change, but they also tested them out first in their old house and loved them!

They sure know how to do a kitchen, don't they? Love!!!

So the shelving idea may be down the road a bit (when Mark can look at the bank account without wincing), but it's about time to replace that ceiling fan in the kitchen, isn't it?! 

I was planning about blogging about this earlier, but couldn't get motivated. Then I stumbled across this pin the other day on Pinterest:

Considering this was posted first on Apartment Therapy (great site, but not always budget-conscious), we can barely afford any of them. Not to mention the fact that I don't LOVE all of them. I really like #1, #3, #4, and the idea of #13, #16, and #17. 

First check out the space we are dealing with:

Now, here are some options I've found previously that I would consider...

Here's the thing. I keep thinking I should keep it simple and go with this fixture from Ikea:

Here it is, whaddya know, in YHL's kitchen:

Plus, there is an entire DIY blog post about this EXACT light that Mark could follow when installing. Bonus!

I'm thinking this option is cost conscious, clean looking, provides light, and easy to install. We have a huge opportunity in the breakfast area to go with something that will make more of a statement, so I'd like to save our pennies (and gift cards) for that. 

What do you think? Is Ikea acceptable for our kitchen light? Have you seen anything elsewhere that we should consider?

Our new kitchen!

Other than wishing a happy 27th birthday to my husband Mark, I'll cut right to the chase today, people!

When we left off, we were here:

UPDATE:  Here is a REAL flashback to just four months ago when we bought the house:

And now, four weeks later (half of which were spent on the rug which must not be named), we're HERE!!!! :

I am LOVING the new kitchen. As soon as we started bringing in the counter tops and putting the tile on the walls, I became super giddy. I have had so much fun moving things around and decorating the new and improved space!

So, we spent half of the last four weeks waiting on 'the rug' that I had ordered towards the end of the kitchen renovation. Bad timing on my part since the 'icemaggedon' hit directly after I ordered said rug and it ended up taking 15 days to arrive. Plus, now that it's here, I'm not sure it's any better than the previous rug!

Here are the two rugs, I want your vote! Tell me which one I should keep in the kitchen:

Should I keep this old rag rug that gives it sort of an Anthropologie vibe?

...Or should I continue my love of stripes with this black and white rug that lends itself more to the East Coast casual vibe?

(it has been rainy for a while so the images with the black and white rug are more yellow due to the fake lighting...please don't hold that against the rug or these photos!)

And of course, here are some more photos of my new favorite place in the house:

Taking on this project was stressful and tiresome, but I'm incredibly proud of Mark and I for doing it so quickly and without any major breakdowns. We had the help of Mark's dad Ian and I couldn't thank him enough for the knowledge and elbow grease he's contributed just so I can have a pretty kitchen.

I'll be doing a price and project breakdown here later to let you know how we did it and how much it cost. But for now, we have a beautiful kitchen. Except for this eyesore below...her time here is quickly coming to an end!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

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One more thing! Please be sure to check out my Etsy shop! I've added lots of things, tweaked some things, and lowered prices on many of my handmade custom items. I hope you can find something you like and I always welcome your feedback. Thanks so much!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury...

People of the Internet: I need your input!

I pinned this image about 5 months ago when we were closing on our home:

I LOVE how this looks and since then I've thought about painting my own window frame. I know there are a lot of orange haters out there, but I actually like the orange. I would be open to more reddish-oranges or maybe even coral. I could explore other color options, but let's get over the first hurdle...

Here are two vantage points of my kitchen (these are the listing images):

If you notice, you can't really see the window unless you are IN the kitchen. That way, my fear of a color being 'too much' would be lessened. 

I mentioned here that Mark and I purchased counters, tile, and a sink for our upcoming remodel (scheduled to start next week!!!) so here is what the new scheme will be:

floor tile as-is

cabinets and cabinet hardware as-is

sink hardware as-is

counter top (not exact color but close) : 

back splash tile (also to go on 'dead end' from back splash level to floor):

sink (similar):

light above sink:

As seen here in our 'after' photos, the walls are Behr: Dolphin Fin (grey) and "dead end" wall is chalkboard paint. 

So, as you see, I have a lot of flexibility to add color.

Second point, and most difficult to master: The window is semi-new, replaced by the previous owners. It is metal and does not have the mullions like the inspiration image. Therefore, it would be very difficult to go back to simple white metal for a future owner or if we didn't like it. We would either have to strip off the paint, which could still damage the white paint on the metal underneath, or we would have to paint over it.

Now that I've presented all of the evidence, I need you as my jury to help me decide! (although my husband gets the last word) 

yes or no?

p.s. how do you like our scheme so far? I'm FREAKING OUT and can't wait to see the finished product!!! :)

blocks and bricks

Here's some insider info:

Mark and I have purchased countertops, backsplash, lighting, and a sink for our kitchen. This may be the best week of my life for that reason. I am SO excited about our kitchen reno so I've been all over the Internet finding even more inspiration. Take a look!

How cool is the cutting board integrated into this countertop? And the lighting?! And the glass front cabinets at the top?!?

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This butcher block is such a warm color and the kitchen is happy in general. Don't you love the darker lower cabinets and light uppers?

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I love the bay of windows behind this sink. Wish we could do a farmhouse sink like the rest of these inspirations!

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I love how crisp and feminine yet modern this kitchen is.

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Dying over this plank ceiling. Love the counters, too!

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This is what I'd love to do with our subway tile. Just white, white, white!

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Such a happy wall with the crisp tile and wood shelves. Love the open shelving!

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Ditto!

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