Kitchen Makeover

There must have been some momentum from fixing up our living room/fireplace, because we gave our kitchen a little makeover in December as well (before we ran out of steam!). There was nothing really wrong but I've always wanted to lighten up the more permanent, dark features I'm not as fond of. We also have this exaggerated space in the center of the room between the sink and the fridge, so it all started with wanting to add a small island there...

Here's what we changed:
- painted walls & ceiling a light gray (over this)
- replaced cabinets above sink with open shelving
- added a small island with storage & seating
- installed new lighting (pendants for the island & dining, a globe for the sink)
- upgraded our short, deep fridge to a taller, counter-depth model that doesn't stick out as much (so worth it in a high-traffic area!)

I snapped these after cleaning post-new year's eve, so although it probably hasn't been as neat and tidy since, we're loving the changes (here's what it used to look like). The open shelving lets extra light in from the dining area, and we can't imagine not having that island now...for prepping food, eating breakfast, accumulating piles of mail, and just about everything else.