If you’ve seen the sneak peaks on Instagram, you probably know that our kitchen was finished this week! When I left off, the cabinets had been painted, new hardware was installed by me, and the counters and backsplash were just itching to come off…
Come off they did!
We hired Wainwright Tile here in town for the job. I got quotes from Lowes (which would have required a lot of DIY and unknowns) and another local tile shop. The other tile shop never called me back despite multiple attempts to contact them, so Wainwright was our clear winner. They did an amazing job!!
The concrete was suppppper heavy and had to be carried out by two guys. So many dings and scratches!!
Missing kitchen sink
We always ponder doing things ourselves but in the end decide it’s better to let the experts do what they do best. Hiring out the demo cost us extra, but I am so glad we left it to the pros! As it turns out our counters were not level, so they had to do some extra carpentry to put in more supports for the new counters and level things out
Our sink was poorly caulked the last time and the crud in the seams drove me nuts! I had tried all kinds of cleaners and scrapers, but the gunk was stuck in the caulk.
Just imagine my smile as I was cleaning this bad boy to a shine!
Of course while this was all happening we were kicked out of the kitchen again for a few days, but just twist our arms to go out to eat won’t ya! We had breakfast at the bakery, lunch downtown and dinner at Citizen Burger Bar. Had this reno taken more than a few days I would have set up a temporary kitchen and shared some creative ways to eat. But since we only had to evacuate for 2 days at a time, we just found fun things to do outside the home. With restaurant high chairs that didn’t need to be cleaned.
The next morning at 9am sharp our beautiful quartz arrived
And in a matter of hours I was in love!!! Bulky seams be gone! We have two seams in the new counters, but you have to squint to see them they are so tight. Albemarle Counters fabricated the quartz and they did an amazing job as well.
When it came to choosing a new countertop material I had my heart set on quartz since the first time I googled “most durable countertop.” Since my biggest complaint about our previous counters were the chips, scratches and dings, I knew I wanted something that would last for the long haul. Quartz is resistant to stains and scratches, it’s easy to clean and it can tolerate moderate heat. It never needs sealing and it’s nonporous so you can use anything to clean it. I also wanted something totally sleek and modern with a bit of sparkle.
Thus, we chose Caesarstone’s Quartz Reflections (#7141) which is mostly white, slightly gray and has little sparkles throughout. It’s actually really similar to the countertops we have at the bakery.
Shortly after the counters went in Wayne went through and put some mud on our old backsplash damage to smooth it out. The kitchen immediately started to look amazing with all that brown gone! Shout out to Wayne, the owner of Wainwright, who kept watchful eye over every step of this process!
We had the weekend to fall in love with the counters before they started on the backsplash on Monday.
For the splash I knew I wanted a seafoam blue subway tile. I’ve studied enough kitchens on Houzz (have you seen that amazing site!?) to know that I loved the clean, fresh, beachy look.
We chose an Architectural Collections line called Cadence Collections in Seaglass in a 3×6 subway glass tile.
The color shifts anywhere from blue to a Caribbean green depending on the light
The took two guys an entire day plus some to cut and hang all the tile. Glad I didn’t DIY this one!
Yet another day they came back to grout. For a tiny second we debated going with a grout color other than white, but I just couldn’t do it. #whiteobsessed
And finally…………..the finished kitchen!
Love how my yellow radio pops against the tile!
Remember the 1” seam jump between the wood and concrete here? Now it’s a smooth workspace in all directions.
Flashback to before:
And after:
Before:
And after –
Who is excited to do some dishes? ME!
I didn’t think it looked bad before, but it looks beautiful now! Congratulations! And I agree, some things are good to DIY, but other times its best to let the professionals take over.
Having seen the before and after in person, I cannot tell you enough how much better the new is!!
oh my gosh, I LOVE the tile you picked! What a great choice, and smart to use inspiration photos. I definitely would hire someone to do work like that for me, I have zero DIY experience, plus I’d be afraid of messing it up!
The kitchen looks great! We just “re-faced” our kitchen too, and used Caesartstone Frosty Carrina, which I am loving. It turns out that our countertops were also uneven (because of the walls, not the cabinets below). It’s amazing how many small problems arise during minor renovations…
LOVE your kitchen! I love the clean fresh look! Your kitchen will be our inspiration when we redo!
It looks beautiful! I LOVE quartz countertops — I’d love to have one someday! We have butcher block counters now, and while they look nice, they’re a pain in the butt! Scratches, water damage around the sink, resealing them — not my favorite! Someday we’ll upgrade 🙂
Happy Friday!
The quartz is just stunning!!!!!
I LOVE the new kitchen soooooo much. Those are all the same colors and materials I would have chosen also. Very light, bright, and super clean. Excellent job, my dear!!
That is beautiful! I am in love with those tiles.
How gorgeous! I love the side-by-side before and after pictures. It looks so warm and sparkling now. I love the counter top colors choice – well done.
We are dying to give our kitchen an uplift too but I think we’re going to go back to laminate. We have a huge island and the quartz is freezing up North in the winter, plus I’ve broken a glass setting it down too hard at a friend’s house. Whoops!!
This is really giving me the urge to get my kitchen re-design planning done!!! Soooo pretty!
It looks beautiful Kath! Congrats!!! 🙂
Looks awesome, Kath! I love the blacksplash, very chic!
Oh wow! It’s gorgeous!
The kitchen looks gorgeous!! I love your countertop selection. Just beautiful!! 🙂
Looks great! Good idea to have it done professionally. Love how it turned out!
Congrats Kath! So glad it was all worth it. Get cookin!
The new kitchen in amazing! Congratulations! You really have an eye for design and decorations…I love the simplicity and little pops of color 🙂
I’m not usually a white kitchen fan, but for the small space, and with that great backsplash, I like it! Always more fun to cook in a pretty kitchen.
It looks beautiful! I love the clean, bright look to it. The subway tiles are my favorite part!
Kath, it’s absolutely gorgeous – so clean and happy! Congratulations!
The kitchen looks great and I am so loving the countertops!
It looks gorgeous! Last year we installed recycled quartz counter tops in our kitchen and our quartz could be twins! Ours is also white with little sparkly flecks. I think yours has slightly darker flecks than ours. Word of caution: although it claims to be stain resistant, we’ve had a few issues with small stains occurring if we didn’t notice a spill (like red wine, sauce, etc.) and didn’t get it cleaned up right away. My husband lightly sanded the areas and was able to get the stains up but I wasn’t expecting to have to do that due to the stain resistant claims!
One other thing you might be interested in for the kitchen. We purchased under cabinet stick on lights which are battery operated to place under the cabinets. They don’t give off tons of light but it really sets of the counter tops and the sparkle!
http://www.sneakersandspatulas.com/2013/11/20/easy-crockpot-applesauce-recipe/
Oh no about the staining. That better not happen to me!
Can you please share your cabinet light brand? I tried some years ago that were awful looking and returned them
I love, love the new kitchen, Kath! The backsplash is especially beautiful. We too have a similar countertop and have had staining issues. Red wine, coffee, citrus (which we’re very careful not to leave directly on the surface) have ruined parts of the surface. We get a ton of compliments on it, and it looks beautiful, but we are super careful. I warn you not to be negative, but I know how expensive these things are and it’s heartbreaking to see stains, damage etc.
So sad!!
You spelled Houzz wrong. Check your link.
Fixed, thanks
What a difference! The kitchen looks amazing. A pretty functional kitchen is the best motivation to get in there and bake/cook some delishous treats! So happy for you! I hope you love it this much for many years to come.
Really beautiful! I love the quart countertop. You’ll have so much fun cooking and living in this kitchen!
Girl, your new kitchen looks phenomenal! I bet you are so in love and like spending extra time in that room now! The colors are perfect and similar to what I would pick too. And your sink? Um, yeah, that might actually make me want to do dishes too. 😉 I can’t wait to see what room might be next in your house!
Absolutely beautiful! We updated the kitchen in our old house and I remember standing there admiring the new backsplash with a grin on my face many times after it was complete. I picture you doing the same : )
Lovely! You know your stuff!
Yay- absolutely love it!! I recently painted our kitchen a very similar color. It is so light abd bright!
Beautiful!!! Are you going to rehang your yellow curtains? Did you guys consider doing the tile all the way up the wall behind the stove?
No I’m actually having a roman shade made. Reveal when it’s here! The yellow curtains are down in our guest bath now. I thought they were a little too young for the sophisticated space.
beautiful! i also loathe kitchen crannies/soft surfaces — they attract crumbs and stains!
I mentioned on Imgur that we had quartz, but am so excited about it that I had to post again! 🙂 We love it, and picked it for the same durability reasons. We chose Carrera Marble subway tiles to go with it. Enjoy!
What thickness did you get for your counters? We are embarking on a similar update (measurements for counters a week from today!) and debating the counter thickness. The material we are getting comes in a standard 3mm thickness or you can get 4mm, but it’s 2-2mm slabs laminated together, so there is an end seam. I’m leaning towards 3mm without the seam.
I’m not sure we ever specified, so I think we got the run of the mill standard size
I absolutely LOVE it! I’ve fallen in love with white and light kitchens lately – they’re brighten things up and are just so much happier. 🙂 Enjoy!
It looks beautiful! I love quartz countertops & subway tile…very good choices 🙂
Looks great!! But…”excited to do dishes”…hahaha..o.k., whatever floats your boat:-)
Oh it looks amazing! We are talking about new counter tops right now and I am pretty overwhelmed by all of the options. I love love love the back splash. Enjoy!
i loveee your new kitchen!
Looks amazing, Kath! So fresh, love the quartz and the backsplash – enjoy cooking in your new kitchen!
Love it!!!!, Can you tell me where you got those tiles? My husband and I are remodeling our kitchen and have been looking for those same tiles everywhere around here (Greenville, SC) and cant seem to find them anywhere. Thanks!
We ordered them through Wainwright Tile. I’m not sure if you can get them publicly, but I linked to the maker in the post
Congrats on your new, bright & fresh kitchen, Kath! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it for many years to come. I have a quick question re: your old butcher block countertops that maybe you (or another reader?) can help me with. What method/product did you find to be the best way to clean them? I’ve tried several suggestions from Google, Lowes, & Home Depot but with limited success. I realize my question isn’t exactly pertinent to this post since you just said farewell to your butcher block, but perhaps you can still help me. 🙂 Thanks!
I just used my Shaklee cleaner mix and Method on occasion. We tried waxing them for shine but the cleaners took it right off.
L.O.V.E.
Kath it’s gorgeous and these photos must have taken forever to upload and organize – thanks for sharing it. I would LOVE to cook in your kitchen!
Oh and your other post about practice/preech with alcohol – loved it. Didnt want to chime in to the zillions of comments, but they were almost as interesting as your thoughts. Thanks for posting that one!
Gorgeous! I have kitchen envy!
Love the new look! Did the new coat of paint get scuffed at all during the demo? I would have been so nervous that the counter replacement would ruin my pristinely painted cabinets!!
Only in one small spot. It was a hard call to decide which to do first, but I’m glad we did the cabinets so that when the rest when in it was all shiny and new.
looks great, kath! i love the backsplash. what a fun color!
http://semiweeklyeats.blogspot.com/2013/11/have-great-weekend.html
Wow, gorgeous! That tile ads such a nice pop of color and sophistication.
Looks so beautiful!!! It’s funny, we’re having quartz countertops installed in our master bath as we speak – I love quartz and it was a total no-brainer for us, too. Enjoy your “new” kitchen!
We did a kitchen reno a couple of years ago, a complete gut and reworking. I want quartz countertops eventually but thought it made more sense to change out the cabinets now and update countertops later. Did you consider changing out the cabinets which look original to the house? And the orange floor?
I was just wondering as it seems like you may be wanting to move to a bigger home one day and I full kitchen upgrade would make it easier to sell?
we thought about doing more but the cabinets are in such good shape and the cork floor is actually pretty cool and matches the rest of our house. I think this is a good compromise between the cost of a brand new kitchen and a facelift
I was happily reading along then saw the backsplash tile and my mouth dropped and stayed that way. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO jealous. That is my favorite subway tile EVER. Please enjoy it extra for the rest of us of who love it but don’t have it!
Congratulations! Your kitchen looks great!!
I love it! The undermount sink is gorgeous. As is the rest, too. 🙂
your new kitchen is fabulous! you have great taste! we made similar improvements over the summer to out kitch, but we’re still waiting for the tile to be done. i picked white subway tile;however, after seeing this, i may have to reconsider and check out the seafoamy green color!!
I know this is not something you are supposed to ask, but we are local and looking into remodeling our kitchen. Would you be willing to share, or email me, a price range you agreed upon for this remodel? I love it! I never would have thought of those combos. Do you have any problems with sticky baby fingers on the white cabinets? (we do!)
shoot me an email please
Love love LOVE it! The tiles are amazing. Awesome face lift. Come do my house? 🙂
gorgeous! I have always loooooved glass subway tile. classic yet modern. well done!
Stunning and so bright!!! Absolutely gorgeous…seriously missed your calling as an interior designer!
Looks gorgeous, Kath! I love Caeserstone.
Your home always looks so light and bright – lovely!
Looks great! I’m so jealous…I’m in desperate need of a kitchen reno!!! 😉
I love it! I am totally for a bright white kitchen with clean lines! It is exactly the type I want.
I love it! The tile looks great and it seems to really brighten up the space!
The kitchen looks gorgeous! I love the white with the blue– it’s classic but still modern all at once.
LOVE!!!
Gorgeous Kath!! Those tiles are swoon worthy 🙂
It looks awesome. Love the backsplash!
Kath, I absolutely LOVE the color of that backsplash! It looks so calming with the white cabinets.
I think that’s so sad the wood is gone. That’s the part of your kitchen that I really liked!
Btw I love the stop top you have!
Just discovered your blog and this was the first post Ive read. LOVE seafoam, it was one of my wedding colours and I love how vintage yet clean it makes your kitchen look. Really lovely.
Looks so beautiful now! I hope you enjoy your new kitchen! 🙂
So gorgeous Kath! LOVE the aqua blue backsplash! Very you! 🙂
Gorgeous!
Looks beautiful!
Knives hanging on the wall? With a cute as a button curious one year old running around? Does that not scare you?
In our kitchen, we had a locked drawer built for knives so no fingers find their ways.
Good luck in the new kitchen. Very nice functional design
Hi, I have just had a new kitchen – where did you get the yellow curtains from please, and how did you order them? Look forward to hearing from you, regards, Joan from Plymouth.
I made them!
It looks absolutely gorgeous! Great choices!!
What a beautiful transformation! I love your house. It always looks so clean and organized. I can tell you really work hard and stay on top of things, which is amazing considering you have a very busy little one at home. : )
LOVE those tiles! The colour is gorgeous! Your kitchen looks amazing. 🙂
Adorable! It looks so quaint and cottage-y!!
I loved your kitchen before but now, it really does have a “beach house” feel if you know what I mean…
Awesome!!
We just did a kitchen renovation out at our cottage from April-June (we are DIY-ers so it takes more time LOL) and even now I walk into the room just to look at how prettiful it is!
Your new kitchen looks gorgeous! I LOVE the seafoam blue backsplash tiles. Good choice! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel on my basement remodel that’s been going on since the day after Labor Day. They are supposed to be finished this coming Wednesday, with the exception of the rubber gym floor (mid-December)! It’s worth the wait!
Looks great~love the subway tile. Curious about your floor; is it cork?
Yes it’s cork
I always liked your little kitchen. What a delightful upgrade!
Looks great!
Kath! This looks incredible. You guys did a great job!
LOVE! The backsplash is perfect, I love that color!!!
Oops! Been waiting for the final outcome. Love the quartz and being from Florida, the beachy backsplash. Great job!
Kitchen looks great!! I love the backsplash and I’ve also always loved magnetized stripes for knives.
I just LOVE the new kitchen you have right now, so beautiful! #kangaArticles
The kitchen looks awesome! I love that back splash tile!
Where is your crock from????
Homegoods!
Who is super jealous?! This girl! 🙂
That looks AMAZING!
The cork floor looks perfect with the quartz & the seaglass tiles–it looks like sand or seagrass, adding to the beachy feel.
It also adds warmth to the cool colors–much better than a dark wood floor!
Gorgeous! Can’t wait to see it.
Looks really, really nice! Congrats and enjoy!
Just FYI, when you’re talking about a preview of something, the term is “sneak peek,” not “sneak peak.” Unless there’s some kind of stealth mountain around… 🙂
I think my brain and fingers just disconnected on this one. Thanks though
The updates look great! We love quartz too. After using it for our kitchen, we’ve made sure all the remnants we picked out for the bathrooms are quartz too – two of them are the color you used here, actually. Just a quick note about cleaning though – you said you could use anything, but we were told “no ABC” – no ammonia, bleach, or citrus. I don’t think the cleaners you’ve mentioned before contain any of those, but just a heads up.
Enjoy the new kitchen! 🙂
That’s good about the ABCs – my guy said anything, but maybe he wasn’t including the harsh ones : )
My dream kitchen! Love white cabinets, love subway tile, and seafoam green is my faaavorite color. Congrats on a lovely new space!
It looks amazing Kath!
Amazing!!! Love what you’ve done!!
I’m so late on this, but I LOVE the new counter tops and the blue tile. So pretty.
Love the backsplash. Makes everything look so fresh. Heck, I love everything in the design, except for maybe the fact that it’s not in MY kitchen instead. ????
I know I’m super late, but the kitchen looks bigger in the after pic. My kitchen is white and I want it to stay white, but then part of me wanted it to be the darker colors with the darker cabinets. But this makes me see the beauty in the lighter brighter colors to help usher in the natural light. I have bay windows that look out to the lake and get the afternoon sun shining in. This will help cut down on electric bills by being able to let the light bounce off of the cabinets and walls.
Could you please send me the name of the subway tile you used and where I can buy it?
Please!!!
It’s the Cadence 3×6 glass tile in Seaglass color
I love your backsplash but I cannot find out where to purchase it. Can you help?