As you can see, the retro-ness is out of this world. Check out the gas oven! I mean, it looked like something from the Brady Bunch. Besides its very interesting look, there was absolutely no use for this super small, but also very ill-placed oven. The stovetop was just sad. The inspector told us that one of the burners wasn't working and I'd have to get it fixed...ugh...no...how about I'd just get the whole darn thing replaced. The fridge was pretty decent...decent enough to place in our unfinished basement. And oh the wallpaper...butterflies...
So my inspiration for our new kitchen came from watching endless hours of HGTV. If you haven't noticed, white kitchens are the trend these days. I absolutely love the clean and bright color of white, so I knew my own kitchen would be white as well. Here were some pics of inspiration (all from Pinterest):
Anyway, on to the renovation. A friend of mine hooked me up with a contractor who she used for her income properties. I called him promptly and he gave me a pretty inexpensive quote. I was ready! I truly thought the renovation would take two weeks max, but boy was I totally wrong. Our contractor friend took a pretty looong time (one and a half months). I wasn't too happy, but I got over it after a while. Here was the demolition and the trash:
Here are pics of the process. The white Shaker style cabinets were from Cabinets to Go, so all of them had to be assembled. Our granite countertops are Azul Platino style and were ordered at a countertops store in South Philadelphia (sink was included with the countertop). The backsplash was subway tile model from Home Depot. The appliances were all ordered from PC Richards and Son. I got a Samsung Refrigerator (which is a giant!), a Frigidaire microwave and oven, a Whirlpool dishwasher, and a cool sink faucet from Home Depot.
(model of that finished kitchen done using Cabinets to Go Online tools)
Here is the final product:
Our kitchen was finally done. The only thing we did not change was the flooring and the overhead recessed lights (above the cabinets). Those will eventually be changed in the future. I love my white kitchen. My favorite part, of course, is the island! Its so great for prepping. I also love our breakfast bar. I did not knock down the wall which separates our kitchen from the living room. I'm not a total fan of open concept. I need some separation...especially with the smells of cooking. Anyway, what do you think?
