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Kitchen Update!

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…

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Come off they did!

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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!!

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Missing kitchen sink

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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

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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.

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Just imagine my smile as I was cleaning this bad boy to a shine!

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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.

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The next morning at 9am sharp our beautiful quartz arrived

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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.

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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.

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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!

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We had the weekend to fall in love with the counters before they started on the backsplash on Monday.

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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.

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Inspiration 1 // 2 // 3

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We chose an Architectural Collections line called Cadence Collections in Seaglass in a 3×6 subway glass tile.

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The color shifts anywhere from blue to a Caribbean green depending on the light

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The took two guys an entire day plus some to cut and hang all the tile. Glad I didn’t DIY this one!

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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

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And finally…………..the finished kitchen!

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Love how my yellow radio pops against the tile!

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Remember the 1” seam jump between the wood and concrete here? Now it’s a smooth workspace in all directions.

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Flashback to before:

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And after:

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Before:

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And after –

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Who is excited to do some dishes? ME!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katie says

    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.

    Reply

  3. Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says

    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!

    Reply

  4. [email protected] says

    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…

    Reply

  6. Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs says

    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!

    Reply

  8. Aleesha says

    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!!

    Reply

  10. Ali @ Peaches and Football says

    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!

    Reply

  17. Melanie says

    The new kitchen in amazing! Congratulations! You really have an eye for design and decorations…I love the simplicity and little pops of color 🙂

    Reply

  18. Dana says

    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.

    Reply

  22. Laura says

    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/

    Reply

    • KathEats says

      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

      Reply

      • Connie says

        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.

        Reply

  24. [email protected] says

    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.

    Reply

  26. Amelia says

    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!

    Reply

  27. Jess says

    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 : )

    Reply

  30. Kim says

    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?

    Reply

    • KathEats says

      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.

      Reply

  32. Rachel says

    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!

    Reply

  33. yasmara says

    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.

    Reply

  40. Shelly says

    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!

    Reply

    • KathEats says

      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

      Reply

  41. Katherine says

    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!

    Reply

    • KathEats says

      I just used my Shaklee cleaner mix and Method on occasion. We tried waxing them for shine but the cleaners took it right off.

      Reply

  43. Averie @ Averie Cooks says

    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!

    Reply

  45. Kel says

    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!!

    Reply

    • KathEats says

      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.

      Reply

  48. Lauren says

    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!

    Reply

  49. Ana says

    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?

    Reply

    • KathEats says

      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

      Reply

  53. [email protected] says

    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!!

    Reply

  54. Jennifer says

    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!)

    Reply

  69. Samantha says

    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.

    Reply

  74. Alan says

    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

    Reply

  75. Joan says

    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.

    Reply

  77. Lori S H says

    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. : )

    Reply

  80. Katie @ Real Food Katie's Way says

    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!

    Reply

  81. Debbie @ Deb Runs says

    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!

    Reply

  92. Kathy W. says

    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!

    Reply

  95. KJ says

    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… 🙂

    Reply

  96. Charise says

    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! 🙂

    Reply

  101. Nicole says

    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. ????

    Reply

  102. Jeri says

    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.

    Reply

  105. Barb says

    Hi Kathy,
    I ran across your kitchen roe today. I couldn’t find a link to your backsplash tile… any leads you could pass my way? I am choosing the components for my Reno. Thanks.

    Reply

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