Seeing Red

 We are continuing to make little changes around the house, and one thing that needed some love was the metal step stool that sits in the kitchen. Here is a look at how this space started.

 And here it was a few months ago. The stool was showing lots of wear and needed an update.

We decided to add some punches of red to the room for contrast. This took one can of Rustoleum's "safety red." It is a great red color that has just a tinge of orange.

 Mom found these cute hooks at a local store and hung some hand towels on them. Below is another quick look at the stool before it's makeover.

 Now he is much cheerier and fun to look at.

Kitchen: New Window Treatments

Here is a before kitchen reminder:

 Here it is today...such a big change. We recently added curtain panels to the window and they really give the room some personality! Every room should have a little fabric! It also helped to knock out the trim piece above the window and install a new pendant light. You can also see in this pic where we removed a cabinet and installed a dishwasher. A new cabinet and drawer had to be built to the right of it since there was a weird space left there.

Here is another before angle:

No more ugly vent and now the microwave is out of the way! The laminate backsplash over the stove was replaced with a new stainless one. Now it's hardly noticeable!

Here is a closer shot so you can see how nice the curtains look with the light fixture. They will probably stay open the majority of the time but it's nice to have an easy privacy option.

Kitchen: A few updates

For some reason I didn't get a full shot of the kitchen, but here are a few updates to share.
Before:

Now:
I know it's not the same angle, but I wanted to show the difference in the microwave over the stove and the stainless backsplash. How great do the painted cabinets look? Also the black granite adds a nice contrast to all of the lighter finishes in the room and helps tie together the appliances.

 Here is a pic of the fun pendant that coordinates with the dining fixture. I am going to make some cafe curtains to add some color to the windows with a bright printed fabric.

 We used some of Oma's old pieces that were found in the cabinets to add some personality to the corner. This scale is in perfect shape as well as the mini bunt pan!

 Before:
This was the awkward space with the stand-alone dishwasher and mounted microwave. It was kind of a mess.

 Now:
The dishwasher has been moved to the right of the sink and mom bought an island that can be moved around the kitchen if needed. It also can house wine glasses and has 3 handy shelves. It even folds up if you need more space!

Before:

Now:

 We used some more of Oma's old baking pans to add a little something to this wall. They already have a loop for hanging so it literally took about 3 minutes to make a huge difference!

Kitchen: Out Of Sorts

I waited til with worst time to take pics of the kitchen. Unfortunately everything is covered for painting. But you can see the newly painted cabinets. And there is a really pretty pendant hanging under that cloth!

Also, the new microwave looks great in there!

A Peek At Some Kitchen Updates: Granite and Porcelain

Where we started:

From the last "in progress" pic.

I am not there with my good camera, so forgive the cell phone pics, but here are some updates!

 Pretty new custom granite counter tops.

 They look so nice with the white.

 Where the stove usually sits.

Check out the lovely granite spokesmodel! Happy (late) birthday Aunt Amy!

And here is a peek at the porcelain floors! It's hard to see the true color but they are white with gray and beige streaks.

Kitchen: New Ceiling and Primed Cabinets

Here is the kitchen when we started.

 Here are some progress pics:

 Things are getting primed and the ceiling has been put in along with the new light. The dishwasher in the middle of the room is waiting to be put in!

 Here is a before of the ceiling:

It has been replaced with white-washed beadboard and the fixture is actually an outdoor fixture that we chose to use inside.

Floors should be going in this week!

Kitchen: Floor To Ceiling

The ceiling in the kitchen previously had a fan, a round flourescent light, and a long flourescent light. When it is finished, it will only have one center light (seen here) and a pendant over the sink (also seen here).

 Here is the solution for covering up all of the ugly holes left behind...white-washed beadboard. It is going to be beautiful when complete.

 The floors are currently sheet laminate from the 80's.

 They will soon be replaced with this pretty porcelain in 22x22 squares. Smaller squares of the same flooring is going down in the hall bathroom.

Dining Room and Kitchen: Lighting Fixtures!

This is actually an outdoor light but is going to go in the kitchen! It will look great with what we have planned for the ceiling in there.

 Below is the light for the dining room as well as the pendant to go over the sink in the kitchen. These will look great with the cottage theme!

Kitchen: Removing Cabinets

This is how this side of the kitchen started out...

Below is after taking out the cabinet/dishwasher. The microwave will be next to go.

 This is going on on the other side of the kitchen. the shelves that were cut out will be replaced with pull-out drawers for easier access.

 And the view into the living room is starting to improve (minus having chairs on the table)! It has a new coat of paint! Below is a reminder of how it previously looked...

The Kitchen: Before

The Kitchen is not a huge space, but has great tall cabinets. There was no built-in dishwasher, and the one in the room was being used for pot storage! The floors are laminate sheets and the countertops are faux laminate butcher-block.
This room is getting new porceline floors, a microwave over the stove, a built-in dishwasher, new lighting, a fun custom ceiling, and fresh paint everwhere!

 View from the den.

 View into the dining room.

 The vent-a-hood will soon be a stainless microwave.

 The fan will be coming out. There will be a new pendant light over the sink and a new light fixture in the center of the room. No more flourescent lighting!

 A dishwasher will be installed to the right of the sink.

 The dishwasher, cabinet, and microwave are all going...there will be a more shallow, rolling island in their place.

Looking at the door to the den.