Then and Now- Kitchen

Are you ready to travel back in time again?  I'm continuing the Then and Now series where we travel all the way back to 2008 and watch our house become a grown up.

Most of you recognize our kitchen as this.  

I love our kitchen so very much.  There is honestly very little that I would change about the space.  It functions well.  There is plenty of storage and prep space.  It looks pretty.  What more could a girl want?  Well, besides a chef to cook for her in this kitchen.  Wait, I'll have that once tax season is over. I kid. Sort of.

Let me tell you all a little secret.  Our kitchen didn't always look like this. Let's head back to our kitchen circa 2008.  You know, back when I struggled to cook Kraft Mac n' Cheese.  Back before we owned a DSLR.

She's a beauty right?  Almost as stunning as baby Ike and blond Michelle. (You all asked for more horrendous blond photos.  I deliver.) Look at trend setter Ike in his camo.

The kitchen definitely had to go through a few ugly duckling stages to reach it's current state.

We started with dry wall and paint.  The color is Sherwin Williams Svelte Sage.  I really love this color in this space.  Which is impressive coming from someone that must change all of the things.

Nate and his dad installed the cabinets late in the Fall of 2008.  They are still hanging today.  They must know what they are doing.  The granite was installed soon after.  We debated on the "splurge" of granite.  I would hands down purchase this same exact granite today.  It doesn't show scratches, stains, etc.  My favorite part of granite is setting hot pots wherever my little heart desires.  I would, however, get a different flat top stove.  The buttons on this one make it a pain to clean.  So I don't.  Okay, I do.  Just not as often as I should.

The kitchen looked like this when we moved in.  We were so darn proud of ourselves.  There were still plans to add molding to the top of the cabinets.  It just wasn't a priority before moving in.

A year passes and I get the crazy idea that our island needs something.  It was such a boring island. I mean, the cabinets were starting to look nice with the addition of the molding but the room was still a little blah. After convincing Nate that I totally knew what I was talking about, we added bead board to the island.  I feel like the bead board was the start of the slippery slope into "fixing up" everything in our home. 

Things got really crazy in 2011 when I won a $1000 giveway to Barn Light Electric.  Winning this giveaway really helped us define our style.  We were previously too cheap to buy what we really wanted.  We picked out some beautiful pendants that changed the look of the kitchen.

We had plans to add a backsplash since we began to build.  We knew it was something that we could complete at a later time when there were less decisions to make and more money in the bank.  We went back and forth on what type of backsplash we wanted.  Mosaic? Clear tile? Subway tile?  Spoiler.  We chose subway tile with dark grout.

We had debated hiring out the backsplash but then we got brave/cheaped out and installed it ourselves in 2012.  I think think was about the time I learned to cook as well.  2012 was a big year for our kitchen.  

At this point I was fairly certain that we were close to done. I wasn't completely happy with the stool situation.  You may remember that this was a big debate between Nate and I.  I found some thrift store stools that I gave a quick makeover.  The stools were fine.  A little wobbly.  A little we needed 4 and they only had 3.  I decided to hold out until the perfect stools came my way. 

After a fairy tale of sorts, some new stools came into our home and made this kitchen complete.

This is one room in the house that we currently have zero plans for.  Zip.  Zero. Zilch.  Dare I say that this room is done?  

Wall Color: Svelte Sage (Sherwin Williams)
Island Pendants: Bermuda Pendant (Barn Light Electric)
Breakfast Area Pendant: Laramie Pendant (Barn Light Electric)
Table: Built by the Husband Figure
Chairs: Jackson Tub Chair (World Market)
Stools: Target's Threshold Lewiston stool
Backsplash:  Ivory Bone Tile (The Tile Shop)

Check out our house tour page and building information page!

Do you have big plans for your kitchen or is it complete?  Do you cringe at your 2008 hair style like I do?  Or are you still rocking the same 'do like the Ike man?

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