Kitchen Re-Remodel

Anyone who has been following us for a while (so, you know, three people, including my mother) knows that we just celebrated a year in our new home. Correction, we just celebrated a year in our new home in which we tore out walls, built new ones, changed ceilings, added rooms, and rebuilt from the ground up. Truly, it was one of the most challenging times for us and our young family.

So, after a year in the space, getting to know it and allowing it to get to know us, naturally, it was time for a major overhaul. The lucky room? The kitchen, of course, because how can your enjoy a small re-remodel without seriously inconveniencing the entire family? You just can't. From the day we started this house over a year and a half ago, I was hesitant to make too many life-altering decisions because you just can't know how to plan a space without living in it. You don't know its strengths, weaknesses, or clever little secrets.

Unfortunately, we did not have the luxury of living in the home before making the decisions; we had to finish it and finish it good. The kitchen has come together slowly over the last year with some necessities: pot rack, quick lumber shelving, makeshift mudroom wall. Each has been helpful, but none have really been "it" for our kitchen and our lives. So, I've been plotting. I've been planning. I've been spending way too much time on Pinterest. And, I think I've been victorious in moving our kitchen from "meh" to "ahh." I still have to redo the mudroom wall to match, but I have the materials and as soon as I make the rest of my decisions, it will be done. Take a peek:

The kitchen  before. This kitchen is so hard to photograph because of this annoying south facing window. Too bright during the day and too dark at night. Oh well, it's all I've got, and I'll take it.

This is my wall-o-shelves. I've loved the open shelves for years, and I sure thought these were beautiful, even though they are just 2x12s that I quick stained the day we moved in so that I would have somewhere to put all our stuff. Notice, though, that there is stuff all over the counters. Time for that to change.

Step one—take off the window casing. It was ugly, anyway.

Step 2—Put on a new sill. I needed some extra depth there to put some herbs for the winter. Necessity certainly is the mother of invention!

Step 3—Add the sides

Step 4—Cap it all off! I almost stopped here because I was so surprised impressed with myself. It was already a whole, new, brighter kitchen! Can you see the difference? Amazing.

I didn't stop there, though, because we decided that our kitchen really needed some sort of backslash. After careful consideration (and, again, way too much time on Pinterest,) I settled on wood planks. I continued with my first layer of those; you know the layer—the one with all the outlets. Frowny face. These are cut from thin plywood, 5mm, and I had them ripped to 8" at Home Depot. They are formaldehyde free, so I'm willing to use them in the kitchen.

Second layer. I used nickels to space them. It worked pretty well to make sure I had that rustic, authentic gap between the rows. Mostly. I always want to leave room for future mind-changing, so this are simply finish nailed into the studs. No glue, just my favorite tool and me.

Third layer of planks. Notice the piles of crap that follow us through this process. It was inevitable.

Once I got the third row in, I caulked them, primed them, then painted them in a semi-gloss paint that I had color matched to our cabinets. Consistency is key, you know. Next time I do this (like for the mudroom wall) I will spray the planks before I install them. Painting in place with a brush is just too much work. I then sealed the planks with 2 coats of Polycrylic to make them easy to wipe down. Best decision ever.

Here's the detail of the top of the window. Loving the farmhouse detail.

I took down the shelves, whitewashed them to this great brown grey (my current favorite color trend) and reinstalled two of the three originals. I actually put stuff on the walls before I put the shelves back because I couldn't wait. You see that cool tool caddy? That was the solution to "TOO MANY THINGS ON THE COUNTER" disease that our kitchen had.

Also, I made it because I couldn't find the one I wanted. Well, I found it, but the store no longer stocked them, so I improvised. Now this one I am proud of. Super proud.

Here is the almost finished product. I'm afraid that I might have captured the fly strip in this shot and destroyed all good yumminess about the kitchen. Deal with it—it's a farm kitchen and we have flies. Well, not anymore, because now we have fly strips. Booyah. It looks so much better than in this photo. So clean. So streamlined. So farmer chef chic. Yeah, that's a thing.

This is just a reminder of what it looked like before. It helps to have perspective when trying to get that fly strip out of one's head.

My over-the-stove art piece isn't done yet, but it's going to be classic. And awesome. And vintage. Hopefully I don't blow it. We shall see.

Another before.

And . . . AFTER! Once I put up a little shelf and buy a new paper towel holder and throw away that ice cream bucket, these counters will be clear and stay that way. FOR.EV.ER.

All in all, I'm happy with the result. It's still a little busier than I would like, but there's really nothing to be done. I live in a farmhouse cabin, and I'm leaning into it. The kitchen feels happy, clean, content. It's nice to be in a content kitchen. Everyone I know should come feel the kitchen's new contentment; it's good in here.