The Big Reveal

Before: Our old kitchen looked very much the same between 1941 and 2003 (when this picture was taken). Two years ago, we took out a few cabinets, got a new fridge, moved it into the laundry room, and created a prep space. It was a lot of work to make our kitchen work a little better for us, but it still was a small kitchen, with very little counter space or storage space. We have been talking about this kitchen remodel for at least 5 years, and decided to make the plunge this summer. It was a lot of stress, sweat and hassle--we didn't hire a general contractor, so Tony did all of the space planning, comparison shopping, heavy lifting and countless trips to the hardware store, while I did a lot of childcare. We went back and forth on the costs of doing a major kitchen remodel vs. painting the shelves, updating the drawer knobs and replacing the sink. After: In the end, we took out 2 walls (from the dining room to the kitchen, and from the laundry room to the kitchen), extending our kitchen by 4 feet, and merging the laundry room and kitchen into one 13 foot galley kitchen. Like you see in magazines, here is what we got (in case you're interested):

• Floors: Carbonized vertical bamboo floors
• Cabinets: Custom cabinets by Danny Molina using Apple-ply prefinished maple with tung oil rubbed edging
• Countertop: Caesarstone in Lagos Blue
• Paint: Benjamin Moore Jute (only 2 walls done so far)
• Lighting: recessed fluorescent lighting (pendant light over the sink still to be purchased)
• Stove: DCS with Viking hood and ventilator
• Dishwasher: Bosch (not shown in picture)
• Back Door: Double pane single-light French door with cherry stain finish and 5-6 coats of polyeurathane seal

In all, it took 3 months. We still have some things to be done, but with the help of my parents, we unpacked our kitchen stuff from the garage and put all the pots, pans and dishes away this weekend. Thank goodness for the extra storage space because we don't have a china cabinet anymore. Gone are the days of using file cabinets in the back room to store food. We hope to finish up the dining room and living room in the next month (or so). I'm so excited about this kitchen, I'm inspired to cook and clean! Maiya is enjoying dancing around the new kitchen, and she wants to climb up and see and touch everything. Big thanks to Tony O. whose vision and hard work made this kitchen a reality, and Tony’s friend Danny, whose skill and craftsmanship we could not have this beautiful kitchen without.