{"id":3653,"date":"2017-10-01T17:42:16","date_gmt":"2017-10-01T22:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/?p=3653"},"modified":"2022-01-29T20:21:47","modified_gmt":"2022-01-30T01:21:47","slug":"our-kitchen-renovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/our-kitchen-renovation\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Kitchen Renovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our kitchen was undoubtedly thought of as state-of-the-art when it was built. But 50 years later, it’s dark, ugly, and inconvenient. Here’s what it looked like before we fixed it up:<\/p>\n

\"Kitchen<\/a>
Kitchen Before<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The sea foam green backsplash tiles had been carefully matched to the wall color and the accent color of the linoleum flooring. We admired the backsplash for about 5 seconds before ripping it out. While we were at it, we also pulled down the soffit above the cabinets – who needs it? It opened up the kitchen a bit, which was desperately needed. I wanted to enlarge the window opening but the budget did not allow. The budget also did not allow for recessed lighting in the ceiling but we put it in anyway. Luckily, we found a wonderful electrician who let my husband help him with the installation, shortening the time and costing us less money.<\/p>\n

Over the years, we slowly replaced all the appliances. We chose stainless steel as our finish color since it’s my fave. We replaced the sink and the faucet and pretty much removed, replaced, covered or updated every surface in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

The Materials List<\/h2>\n

Here are the items I chose for the kitchen update.<\/p>\n

Sink and Faucet<\/h3>\n

I discovered these granite sinks during my last kitchen renovation. How could a sink be made from granite you ask? Well, they take the granite and crunch it all up and mix it with resin and pour it into a form and out comes a really cool, durable, and easy-to-clean sink that is not only attractive but scratch, heat and stain resistant.<\/p>\n

\"Dual<\/a>
Dual Mount Granite 25 in. 1-Hole Single Basin Kitchen Sink in Metallic Black<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The model I chose can be used as an undermount or drop-in sink which I used in both ways, first with the old, ugly laminate countertop and then with the beautiful new granite countertop. Cost was $183.20.<\/p>\n

For the faucet I wanted something tall that you could place a stock pot under and be able to fill it easily. I chose a brushed stainless steel model something like this:<\/p>\n

\"Single-Handle<\/a>
Single-Handle Pull-Down Sprayer Kitchen Faucet in Stainless<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I chose not to use the long plate at the bottom since I think it’s ugly. My plumber just installed the faucet directly onto the countertop. I think it looks much better that way. Can’t remember what this cost – I guess around $100.<\/p>\n

Lighting<\/h3>\n

We hired an electrician to install recessed lighting in the ceiling. This was an expense I did not want to incur but the brightness gained from having this extra lighting was totally worth the cost.<\/p>\n

I purchased the accent lighting from Pottery Barn. For over the sink I chose this Harlowe Wire Glass Pendant, “made from molten glass hand blown into an iron farm-wire frame, replicating the repeating hexagons of a honeycomb.”<\/p>\n

\"Lighting,<\/a>
Lighting, Harlowe wire glass pendant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Above the work island, I hung two Rustic Glass Pendants which showcase “a graceful bell-shaped shade of mouth-blown clear glass.” FYI, they never look this clean in real life, even right after I clean them.<\/p>\n

\"Lighting,<\/a>
Lighting, rustic glass pendant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I really love the Harlowe pendant – it’s rustic but updated at the same time. The two rustic pendants over the island are also nice, but they get dirty very quickly and show dust like crazy. Also, the special light bulbs that Pottery Barn uses in the pendants cost a fortune. I buy regular ones and they don’t look as nice. But oh well.<\/p>\n

Countertop<\/h3>\n

I ordered the countertop from Home Depot, choosing a hard-wearing granite in neutral brown, gray, and black. Cost was $1,325.20.<\/p>\n

Tile Backsplash<\/h3>\n

We chose Sonoma Blend glass mosaic tile from Home Depot. It comes in 12″ x 12″ sheets with mesh backing for good adhesion. I estimated that we needed about 250 square feet, which amounts to 25 sheets. We actually used only 23. At $9.99 per square foot, our cost came to around $230. Which was cheap compared to the cost of installation. This might be a DIY project for some of you but I chose to spend my tax return money to hire a contractor for this and I’m glad I did.<\/p>\n