Introducing……..
My New Kitchen!!!!!!!!!
This is my new kitchen and I am totally in love with it. It is the life blood of my home. We went through a recommended IKEA kitchen designer for the overall kitchen design. He was great and got the design perfect from the very start. The cabinets and inserts were purchased from IKEA during their yearly kitchen sale. Even the garbage cans were included as a part of their sale! The counter tops were also purchased for 20% off through IKEA, although they were installed by an independent contractor. The flooring was purchased from and installed by Lumber Liquidators. The chairs? IKEA, of course. We already had the appliances from our previous kitchen. Here’s a tip: If you know that a remodel is in your future, replace your appliances, one by one, through great sales. Be sure to search the internet for sales. For instance, we purchased our refrigerator on an amazing internet sale for about $700 LESS than the best local store sale and the price included the delivery charges. You can do a lot with $700! We also ordered the lighting from an internet vendor. Go to your local stores, find the lighting fixtures that you like, then search the internet for the best price. Here’s another tip: Find out what kind of light bulbs your fixtures take. Some bulbs can be really hard to find. Also, look at the color of the light cast by the bulbs. Some light is yellowish, some light is more blue or white. You’ll want to get fixtures that have the same light spectrum.
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Before
Although my old kitchen was generally messy due to extreme disorganization and very poor storage space, this particular mess was born in the middle of emptying out the cabinets.
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Yes, this was actually how I had to store larger sized items. The buckets contained flour, sugar, and rice; three of the most commonly used items in my kitchen. The bottles of oil, vinegar, and syrup were too large to fit in my small ‘pantry’.
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The shelves in my cabinets were so thin and so poorly supported that they sagged under the weight of the dishes. I left a few dishes on the upper most shelf to show you how the shelves sagged.
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The box light of the early 90’s was a huge improvement over previous standard kitchen lighting, but it was seriously outdated.
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When we moved into this house, the cabinets over the refrigerator had to be removed because the refrigerator was too tall. It was a never ending eye sore.
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The day we moved into the house, 14 years ago, I cried over the kitchen. This broken drawer front was one of the reasons why. For 14 years we would carefully open and close the drawer so that the front would stay in place.
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This is one of the doors beneath the kitchen sink. The door was made of some sort of pressed ‘stuff’ that warped when it got wet. You can also see that the finish was flaking off of the inside of the door. The outside of the door looked pretty much the same…no, actually it was much worse.
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This drawer front was a facade (no room for an actual drawer because of the angle). When we moved into the house we discovered that it had been ripped off by the previous owners and was being held in place with velcro. We removed the velcro and at least glued the faux drawer front in place with wood glue.
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The kitchen just before we started ripping things out. One truth: Even an old ratty kitchen looks better when it is clean. 😉
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Pre-rip out from another angle.
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I walked in from work to this scene following tear-out.
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Shocking to find what was behind the cabinets.
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The woman who lived in this house before us had a thing for wallpaper. I could spend a lot of space writing about how much wallpaper I stripped out of the house the first few years that we lived here. This is a small remnant that was beneath the upper cabinets. I don’t know how that woman managed to get the paper up underneath the cabinets. Oh, how I hated that ugly stuff.
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Apparently the previous owners had a fridge leak at some point. There were thick gooey stains beneath where the pantry had been and the floor was peeling up.
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I was revolted to see the stains on the walls behind the cabinets. We also found that the contractors who built the house had swept their garbage to this side of the kitchen and had then put the cabinets on top of the garbage. As you can see, the people who laid the original flooring did not take it to the walls.
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One more shot of my poor little kitchen.
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We put all of the things from the kitchen cabinets out in the dining room. What a happy mess. We still needed to have access to various kitchen items and food, despite the fact that the only usable item in the kitchen was the stove. If you’re wondering where I did dishes, think two buckets in the bathtub. Yea…good times.
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The old floor. We scrubbed it clean prior to the new floor installation. Because there was only one layer of old flooring, the workmen could lay the new flooring on top of the existing flooring.
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The new floor going in.
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Cut-outs for the canned lights.
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The flooring guys, the plumbers, and the electrician were all there at the same time.
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New floor, almost completely installed.
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Here is a tip for you. Prior to making a final decision on the flooring, I took a sample home with me and abused it in every way that I could think of. One of the toughest tests was throwing a heavy can of enchilada sauce at the floor. I wanted to see how the floor would stand up to me accidentally dropping a can on it (I’m a klutz). As you can see, the can got some serious dents, but the floor didn’t show a single mark. As a matter of fact, the only thing that marred the floor at all was when I stabbed it with a knife.
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Happy, happy, joy, joy. The new cabinets waiting in the garage. For the days between delivery and install, I kept going out to the garage to admire the cabinets. I would open and close the doors and drawers, dreaming of the moment when I would be able to start using them for real.
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It made me sick to my stomach to see the difference on the ceiling between where the cabinets had been, and the the area above the stove. I just never really though that much about how cooking effects the ceiling.
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This may look pretty bad, but actually it is a happy site. The wiring is for the stove and other things.
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Getting down to the painting. We had to do some serious wall prep before I could start painting.
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Look at this! The cabinets are going in.
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I was ecstatic to see things moving forward in such a positive way.
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The finished product.
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We got rid of our kitchen table and chose, instead, to use the space for a large kitchen island. We put cabinets under one side of the island and drawers on the other side of the island.
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I store things in the cabinets which are used less often. As for the chairs that you see here, they will end up with black seat cushions…just as soon as IKEA reopens fully here in Salt Lake. The IKEA store has been undergoing remodeling and the seat cushions have not been available. 🙁
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This is the opposite side of the island. I keep plates, glasses, plastic storage containers, silverware, and various other things in these drawers. They are directly across from the kitchen sink and dishwasher, which makes it so handy to move clean dishes straight into the drawers.
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I chose to have a standard double kitchen sink. I like the depth, uniformity, and functionality of having this type of sink. It is what works best for me.
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I’m loving all of the drawers.
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A pull-out for the garbage cans. LOVE IT.
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Storage for pots and pans is directly across from the stove.
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One of my spice drawers. I put smaller bottle of spices here.
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Directly below the drawer with the smaller bottles of spices is this deeper drawer where I store bulk-sized spice items and packaged mixes and marinades.
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That bank of windows is nice, however it seriously cuts down on storage space.
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Refrigerator, pantry, wall oven, and other storage cabinets.
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At last, somewhere to put my baking pans. Remember those dinner trays that were stashed under ‘the desk’? They have a home here, too.
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I wasn’t sure if I would like the drawers in my pantry, but they are great! They help me so much with organization and I can see what I have. In my old pantry, things were constantly getting lost and so much of the stuff was inaccessible.
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The island is large enough to put two chairs at one end and four more chairs down the side. Although there are only five chairs at present, a sixth one will be picked up from good ole IKEA very soon.
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The central box light was replaced by 7 canned lights, two pendants, and an island light.
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My most favorite part of the kitchen. So much happens in this area. I have all of my baking items here.
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Mixing, measuring, and weighing items in this drawer.
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A place for everything. I need a second set of measuring cups. In my purging efforts I threw away the mismatched, partly missing sets that I used to have. These stainless steel measuring cups became my favorites a few years ago. Oh, and you see those red and stainless steel measuring spoons? Those are my very, very favorite measuring spoons. The shape is perfect for getting into narrow bottles.
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Can a person ever have too many spatulas and whisks when baking and cooking?
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Here’s a tip–Storing tongs can be challenging. To help streamline their storage, I use ponytail holders to keep the tongs closed. No more tong tangles!
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More than anything else, I worried about the counter-tops. Our kitchen designer recommended that we go with a quartz counter-top. I was skeptical, but we were saving so much on the kitchen in other areas, we decided to take his advice. They are very pretty and for right now, different than most people’s counter tops.
Quartz counter tops are a composite of crushed quartz and man-made materials. The upkeep is very minimal. It does not have to be sealed and it is not porous. It can take hot pans, too.
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Since quartz is a natural stone, it comes with interesting imperfections like this little white spot. At first, I had decided to have the spot taken out and replaced with a more harmonious piece, but at the last minute I changed my mind. I sat and stared at that spot one day and saw beauty in it. The little flecks of stone in the white piece are lavender in color. They are unique. I like them.
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Close-up.
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One of my very favorite places on the counter top. When the sun hits at a certain angle, this little piece of crystal quartz on the edge sparkles. I couldn’t get my camera to capture the full beauty of the sparkle.
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Welcome home.
Congratulations! You’ve waited a long time and it turned out beautiful! I just love the white cabinets. Have fun in your new kitchen.
Okay… my heart is beating a mile a minute… I WANT YOUR KITCHEN!!! WOW!!!! You did a beautiful job with what you picked for the renovations. I love your counter-tops. I want new counters, but I don’t want granite because it stains. I cook with a lot of spices like turmeric and I’m clumsy and spill it all the time. On my old laminate counters, I just make a bleach solution and it comes right out. Is quartz as forgiving? I love the color of your cabinets and the counters. Your organization is out of this world… fantastic. I wish I had all those drawers.. they are so much better than the old standard cupboards that seem like dark little holes to throw your stuff in. Drawers pull out so you can see everything. I have to go back and look at your pictures again and DROOL! I am showing this post to my hubby…. and hint, hint, hint!! Enjoy cooking in your new kitchen. It’s downright BEAUTIFUL!! I also love your big window… I bet you can get some great photos there. 🙂 Have a great weekend! ~ Ramona
Ramona, thank you! I’m still putting the quartz counter top through its paces, so to speak. Quartz is not porous, so it would be difficult to stain. I have had blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries on it and if they left stains I can’t see them. I should dump some curry powder on it to see if that will stain it. As for cleaning, bleach should not be used on it. I’m like you, I used to use a bleach solution on my laminate counter top all the time. Quartz counter tops can be cleaned with mild detergent and a soft cloth…in other words, just wipe down the counter top during you are doing the dishes. I did some research on-line today and some people who have the lighter color counter tops say that they have had stains from wine if the wine sat on the counter top for a while, but that they clean up very easily. As for durability, the kitchen designer told us that this is supposed to be the most durable counter top material on the market. He said that it was the perfect blend of solid surface (like Corian) and granite. Still, use a trivet under hot pots and pans and use a cutting a board when cutting things. Then again, the quartz would damage a knife blade probably more than a knife blade would damage the quartz!
PS… your island is fantastic. I want to get a huge island too… I love the space it gives you to cook and not be crowded. Plus you can have more people in the kitchen during the holidays. Great idea getting rid of your kitchen table and making the island so big!!!
Oh how pretty! I love all the space you got with the cabinets and drawers. I just love the floor!
Congratulations! I love the choices you made. My dream kitchen would have white cabinets, too. May you enjoy many happy years of cooking in your beautiful new space!
Absolutely beautiful fabulous kitchen!!! I’m so happy for you. It really is classy. And functional. From the floors to the light fixtures. Nice job!!
Thank you, everyone, for your sweet comments. We had a house that we built in 1994 and it was to be our last house…the one in which we would spend the rest of our lives. I had a great kitchen in that house, one that held all of my kitchen needs. Then our lives changed and we moved to another state. Then our lives changed again and we found ourselves back in Utah in our current house. Life sometimes takes us on some strange journeys and we end up in circumstances that we could never have foreseen. I have mourned, really and truly, the loss of my favorite kitchen, but God has blessed me with a new one that I love even more. I am grateful.
Oh I love your new kitchen!!! That is basically my dream kitchen – I have always wanted a wall of windows instead of upper cabinets, and white cabinets are my favorite.
So glad you have such a pretty, welcoming space to cook for your family and friends.
This kitchen is stunning! I love everything about it , especially all of the storage and how you have it organized. I’m showing my hubby this as reference on how I want our kitchen to look like.
Fantastic! So beautiful. I’m so, so jealous.
Great layout and tour of your new kitchen! I’ve been talking about getting an Ikea island so this was great to see!
Thanks, Karen. This island was a great decision for us. I don’t regret getting rid of the kitchen table and using the space for a big island. There is lots of storage around the island and the top of it is big enough to accommodate several cooks at one time. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them for you. ~Terri
Congratulations on this renovation, your kitchen is beautiful!
Thank you, Andria! It’s been over two years since the renovation and I still love my kitchen. It is very functional. The counter tops are holding up beautifully; they essentially look the same as the day they were installed. I don’t miss my kitchen table at all, so for us it was a good decision to get rid of the table and extend the island in its place. I really, really like having drawers in place of most of the lower cabinets; they are so convenient. The only thing that is not meeting expectations is the flooring. Despite my best efforts to choose a durable product, the flooring is not holding up as well as I had hoped it would. Otherwise, I am very, very happy. ~Terri
Terri, thank you so much for sharing. Your kitchen is beautiful.
Our kitchens are very similar in layout and I recently decided to go with the white, like you. Can you tell me which base cabinets you used for the island? I am assuming you used the 24″d X 36″ w base with drawers for the end near the stove – BRILLIANT (that is now in my plan). You then used four others…were they a lesser depth? If you don’t my mentioning the sizes/measurements, it would be very helpful to me.
Thank you!!
Also, did you use trim pieces on the bottom of the uppers?
Thank you, Christa. My kitchen is coming up on its 3rd year anniversary and I have no regrets, except for the floor. As for the cabinets, I wouldn’t change a thing.
You are correct about the size of the base cabinet across from the stove — 24″d x 36″w. You can see what the drawers look like in the picture with the open drawers of pots and pans. On the side of the bar facing the sink and dishwasher, there is another 24″d x 36″w cabinet with drawers, just like the cabinet with drawers across from the stove. Next to it is a bank of 4 drawers measuring 24″d x 18″w. On the opposite side of the bar, we used 30″ tall upper cabinets as base cabinets. One of the cabinets measures 11.5″d x 36″w; the cabinet beside it measures 11.5″d x 18″w.
The upper cabinets do have a trim on the bottom in order to hide the under-counter lights.
Feel free to email me with any other questions that you have (tsgcookin at gmail dot com). I am happy to answer them. Best wishes with your new kitchen. ~Terri
We are now in 2017, are you still happy with your IKEA cabinets? How are they holding up?
Hi Cindy. Yes, I am still happy with my IKEA cabinets. I have not had any problems with them. They are sturdy and are holding up very well. All of them have heavy loads of dishes, pots, pans or food. The drawers continue to slide open and close well. The cabinet doors have remained true and the hinges are intact. The shelves are straight and have not bowed. The surface of the cabinets is easy to clean and is holding up very, very well. I either wipe them down with a soapy dishcloth or use a spray cleaner such as Windex kitchen cleaner and a dishcloth.
I anticipate continued enjoyment with my kitchen in the years to come and would not hesitate to install IKEA cabinets in another kitchen. Although my kitchen is not classified as a “show piece”, it is comfortable, pretty, functional and family friendly. For the price, IT ROCKS! 🙂
are you sure you don’t secretly work for ikea? jk! i’ve never left a reply before but i have to tell you i loved looking at all your pictures and storing ideas. thank you for sharing!
I love your kitchen. I’m an Ikea kitchen planner and believe me, customers show me some pretty unbelievable and gross stuff. Hope you’re still loving your kitchen 🙂