Foxes Love Lemons Dream Kitchen Reveal
First, an anti-disclosure: I was not paid, perked, reimbursed, gifted or compensated in any way to use any of the items you see in this kitchen. My husband and I paid for this renovation entirely out of our own pockets. Since the kitchen is (quite literally) my workplace, and the dining room is (also literally) the center of our home, we chose surfaces, fixtures and appliances that worked best for our lifestyle.
You guys, the wind chill in Detroit is like eight degrees right now. Can I tell you how happy I am to not be cooking dinner in my backyard anymore? In all seriousness, our kitchen remodel was 95% finished as of one day before Thanksgiving (nothing like hosting Thanksgiving dinner to break in a new kitchen, huh?), and is now about 99% finished.
First, let’s back up. We moved into this house over the summer, knowing we’d get started on a kitchen remodel as soon as our contractor was able to. Our house is a modestly-sized 1925 Craftsman-style home, with a million charming features. The outdated kitchen was not one of them (see before-and-after comparisons at the end of this post to get an idea of what I’m talking about).
Not only was the old kitchen an eyesore, but it was not at all functional for somebody like me who spends a lot of time in the kitchen (that’s an understatement). The layout was poor, with the fridge and (electric) range directly next to each other, with no counter space at all on that side of the kitchen. The (undersized) dishwasher was awkwardly in the middle of the room, as was the sink. Somebody had taken a major short cut by cutting out the countertop around a windowsill, rather than taking the time to correct the layout. There was hardly any storage space to speak of, leading to an extremely cluttered counter. Guys, there wasn’t even a garbage disposal.
I worked with a kitchen designer to re-layout the space and order the cabinets. The rest of the decisions were pretty much left up to me in many ways. Let me tell you, the process was nothing like you see on HGTV. The light fixtures, cabinet pulls, faucet, subway tile, appliances, paint color and countertops did not pick out themselves. Instead, I spent countless hours (days!) driving around metro Detroit to various source stores and choosing, ordering and picking up all of these finishing elements.
After all the planning, it was time for the contractor and his team to get to work, and for me to lock myself into my home office for the next 8 weeks. The guys would be removing a wall between the kitchen and dining room in order to extend the kitchen a little bit, installing a support beam where the wall used to be, re-doing all the drywall and ceilings, installing a ton of new lights and other electrical work, running a gas line for my (first ever!) gas range, putting in new windows, new cabinets, new appliances, tile, painting, patching and re-finishing the floors, re-doing some heating and cooling, and about one million other little things.
While I wouldn’t say living in a construction zone was fun, it was by no means as hard as I thought it would be. For most of the renovation, the weather was still pretty warm, so we were able to grill our meals outside, and eat some of them on the deck. I had a little makeshift kitchen in the garage. And I’ll be honest – we went out to eat a lot. We kind of built the cost of that into the overall budget, and just rolled with it.
Working was difficult, but I turned to slow cooker and cocktail recipes to keep my clients happy, which worked out OK. Oh, and we had to move into an Airbnb for four days while the floors were being refinished, where I cooked and photographed a faux Thanksgiving dinner.
The hardest part for me was actually dealing with all of the construction dust. Being prone to sinus issues, I tried to keep doors closed and taped off, but was still surprised just how much dust went . . . everywhere. I feel like we’re still getting it all cleaned up.
Today, I can tell you that all of the dust and inconvenience was totally worth it. Having spent hours upon hours brainstorming layouts to make it most efficient for my job, I can say that I’ve definitely achieved that. While it’s by no means a huge kitchen, it’s my dream kitchen in functionality and beauty.
Little things like having a big cabinet with slide-outs for pots and pans, two really deep drawers (one for lots and lots of fresh kitchen towels, the other for the food processor and blender), a touch faucet, a pull-out garbage and recycling center, a knife drawer (which I forgot to take a photo of, sorry), maintenance-free quartz countertops, and a quiet (and concealed!) dishwasher have made a world of difference in this space. Oh, and I finally got that garbage disposal and gas range, too.
So there you have it. When you see a delicious new recipe on this blog from here on out, just know that it was cooked here. By me. With a giant grin on my face. I’ll continue the barrage of photos below. If you have any questions about sources or anything else, please ask in the comments below. I’m happy to help!
Ready for those before-and-afters? Get ready to cringe at the befores and rejoice along with me at the afters:
Hi, I love your timeless kitchen! This will still be current years from now. Can you give more info on your dishwasher? What’s the brand? Are you still happy with the wood panel? We are fixing up an 80’s house with a more outdated kitchen than your old one.
Hi there! According to my appliance receipt, the dishwasher is a Panel Ready Bosch 800 DLX 44dBA 3rd Rack Dishwasher. Three and a half years later, we still absolutely love it. The wood panel still looks and functions great, too!
Last annoying question: What color and style are the cabinets?
Hi Christy – not annoying at all. Seriously, ask away. The brand/style is Omega Full Access, Puritan. The color is Pure White.
I’m going to call Cobblestone! I love everything about your kitchen, especially those cabinets, the pulls, and that soft gray countertop. Thanks for sharing —
So glad to hear that, Christy! Tell Eric I say hello if you end up working with him. Best of luck with your reno!
I just stumbled onto your blog, and I’m obsessed! I live in Royal Oak and your kitchen is my inspiration board. Can you say where you got the cabinets and counter tops (Are they silestone’s blanco city?)
Hi Christy – Oh wow, I’m so flattered! Eric Johnson at Cobblestone Kitchen & Bath in Berkley designed the layout for me and ordered the cabinets (Omega Full Access). He is GREAT and I highly recommend having an expert help with the planning. The quartz countertops are Caesarstone London Grey and were ordered through PMP Marble & Granite in Troy.
Definitely feel free to let me know if you have any other questions. I’m happy to help!
Hi! I really love your kitchen remodel. I am soon beginning my own and have a few questions. What range did you use? Is the dishwasher hidden behind cabinetry? And.. Now that you have been in the kitchen awhile… Are there any surface/appliance choices you would change? Also, the blog post on the remodel was so informative…thanks!!!
Thanks so much, Leigh! The range I used is the 30″ SS BOSCH 800 SERIES DUAL FUEL SLIDE-IN RANGE. I’m totally in love with it, with one very minor exception: the digital touch screen on the front (the oven controls) is VERY touchy. Like, if you’re cooking on the range, and lean over to reach the back burner, and your stomach touches the screen even the slightest bit, it’ll turn on, or try to edit the oven controls. Sometimes even spraying cleaning spray will turn it on! I’m kind of used to it now, but it was a bit annoying at first. But like I said, that’s just one minor thing. The range and oven functionality is great, and I really love it overall.
The dishwasher IS indeed paneled, so it’s hidden. There’s a photo in the post that shows a side-by-side of the dishwasher open and closed. Sorry, I know there are a TON of photos, but it’s kind of buried there in the middle.
Now that I’ve been using the kitchen for 9 months or so, there’s very very little I would change (in part because I did so much research and probably OVERthought it in the planning process). I think the ONLY thing I would change is I might re-locate the pull-out trash and recycling bins. They are right in front of the main counter we use to prep, so if there’s two of us in the kitchen, with one person prepping there, and the other person wants to get to the trash (which seems like ALL THE TIME), the first person has to move so the other person can pull out the trash. That’s the ONLY thing about this kitchen I would change, and it’s honestly not that big of a deal, even. So, overall…I’m super happy.
Best of luck with your remodel! Feel free to reach out with any other questions 🙂
Love your reno, can you tell me where the hanging pendant lights are from?
Hi Catherine! The lights above the table are called “Calhoun Multi Pendants” from Pottery Barn. I hung two pendants, and each have three bulbs/globes. Unfortunately, I think PB has already discontinued this item since I bought it, but you may be able to find it on eBay.
The pendant above the sink is also from Pottery Barn, and that one is still available. It’s called “Calhoun Glass Indoor/Outdoor Pendant”: http://www.potterybarn.com/products/calhoun-glass-pendant/
Hope this helps!