Today I’m sharing part two of our home renovation!  Our living room, dining nook and kitchen are all open to each other and our kitchen was the focus of most of our renovation.  Before we check out how beautiful it is now, let’s see what we started with:Dark, mismatched hanging lights, laminate counters that were peeling off, cabinet doors that were a cream color and didn’t match the boxes and really old appliances.  Plus there’s the higher bar counter and a lot of dead space behind the sink.

Needless to say, we had some big plans for this area:

• Lower the bar to be one countertop height
• New countertops
• Refinished cabinet doors + hardware
• New appliances
• Paint walls
• Crown molding
• New sink + faucet
• Paint trim
• Paint back door
• Frame out side & front of cabinet walls
• New lighting
• Paint ceiling & tray ceiling
• New ceiling fan
• New outlet plates & switch covers

The guys started by cutting down the bar & making the countertop all one height in the kitchen, then installing the new countertops.  This was an area where we found issues with the house, so extra time was spent leveling everything and doing it right.

I am so in love with the piece of granite we got!  It’s white & gray with little flecks of a purple color here and there.  Dropping the counters to one level and installing the granite immediately changed the look of the kitchen and had the biggest impact.

I also love how Hunter’s dad framed out the front and sides of the counters and painted them white like wainscoting.  It was another place we were able to add a lil polish.  Our new sink is just one bowl instead of two and it makes washing large dishes SO much easier.  Combined with a new faucet and less clutter on the counters, we’re in good shape. The lighting in the dining & kitchen has always annoyed us.  Our kitchen light was crooked, the owners before us took a light out over the counter and just put a plastic piece over the hole, and the dining fixture was dark, bulky and not centered with the room (plus I’ve hit my head on it).

All the mismatched lights were taken out and we decided to install can lights everywhere instead.  This lets your eye just look into the kitchen and not focus on the hanging lights.Replacing the dark fan in the living room with a white one was another way to lighten up the area and let your eyes focus on the openness of the room instead of a fan.  Now when you look up, the fan blends in with the ceiling and you notice the tray ceiling instead!We never painted the living / kitchen when we moved in and the space really needed it. We chose a light gray to use in every room, but the master.  The addition of the bright white crown molding pops on the gray walls and added some polish.  Do you spy Cleo in one of the pictures? She always sneaks in 😉

We’re both so happy with how the kitchen, dining and living room look now – so open and bright!  All of the small touches ended up making such a big difference and the color choices look great together!