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Retirement Project #2: Dream Kitchen Renovation

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Cabinet_1

Now that I have retired, I’ve noticed my household chores are growing by the day. My lovely wife still has a few years before she reaches the promised land, so it’s only fair that I do a little housework between napping, golfing and playing the lottery.

I never thought our kitchen was that bad when she complained until I started using it every day to make dinner. It took me about three weeks of burning food and trying to find space for groceries and dishes to figure out we needed to upgrade.

More Cabinets and Counter Space
Before the remodel, we had a real issue with space. Every time we returned from the grocery store, we were reorganizing cabinets to fit everything. Then we would forget where we put stuff. So we took advantage of a smaller wall that wasn’t being used to add cabinet space and a wine glass rack. We also elected to have a few more decorative cabinets to open the space a little and create some visual appeal.

Cabinet_2

We chose a lighter wood with a washed finish for the majority of the cabinets to brighten the space. We also added some black-antiqued cabinetry to go with our black appliances. We also added some spindles to the island to give it more of a furniture feel.

island-1

Leftovers
My wife just had to have this black cabinet with glass doors, but by the end of the renovation we just didn’t know where to put it. We had some leftover granite from where the sink was cut out, so I had the hardware store round the corners and we put it on top of the cabinet. Finally, I added some legs to give it a little more cohesiveness with the island, and we were finished! Never throw away anything when remodeling a kitchen until you’re completely finished.

extra cabinet-use

One-Of-A-Kind Backsplash
We really wanted to go with a natural stone as the backsplash, but we wanted a splash of color. We originally wanted some rusty colored glass tiles, but we ended up finding some darker slate-colored tiles. Glass tiles are really expensiv,e so we bought a couple square sheets of them and mixed them in with the more affordable natural tiles to create some variety in both size and color. It did take a bit of extra work, but it was worth it for a one-of-a-kind kitchen backsplash.

backsplash

backsplash-2

A Room Full of Light
Before the remodel, our kitchen did not have very good lighting, which made it very uninviting. We wanted this new space to welcome people and be a place where the family could gather and chat over some homemade spaghetti and meatballs.

We put recessed lighting in the ceiling, but we also added some more decorative lighting over the kitchen sink. My wife had her heart set on upcycling some old glass bottles into light pendants for this area, but red glass bottles are few and far between, so we compromised with these red pendants that were ready to install—no extra work necessary.

lighting

In our glass door cabinets, we wanted to display some of our nicer looking dishes, so we decided to add some lighting in those cabinets as well.

lighting2

Don’t Forget the Ceiling
We redid the floors and the walls, so why would the ceiling be any different? This copper colored tin ceiling meshes really well with the warm tones in the kitchen. We didn’t want to spend a ton of money extending this ceiling all the way into our dining room, which is open to the kitchen, so we put a wood beam between the two rooms and used the leftover tiles in the center of the dining room just above the table. We framed that in wood as well.

ceiling

It’s All in the Details
Instead of splurging on the expensive farmhouse sink, we opted for the undermount sink so that crumbs and water would never get stuck between the sink and the countertop again. It makes cleaning up after slicing and dicing vegetables a breeze.

sink

White baseboard and trim was added around the floors and doors, while above the cabinets we used a little more elaborate crown molding with a thin black roping to tie together the black cabinets and appliances to the rest of the kitchen. My wife also used a faux paint treatment on the walls with a terra cotta paint color. These details add depth and texture to the kitchen.

molding

Finally, there are many choices when it comes to choosing an edge on granite. We decided to do all of the countertops except the island in a simple pencil edge. On the island, we went with a more decorative edge to add some drama to the kitchen.

edging

A Kitchen Built by a King, for a King
So, there you have it. After several months of manual labor, we have finally finished our dream kitchen. And even though we compromised here and there, we ended up with something we are both very happy with. So if you are thinking about a kitchen remodel, be creative! Don’t limit yourself to the norm.

finished

finished2

 

 

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Reed Daulton
More about Reed Daulton

Reed is a retired manufacturing engineer who spent over 40 years working in the automobile industry. He is married with two children who are now grown up and out of the house, leaving he and his wife a lot of time to devote to updates and repairs to their house that sits in the rural countryside of central Indiana. His hobbies include grilling, Corvettes, golfing and trying to win the lottery.

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6 responses to “Retirement Project #2: Dream Kitchen Renovation”

  1. I love what you did with your backsplash! Great idea.

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  3. Hollie Hewitt says:

    The interior with elements of natural stone looks spectacular and brings a piece of nature to the apartment of a city dweller. Natural stone is used in the finishing of walls, floors, window sills, countertops, and fireplaces. And even if you are a creative person, to some extent it helps you in your creativity. Take me, for example. I’m a writer, I work for a major company writing essays, I write term papers for students, examples of which can be found here https://writemypapers4me.net/coursework-help/, and when I do it at home – which is often – it creates a cozy, lived-in atmosphere when you have a kitchen or office design elements made from natural components around you. But there are some points that are important to know. If you choose a natural stone in the interior of the kitchen – pay attention to its properties of rocks. So, travertine and sandstone are not suitable for a countertop – traces of colored liquids will remain forever. Here it is better to give preference to a dark color, granite for the countertop will suit perfectly – but before using it, it must be treated with a water-repellent composition. Finishing the kitchen with natural stone is similar to finishing the bathroom – if possible, choose water-repellent species.

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  6. Sudah says:

    I am beyond thrilled to announce that I am renovating my kitchen with the money I earned playing at King Johnnie Casino! This opportunity has given me the chance to finally create my dream kitchen, complete with sleek new appliances, elegant countertops, and stylish cabinets. The thought of cooking in a space that reflects my personal style and taste is truly exciting. Thanks to a site like https://kingjohnnielogin.casino/ King Johnnie, I now have the means to transform my outdated kitchen into a modern and functional space that will not only enhance my daily life, but also impress all my friends and family.I can’t wait to see the transformation unfold and enjoy all the delicious meals that will be prepared in my newly renovated kitchen!

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