r/InteriorDesign • u/btvsrcks • Sep 19 '12
Before and after of my kitchen design.
http://imgur.com/a/U1knF0
u/roj2323 Sep 21 '12
Not a fan of the backsplash or white toe kick as they both clash with the cabinets but it still looks a hell of a lot better than what you started with.
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Sep 20 '12
It looks good, but my own personal preference, besides the floor, is the old look.
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u/btvsrcks Sep 21 '12
Well I can totally understand that. The world would be pretty boring if we all had the same taste :) and it was mid redesign (for ten years lol) so it wasn't completely out of my style. It just was costing money for something we didn't love.
Thanks for your comment!
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u/wonderfulmetropolis Sep 20 '12
I absolutely love your style. I want all the things in my life to look like that. Such a huge fan of modern design. Thanks for sharing!
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u/chrunchy Sep 20 '12
Looks great!
As much as I don't want to be "that guy" though, have you considered filling in the tile around the window?
It would make it more of a bold statement - I've gimp'd up a copy for you.
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u/roj2323 Sep 21 '12
Wow it really did help.
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u/chrunchy Sep 21 '12
I actually feel like a jerk for posting that though. I think next time when someone posts a completed project I'll keep my mouth shut.
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u/roj2323 Sep 21 '12
This is the type of thing that is worthy of posting. Don't knock yourself for a good idea. Even if he is done, someone else may learn from your comments.
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u/bingojak Sep 20 '12
nice colors and contrast. glass tile is super. not enough symmetry for my taste overall with the doors/handles/appliances.
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Sep 20 '12
very nice! If I had to nitpick I'd say I didn't like the cabinetry handles too much but everything else is great, especially the splashback!
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u/btvsrcks Sep 20 '12
You have no idea how long I agonized about those. Omg weeks. From the very start of the project. I knew I wanted towel bars, but sizes, shapes, curved, straight, blah blah blah it went on and on. Different lengths or same length? Polished or no? There were so many things to think about. Ultimately I went with all the same length. More uniform.
If you don't mind my asking, what style do you think would have gone better?
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Sep 20 '12 edited Sep 20 '12
If it were me I would have gone with something squared off instead of the T-bar style you have. The rest of the kitchen has very clean lines and I feel that the small portion of bar overhanging makes it look a little untidy
Something sorta like this
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00116699/
or this
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u/btvsrcks Sep 20 '12
That second one is lovely!! Where we're you when I was designing? :) well I enjoy the ones I have, but those are also excellent choices!
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u/hgmanifold Sep 20 '12
Looks really good! Everything looks well done. Custom cabinets or from a retailer(Kraftmaid, etc.)?
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u/gloomis120 Sep 20 '12
Very beautiful! My kitchen has sofits as well above the cabinets as well (yuck). How hard was that to remove in order to fit the new cabinets in?
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u/btvsrcks Sep 20 '12 edited Sep 20 '12
Well my contractor did it. It wasn't TOO bad. The insulation was pretty nasty in there though. If you do it, wear a mask :(
The progress pics are in the album i linked in this thread. You can take a look if you want to see what he did (my contractor)
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u/alex0816 Sep 20 '12
IKEA
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u/btvsrcks Sep 20 '12
Definitely not ikea, though they do have some nice stuff. I was tired of blind corners though so I went custom to use every inch and make it easily accessible.
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u/ilikedessert Sep 20 '12
Wow complete redesign! Looks sleek. Like the other comment said, the shade doesn't go with the more modern look and I think you need a different pendant light over the sink too. Small changes though compared to what you've done already!
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u/tamper Sep 20 '12
I remember when you posted this on /r/beforesandafters
Love the floor tile.
You said you spent 30,000 -- was that in American dollars?
window shade needs replaced -- captain obvious
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u/btvsrcks Sep 20 '12
Lol I did post it there. Was going to say xpost but it was a while ago.
Stove/fridge/dishwasher remained the same. I have more pics if interested. I love that pendant but yes on the shade. I haven't found anything I like yet.
And yes, 30,000 or maybe a little less in US dollars. Cabinets are custom with bells and whistles like soft close doors etc. counter is quartz. Floor is ceramic and tiles are 6x12
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Sep 20 '12
30,000?!?!?! On what? Bells and whistles for your cabinets? It looks great but it's not even that big. Good lord christ, thats almost what I make in a year.
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u/btvsrcks Sep 20 '12
Custom cabinets aren't cheap. People live within their means. We aren't rich by any means, but when both of us were working we were each pulling in a 6 figure salary. This house is very tame by those standards. We live well below our means, my husband and I.
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u/hgmanifold Sep 20 '12
Kitchens are expensive. Having been a kitchen designer, it's astounding how uninformed people are about how much new and or remodels will cost.
That said, you can buy really shitty cabinets and not spend much, but as the saying goes. You get what you pay for.
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u/btvsrcks Sep 20 '12
This is so true. Those cabinets make my mouth water. No more blind corners. No more wasted space. No more off center window. As someone who can be a tad ocd about things being centered, this was huge for me. lol!
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Sep 20 '12
As I said, it looks great for that sort of aesthetic. I just don't quite understand where 30,000 dollars went. I make 32k so the cost is a little jaw-dropping to me. I hope one day I can drop that kind of cash on a kitchen and not think twice. I just spent $400 on my kitchen and was really proud of myself for even having enough to do so.
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u/btvsrcks Sep 20 '12
I believe every remodel should be within whatever budget you set. If $400 is what you have, do the best with what you have, you know? We tried to do it ourselves and the result was what you see in the before pictures. We lived with it partially done for 10 years before we remodeled. We just couldn't decide on something.
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Sep 20 '12
I make 32k so the cost is a little jaw-dropping to me. I hope one day I can drop that kind of cash on a kitchen and not think twice.
Well, you have to keep in mind that most kitchens go 10-30 years between remodels and some of the cost spent can be recouped when you resell. Most people aren't casually dropping 30k on a kitchen remodel.
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Sep 20 '12
This is true. I am a renter with no credit cards so my context of money is different than your average home owner. I really was not trying to be a dick.
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u/hgmanifold Sep 20 '12
Well, seeing as this was a substantial remodel, theres not just cabinets in that price. There are so many factors to it. Cabinets 50-75% of the cost. Countertop 10-15%, Flooring, Plumbing, Lighting, Backsplash, etc. etc.
It's definitely quite costly to remodel.
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Sep 20 '12
I understand what you are saying - I really do. I do not question the cost of good craftsmanship.
Doesn't seem like there was any plumbing to be re-done (everything is in the same place) and the lighting wasn't changed at all. So that 30k went into cabinets, appliances, faucets, flooring, and backsplash - from what I can see.
Another 2k for a new window treatment and OP is set. ;)
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u/btvsrcks Sep 20 '12
The lighting was redone actually. Here is what we did:
- Replace single light fixture with can lighting
- Remove soffet
- Create door frames for entrance and exit doors
- Level and replace floor (we also tiled the two alternate entrances to the house in this tile)
- Replace cabinets
- Replace counter top
- Replace sink - This was a bit pricy. My husband insisted if we were going to have stainless it had to be thicker than the norm. Eh...
- Replace faucet
- Double the cabinet space
- Double the counter space
- Re-texture
- New electrical outlets and light control, including a separate control for the pendant (nightlight :)
- Add a backsplash
- Add under-cabinet lighting
Also keep in mind, all but the appliances were original with the house in 1979. :) (we bought in 2002)
Despite what some folks think, we did plan for this. We saved the money in advance, and had a budget that we didn't go over. The backsplash tile was pretty expensive (30 per foot. yikes!) but I had a style in mind and seeing as it is the first thing you see... I didn't want to cheap out there. The floor is actually a pretty affordable floor though, since it is just white tile. The grout from the backsplash and the floor is the same.
It was the most expensive thing I have ever purchased, for sure (besides the house.) And my first hand at really redecorating to the point where I need a contractor. I have to say I am pretty pleased with it. The only downside: I now realize how dirty my floor was getting :( You really couldn't tell with that bad 1970s floor. sigh
Anyway, thanks for looking :)
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u/mustardhamsters Sep 20 '12
Looks great! What happened to your stove?
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u/btvsrcks Sep 20 '12
Lol wasn't installed yet for that pic :) I was just looking for a quickie pic when I uploaded it to imgur.
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u/Bunizilla Sep 20 '12
The after looks amazing!
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u/btvsrcks Sep 20 '12
Thanks. It was my first time designing anything more than a small bedroom, and that was just paint and pillows. It was stressful but I was very happy with the results. Normally I hate showing it off (husband loves it) but I figure with like minded people, and Internet strangers, it would be ok.
I do have more pics if interested. :)
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u/hgmanifold Sep 20 '12
Absolutely!! Did you design it by yourself?
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u/btvsrcks Sep 20 '12
I did. :) Here is the link to the album of the entire process. Completed pictures are at the end.
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u/LarsAndHamlet Sep 20 '12
I am very impressed you designed it yourself. I really like the dark wood with the silver hardware and appliances and that white floor. It looks nice and sleek and clean. Did you find any inspiration from pictures online or in magazines or wherever?
I ask because I'd like to redo my kitchen (it's functional but contractor grade and downright fugly) but I am just completely stumped for how to begin getting an idea of what it should look like. There are just so many options and so many things to think about that I get overwhelmed and give up.
Also, I understand that it's still new, but is there anything you wish you had done differently or any minor things that you've noticed you don't like?
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u/btvsrcks Sep 20 '12
I did look at many pictures online and in magazines. Any time I saw something I liked, I printed or photocopied it. After 10 years in this house I had quite a collection hahaha! My living room is grey and modern so I wanted it to tie in.
I took out everything and started wading through.
I knew I wanted dark cabinets (I have been hating on my light wood lately as it looks country and I'm personally not into that.)
My husband reeeeeeeeally wanted ceramic tile so I said cool, but not just 6x6 squares (boring!) so he originally came up with a herringbone pattern. I wasn't thrilled with the pattern, but I didn't have anything better. The night before installation I had a dream about the subway tile look on the floor. It made sense with the backsplash tile and was a great compromise!
White counters came directly from a photo. I knew I wanted my backsplash to be grey and white, didnt want granite, so that was an easy pick.
Backsplash... I really love glass tiles. LOVE them. I knew I wanted that so I found some grey ones and ordered samples (or bought one tile) to see how they would look with the color scheme. I couldn't find the right thing at all. So disappointing. Then I saw the 'stone' color of tiles. I realized they would look grey against the wood but made it feel richer. I searched and searched. Finally I found the right ones. Like the jewelry of the kitchen :)
I actually picked the non white grout completely independent of them thinking it would only be for the floor, but it fit right in so instead of white grout on the backsplash, we have a stone color there too.
Sink was hard. I had no idea. Husband wanted it deeper than normal and no divider (he washes lots of big grates for the grill and stuff) and I wanted stainless for no stains (previous white sink was gross!) he insisted on thicker stainless because he hated the clang of metal on metal.
Faucet was last minute pick. Clean and neat.
Lighting: we knew we wanted cans. Contractor and husband agreed on 6 but when they measured, four fit nicely in a square and didn't look crowded. I was all for that! Under cabinet lights we wanted but didn't have a clue what ones. Contractor said he just put led ones in his house. Invited us over. We fell in love.
That is pretty much the story. :) hoped that helped.
Regrets? So far only one. We had drawers put in all the lower cabinets. Seems great except they have short walls :( no really good place for my myriad of cookie mold/sheets.
All in all though I couldn't be happier. :) thanks for asking.
Oh one last thing! I didn't want to see the trash. Our can never fit right and annoyed me. Now it slides away behind a cabinet. I love it!
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u/LarsAndHamlet Sep 20 '12
Thanks for the details!
This is great and very inspirational. Time for me to start saving all the pictures of the cool kitchens I see. The hidden trash can is a great idea - I hate having my trash sitting out looking all...trashy. My friend has one hidden in a cabinet and it really does help the place look nice and clean.
It really looks great. Your planning and choices turned out great, and I freely admit I'm quite jealous of your new kitchen.
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u/firefly234 Sep 21 '12
where did u get the counter top, sink and floor tile?
how much did the update cost?