Do It Yourself Kitchen Makeover

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a special announcement.
{insert drum roll}........
Our kitchen is done!
Can you believe it?
Me either!
Even though I missed my goal of getting this posted at the end of January, I have never been more excited to get a post done. The process was very long, but it was worth the wait.
We had many different projects involved in this Do It Yourself Kitchen Makeover. Each step taught us something new and we were excited to try a couple of things we've never done before in the process.
When we moved into our home fourteen years ago, the kitchen was the original 1960's kitchen. We made a few changes as soon as we moved in, but this is what it has looked like for the past thirteen years.

When Matt and I were talking about making over the kitchen, we were only going to do a few things. But, as we were talking about what we wanted to change, it turned into an entire kitchen makeover. Matt kept saying, "If we are going to do it, let's just do it all."
He was right.
Thank goodness he knows what he is talking about.
Look at the difference!!





There used to be a towel rod behind the sink. I didn't want to put another one back up, but I did want to add something there. This Grocery sign was the perfect addition. I made it from a piece of a 1890's organ I picked up for free. I love the dark contrast against the light tile.





Not only did we change the big things in this kitchen, but I bought a few things to add to it as well.
I couldn't pass up these fun towels from Target.





I wasn't sure if I wanted a backsplash, but when I saw this beautiful stone tile from The Builder Depot, I did. It is so pretty and brightens our kitchen which was one of our major goals in the makeover. DIYing our way through the tile was the "hardest" part of this makeover. We learned a lot and even got to use a new tool in this process.





When we took down the half wall and cabinet that we had on the right side of the stove, I was really excited. I needed more counter space in our kitchen and this gave it to me. It is not huge, but it has made the world of difference being able to utilize counter space on both sides of the stove!
We added ship lap to the wall going into the living room and found an amazing old clock for FREE at an estate sale. Along with the sink and faucet, I didn't know a clock could make me so happy. It does. Matt was able to make it battery operated so it would work on this new wall.











The WilsonArt Quartz countertops were a splurge. I really wanted concrete countertops, but found out they were really expensive and it was hard to find someone to do them. Then, I started searching for new laminate countertops and Matt really wanted stone. When I saw the gray color, it reminded me of concrete countertops so I knew they would work well. What I really like about them is that they are maintenance free. You can't beat that.











This makeover would not have been complete without changing the peninsula as well. Matt was thinking we should get rid of it, but we use it all the time. Not only is there a lot of counter space on it, but our kids eat there a lot.
The peninsula makeover started with beadboard around the back and side. Then, I painted it all a charcoal gray color. After that, we added wood corbels from Osborne Wood on each end. I stained the corbels. The wood color with the charcoal gray are a match made in heaven. The corbels are another favorite in the new kitchen.





The new laminate floors from Floor & Decor was the beginning of this makeover. They are the prettiest color and add a lot of warmth to the kitchen. They were very easy to work with and didn't take us a long time to install. If you have ever thought about laminate floors, head over to my laminate floor post for some insight. A kitchen makeover is a J.O.B.
We didn't rush through it (obviously) and some things took longer than we thought, but it was all worth it. We are so happy with the results and couldn't be happier that we started the journey. If this Do It Yourself Kitchen Makeover is a testament to what all kitchen makeovers are like, I would tell anyone who is thinking about it, to go for it!
What is your favorite part of the makeover? What would you have done differently?
See full details of the entire makeover on my blog post.






Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/13966929/do-it-yourself-kitchen-makeover site