My Tropical Cottage Kitchen Renovation

Today I am refreshed, renewed, revived, 

but mainly, I am

RELIEVED!!!!!

Thanks to Sarah for fixing my feedburner issue!!!!!!

Now.....

Back to my Florida kitchen...................

This is where I am now!!!!!!!

This is what it looked like when I first viewed the house with the real estate agent (those bar stools belong to the previous owners. OY!)

As I told you, when showing off my living room.....

I extended the wall, and closed up the pass-through over the sink....

This is the same view now......

......................but the wall cuts off the view of the kitchen.


THIS IS THE STORY OF HOW I GOT FROM 
THERE TO HERE!!!!!
First to be changed, as I mentioned numerous times: Close the hole, and extend the wall!!!!!
(and wall paper anything that wasn't moving!)

The next thing I tackled was changing the doors and drawers.
The original cabinets had partial overlay doors.
Those are doors that overlap the frame of the cabinet, but still show part of the frame.
I don't like that look. I don't like that look.
 I don't like that look!!!!!


give me either a full overlay
 (where the doors cover the whole front of the cabinet.)
Or
an inset flush door 
(where the doors are set inside the frame of the cabinet.)


Sooooooooooooooo..........
Keeping the idea of being fiscally prudent (HA!)
I just changed the cabinet doors and drawers to a full overlay.
I drew the doors I wanted, and had the cabinet maker make em!!!
I found some 1940's looking hardware at Restoration Hardware.

I love me a funky pull!!!!!


Here's a full overlay door and drawer.....

Soooooooooooo..........
Then I added a header and crown detail to the top of the cabinets.
DON'T JUST ADD A CROWN!!!!!
NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!
Add a board, a half round, and THEN the crown molding. 
LIKE THIS!!!!!

It just looks a lot gooder!!!!!
Rather than just having a crown molding stuck on top.
It's relatively easy to add. (HA!)
No really, it is.
The half round molding covers the crack between the two inch board and the top of the cabinet.


To deal with the empty space where the pass-through hole had been 
(over the sink)
I designed a plate rack......

I am SOOOO CLEVER TO ADD THE MAGNETIC STRIP 
FOR A KNIFE RACK!!!!


Then I had the countertop changed to a dark stained mahogany to match the dark furniture in the dining area.
I feel it gives it more of a West Indies vibe.
(The dark wood furniture, not the countertop!)

Then I made a BIG mistake, blunder, boo boo, #$%up. 
I chose a tile that I loved, but looked
HORRIBLE
when installed.

SEE????
It looks really BAD

Way too busy, and way too dark!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


So then this happened!!!!!!!!!!

I lived with it for three years.

Girded my loins.

And had the @#$ stuff removed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to stop my story here, and pick up at the same point 

NEXT TIME!!!

See ya later, alligator!!!!

Linking to:  

 It's so very Cheri