Fox Hollow Cottage

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Gritty to Pretty… Our Kitchen Story

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Gritty to Pretty… Our Kitchen Story
Hi Again!
I’m so excited to share our completed kitchen with you.
It’s a true-blue DIY style makeover.
Since I haven’t been blogging long, I’m just now getting a chance to share some of our
“before & after” projects with you all.
And since the house was so ugly.
{shh… don’t listen baby!}
We have lots.
Most of our projects were fairly simple.
Our kitchen by far was the most involved.
Since, let’s face it, we had to start over from scratch.
I guess we could have struck a match come to think of it?
Just FYI, I sold the stove & dishwasher (after testing and cleaning) so those were recycled!
Green me. Right out front actually, while we were there at the house working.
Remember, we were still living in the “Dream Home” at this point.
I figured every little bit helps and it was going right back out, let me tell ya!
Because every time we needed something
it was $100… or $1,000.
Why is that???
If case you missed my last post here is a little pre-reno refresher for you…
You can see more before photos here. In case you want to scar your retinas.
I don’t know? You might be into that.
Here Are Our Humble Afters
Please Beware!
You won’t find marble or high-end finishes.
Just lots of budget friendly material used the best we knew how.

I was lucky enough to find this light fixture I had been dreaming about at a great price! I talk more about our chandelier here.

We started off fresh with all new flooring and cabinets. The cabinets are from Kraftmaid. The finish is Linen.

This entire kitchen was a last minute DIY. We “parted ways” with our contractor, then took over and finished it all on our own.

The cabinet install, countertop build, tile, back splash and beadboard were all installed by my dad.
Who had never done it before! I was the runner, fetcher, hepler but definitely my dad was the steam that drove that engine!! We learned a lot working on the house together.
And ate a lot of Subway for lunch.
What our original plans included…
(White Cabinets, Marble Counters and a “Cottage Chic” Vibe)
and what was left of our budget after the dust settled
Left Us Oceans Apart.
I tried my best to get the cottage style look I craved, and my dad did his best to make it happen,  with the finishes we could afford. If I had it to do over, I would have gotten white cabinets. Budget be damned!
Live & Learn though… I was trying to be responsible.
Thanks Dad!
for building up all the cabinet tops to match the crown molding height so I could fill them with treasures!
My hubby installed all the crown molding.
Also a first-time for that.
It came out wonderful!
Learn more about how we spruced up the archway here.
I searched and searched until I found some reasonably priced jewelry.
       
(which I found on ebay, and later discovered, was Kraft Maid brand! Pretty funny.)
Getting the most storage possible was key.
We added upper and lower cabinets on the wall above, where previously, there was nothing.
We stayed with the white tile and beadboard theme for unity.
I did not mix cabinet finishes because I did not want it getting too busy.
Our floor plan is surprisingly open considering how old our home is. The living room flows into the kitchen, then straight into the sun room. I am certain there were some changes made at some point.
We did run into a few snags to be sure.
(not so many after the bad guy got the boot though)
But all that is boring and I’m sure you don’t have all day long to read about it!
Though at the time, it was hard to go through,
I am so thankful for the kitchen we ended up with.
I know we are truly lucky.
Many people don’t have the family, skills, tools or time
we did to take over and finish on our own.
(again… thanks DAD!!!!)
See how we got our light fixture to match our faucet here.
If you have any questions about our kitchen
I would be happy to answer them.
Thanks so much for stopping by.

Please note: I do know there are some good contractors out there!
We just weren’t lucky enough to find one 😉
 

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Comments

  1. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says

    You all did a great job on your kitchen, Shannon! I know well the blood, sweat, tears {and money} that is put into DIY projects like this. You wound up with a lovely cozy cottage kitchen! I envy the cabinet tops being level; I haven’t had that good fortune yet. I’ve used books as risers for years and had to continue that in our new place, too.

  2. art is beauty says

    Oh Shannon, I am sure I have told you before, but it is just lovely!!! I can feel all the love that you put into it right through the computer. What a great family memory too, when your son looks back and sees how hard his family worked.
    Hugs,
    Karin

  3. ReFresh ReStyle says

    Shannon, I love it! The display areas are fantastic and the light/white colors will go with anything! Your husband and dad did a great job and you too! You’ve come a long way baby! From green to Queen, it looks great!
    Debbie

  5. Andrea says

    Goodness Gracious! You and I have been busy! Thank you SO much for stopping by and leaving me a sweet note about my bathroom redo. I can’t wait till all my other rooms are totally done! Fantastic job on the kitchen! Seriously! I wouldn’t have even noticed that the cabinets weren’t white, white.. until you said so.
    Darling!! Hope you enjoy your new space as well!!

  7. debhib says

    I LOVE your kitchen redo!! So refreshing to see a beautiful kitchen done on a budget. I enjoy your blog, and I see that we pin from each other on Pinterest. Where do you live in “the Pacific Northwest”? I live in Albany, Oregon. Debbie

  10. Sissy says

    Shannon, as a custom kitchen designer (for over 10 years) I can tell you that you did an AWESOME job! Remodels in older homes are the hardest and you did a BEAUTIFUL job!!! And, I LOVE the finish on the cabinets vs white. It’s very warm and cozy and packed with charm. So pretty!!!

  12. Megan says

    I love that your grandma’s rooster watches of over your kitchen now! I feel ya on the wishes vs the budget conundrum. We DIY’ed our own gut and refinish on our kitchen and there was lots that got left out :(. Maybe on the next house?

  14. Sweet Melanie says

    Well it looks just beautiful! Lovin’ the new hardware and you could never tell the window wasn’t aligned with the sink….at least I never could. Just beautiful!

Gritty to Pretty… Our Kitchen Story

Gritty to Pretty... Our Kitchen Story: Follow our kitchen renovation. A real-deal, all homeowner DIY.
 
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