Two years ago James and his partner bought a ranch house in Dallas. Although they loved the house and the location, they weren't wild about the interior, particularly the kitchen. (It had been cheaply renovated by a previous owner and felt generic.) They didn't have a lot of money to spend on a kitchen renovation, but by "choosing wisely" and doing most of the labor themselves they were able to turn this contractor grade kitchen into something much more suited to their tastes. See the 'After' photos below:
James documented the kitchen remodel process on his blog The Cavender Diary:
As y'all can tell, we kept the original base cabinets and terra-cotta floor. Then we added our own bit of jazz to make this place a little more contemporary. Taking the upper cabinets to the ceiling made the whole room appear taller. It also increased our storage space by about 40%. Although we lost the tiny cabinet with the attached microwave, we added an entire new cabinet over the refrigerator, and built out the top of the pantry to look finished.
Within the last two months they've replaced the granite counters, travertine backsplash, upper cabinets, stainless sink, faucet, stainless appliances, and overhead and under-cabinet lighting. James calls it "a major facelift" and says they couldn't be happier with the results!
Read More About the Remodel and See More Photos: The Cavender Diary
Thanks, James!
(Images: James via The Cavender Diary)
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beautiful!
Your kitchen looks beautiful, James! The new oven hood is much prettier than that little microwave. But my favorite part is the frosted glass cabinet doors. They are such a little, easy thing, but they have a huge impact. It's great to see what a difference can be made with just a few, well-chosen changes.
Love this!! I hate contractor kitchens.
My parents have always been one to trust a contractor to make design suggestions. Why? I have no idea ... At least now with places like Ikea people are learning that there are better options than Home Depot choice #1 or #2.
Personally I'd take the base cabinets a step further with either paint or a darker stain.
Please tell me those 'old' materials were donated! Wow, honestly the 'before' kitchen is about twenty times nicer than any kitchen I've ever lived with. Don't get me wrong, the upgrades are beautiful, I just hope the originals didn't go to waste - some people (including myself) would have LOVED those!
fiestaware love. :) simply fantastic! I, too, love the frosted glass on your upper cabinets - so warmly contemporary.
Love the updates! But where is the microwave now? Do they still have one? I have a contractor kitchen and I'm gathering ideas for upgrades.
We're so glad that everyone loves our new kitchen....We ADORE it!
The frosted glass cabinet doors are from Ikea, they remind us of a science lab....and we like seeing the Fiesta colors muted through...
The microwave is in a cabinet by the icebox now, we would much rather see that Sexxxy vent-a-hood...
The old appliances were donated to Habitat for Humanity...
The old cabinets are being used in the garage update now...(check the blog to see how), we would NEVER throw anything away. "Every part of the Buffalo" we say.
Huge improvement!
I do like it! Can I make a constructive suggestion though. The vases seem out of scale with the rest of the space. The colors are nice but I think a smaller size and with a bit of texture (because everything else is very smooth and polished) would provide for a better look overall.
I like the orchid in the tomato can. It lends a nice "lived-in" feel that this kitchen desperately needs.
Absolutely amazing and simply gorgeous!!!!!!
Holy skinny batman! I've never seen mosaic (I would hope) tile that small. Interesting effect.
Great job! Looks fantastic! They changed out more than I think the original Kitchn description leads one to believe at first, but regardless, it looks terrific!
@wallflowerpower: Take a look at gila film as a clean, quick --and reversible method to frosting glass.
We used gila in lieu of curtains and were very pleased with the results!
Very nice. Most people would see granite and say "ooh designer!", and I laugh. Great way to make it your own.
mrsberg,
I know what you mean, everybody on "House Hunters" wants granite.....no matter how heinous it looks.
The old counters were granite, but in 12 inch squares with a grout line and edged in badly mitered cheap pine. Who does that? The veining was so busy that I could never tell when they were clean......The new counters are granite too, but in such a beautiful "mink" color (brown, silver...and a little metalic). Our biggest expense, and the only one we didn't do ourselves, but by a landslide our favorite part.
This looks great! What a nice (and welcome!) update. Well done!
I love the update, but what truly brought a smile to my face was the tomato can planter with the phalaenopsis. So cute!
Is there a way to finish the edge of the back splash near the window? It looks quite jagged and raw.
The renovation is gorgeous, and I LOVE your dishware!
I must keep my eye open for something similar!
oooh yonella,
You caught me,
That pic was taken before all the trim work was finished ....there is a stainless corner cap over that area now ...
boooooring. AT commenters go ga-ga for everything and anything.
thank GOD it's not white. If I see one more all-white kitchen makeover I'm going to scream. This is excellent.
suggestion: paint the white door the same as the wall color. nice kitchen!
James, I clicked on your link and saw the stainless corner cap. It looks great and ties in nicely with the upper cabinets. Bravo.
Colleencatcat,
We are going to replace it with a door with a window, but until we can afford it (we are remodel poor for the next year ) paint will be a cheaper solution.
Thanks for the brilliant idea!
Nice job. The white door stood out to me in the pic as well. Paint it, sure, but then put some artwork on it to remove that big flat boring plane of one color. Using the wall color will provide a nice backdrop for artwork. Something flat and lightweight, as you no doubt open the door sometimes.
Your kitchen looks great! I love the idea of the plate and bowl for your washing up supplies! I might have to steal that!
Wow! I do love the new counter top the most!! Granite is a decent material for a counter top, but it is usually so visually distracting and busy, this really is a nice look.