kitchen – Barnwood and Baked Goods

Kitchen reveal!

So…it’s been awhile sorry about that. We have been rushing to finish all of the details on the kitchen remodel that we have been doing on a budget and all on our own! I can’t wait for you all to see the transformation it’s amazing!

Our kitchen was original to the house built in the 1950’s by my husbands grandfather. Needless to say all of the changes have been made with a lot of thought and respect for this family home. It means a lot to us to be able to update the home that his family gathered in for so many wonderful years. I didn’t get a true before…my husband jumps right in! Lol but here is a before that shows a bit of the layout.

Once cabinets were removed and we started measuring for stock cabintry we realized the windows are oddly offset, and the previous cupboards had been built very big to fill that space. Our budget wasn’t flexible enough for custom cabinets so we opted for a trendy look without any upper cabinetry! Risky but worth it you guys I love the look and feel of the new kitchen!

We added a new peninsula workspace, a soffet for additional lighting, and corner shelving.

There are a few details left to tend to they include drawer pulls, roman shades on the windows and the microwave hood vent has to be installed over the stove, but with the holidays creeping up fast we’re choosing our battles. Lol!

I’d love to know your thoughts on our project! Thanks for following along!

Kitchen Renovation

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook then you already know that we are in the process of renovating our kitchen. Although quite project we are doing all of the renovations on our own DIY style. Thankfully my husband is a licensed contractor and does amazing work.

So here’s the story… we moved into our home 13 years ago. When we moved in the kitchen was original to when the house was built in the 50’s. We made cosmetic upgrades to get us by but the original cabinetry (handmade plywood) and chipped Formica counters stayed.

As much as I would like to go crazy and design and build my dream kitchen, this is not our forever home, and so we’re sticking to a $5000 budget. That’s $5000 to do EVERYTHING! Cabinets, Counter tops, Floors, Backsplash, Lighting… EVERYTHING! It’s kind of daunting to fit everything in that budget!

So Here is the plan…

BEFORE

We have already removed the upper cabinets, and the trim you see at the ceiling has now also been removed. We are keeping some of our appliances and since they are stainless steel this works out perfectly. We will invest in a new Microwave hood vent for over the stove.

We are making the risky decision not to re-install upper cabinets. This is a cost savings, and I feel like it’s kind of a trendy design choice. I also had a mini heart attack at the thought of losing all of that storage, but I think we came up with a way to resolve that and stay on budget… We’re incorporating some open shelving near the sink for glass ware and a few other dishes that we use a lot.

We are installing a stock cream colored cabinet from Lowe’s from the Caspian Collection… They look like this…

I like the fact that they aren’t super white… I was really afraid to go too stark white as this is a LARGE room. Once lowers are installed we found a stock black Formica counter top, stainless steel sink, beautiful stone back splash, and vinyl plank flooring. We’re installing a new soffit with can lighting, and pendants over the counter top. The finished project should look very similar to this… although this is a crude cut and paste rendering that I did myself lol!!

I’m ready to see the finished project already, but we have a long way to go… it will be interesting to see how close we get to my conceptualized drawings! Wish us luck!!

Let me know your thoughts on our idea to eliminate uppers! I’m still nervous! Thanks for reading!

I think I’m in love with my instant pot!

So, I received a really nice gift from my mother and father in law, an instant pot! If you’ve never heard of this it’s simply a multi-functional cook pot that resembles a slow cooker. Instead of a crock though the inner pot is coated aluminum, and the lid has a gasket that allows steam to trap inside the pot like a pressure cooker. But besides slow cooking, and pressure cooking, you can steam veggies, cook rice, cook beans and lentils, saute meat, and can be used for canning!

The nice part about this handy kitchen gadget is it can cook foods that are frozen an it’s FAST!

I’ve already made chili using frozen meat, and tonight I cooked an entire stuffed chicken in less than hour! It’s amazing!! I feel like a Ronco commercial lol!! Set it and forget it! 😂

So if your looking for a tool that will really make life a little easier in the kitchen consider an instant pot! You’ll love it, just like I love mine! Happy cooking everyone!

Shiplap in the Kitchen

I was browsing through various internet home decor sites today and I came across “Funky Junk Interiors”. This kitchen design grabbed my attention right away! I love the rustic flare of the ship lap and the old style crate signage in this design.

I think I would have gone with a subway tile on the remaining exposed wall for a little added dimension, but I really like the overall take. What do you think? Yay or Nay on the ship lap kitchen?

Kitchen Utensils

I love shopping for new kitchen utensils like these ridiculously adorable measuring cups in the shapes of little birds. I’m on a mission now because these little cuties are not located anywhere near me, but I’m determined to find something similar. They are too cute!