Kitchen before and after

Here's a little memory lane of the kitchen for your viewing pleasure! And yes you guessed right. I haven't done more on the house this week yet so I was hoping to distract and entertain all in one. How am I doing so far?

It's the year 2005. This is 3 months after I moved into this house. I quickly took this shot before I went too far. The walls already got some new paint in some areas. Note the old peachy tone on the headers touching the ceiling, and burgundy lower portion of the walls. My new colour was the taupe. These cabinets were flat out tired. The luxurious marble counter tops were oh so dated. I knew I had to live with it for awhile so....

... I got busy with a paintbrush. Over the 3 years I'd been in the house, it was all about buying time with the miracle of paint until I could do things right. This picture was taken right before the 2008 reno. This was about my 3rd colour on the counter tops as I loved to change them... had white, black and then finally mocha. The cabinets got a coat of deep mocha melamine with black distressed accents. Paint saved my life! I learned alot about what did and didn't work and never had the fear to try in this house, because no matter WHAT I did, it was always an improvement.

Time to shake this place up abit and get rid of this wall I've stared at for way too long. Oh did that wall use to bug me. It was like holding a board in front of my face no matter where I walked. I so longed to just have it gone. See those plywood floors?!? Had'em for 3 years.

Ohhhh yeah! I remember this day. I squealed when that wall came tumbling down! I loved the wide open spaces! The upstairs felt massive in size without walls haulting your visual. One neighbourhood kiddo paid a visit and she exclaimed in horror, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR HOUSE?!?" And I happily shared, "Yeah, isn't it GREAT?" Perhaps I'm easily pleased...

And naturally things have to get abit worse before they get better. It was somewhat challenging cooking at this point. But we managed absolutely fine! I remember adoring those new lights installed in the ceiling. I couldn't believe how bright it was as the kitchen was so dimly lit before. It was just about too bright for awhile, until darker objects arrived in the room soaking up the glare. And just check out those windows!! See that table on an angle? That was my pretend future island, already in place. LOL

This was like the Trump Tower at this point. FLOORS!!!!! Walls! It was relatively clean! Ok, well, until I sanded again. And again. And .. ah, you get it.

Here's after the paint went on the walls. Cabinet day was especially exciting. I don't think I stopped talking or pacing all day long. I kept leaving the room so I wouldn't intimidate the guys working but I HAD to keep coming back out to peek! That white coroplast was laying on the floor for the longest time. I couldn't WAIT to lift it to reveal the incredible floor! And that dear 'ol stove is still hangin' out. But not for long.

Cabinets, appliances and counter tops in all in one week!!!!!!! I thought I was gonna die from kitchen love. No working stove for awhile until gas was hooked up and all that jazz. Still waiting for that coroplast to be gone. And no island top yet. But I did load the cupboards up! It was so nice not to have to search for box after box for a fork. I remember this day vividly. The sun had broken out and I couldn't believe how gorgeous and bright this open floor plan was that day.

OH

YEAH.

This is what you see today. And we are thrilled! Appliances are awesome. Lighting intensity is perfect! Windows glorious. Open floor plan nice and airy. Island and topper funky and practical and happily overused. Cabinets gorgeous and awesome quality. Sink and taps outstanding! Floors smooth and to die for. I need to take a good picture without all the glare and to cover the room from the angle view one day.

And the best part? Look ma! No coroplast!

The team and I worked incredibly hard to get this kitchen in before Christmas. When Christmas did arrive, we had a snow storm. Can you imagine how awesome it was being snowed in and having to stay in this kitchen?!? Well, if you can't, let me tell you.

Imagine having so much disfunction for so long that you can't even see your way up. You muddle through, you tell yourself all is fine, but you know it isn't. But you go through the motions anyway.

Then you are so busy implementing all your dreams that you barely have time to poke your head up beyond the dust to enjoy what's transpiring around you.

Finally, one day the dust settles, and all is wonderfully silent and beautiful. It's all there. It took me awhile to adjust to the beauty and reality of this kitchen. It's only a room, I know. But when you've dreamt for so long and it's finally here, you don't know what to do with all that emotion. So I did the only thing I could. I enjoyed it.

Cody loves to come in this room. He putters around in the easily-big-enough-for-2-cooks-now kitchen and pipes up, "We have a nice house now don't we?"

"We sure do buddy. Thanks to our wonderful friends for helping us get there."

You all know who you are.