I know… I really  am insane.  I have been dreaming of a kitchen remodel since we bought this house 6 years ago, but I was just sooooo done with waiting.  We have been debating about moving/remodeling for a few years, but with the market and putting in a new backyard/pool a few years ago, we decided it is best to stay put and make it work for us.

So… in the midst of one of my busiest falls ever, I decide it would be a fabulous time to remodel our kitchen!  Luckily, I had some amazing help from Vicky Grinnel of GHI Designs, a fabulous crew of contractors, and amazing cabinet builders to work with. I literally only had to make about 4-5 decisions - they did it all for me… and stayed within our budget.

After our backyard pool remodel a few years ago, I swore I would NEVER attempt the kitchen, but the best decision we made was to hire Vicky!  The whole process was so painless… From destruction to completion, it was 2 weeks exactly!  14 days of eating out… not bad.  14 days of no dishes… EVEN BETTER!

So, I’ve been waiting to post these as I want to get new desk chairs and new window coverings (and eventually a new couch), but this project is now on the back burner as we get through the holidays… so I decided to post these since I have had so many wanting to see the results!

I’ll post side by side before and afters…  tell me what you think… (but please excuse the quality… the white balance and exposure are off on these and it drives me crazy, but I’m too tired to fix it, so I’m going to just be OK with it.)

Note the bar… tiny… and NO storage.  My LITTLE cabinets and LITTLE drawers.  I had NO storage in this kitchen and very little counter space.

Oh yeah…   counter space and cabinets all along the backside of the bar… and on the end there… YIPEE!

Kitchen table that was too small for the 5 of us…

Transformed into one of my favorite features of the whole kitchen…something everyone was hesitant that I do, but I’m soooo glad that I ended up doing… the 3-chair workspace!  The kids are getting a new computer for Christmas, and this is where it will go… right where I can keep on eye on them and see what they are up to.  Their rooms are so small that they have no space for a desk, so this is now the homework area…. and drawers for all that PAPERWORK that comes home daily!  And a really cool window treatment will finish off this area… and some new chairs - these are from our old kitchen table which is now on the patio!  (By the way, we have a large dining room table in the next room which we now enjoy dinners in every night!)

Very small and awkward pantry…

Ahhhhh… floor to ceiling pantry!  Lots of cool features on the inside!   (Should have taken a picture… it is even very organized.  Oh well.)

So, the remodel happened because this carpet DESPERATELY needed to be replaced.  I wasn’t about to replace carpet before the mess of a remodel… thus, as Mike says, the most expensive carpet EVER!