When you walk through the back door of our home, the first room you enter is the kitchen. There were salmon pink cabinets still stock piled with food, cat litter boxes sitting on the counters – overflowing, the washer and drying sat along the south wall, falling through the rotted floor below. At first, I didn’t think the kitchen would be that big of a project. I said “oh, let’s just keep the cabinets. I can paint them.” It was just a matter of redoing the floors.


I am not sure exactly what started the domino effect of the total kitchen remodel. It may have been me, changing my mind and refusing to live with the painted over salmon cabinets, but we found a larger problem – there was no insulation in the walls. We assume, what is now the kitchen, was added on at some point. The exterior of the back of the house is wood siding. Unfortunately, we decided to remove the plater and lath, add insulation and drywall.



The room was completely gutted and we began the dusty, dreadful job of plaster and lath removal. We added insulation and replaced two windows (the only two windows that are not original to the house). Now, we were able to completely lay out the kitchen how we wanted it. I chose a green called Clary Sage from Sherwin Williams which I LOVE. We purchased our cabinets at Menards during one of their 11% rebate deals. We were let in on a secret by one of the employees, purchase gift cards and you’ll receive an 11% rebate on those, then purchase the cabinets with the gift cards and you’ll receive another 11% rebate. With those rebates, we were able to buy a new oven and stove top. My dad and Nate installed the cabinets, I am lucky to have two handy men in my life!




For the floors, we went back and forth about material forever, but finally decided to do white oak (which matches the original wood floor type in the remainder of the house). I am so happy with the way they complement our cabinets and the rest of flooring.



I never cared about laminate vs. granite countertops until I saw them at a home show. These gorgeous slabs of granite were displayed like artwork, mounted with perfectly placed lights. At that moment, there was no going back. We purchased our countertops at Legacy Marble & Granite – the staff is wonderful and so helpful. This process took a while and they were happy to let us take our time. They were also a LIFETIME investment, but I love them so much that I don’t ever see the need to change them!

My kitchen table is my favorite piece in this room. We pulled it out of my parent’s cistern after 75 years. It was my great-grandmothers. I love to think of the years my ancestors sat around this table and all the stories it has heard. It fits perfectly where the washer and dryer used to sit.

This room is new from top to bottom, we added recess lighting, a hood and new flooring and it was not an inexpensive project. But at the end of the day it’s a kitchen. It’s where you spend time cooking, visiting and the heart of family gatherings so when you have the chance, do what best suits your needs!