Time for the final kitchen update! See part I and part II first!
I left you all with a bunch of exciting before + afters
The finished kitchen has been AMAZING and we couldn’t be happier!! There were just 3 finishing touches that needed to be made.
Remember the yellow curtains that I sewed myself?
They were nice and all…
But I was just never in love with them. They cast a golden glow around the kitchen, and they always felt kind of outdated to me. (Man our kitchen used to be so colorful! Times have changed…)
Enter our brand new custom roman shade!!
It’s made out of burlap (=super cheap) with a white linen stripe. I had it made by a local seamstress Karen recommended, Cathy Mares. Wish I could take the credit, but toddler + more than 1 row of stiches was a bit above my head. Cathy did a beautiful job, and I am very pleased with how it turned out.
What I love most about it is it really gives some height to the kitchen. I never would have thought a shade would do that, but it does. The whole space feels more mature. And the burlap really warms it up.
I was worried we would lose light, but that hasn’t been the case at all. The shade it lined, but it still lets in lots of light whether it’s up or down (although it’s always up in the daytime)
It works like a set of blinds, and we have a clear tie for the extra hanging cord during the day.
The burlap also perfectly matches my new couch pillow covers!
I bought the pair on Etsy with a gift certificate my sister gave me for my birthday from Bouteille Chic’s shop. They were exactly what I was looking for for the new space – bright, beachy modern with a touch of farmhouse.
Before:
After:
{The ottoman now lives with the couch. Good call.}
The burlap theme continues on with Mazen’s toy basket I found at Homegoods!
The very last finishing touch was something you probably never noticed.
The undersides of the cabinets were unfinished. This was something that never really bothered me in our previous kitchen, so I didn’t think to have Justin paint them when he did the cabinet fronts. The kitchen was so much darker with the natural materials of our previous counters that the glimpses of wood you saw underneath just sort of fit in.
But once the kitchen was all polished and bright white, the wood stuck out horribly. Glimpes of it when you bent down to pick something up or sat down on the couch were such a contrast. So we had Justin come back with the matching primer and paint and touch them up. SO much better with just a few coats!
Whereas before you saw brown, the view from the couch is now so fresh and so clean.
So I’ll leave you with one final before + after. I’m sooooo happy with the end result!
Way back when we moved in 2 years ago… {old fridge, old stove, old door, old trash can, old décor, old counters, old backsplash, old hardware, my beloved ball jars on shelves}
Midway through progress…{new fridge, new stove, new curtains, new door}
And now!
Sarah @ The Simple Dietitian says
December 30, 2013 at 7:44 amThe kitchen is beautiful!! I love the roman shade. The color, shape, texture is perfect for your kitchen. 😀
Lisa @bitesforbabies says
December 30, 2013 at 8:23 amLOVE LOVE LOVE burlap…those pillows and that roman shade rock!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
December 30, 2013 at 8:28 amI love the burlap window shade. That’s not something I would have picked out on my own, but seeing it in the room, it looks great!
Anna W says
December 30, 2013 at 8:34 amWould love to know what kind of fridge you bought and what steps you took to make the decision…gut renovating a kitchen now and having a tough time with a fridge – thinking French door stainless with bottom freezer like you. Is yours full or counter depth? Love the redo it’s really a clean and airy kitchen now.
KathEats says
December 30, 2013 at 12:40 pmOurs is a middle of the road Samsung we got on sale at Lowes. I wish we had gotten an ice maker on the door and a full width deli/cheese drawer. I love having the French doors on top and freezer below though. And it’s fingerprint free which is awesome
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More says
December 30, 2013 at 8:46 amGorgeous! So simple and clean, I love it!
Alex says
December 30, 2013 at 8:47 amIt woullook super cool if you carried the backsplash up to the ceiling behind the stove!
John B says
December 30, 2013 at 12:22 pmI second this
KathEats says
December 30, 2013 at 12:37 pmI agree but it was too expensive!
John B says
December 30, 2013 at 12:45 pmya. it still looks great anyhow.
Jess says
December 30, 2013 at 8:59 amLooks great! I especially love all the burlap– it adds a rustic, homey feel to an otherwise modern layout I think 🙂
Katy says
December 30, 2013 at 9:10 amLOVE it. I am thinking of a similar color tile. If you were to paint your kitchen (walls) a color besides white what would you choose? I have more wall space then you , and I don’t want to leave the walls white….but I’m not sure what would go with a sea-glassy color like the tiles…any suggestions…from anyone would be great. I am missing the picking out colors gene big time.
KathEats says
December 30, 2013 at 12:38 pmI am such a white girl but what about a crisp gray? Or even a light coral?
Megan says
December 30, 2013 at 6:42 pmTry Glow, by Behr, at Home Depot. I love it in our kitchen!
The Many Thoughts of a Reader says
December 30, 2013 at 9:12 amlove it!
[email protected] Apple of My Eye says
December 30, 2013 at 9:32 amLove all the changes! Everything thing looks so great! Colorful and bright- just the way I like it 🙂
Emily @ Life on Food says
December 30, 2013 at 9:33 amI am still in love with the backsplash. Our kitchen redo is a still a few years out but I love seeing others progress. Glad it is done. It looks great!
Jenn says
December 30, 2013 at 9:38 amLooks so sleek! What are you going to put on your shelves now? Where are your bell jars??
KathEats says
December 30, 2013 at 12:41 pmThey are on the shelves by the fridge. The shelves are empty now but Mazen plays with his toys on them. .. rows of little cars and cups and things
Aleesha says
December 30, 2013 at 9:43 amI love it! Roman shades are so cool. Just perfect. Yay, when Mazen gets a little older you can add your mason jars back into the space. 🙂
Emma says
December 30, 2013 at 10:55 amI love all of the burlap accents! So pretty!
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries says
December 30, 2013 at 10:59 amLOVE it! You guys did a great job! It’s so inviting and CLEAN looking!
Angelica says
December 30, 2013 at 11:30 amI love those burlap roman shades!! Is there a way to clean them? Spot clean and/or hand vacuum? Happy new year!
KathEats says
December 30, 2013 at 12:42 pmI haven’t even thought about that but I think spot cleaning would be the only solution
Liz says
December 30, 2013 at 2:20 pmI doubt you’ll get too much dirt on them if they are pulled up the majority of the time. If they look dusty, take the upholstery attachment on your vacuum and just run it over the shade lightly when it’s pulled down, that will pull the dust off. That’s what I tell my clients at least.
Reghan says
December 30, 2013 at 11:44 amIt looks beautiful! I love before and afters! We’ve renovated our whole 100 year old farmhouse in the last 3 years and I just can’t believe how different it looks from when we moved in. Always fun going back through those pics.
KathEats says
December 30, 2013 at 12:02 pmI’d love to see pictures! Love farmhouses
Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves says
December 30, 2013 at 11:51 amHow gorgeous! The roman shade is so lovely. I absolutely love seeing your beautiful home as inspiration for decor and organization!
Becky says
December 30, 2013 at 12:03 pmThe new counter & back splash made such an improvement over what was there! It looks even better in person.
Dana @ Conscious Kitchen Blog says
December 30, 2013 at 12:22 pmLove the new look! It’s so clean and fresh. I’d like a new shade for our kitchen window. Love yours – it’s definitely a new style to consider.
Kelly says
December 30, 2013 at 12:51 pmLove the cover for the ottoman, thinkin that would work for our scuffed and scratched up leather one. Where did you get it? Was it custom made?
KathEats says
December 30, 2013 at 12:54 pmI ordered it through Etsy but yes it was semi custom. I love that I can machine wash it. Sticky hands love it.
@simple green moms says
December 30, 2013 at 12:54 pmEverything looks great! Very sophisticated and clean =)
[email protected] for Cake says
December 30, 2013 at 1:59 pmLOVE IT! Nothing makes me happier than home renovations and most importantly an organized home! Looks great. I love the toy storage too 🙂
Stuart Jones says
December 30, 2013 at 4:02 pmAbsolutely amazing work. Great job!!
Casey says
December 30, 2013 at 5:09 pmKath, the kitchen looks great!!!
I just bought aSimple Human trashcan because our walls kept getting scratched too. I just got it in today, and I am in love!
KathEats says
December 30, 2013 at 8:11 pmYay! Still in love with mine
Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs says
December 30, 2013 at 8:09 pmBeautiful! So fresh & clean!
Alex @ Kenzie Life says
December 31, 2013 at 1:43 amLooks beautiful, Kath! I love your taste in decorating!
Heather @ Health, Happiness, and Hope says
December 31, 2013 at 4:05 amWow, you did an amazing job with that kitchen design. The lighter/clean colors really open up the space and make it look so much bigger! And I love the tiling on the backsplash… ads a hint of color but doesn’t take away from the scheme or clean look!
Abbie says
December 31, 2013 at 4:33 amBeautiful. Absolutely love the tiles in the kitchen 🙂
chris says
December 31, 2013 at 10:27 amBravo Kath, gorgeous redo! Love the color of the backsplash tile and the roman shade is perfect!
sissy H says
December 31, 2013 at 7:16 pmwhat kind of range do you have that you don’t need a vent above it while cooking?
Michele says
January 1, 2014 at 2:32 pmI don’t think you *need* a vent. I rarely, if ever, use mine.
The kitchen looks great! What I don’t see is a microwave. Do you have one?
KathEats says
January 1, 2014 at 3:11 pmYeah we never used vents when we had them. It would have been hard to put one in but we considered it…along with tiles up that wall.
We have a microwave. .. to the left of the stove and somewhat hidden.
Karin says
January 6, 2014 at 8:45 amHi Kath! Long time follower, first time poster – what kind of counter top did you go with? Kitchen looks fab!
KathEats says
January 6, 2014 at 9:05 amQuartz! It’s called Quartz Reflections #7141. Love it!
Elijah says
January 7, 2014 at 10:37 amLooks great in there
We’re looking to put some burlap roman shades in our living room and we’re trying to price them. would you mind me asking how much that shade was? Thanks.
Keep up the great work
KathEats says
January 7, 2014 at 12:37 pmThe fabric was $4 and the seamstress was $150