Kitchen Re-do

And Picture this: your new house.... you walk into the kitchen. Surrounding you are white laminate countertops, white linoleum floor, light cabinets, old white appliances, and white walls with blue pin striped wall paper.  Oh, and no hardware on the cabinets.  

It wasn't our dream kitchen, by any means, but we were excited to make some changes. First, we added stainless steel hardware to the cabinets. Second, we ripped it down the wall paper (which was a HUGE pain) and decided on yellow as the paint we would use.  It really brightened up the kitchen, but we were definitely not done there. Then, we laid hardwood flooring in the kitchen and diningroom.  Our next move was all new appliances. Each appliance in the kitchen had broken within a few months from each other. We waited for a good deal then went in for all stainless steel appliances. (fridge, dish washer, oven/stove).  The white counters really bothered us and we wanted to add some bold color into the kitchen.  We purchased Giani countertop paint from online.  I took two days on my own to paint the entire counter tops on my own while Brett watched Vera. It was a fairly easy task but the two weeks waiting for the paint and top coat to dry was a test of patience.  Once the countertops were done, we went ahead and took on a really big project. The backsplash.  We couldn't find anything pre-laid out that we wanted so we customized it.  We purchased black tiling then some stainless steel tile for a border and cut them up ourselves.  We laid and grouted everything ourselves. This was all quite the task.  Once that was all done, we were really wanting to find a kitchen island.  Our kitchen is pretty small and islands were expensive so we waited. Eventually, I got a call from a friend asking if I wanted these two changing tables from a daycare. I gladly accepted them.  One went downstairs and one went upstairs in the kitchen.  My husband purchased a wood piece to fit over the top to make it into a counter, and the doors below were PERFECT for storing our dog and cat food along with their bowls. The doors can slide shut if we have a curious toddler roaming around or when visitors come along.  We put this under the shelf my husband installed with a cute little wine rack underneath.  Another favorite in our kitchen is the picture I took myself, of Vera.... it matches the kitchen decor wonderfully.

take a look at what we did:

Before we painted the countertops and before the backsplash

During the painting process. This was the black base coat

 After the painting of the countertops

The backsplash supplies we decided on

 The photo I took for the decor. I used color selection during editing to bring out the colors of the kitchen I wanted to focus on.

 Finished Product

 Sorry, I forgot to turn the picture. This is the changing table with the shelf above which includes the wine rack.

Below is a photo of the storage I was talking about.  We keep the dog and cat food in here and close the doors if we ever need to.  Also, the bowls are raised a little from the floor while on the shelf which is actually healthier for your dog to eat that way. BONUS!