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Destination Kitchen

Posted 09/14/2010 by Briana in Uncategorized \ 9 comments

Briana is a Colorado native who married a seriously amazing man, Dr. Dave, on June 20, 2009. She's obsessed with ruffles, vintage shoe clips, banjo players, and creamy risotto. Briana also adores flowers and is creating her own business plan (after DIY-ing her own wedding flowers) for a floral company called "Petaling in Tandem." She and Dr. Dave recently remodeled a 1941 bungalow in Denver, Colorado, with their own grubby hands. Dr. Dave's job will likely be taking them to a new location shortly, so they're brushing up on those plumbing skills all over again! Their new family challenge is to create their sustainable and organic lifestyle, while keeping it affordable and practical.

We are finally. FINALLY! Done with our kitchen!  With the last of the hinges put on our cabinets today, we can sit back and enjoy our comfy little kitchen.  As a reminder, here is what the kitchen looked like before, when the old tenants lived here:

Kitchen Before Renovation

And now, complete:

Kitchen After Remodel

It has been one heck of a DIY journey, and we’re so thankful for my dad, mom, and sister, who were able to put in significant amounts of time helping to get this house put back together.

kitchen before remodel 2

kitchen after remodel 2

Here’s a list of what we did in the kitchen:
-Dr. Dave and his brother Matty installed the soapstone counter tops and did a pretty bang-up job, I think!
-Dr. Dave and my dad cut and installed the subway tile back splash
-New windows
-Pulled up 3 old layers of linoleum and had original pine sub-floors refinished
-We stripped, sanded, and refinished the original custom cabinetry
-Refurbished the chrome hinges and hardware
-Stripped and repainted all trimwork
-Removed outcropping portion of countertop (which was cute and vintage, but not original to the 1941 home)
-New light fixtures

The only item we hired out was the floor refinishing, but we did strip the linoleum ourselves.  We’ve learned so much about remodeling and home upkeep during these projects, it’s truly an amazing thing and an incredible transformation.

Thanks to you, EADL readers, for all your tips, commiserating, and help throughout this process!

Much love,

-B

{Photos from author’s personal collection}

Posted 09/14/2010 by Briana in Uncategorized
9 comments
we heart your comments!
  1. Tara writes... {September 14, 2010 at 9:01 am}
    Reply

    It looks so pretty! All that hardwork & effort is really showing through.

    Love the subway tiles!

  2. Emily writes... {September 14, 2010 at 10:59 am}
    Reply

    Wow! It looks so cozy and chic. Nice work to you all!
    .-= Emily’s most recent blog post: By the Numbers =-.

  3. Becky writes... {September 14, 2010 at 11:02 am}
    Reply

    Ohmigod, we have the same yellow/gold countertops! ::cringe:: They, along with our hand-me-down 70′s couches, have become the bane of my happy-home existence. :) Hoping to [finally] be rid of them this winter.
    .-= Becky’s most recent blog post: home for life- kitties =-.

  4. Product Junkie writes... {September 14, 2010 at 1:02 pm}
    Reply

    Looks gorgeous!!! This inspires me to get mine in order!!!
    .-= Product Junkie’s most recent blog post: Affordable and Fabulous! =-.

  5. Kerri writes... {September 15, 2010 at 6:30 am}
    Reply

    So cute! I am looking for a kitchen island (butcher block top style) just like the one in your photos. Can you tell me where you got it?

  6. Rachel writes... {September 15, 2010 at 11:57 am}
    Reply

    Wow!! Great job!! It looks really really good.
    Love the countertops!
    .-= Rachel’s most recent blog post: Meet Maverick =-.

  7. PJ writes... {September 15, 2010 at 2:48 pm}
    Reply

    What an incredible transformation!
    .-= PJ’s most recent blog post: live young =-.

  8. Jen writes... {September 15, 2010 at 3:22 pm}
    Reply

    it looks amazing, you guys did such a great job! We just finished a large home-remodel ourselves, it’s such a long and exausting process but sooo worth it in the end. Such an immense amount of satisfaction looking at the end results that you did with your own two hands. :)
    .-= Jen’s most recent blog post: Super-hero Powers =-.

  9. Cyd writes... {September 15, 2010 at 8:22 pm}
    Reply

    We also have the same nasty yellow counters. I bow down to Dr. Dave’s skills – the soapstone looks great! Awesome job.
    .-= Cyd’s most recent blog post: Sponsored Post- Williams-Sonoma Giveaway =-.

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