Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Opening Up A Closed In Kitchen

Since we’re clearly in a kitchen state of mind, we had to share Kacie and her husband Kyle’s makeover. With the help of their parents, they took advantage of their home’s open floor plan and created a sweet and much-more-functional spot to fry up some eggs in the morning. Here’s Kacie’s email:

My husband and I just finished our first remodel! When we moved into our house one year ago we knew we were going to redo the kitchen and the flooring. The kitchen was completely closed in and all of the cabinets were poorly placed – there was only one usable drawer! I absolutely love to cook and this was not a cook’s kitchen:

Kacie Before 1

Kacie Before 2

Kacie Before 3

The goal was to really open the kitchen up and make it the first thing you see when you walk in the front door. With our in-laws’ help we spent a month and half remodeling:

Kacie During 1

Kacie During 2

We got all of our cabinets, our countertop, the island, our sink, the floating shelves, and our hardware from Ikea.

Kacie After 1

The new flooring is from Lumber Liquidators (Westminister Rosewood Laminate) and we found our Kenmore appliances at Sears.

Kacie After 2

Our faucet is from Costco and the paint that we used is Benjamin Moore Providence Olive and Richmond Gray from Home Depot. Our chandelier was from Anthropologie (we got the bulbs for it on Amazon).

Kacie After 3

We’re beyond thrilled with how it turned out. We can’t wait to really get cooking in here. You guys were a huge inspiration for us. I hope you enjoy the photos! – Kacie & Kyle

Well, the whole “huge inspiration” thing is mutual, guys. You have no idea how encouraging pretty finished kitchens like yours can be as we head into our adventures in backsplash tile! And how awesome is that chandelier over the island? You can check out more of Kacie & Kyle’s transformation on Kacie’s blog. And if you have a makeover of your own to share, you can submit it to [email protected]. You know we like snooping around other people’s houses…

Comments

    • Sew View says

      Beautiful kitchen, indeed. I have a question. How have those countertops held up? Isn’t it really hard to live with wooden countertops?

    • Kacie says

      Sew View, They aren’t bad! You do have to take everything off, lightly sand (no biggie… and I HATE sanding), and oil them from time to time. You can’t let water sit on them. You basically have to treat them like you would treat cheap laminate countertops. Use hot pads, don’t cut on them. I’ve really found it to be no big deal. And they were a 10th of the cost of custom tops. We spent about $300. If we had done custom they would have cost about $2,500 which is the cost of the WHOLE KITCHEN. We figured if we hate them or they get trashed we can replace them way down the road. They do get light stains from beets, wine, etc but I like that look. I cook all the time so I like my kitchen to be a little “lived in”.

    • sew says

      Thanks, Kacie. Again, great job.
      A drop in follow up question for you (and others who might be wondering). Did you install the countertops yourselves, or did you guys hire someone? $300 for them sounds dirt cheap – In a very very good way! I love the look.

  3. Melanie says

    Gorgeous! I love the flooring and the open shelving. Great job! Also, love love love the butcher block counter!

    Reply

  6. Sarah @ Redhead in Ruffled Flats says

    I love this! They went from one drawer to tons of drawers! I’m super jealous. Our apartment’s kitchen has two tiny usable drawers. We can’t even fit a small silverware sorter in either of them! I can’t wait to get a house and create our own custom (yet completely affordable) kitchen. My hubby is a chef, so a nice big kitchen is a must!

    I’m not sure if you like to enter other’s giveaways, but I’m hosting one for a Shabby Apple dress. Just thought I’d pass on the word in case you are interested!

    We are working on finishing turning our apartment bedroom’s wall into an office since we don’t have space for an office anywhere else. I’m excited to submit it once it’s all done!

    Reply

  9. Carly says

    I love love love the counters as well as the lighting! Thanks for sharing. Would love to do something similar with both lighting and counters here — if only we were owners not renters! Ahhh the agony!
    -Carly

    Reply

  11. Julia @ Chris loves Julia says

    The soft, neutral paint with the splash of bold colors on that top open shelf is just gorgeous– I want a close up! Hahaha.

    We just revealed our kitchen plans yesterday:

    http://chrislovesjulia.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-kitchen-plans-woot.html

    We are so excited, but I can already feel the weight of the project. Even picking out all the details is a little daunting. Such a big investment and I just want to make sure we get every detail right. Seeing before and afters of kitchens always keeps me going, though.

    Reply

  13. emily says

    Great Remodel! Love it!

    OK- I know this is a strange pet peeve to have, but I don’t think people realize how EASY it is to switch the direction of their fridge doors…. and how much more functional it makes things. It’s just a couple of screws, and less than 15 minutes. Then you can open up the fridge, dig away, put stuff on the counter, without having to step away and walk around the door…. I consider it life-changing. Hope it helps!

    Reply

    • Erica says

      You are my kindred spirit, Emily. This is my pet peeve, too, and the first thing I noticed about the after since, as you said, it’s an easy change. Maybe once they recover from all of the hard work they’ve so clearly put in already… ;)

      (I always feel sorry for people with stainless refrigerators that open the wrong way b/c you can’t switch directions on most of them.)

      But I don’t mean to let the frig door overshadow everything else. This is a lovely remodel. Kudos!

    • emily says

      Kacie– I’m glad you know about it. We have an 11-month old, and I can’t imagine tackling a remodel right now (we just moved, which was bad enough!)

      The kitchen looks great…. I bet it feels wonderful!

  15. Jenifer M says

    Good Lord I love that Chandelier! I am going to have to pin that for a future fixture in my house. Great work!

    Reply

  17. Kristen says

    great job, and thanks for sharing! your before kitchen looks very much like my current kitchen, so you gave some great ideas of how to make it more cooking-friendly and open!

    Reply

  18. Amanda says

    Wow, that looks amazing! I love the bulbs in your chandelier – is there a special name for them? I wouldn’t even know what to search for on Amazon!

    Reply

  19. Lindsey d. says

    Love the chandelier! I wonder if they’ve considered switching the fridge handle. Having it open the other way would increase the kitchen’s efficiency even more!

    Reply

  22. Rebecca of Beck's Chic Life says

    Awesome redesign! Love the counter tops! The glass front cabinets! And the open concept shelves! I wish I could pull off the shelves, but in reality, I don’t have the discipline to keep things neat and tidy on them! I am sure they would end up looking a mess!

    Reply

  24. kaycee parker says

    From what I’ve noticed almost all of your reader re-designs have links to their own blogs. Is this something you look for when picking out who to feature on your blog?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Nah, we shared this one without a blog url last month – we really just pick the ones we think our readers will love the most (wish we could share them all!). It is nice when folks who have a blog do include their link because you know we love to share the love!

      xo,
      s

    • Kacie says

      Maria,
      I wish we could have gotten all matching. We’d replaced the dishwasher when we first moved in, then bought the others new when we did the remodel. I’m planning to paint the fridge with chalkboard paint…
      My stepmom is an interior designer and helped us with the plan. There’s a lot of white and stainless throughout the kitchen that we hoped would balance it all out.

      Kacie
      http://www.acollectionofpassions.com/

  27. Kacie says

    John and Sherry, THANK YOU so much for featuring our kitchen. We just love it. We have so much more space, it’s a pleasure to cook in. We were warned about open shelves, and wood countertops but we love them both. No issues at all. For all you wondering about the chandelier, it was only $300! It’s the cherry on top for sure. I’ll check back in to try to answer any questions but you can also leave them on my blog. Thanks so much for all your sweet comments.

    Kacie
    http://www.acollectionofpassions.com/

    p.s. and YES we did flip the fridge door around! =)

    Reply

    • Pamela says

      Oh my gosh…your blog is stinkin’ hilarious, Cranky Zebra. The more I delved into your prior posts, the more I laughed.

  30. Tamar says

    Great redesign! What I really like is that while the kitchen looks great and modern and unique, almost all of the pieces came from national stores that tend to be on the more affordable side. That’s not to say that I don’t like supporting small businesses (I do) or one-of-a-kind pieces, but the project feels really approachable when you know that it was made with pieces that were designed with not-so-DIY-savvy people in mind. But to make things even better, picking one “star piece” (the chandelier) as a potential splurge/unique focal point really adds a lot!

    Reply

    • Kacie says

      What a sweet comment. Thanks Tamar. I am all about supporting local businesses too but on our budget that was just not possible. This was so affordable. Less than $3,000 total. Including the new appliances. (that doesn’t include the flooring or paint) p.s. The chandelier wasn’t even that big of a splurge… only $300!

      Kacie
      http://www.acollectionofpassions.com/

  31. Rebekka says

    LOVE LOVE LOVE the chandelier! and i just clicked over to their blog and noticed that at one point the plan was to paint the fridge with chalkboard paint. any idea if that’s still going to happen? i so want to do this but am a little scared! would love to see how it turns out.

    Reply

  33. Lindsay Nicole says

    It turned out awesomely – so much more functional than before. It’s amazing how opening things up and switching out all those cabinets for drawers makes such a big difference. I also love that creating a functional kitchen for someone who loves to cook doesn’t have to be crazy extravagant.

    Reply

  34. Donna says

    You guys are totally making me re-think my opinion of open shelves. I think the extra dusting may just be worth it! SO pretty!

    Reply

    • Kacie says

      Donna, we’ve found that if you put items on them that you’ll use all the time, the don’t really get dusty. That’s why we have ours covered in dishes, water glasses, and cookbooks. Even if they did get a bit dusty they’re really easy to wipe off. Go for it! Especially if you do an inexpensive option like these Ikea ones. If you hate it you can put in cabinets later.

      Kacie
      http://www.acollectionofpassions.com/

  35. Molly says

    I know this has nothing to do with the redesign, but I know how you love a deal. Target has their Christmas stuff 90% off right now, & I just picked up a ton of stuff. They’ve got felt heart ornaments (like the Christmas tree ones you used) 10¢ for a 3 pack. Perfect for valentines. :)

    Reply

  37. Zoë says

    Yes! Yes! Yes! This is exactly how I would remodel my kitchen, from shopping at Ikea to the white cupboards, open shelves, glass fronted upper cabinets, the butler sink and the butcher block countertops. I’m now a little scared that Kacie has read my mind (if she had gone for a white subway tile backsplash, my brain would have exploded, I think). This looks amazing and I have pinned everything!

    Thanks for the share. I think I have found another blog to add to my feed.

    Reply

  38. Bridget says

    I love butcher-block counter tops so much it’s embarrassing. I live in an apartment and I already have the counter tops picked out in my first home? Normal. These counters are just beautiful!

    Reply

  39. Amanda says

    Beautiful! I always love seeing Ikea kitchens since that’s what we plan on doing with our kitchen. We just bought that same island as well and we LOVE it!

    Reply

  40. Tricia says

    Just wanted to let you know that I love your website. We moved into our house 2 years ago, and it needed a ton of work. My husband’s in school plus working full-time, so he hasn’t had much time to work on it yet, but when he has more free time…Oooh, I’m excited. :D Your blog has given us lots of ideas!! Thanks.

    Reply

  42. Lou says

    My hubby and I drove 12 hours home to Vermont from West Virginia (visiting his folks) after Christmas with a huge slab of butcher block counter from IKEA. We don’t have one even close to Vermont, and since we were driving through Pittsburgh anyway, we thought, “how convenient! what an opportunity!” Ah, the things we do for our beloved homes.

    Reply

    • Staci says

      We did the same thing! We crammed a dresser, wardrobe, and two kitchen carts in our Pontiac Vibee and drove from Dallas (our nearest IKEA) to Kansas… 7 hours! We had to fold down the front seat to fit everything and one of us had to ride in the back seat behind the driver the whole way! Awkward! Love using a cousin’s wedding as an excuse to pick up home stuff.

    • Lou says

      Oh really? What part? Also, I just wanted to say that I used your bracket-for-counter-reinforcement tutorial to install that baby today, so thank you. Its really quite fitting- I found YHL a year ago when I googled “how to paint kitchen cabinets”. You guys gave me great advice then and I have been reading ever since.
      Also, on a random note, just to put this in the hands of people who gather DIY info… That IKEA butcher block? I stained it with dark coffee. Let it dry, sealed it with mineral oil. Both are perfectly safe for consumption and viola: a beautifully darker, food-safe counter. I don’t know if you’ve heard of this before, I hadn’t.

  43. jennM says

    Loving the countertops, chandelier and the general openness of the space. However, I find the fridge a little awkward. I dont know but there seems to be too much space above it and a narrower space next to the counter. It makes the fridge look small or makes the space seem to be built for a bigger fridge.
    In any case, I LOVE white kitchens! :)

    Reply

  44. mp says

    It looks great! I love how they mixed white and stainless steel — the microwave & range look fabulous with the white cabinets, fridge and dishwasher.

    Reply

  45. Renee says

    What a difference….the old kitchen was so ‘odd’…the cabinet placement by the stove was weird…lol

    I think chalkboard paint on the refrigerator will look great. Can you buy a stainless panel for your dishwasher? Or some of that peel and stick stainless I’ve seen used on some of the HGTV shows?

    I just did a mini redo on my 1955 kitchen (new paint, flooring, knobs, and cabinets painted) and my new-to-me dishwasher’s panels don’t match either, I just painted it white…with future plans to build matching cabinet doors. (With extra matching panels dumpster-dived from a neighborhood remodel.)

    Reply

  46. Stephanie @ Afitbliss.com says

    That kitchen looks great! What do you guys think about butcher block counter tops? They look so warm and inviting, but I’ve heard they are hard to maintain and need frequent sealing. Is that true? Any material look like butcher block but is easier to upkeep?

    I have always been a big fan of silestone, but these pictures remind me how much I do love the look of wood countertops!!

    Reply

    • Kacie says

      Hey Stephanie,
      It really hasn’t been bad. You do have to sand and seal them quite a bit in the beginning (speaking of which we are due for a treatment) but it doesn’t take too long. You can’t let water sit on them and they stain but I really like my wine bottle rings and other cooking marks. They look cool! And for the price… they are SO much cheaper. Custom counter tops would have been $2,500 at the cheapest. We spent about $300 on these.

      Kacie
      http://www.acollectionofpassions.com/

  47. Fred says

    I’m in Belgium and i have find this blog !
    All is beautifull !!! Wouaww !!
    Congratulations !! I love it !!
    See you soon !

    Reply

  49. Mary says

    I thought the “mismatched” looked good together. I was even thought it was refreshing, not so matchy-matchy. They are white and stainless steel, not avocado green and flame red. Life is not an Ikea cataloge.

    Reply

  50. Maureen says

    Oh… this was such a dangerous post for me to see. Got the mini-kitchen-re-do bug a few days ago and was trying to suppress those feelings! The issue is I fear how the butcher block would hold up if our house turns into a rental. But then again, for $300 from IKEA… whats to lose?? I may or may not have taken a trip to IKEA the other day just to look and drool over them.

    John/Sherri- have you heard how painted cabinets hold up? I assume you aren’t worried about it if you are moving forward with it right now. While our 4 month old daughter can’t do much damage now… I see dirty/sticky fingers in her future. And again.. the house could be a rental some day. Something scary about painting unpainted (and in fairly good condition) wood for the 1st time…

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      John’s sister painted her cabinets (the right way, with good primer and paint and sanding and deglossing, etc) and it looked great for over a decade (she moved after that but I’d guess they’re still going strong). It’s really all about how well you apply it (shortcuts can lead to cracking or chipping more quickly). Paint and primer technology is only getting better, so we’re hoping to get decades of wear from ours (since 15 years ago when John’s sis painted hers they didn’t have the advances in paint formula that they have today). Will keep ya posted for sure!

      xo,
      s

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