When we moved into our home, updating the kitchen was at the top of my wish list. However, I knew it would take some convincing because technically, it was brand new. A builder had flipped our home prior to us purchasing it, but the kitchen lacked a coziness that I craved. Because of our open floor plan, it is one of the first things you see when walking into our home; it sets the tone for the whole feeling of the house.
However, finding a contractor to do the job was challenging. We met with three different people – who all ended up ghosting us after the initial meeting! So after months and months of no progress, we ditched the general contractor idea and decided to outsource the work.
Choosing a Stone for the Countertops
The first thing we did was hire a stone fabricator to replace the quartz countertops. Since the house felt a bit builder-grade, I really wanted a natural stone that had a lived-in feel. We went with a honed Carrara marble which instantly made the space more homey.
Embracing Traditional with Appliances
It sounds cliche, but I always dreamed my first home would have an apron sink in our kitchen. There’s something about it that makes a kitchen feel classic and inviting. After choosing the sink, we also decided to swap out the kitchen faucet and went with this beautiful Water Works faucet. The piece is from their Julia Collection, which is one of my personal favorites. I’m now totally hooked on Water Works and eventually want to upgrade our bathroom faucets when the time comes 🙂
Building New Upper Cabinets and a Custom Plastered Hood
The next phase was the cabinetry, which was a bigger undertaking. We hired a company to build us custom upper cabinets and a new hood over the range (progress pic below). The process took about three months from hiring to installation. Once they were built, we topped it all off with the color Ivory Lace by Sherwin Williams.
Even though it took over a year for the kitchen project to finish, we really couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. See below for the before and afters!
Before
After
