We figured during the week of our big kitchen reveal it was only fitting to share a reader’s kitchen makeover as well. And this kitchen redesign comes from a male blogger who goes by “Beard” (he has a female sidekick in the form of “Pigtails” – the daughter that he’s a single dad to). Beard’s blogging style is quite entertaining, and the kitchen makeover, well, it’s awesome. Here’s his letter:
I recently gutted and rebooted the kitchen on my 1950’s brick ranch (using inexpensive materials like Ikea cabinetry and reclaimed wood for a bench and table setup).
Goals for the reboot:
- Be smart with the available 100 square feet. Kill clutter and chop it down to the basics.
- Open things up by reducing the number of cabinets, shrinking appliances, and deleting the soffit and ceiling fan. Recessed lights for a smooth finish up top.
- Install a robot that cooks and mops up messes, a.k.a. Rosie.
- Move the dishwasher from the random corner to a slot beside the sink.
- Build a slim table to fit the space without dominating.
- Create a warm look that’s different than what I typically see out there.
It turned out just right, hit all the goals but one.
Yeah, the kitchen will never be this clean again. Ever. – Beard
Be sure to check out Beard’s blog for more of the story on the makeover (there’s a cool tale behind the table). And thanks to Beard for bringing some testosterone to the reader redesign this week! Virtual fist bump. Petersik out.
Psst- We announced this week’s big Crate & Barrel giveaway winner. Click here to see if it’s you.
Marianne says
Gorgeous!! We did a nearly identical kitchen with Ikea cabinetry, slate tile on the floor, subway tile and the same pendant lights from Ikea. We stained and sealed our countertops a dark walnut colour though. I love our kitchen but our lighting is not finished yet and seeing what yours looks like with the amazing lighting is major inspiration to finish it up asap!!!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny! Would love to see pics!
xo,
s
Mama Gigi says
Ours is pretty much the same too :) I was going for something that would withstand the test of time – guess we all are!
Marcy says
Seriously?! This is almost exactly what I want to do to our kitchen but on a bigger scale. I’m going to have to check out all the details.
Beard says
Get it done.
Samma says
You totally need to add him to your blogroll — what a fun writing style, and refreshing bit of the old XY to the mix!
YoungHouseLove says
Amen!
xo,
s
Rebecca says
It’s refreshing to see a clean and simple, no frills renovation. Also, I love this guy’s tone. He’s done a nice job all around. Thank you for sharing his work.
Beard says
And to think mom always scolded and demanded I “watch my tone.”
Seriously Sassy Mama says
What a rockin kitchen.
hyzen says
Oooh, looks great. I’m planning some similar things for my upcoming kitchen remodel, particularly the slate floors (although I think we’re going to go for “slate-look” tile, which is less authentic but will stand up much better to our big, sloppy puppies who spend a lot of their day in our kitchen). Great to see how awesome his remodel turned out. Not to nitpick, but I wish there were some shots with natural lighting (or more photoshopping) to really do justice to the Beard’s nice work. Loved this redesign! :)
Beard says
I’ve got tons of daytime shots of the kitchen, I’ll update one of my kitchen posts to include natural-light photos.
Jackie says
Wow! What an amazing transformation. I love the lit upper cabinets and the floor!!!
Beard says
Sweet, the ol’ kitchen reboot thread made your site! Thanks for posting this up, cheers.
-Beard
YoungHouseLove says
We love it so much Beard! Thanks for sending the before and after pics – so inspiring!
xo
s
Carla says
This is a redesign that I can get behind. You’ve created a brilliant sense of balance with the warm woods and the white cabinetry. Your kitchen is very warm and cozy and the appliance design fits in perfectly. I love the exposed hood and the charm it adds to everything. I really like several elements of the YHL kitchen, but overall I feel it’s too blocky and that it needs more balance and warmth.
RebeccaNYC says
Now, THATS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!!! This is a kitchen I can get into!
Emma Ball says
I literally had a sharp intake of breath at his new kitchen! LOVE IT.
Beard says
Are you okay? Breath with me….
Angela says
Such a good job. Such a great story. Went over & checked out his blog – signed up! Thanks for sharing this. Beard should get a good old buzz out of all the YHL comments on his site today too! ;-)
Beard says
For sure! My blog hit count was 85 yesterday, 45,000 today, crazy.
YoungHouseLove says
It’s well deserved!
-John
Terresa says
OMG Beard’s blog is great!! you HAVE TO go read his post about the “cat ass cootie couch” funny, funny guy. can’t wait to find time to read more of his blog – thanks
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, off to check it out!
xo,
s
Beard says
I feel sorry for the dude from Craig’s List that carted off my old cat ass cootie couch on the cheap.
Jaz says
The reclaimed table and bench are simply stunning. Beautiful job! Thanks for sharing!
Beth C says
Great job! The kitchen is gorgeous (and so is your daughter–I was raised by my dad, too!).
Mama Gigi says
Are those the allure tiles from Home Depot? I couldn’t picture them looking good but keep going back to them. They look great if that’s the case! We’re re-doing our kitchen and STUCK on what to do with the floor…revisiting that option now!
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s hoping Beard will stop in to answer!
xo,
s
Beard says
I went with 8″ x 24″ black slate tiles, but not from Home Depot. Installed them long-side across to give the appearance of a wider kitchen (it’s only 8 feet across).
Mama Gigi says
Awesome, thanks! They look fantastic (put me in the list of people who are doing their tiny kitchen in almost the EXACT same way :) We should do a side by side of all the butcher block/subwaytile/white cabinet kitchens :)
Laura says
This is my favorite reader redesign of all time! I love every single feature of the new kitchen. Good job, Beard!!! I’ll be heading over to your blog now… :)
Beard says
Wow, that feels good, thank you!
marie says
love the style, of the kitchen and the writing! and don at west end architectural salvage is a genius, it’s so cool to see that beard worked with him to create the table. yay des moines!
john & sherry, that place is magical, you’d love it! my fiance and i are planning our rehearsal dinner there.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, it sounds amazing! The funny thing is I’ve been to Des Moines a million times because my best friend’s whole family lives about two hours from there, so we always fly into Des Moines (I even spent a Christmas in Iowa once!). Will have to check it out next time we come!
xo,
s
Carla says
I had to stop back and ask about your chalkboard plans for your pantry. Are you planning on doing a ceiling to floor chalkboard or framing out a portion of it? My husband and I recently found a great vintage frame (maybe two by three feet) and then bought some MDF to cover in a non-VOC primer and blackboard paint. There is non-VOC blackboard paint available, but by special order only as far as I can tell. This leaves you primarily with Rustoleum and Valspar as your options, both available in quarts with Rustoleum offering a tintable version. Also, Martha Stewart’s website has a tutorial on how to make blackboard paint. Can’t wait to see what you come up with! You can even turn mirrors and vintage silver serving trays into chalkboards!!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, framing out a portion is the plan! Thanks so much for the info!!
xo,
s
keri says
Just read Beard’s blog. Hysterical. I love reader re-designs!
Kristen @ Popcorn on the Stove says
The kitchen looks lovely! I love the light cabinets against the dark, tile floors!
Jane says
Love the size of your floor tiles and how they coordinate with the subway tile. Will definitely look at sliders to replace the standard cabinets when doing our kitchen. It keeps items so organized. Great work! ps: your writing style is just fine, part of your character. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Mary says
LOVE IT! This is literally my dream kitchen. My hubby and I are planning on doing the whole white cabinet, butcher block counters thing. If only we had enough money to do stainless appliances…sigh.
Holly says
oh wow, love the makeover! Great job Beard :)
Kimberly says
Gaaaahhhhh, butcherblock countertops and a farmhouse sink?? It’s my DREAM. Love it, great job. If I were (a) Rosie, I’d have no problem spending all of my time in there.
Courtney says
Single you say?
…but seriously, this makeover is amazing; I love everything about it.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, this is going to be The Bachelor before you know it!
xo,
s
Linda Bednarcik says
Love it! Can you come over and do mine?
Beard says
I paid contractor Dave to do most of the work. I’ll ask him to come over to your house tomorrow.
Eileen says
thanks so much for sharing this great kitchen re-do and introducing all of us to a great blog! I have spent waaaayy too much time today strolling around Beard and Pigtails…I hope my boss does not notice…but I think you guys all have the same couch! Isn’t Karl the Karlstad?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! Isn’t that funny?
xo,
s
Marie says
Small world. I read this post and loved the kitchen redo. My husband and I were at my sister’s place last night and we were discussing writing and she mentioned her friend from high school had a cool blog and a fun writing style. She said it is called “Beard and Pigtails”. My jaw dropped as I said his kitchen was just on YHL! I then found out his house is less than 10min from where I live. I tried to comment on Beard’s blog but my phone is being weird and wouldn’t let me type anything. Crazy small world!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny!
xo,
s
Maggie says
Love it! Should have gotten some advice from you before we did our own renovation. We definitely spent more time planning the kitchen than anything else.
bruce says
really nice job on the kitchen makeover. was that ceiling slope already there? or u put in?. again nice job
Beard says
We hit a ceiling snag 14 seconds into the project. I asked contractor Dave to remove the soffit atop the upper cabinets to open things up and allow us to install the new glass cupboards higher up. He knocked out the soffit and noticed the ceiling rafters were creeping in there from the attic. The best we could do was drywall up top to the slope of the rafters. Not ideal, but it accomplished my goal of opening things up allowing more space between counter and new upper cabinets.
Link to the gory details: Ceiling boo-boo
Jasanna says
Love it!!!! What was the budget for this? :)
http://munchtalk.blogspot.com/
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s hoping he drops by and shares whatever he feels comfortable with!
xo,
s
Beard says
Goal was $13k, actual about $16k. Surprise surprise, we hit some unexpected snags. The electrician required a full rewiring of the kitchen to bring it up to code. $3k for the electrical work alone, ouchie.
I still think the finished product was a reasonable tab, considering the amount of materials and work (7-week project). It was a complete trash and rebuild, not just a light remodel. We stripped it down to the wall studs in places and installed beefy new cement-board subfloor to squelch flex. Things like running a gas line to the cooktop, new appliances, replacing two windows, custom-cut table and bench, slate floor and subway tiles on the walls add up.
I was going for high quality and good use of a small space for a fair tab. I feel like we hit the mark.
Lindsy says
This. Is. Amazing. It has totally inspired me to make my small kitchen into a kitchen I love. Someday – when I have $10,000 to gut mine and do this, I will.
Thanks Beard!! I love your blog also!
Amanda Boykin says
Love it!! Thank so much for sharing!! :)
Jenny says
I’ve been following your blog for awhile now and also Beard and Pigtails blog. I recently was trying to figure out how I stumbled upon Beard and Pigtails blog, and then today as I was randomly looking at past posts on your blog, I came across the redesign post from Beard and Pigtails. Ahhhh – it’s all coming back to me now! I owe you a thank you – not only for your awesome blog, but for Beard and Pigtails too :-)
Merry Christmas!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, so funny!
xo
s
Mara says
Favorite Reader Re-design of all! That kitchen is HAWT :)
Mara