Room Rx: Kitchen Tweaking - reveal

You guys are the best!  Always so patient with me, especially when I tease you with sneak peeks, so today you will be rewarded with a full reveal!  

My client's builder kitchen had great bones in the form of high quality cabinets, granite counters and nice appliances. Unfortunately it was a sea of wood tones and not at all her style, so after living with it for more than a few years, the time had come to give it a change, not a full blown remodel, just a few tweaks... 

Here is what my Room Rx "prescribed" based on our initial consultation:

A fresh coat of creamy white paint on the cabinets

 Subway tile back splash

New hardware

New light fixture

Add an island or peninsula

Add some interesting details in order to break up the monotonous sea of wood

Change of dinette seating

Tie the room into the decor already established in the family room adjacent to the kitchen

There were a couple of things we were not changing; the wall color as it was the basis of the Family Room decor, the dinette lighting and window treatments.  Below is my Design Concept Board for the space...

A painter who came highly recommended was hired to transform the cabinets with a few coats of creamy white paint. A piece of granite to match the existing counters was located for the peninsula top. Beautiful beveled subway tile was chosen for the back splash. The statement light fixture was ordered. The groundwork laid, a few additional details needed to be selected which I wrote about here. The project began in November and was mostly finished in time for a December family holiday party!

I love that  we were able to work with in the framework of the existing kitchen to create a room that has a completely different look and vibe. The update involved hiring professionals, but also a few DIY projects

My client found the table for $20 on her local Craigslist and with a little elbow grease on the part of her husband, it looks like new paired with these great West Elm Windsor chairs.

 The addition of some glass doors really helps add some visual interest to the range wall.

Lucky for us, my client was able to find a local vendor who sold the brand of cabinets originally installed in this kitchen, so making  some of these changes was as easy as ordering a few cabinets and doors!

The space was not large enough to add a working island so the decision was made to create a peninsula at the end of the run pictured below.  We were able to re-use the section of cabinets with the bank of drawers and simply order an additional base cabinet and some decorative panels, which my TWIBL (who was hired for the job) installed. A West Elm rug at the sink and a couple of barstools and not only does the new peninsula add function, it adds style to the kitchen!

 

 To give the cabinets a more furniture style feel the decorative "feet" were added to the peninsula, sink base and range wall.

The never used ceiling fan went "buh bye" and was replaced with this statement light from Ballard Designs. Amazing difference, wouldn't you say?!

This little nook was under utilized and with two young girls and a busy family, a message center was the answer.  You know how I love me a memo board made from a painter's drop cloth.... my client jumped at the idea and created her own version which is just perfect for the space! Her willing husband even cut out space in the Homasote board for the light switch so that the board could appropriately fill the space.

Close up of the existing window treatments, gorgeous and textural with the addition of the brush fringe....

Did I mention that this was largely a long distance design project and this kitchen is in a Chicago area home?  Having worked together previously on the Living Room in her home, my client was comfortable in working this way. We shared many emails, texts and phone conversations in getting this job done. And thank goodness for Pinterest, it was another helpful tool!!!! I did make one trip into the Chicago area in order to fine tune a few details, but the rest was handled by my client with advice and guidance from afar. I know Rochelle, Larry and their girls are loving their "new" kitchen and I must say, I am pleased as can be with how it all turned out!

Finally, I need to give kudos to Rochelle, whose business Mortgage Keeper has grown by leaps and bounds. Mortgage Keeper has helped and continues to help, many people facing financial difficulty stay in their homes.  You can read more about it here.

Linking up to:

Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? If so please contact me, I would love to help your room feel better with a Room Rx.