Our Kitchen Remodel

EDIT:

*Well, it’s 2019 and we have been loving our kitchen for almost a year now! There is not even one small thing that I would change! Every morning that I get up to make my coffee, I remember how blessed we are! We have also added a custom built barn door over the entrance to the laundry/pantry area. It’s just a dreamy as I imagined! The only thing we have left to complete is a resin and live edge table. We went with an 8’ long table, so all of our family could fit there for all get togethers. This is truly the heart of our home and we could not be more happy!*

We ended 2018 grateful for so many experiences and adventures.  My favorite undertaking, however, was a major remodel to our kitchen/living space! 

The first moment I saw our house 2 1/2 years ago, I loved it.  It took some convincing on Rhett's end, but he came around.  He wanted something new, with fresh paint and new technologies.  I wanted something with character and room to grow.  So like any HGTV couple (ha I wish, right?), we discussed the pros and cons of each and.. I won, with the knowledge that we would eventually want to update the main living space.  

Our goal was to open up the space and be able to host both of our families for holidays and family gatherings.  Soooo, we started planning and I started drawing.  The best part of this whole project was that I was able to do the designing and drawing while my family was able to be our contractors and guiding hand through it all.  The worst part? Living in our home during all of it.  We made one of the bedrooms our "kitchen" and lived out of a crockpot and hot plate for just under two months! But maybe that made us appreciate the finished product even more??

We wanted it to feel open and for every space to have a function.  I'm sure by now you know, I'm an organization freak, so I legit laid out what would go into each cabinet.  This was super helpful in the design process, because we were able to visualize how we would be using the space and make changes before we even began.  The two islands gave us the most prep space, plus a multi-functional surface!  We made the eat at island bar height to separate the kitchen from the living space.  Plus it makes for a great present wrapping area! 

We went with simple white shaker cabinets with a pop of blue in the eat at island.  Another perk? My parents custom built our cabinets to the exact needs I had cooked up in my head! How lucky are we?? The beverage station was an HGTV dream come true, shiplap and all! It's one of my favorite things about the kitchen (Hello, coffee AND wine!).  I could probably live in the pantry and the laundry room could not be more perfect (did you think you would ever hear someone say that??).

Sooo before you take on a kitchen remodel, Pinterest a whole ton of crockpot recipes, plan for months and months of dust, and enjoy the journey.  It is so much fun picking finishes and seeing your dreams come together!