Before and After: Kitchen Makeover

So, finally, it’s here! The post everyone (or at least me) has been waiting for… the kitchen reveal!! I have been working for four months on completely remodeling my kitchen. Here’s what I started with:

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may receive compensation (at no additional cost to you.)

It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t functional (hello, complete lack of appliances.) It was everything I never wanted my kitchen to be. And now I have:

So much prettier. So much more functional. 

I am obsessed with these 30 inch wide drawers. They store so much stuff, and give me the perfect “food preparation area.” I keep all my food, utensils, mixing bowls, etcetera, in this corner, so I’m not running all over the place trying to make dinner.

I also absolutely love the butcherblock countertops. Oh my goodness. So pretty. So inexpensive. So easy to prep and install. They are amazing, and I’m so glad I ignored all the people complaining about upkeep. I love them.

On the other side of the room, I started with this:

I closed up that laundry room door, and now have a much more functional U-shaped kitchen that looks like this:

My cat, Penny, decided this was the perfect time to perch on the countertop. I went with it.

It doesn’t even look like the same kitchen, but I swear, it is. I now use that corner as my “food cooking” area. Everything I need to actually cook food is in the little drawers next to the stove (the stove utensils, oven mitts, etc.) It works so well.

I also have all my “extra” appliances over there. You know what I’m talking about, right? That waffle iron you use once a year. The air fryer I probably don’t really need. Everyone else is guilty of accidentally buying these things too, right?

I also created a little mudroom for the back door. It’s super helpful for keeping organized as I run in and out the door. 

There is also now seating in the kitchen. It’s small, but it works, and I am so excited to have a place to eat breakfast each morning. I made the bar with the leftover butcherblock from the countertop; if you’re interested to see the whole process, click here.

I am also completely obsessed with the sunflower mirror, which I made from scrap wood and dollar store sunflowers. I thought it’d be cute, but I didn’t think it’d be this cute.

Confession Time…

So finally, there are some things I need to confess. I don’t universally love everything. I feel like I’m breaking some kind of blogging rule, that everything I make is suppose to be *amazing* so you feel inspired to go and do your own project. But that’s not life, and yes, there are some things I screwed up.

First of all, the wall color. When I moved in, the wall color was the absolute least offensive thing about the kitchen. It was a nice, neutral creamy color.

As a result, it did not even occur to me at the beginning of this project to change it. Now that the kitchen is all done and pretty and new looking, the creamy yellow-pink wall color stands out. Big time.

It even makes my bar seating area look less cute than it actually is. I suppose I could go back and paint the remaining walls a more-white color, but I am a bit tired of remodeling this kitchen, so that will have to wait.

Secondly, the plywood floors. I don’t love them. I detail why in this post, but suffice to say, if I could go back and do the floors in a real flooring type, I would. Granted, I now know that I came in almost $1,000 under budget, so I could’ve afforded real floors, but I didn’t know that at the time.

Overall Though…

I love my kitchen, and am so excited that I can finally cook real food in it! There is so much storage, which as someone who hoards kitchen supplies, I definitely need.

The seating and mudroom area are functionality that I was so thrilled to squeeze out of this tiny kitchen. I am so glad I tackled this project, even if it took four months to do everything myself. And I came under budget, too, which was an exciting bonus!

Thinking of redoing your own kitchen? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below! Additionally, if you like my kitchen, go ahead and save it to Pinterest so you can look at it again later!