Keep Smiling

Keep Smiling

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Kitchen Update


We have finally started 
updating the kitchen,
other than paint and curtains :)

 Before:
This is the kitchen when we bought
the house in the Spring of 2014.
The walls were a dark brown paneling,
very cave like. 

 This is how it looked a week ago,
before we started our up-date.
Notice the trim over the upper cabinets. . .
I can never remember to buy another piece 
of trim and finish that, LOL.


We started our remodel by installing
bead-board for our back-slash.
Here you can see that the counters 
in this house are narrower than standard.
  Therefore; we had to build it out
where the sink goes to fit in a
standard size sink.


Next we installed the counter top. 


I absolutely love my new sink.
It is large and deep and nice for things 
like big pans and cookie sheets.

It takes a woman to understand
how excited I am about this
new sink and faucet . . .
not to mention the back-splash and counter top.      


I'm one smiling
"domestic chick"
LOL


Before I say good-bye . . .
here is one last before photo. 


Next week we plan on installing the range hood
on the other side of the room.
This kitchen has no ventilation fan.
Every time I fry anything, I set off the 
smoke alarm.
I have to open the window above the sink
and set a small fan on the window sill.
  
I am not going to miss doing that, LOL.   

I hope you enjoyed your visit.
 
Keep Smiling!
Your blogging sister,
Connie:)   

54 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing your DIY! I especially like to see the before and after:)

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    1. Big difference, right . . . I'm sure enjoying just walking into the kitchen and looking around :)

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  2. It looks great. I love the colors you used, very cheerful.

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    1. Hi Betty, I am a huge fan of white kitchens and want to paint it all white someday, but these retro colors have been making me very happy, so I'm not in any big hurry to change them :) Kitchens should be happy places.

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  3. Good morning! Oh, how cheery your new kitchen looks. I think working in the old, dark one would have been depressing! I love the little curtain under the sink and what a great sink you have now! I am sure you are enjoying it! Nancy

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    1. Hi Nancy, it is wonderful. Not only was the old sink a sight for sore eyes, but the faucet was starting to leak and getting worst each day. Now it is pretty and functional . . . I am loving it :) Steve suggested building new cabinet doors for under the sink, but I like the vintage look of a curtain and sense we don't have babies crawling around the kitchen getting into cabinets, it will work fine for us :) I really enjoy keeping the kitchen with a more cottage look.

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  4. Much progress and looking good.

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  5. Hahaha about your comment how it takes a woman to get excited about a new sink and faucet! I'd like to add new vacuum cleaner and washing machine to the list. Heh. Brilliant work.

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    1. It is wonderful when the things we use everyday are working properly and can be pretty at the same time :) I'm one of those few people that actually enjoy doing dishes . . . the hot water feels really good to my arthritic hands. My new sink just makes be feel like a Fancy Nancy :)

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  6. I love it!

    We are still waiting on our painter to finish our kitchen - hopefully next week. We could do it, but neither of us feel comfortable on a ladder these days.

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    1. Ladders can be tricky . . . and if you slip or twist wrong . . . the doctor bills and pain totally outweigh the price of hiring someone to do it for you. I have three ceiling light fixtures that I want to get installed. We can do that too, but climbing a ladder, while balancing the fixture and feeling the pain in your shoulders . . . I say pay someone younger to do it. They did the money and we need to take care of our bodies :)

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  7. I love how you're doing the upgrade slowly instead of gutting it like so many people do. You're retaining character and charm while upgrading. Love how it looks and love your sink and faucet! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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    1. Hi Teresa, thank you. I like my old cabinets and some of the character that remains in our kitchen. It gives me a Betty Crocker feeling . . . something about the forties and fifties and cooking from scratch . . . aprons and rolling pins . . . kitchens that smell like pies and pot roast and licking the spoon and mixing bowl. I guess it brings back some of the good memories I have from helping my Momma in the kitchen when I was a little girl.

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  8. So in love with your kitchen colors! I love that deep sink, too. I waited over 20 years for mine. And then we installed our first dishwasher at the same time. Sure wish I had that sink for all those years of dish washing by hand!

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  9. That is a GLORIOUS sink! :) Ok, I am easily impressed, but...seriously, WOW!

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    1. Hi Sandi, I ordered the sink over the internet and you never really know what to expect until it arrives. I was pleasantly pleased.

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  10. Well done!
    What a cheerful, bright and happy kitchen.
    I'm sure it will be a joy to bake and cook in :)

    ~K.

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    1. We spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so it needs to be a place that brings a smile to our face, right? I know that my kitchen is pretty colorful, but I like it. I also like pure white kitchens and will someday probably paint it all white, but for now I'm enjoy the happy colors :)

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  11. It looks great. What a big difference from when you first bought the house. I love the look of the bead board and that faucet is very nice

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    1. Hi Ann, thanks for stopping by . . . I am so excited about the sink and faucet . . . I spend a lot of time at that sink doing dishes and looking out the window :) It's one of my favorite spots in the house and now even more so :)

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  12. Love the new kitchen! Bead board makes me smile. Very nice counter top, white cabinets are also fresh looking. Nice job!
    deb

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    1. Hi Deb, thank you so much. I know that my kitchen is more colorful than most folks would like, but it puts a smile on my face and just makes me happy :) I'm sure that I am not the only on, but I have mixed feeling about color . . . I like cheerful and bright in a kitchen and I like kitchens that are all white. The good thing about that is that paint is cheap and an easy fix. One day I am sure that I'll have my white dream kitchen, but I am enjoying the colors for the time being.

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  13. It's so cute, Connie! I love bead board. It just screams character, to me.

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    1. Hi Laurie, and thank you so much! I am doing my best to keep the old vintage feeling of our home,but still have modern functionality

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  14. Wow, what a difference! It looks bright and cheerful now. We live in a log home and as much as I love it, sometimes I long for bright and white. After 26 years I would love to move into a big white house with lots of big windows and a sun room.

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    1. The photos that I have seen of your home are lovely . . . very warm and cozy. I do know what you mean about bright and white . . . it creates a cheerful atmosphere. Too, bad we can't have both :) I love many different styles, so it is not always easy to decide on just one.

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  15. Connie! It looks just great. I LOVE your new sink. That is one mistake I made in this house. I got talked into a sink and I have never liked it. It is undermounted and impossible to change. Your beadboard, countertops, paint choices, everything--all look wonderful!!! I love all the color, too. I think it is warm and welcoming and feels HAPPY!!! xo Diana

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    1. Hi Diana, you just have that special way for making people feel so good about their choices. I know that my kitchen has more color than most people are probably comfortable with, but it makes me smile :)

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  16. Ooh! How thrilling, dear Connie! Your kitchen looks lovely, and I am sure it must be a delight to work in it...seeing as the kitchen is where we spend much of our time, of course it should be as pretty and practical as it can be...do enjoy!
    Blessings to you...and have a simply splendid weekend!
    Hugs and love,
    Kelly-Anne

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    1. Hi Kelly Anne, thanks for stopping by to say hello. Our home is 110 years old and I enjoy adding modern conveniences without taking away from the vintage charm. Sometimes that creates a problem, but I do what I can :)

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  17. Wow, Connie...your kitchen transformation is amazing! Doesn't even look like the same kitchen. You and your hubby want to come over and do mine? ;-) It is stuck in a 1980's time warp. I just love your big, deep sink. Perfect for soaking cookie sheets and big pots.

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    1. Hi Melanie, before we bought this house we had just installed a big sink and a faucet very similar to this one in the old house . . . then we moved and I had to say good-bye to my dream kitchen. I feel very good about this re-do and will be happy for many, many years with my choices. Having a big single sink is so nice for so many big kitchen jobs; I highly recommend them over double sinks.
      Here's a hint for you . . . I did this once with the bathroom in our old house. I started buying things like a sink, a faucet, a counter, towel racks, etc. Then I stored them in the corner of a room we didn't use much. Then I waited . . . for the perfect weekend . . . nothing planned . . . and mentioned how I would like to remold the bathroom. When Steve said, well as soon as we can afford it . . . I answered "this weekend" . . . what could he say . . . I got my bathroom re-do. It took me months as I only purchased as I could afford things, but soon everything was bought and ready to go, LOL.

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  18. Lovely transformation!! Isn't it wonderful to have things that make our lives so much easier, the new faucet I have now I don't really care for, wish my old one would have lasted longer, so sad.

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    1. Having a kitchen that makes you happy each time you walk in the door is a joyful thing :)

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  19. Connie I TOTALLY understand your excitement at your new sink and work top! A kitchen theta "works" is a joy to be in. I love your new colour scheme, I wonder anyone managed to work in the previous brown version! Lxx

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    1. Hello Lynne . . . having a kitchen that makes you happy to work in it, is a joyful thing . . . I know that my kitchen is more colorful than most, but it makes me smile and now that it is not leaking and even pretty is a amazing feeling :)

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  20. Looks awesome Connie! I love my big single basin sink too! I wouldn't go back to a regular sink now. Love your faucet too....gorgeous! Have a happy weekend my friend!

    Hugs, VIcky

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    1. Hi Vicky, thanks for the visit and here's hoping that your weekend is a happy one, too :)

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  21. Connie...your kitchen is looks great!! Love your deep sink. We put in a new kitchen a few year ago and a deep sink was a must...and I just love it!!
    hugs,
    Cindy

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    1. Once you experience the ease of having a big sink I don't think you would ever want to go back :)

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  22. Hey Connie....love that sink too. Anything updating done in the kitchen is a big difference. Helps when you have a very handy husband.
    Louise

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    1. Hi Louise, I just hate it that your computer has taken you back to being anonymous. Thanks for adding your name to your comment, I almost deleted it, until I saw that it was from you. I am delighted that you like our kitchen, I am so excited to have everything working. We just got the range hood in last night and I cooked without setting off the smoke alarm, LOL. That has been a hassle and I'm happy to say a thing that can now just be a memory :)

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  23. Connie
    I love the colours you've used, so fresh and welcoming.
    We spend so much time in the kitchen, it's lovely to have things just as we want.

    Happy Weekend Wishes.

    All the best Jan

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  24. I agree with everyone else...the colors are very cheerful and refreshing. And it's so nice to have a window above the sink. I love your little flag banner! Sweet hugs, Diane

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    1. Good Morning Diane, I thought that I would check my blog while the coffee pot is busy making our morning wake-up brew. It is lovely to see you :) I love having a window above my sink and cannot imagine spending as many hours as I do staring into a wall. I do believe kitchens that are designed without a window or at least a few above the sink into the family-room . . . must be designed without thought of the woman of the home. It is always a pleasure to have you stop by. Have a lovely Sunday:)

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  25. I LOVE farm sinks. That's what I've had for the last several years. And I know EXACTLY how you feel....I just posted a picture of the sink I ordered, just yesterday, for my new kitchen! I can not wait!!!!

    Cindy Bee

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    1. I Cindy, I'll be right over to take a peek . . . Happy Kitchen :)

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  26. Great kitchen update! Your kitchen is looks great! Love the sink. Thanks for sharing!

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