Kitchen: before and after!

When we first walked into what is now our home for the first time, I couldn't get over how ugly and dark the kitchen was. I mean that backsplash?? Ew! Garrett kept saying over and over to focus on the "bones" of the home and that we could make some cosmetic changes. I'm not a "fixer upper" type so this was hard for me but I trusted that the kitchen could be made drastically better with a few updates.

The one thing I majorly compromised on in our home search was a kitchen island. I realllllly wanted one but we just could not find a house we loved with an island. I also really wanted white granite but again, we just couldn't find it. We considered replacing this granite but decided that since this isn't our forever home, it would be a huge waste of money. It's amazing how much lighter the granite looks with the cabinets painted and the backsplash replaced! 

Our counter will eventually have bar stools (if I can ever find any I like) and I plan to change the light fixture. We had to purchase a new dishwasher right after moving in even though the previous owner said it worked perfectly for him. Must have broken the night before we moved in (insert eye roll emoji). I'd also love to update the microwave and oven but they work perfectly fine so we will keep them for now.

Finding the perfect subway tile was such a pain! We went through so many stores before finally finding the color and shape we wanted with finished edges and no bullnose edges. The tiles are hand made so they don't lay perfectly flat which I was hesitant about but it gives it a neat touch. I am super happy with the paint color we chose for the cabinets which is Sherwin Williams Dover White.

What I learned through this process: I will never buy a fixer upper. My nerves could hardly handle these few cosmetic updates and I haaaate making these design decisions.

Before:

During:

After:

Do you like tackling home renovations or are you a "move-in ready" kind of gal like myself?

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