Farmgirl Paints: our new GATHERING place...the tweaked kitchen

Good morning girlies. I finally took some pics of our updated kitchen for you. Let me just tell you this process has been a decision in the works for the last three plus years. Do we paint the cabinets? Do we put in a farmhouse sink? Do we change the countertops etc??

I loved our big space. The kitchen before was beautiful it just wasn't me. It was a spec house and it didn't look anything like my dream kitchen. So I've spent countless hours pinning every white, gray, yellow, turquoise kitchen in America and every tutorial on how to paint kitchen cabinets. Seriously! It was intense and torturous. That's a big decision. Once it's done, it's done and for someday resale it needed to look good. Also I had this nagging worry about white cabinets. Would they get dirty easy? Would they chip? Would I regret it? Nevermind the month of Sundays it would take me to paint them ALL. It's a BIG kitchen! So this is what we ended up doing and I couldn't be more pleased.

(clock from HomeGoods)

I told myself we would change a few things and if it looked good we'd just keep the cabinets. They weren't me, but they we really pretty and maybe just maybe we wouldn't need to paint them. Fingers crossed!!!!

So we started with four tweaks...the backsplash, undercounter lighting, new hardware and a stainless steel vented hood. I've ALWAYS loved white subway tile and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that's what I wanted. But would it look good with the granite?? The counters were too nice and totally unnecessary to change out, so we held our breath and made the leap to go for it. I wanted the slightly larger tile because I wanted to go ALL the way to the ceiling and the standard size might look busy. We went with a standard gray grout to tie in to the granite. The number one goal was to brighten the space! Mission accomplished!!

(from Lowe's)

We changed out the hardware from a black knob to a stainless steel to tie in with the other finishes. Voila a little sparkle and shine:)

We took out our cabinet over the stove and added a vented stainless steel hood, which made a little tear pop out when I saw it for the first time. Instant modern update! I couldn't be happier with that one improvement. And guess what? It actually is vented to the outside. Our other vent just recirculated the same air. I was shocked! Anyway now we have a heavy duty fan that pulls air out:))

Speaking of a little tear popping out. We added undercounter lighting. By "we" I mean we HIRED someone to add it:) God bless Patrick...our handy dandy electrician! He is one of our favorite people here. We've hired him for so many random jobs around the house I feel like he's family. Anyhoo when I first came in and saw the lighting I was horrified and actually had a teeny tiny hissy fit! You could see the lights from under the cabinets:o I had no idea there was a trim piece called a "light rail" that needed to be added. We finally just got that final piece done this week. That's why these pics have been so slow. It made a DRASTIC change in the space. Our once dark and dreary kitchen is now light, bright and sparkly!!!

I did a little chalkboard magic to make the white tile pop and voila!!! I ADORE our new space. And the cabinets, instead of bugging me they look warm and cozy. They also look different than all the pins I found. And I like being different. The kitchen is unique to our little family. It's a space where we can gather. Where we can meet up first thing and last thing of each day. It's where we can hopefully reach out and bring others in. Where we can spread His light and love. It's not about impressing anyone. It's not about having everything perfect. It's about being available, brave and friendly. Pray with me we can make that leap into being the home that GATHERS! I want that community here. It's totally out of my comfort zone, but I know it's what God wants for our family. Time to be obedient:)

Be a blessing.