Let’s just dive right in!

BEFORE

Here’s what the kitchen looked like when we purchased the house in 2010! The house had a ton of potential.

Here’s a few before snapshots. After moving in we painted the cabinets, walls, updated the hardware and added a ceiling fan. Sorry about the mess. We realized we needed to snap a few before photos after we started clearing everything out. Plus, baby fog…

The other side of the wall.

Progress!

AFTER


Removing the wall really lighten up the space. We moved the door from the mudroom to kitchen to allow for the refrigerator and pantry. While I love the idea of an all white kitchen we added warmth with light gray lower cabinets and a marble subway tile backsplash. Extending the backsplash to the ceiling gives the kitchen a nice visual and add texture. Not wanting any transitions in the flooring we used Hickory hardwood floors throughout the kitchen, living room, entry and hallway. Oh, the barn door! While it’s currently unfinished I’m in love.

Since it was a load-bearing wall we had to include a post. Not ideal, but the wall is still gone.

The island is 7×4 feet and includes drawers/storage cabinets and a seating area. I love all the drawers!

The cabinet boxes are ikea and the doors are semi-handmade. The doors came unfinished at the time so we had them painted. Since installing our cabinets you can now purchase pre-painted doors from semi-handmade. Pro Tip: Have your cabinet maker/installer frame out the boxes instead of using the Ikea legs. While it might cost a tad more money upfront, in the long run they will be sturdier.

The countertops are a Carrera quartz and have very light veins. The lower cabinets are SW Rare Gray and uppers are white

SOURCE LIST


Hardwood Floors: Hardwood Bargains HAND SCRAPED NATURAL HICKORY
Backsplash: Floor & Decor Bianco Carrara Honed Marble Tile
Cabinets: Semi-Handmade doors DIY Shaker & Ikea boxes
Pulls: Lowe’s Satin Nickel Bar Cabinet Pull
Faucet: KOHLER Pull-down
Sink: BLANCO 441310 PERFORMA
Barstools: Target Trenton Saddle Seat Barstool
Kitchen Table: the Hubby made it 6 years ago!
Parson Chairs: Ikea HENRIKSDAL chair with a white cover. These are also 6 years old. I would buy them again!
Refrigerator: Whirlpool 25.2-cu ft French Door Refrigerator (we already had this fridge. I wouldn’t buy it again. I wish we had a counter depth fridge it would look much nicer in the space.
Oven/stove: Frigidaire Gallery 4.5-cu ft Slide-in Convection Gas Range (it does the job + looks nice)
Dishwasher: GE 48-Decibel Built-In Dishwasher (LOVE – so quite worth the $$)
Microwave: GE 1.6-cu ft Over-The-Range Microwave (it does the job + looks nice)
Coffee Maker: OXO ON BARISTA BRAIN 9 CUP COFFEE MAKER
Lighting: LED Recessed Lighting
Barn door: Knotty Alder Interior Barn Door Slab with Sliding Door Hardware Kit

The post The Kitchen: Before & After appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

Let’s get this party started with a before shot of the beloved chest.

Materials Needed:

• 2-4 Foam Applicators/paint brushes 
• Gloves
• Paint & Epoxy remover and a can to pour it in — I used a clean soup can
• Plastic paint scrapper
• Sand Paper 80, 120 & 220 grit
• Orbit Sander
• Tact Cloth
• Tough Oil
• 2-3 old rags

Not all Materials are pictured above

Do not skip on the gloves the remover will burn your skin. You may even want to wear a face mask and protective eyewear.

Once I had my gloves on I poured the remover into a metal container and applied with a paint brush to a small area. Making sure to brush in one direction and with the grain.  Next I left the area and let
the stripper work it’s magic.
  

 After a few minutes the paint began to bubble. The stripper was working.  

After 15 minutes I tested a small area with the scraper to see if the paint was ready
for removal. Once it was ready I removed the loosened finish by gently scraping with the wood grain. I used a toothbrush and toothpick to help remove old finish buried in the edges and grooves. 

We had to repeat step one and two a number of times. Once the majority of paint was removed we busted out the orbit sander and went to town. 

After a few hours of sanding she was ready for a nice coat of tough oil. Of course I though about painting or staining the chest again, but look at how clean and fresh it is now!

Lastly I wiped down the chest with a tack cloth to remove excess dust. Then I applied two coats of tough oil (as directed on the bottle) and called it a day.





Currently it’s living behind our sectional in the living room, but who knows where it will be in a year from now.

What are you are currently bringing back to life? Would you have repainted or stained the chest?

Linking up with Sugar and Dots

The post Mission Refinish Cedar Chest appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.