Before and After: The Kitchen

It's hard to post photos of the house under the guise that the house is "done" when there is still so much that I want to do. But where we still have so many critical needs for the house other than "get rid of the ugly but functioning fan in the kitchen" there are some things that I have learned to  live with   ignore really well. Ceiling fan? What ceiling fan? 

So, while I present the kitchen in its current state, know that there are more ambitious plans in the works, but that in fact I think it turned out pretty darn cute for the $53 we spent on it.

BEFORE: 

 AFTER:

The curtains I got from my friend Vanessa, who was going to donate them. The long ranch table was a gift from my wonderful parents (can you believe how perfectly it fit??) and the chairs I got at DI for $5 each. The ceramics were wedding gifts from my wonderful Aunt and Uncle. 

Sunlight!

BEFORE:

This is a terrific shot of the horrifying mustard that used to be on the walls. I think they were going for an "aged tuscan look" in our 1890's pioneer lehi home. In the infamous words of Home Alone, "Buzz, your [kitchen], woof!"

 AFTER:

I still have ambition to paint the built-in hutch to match the lower cabinets (which you'll see in a minute, but the greenish grey that we chose for the walls already seems to provide a huge sigh of relief from the BEFORE.)

BEFORE:

It's hard to explain how filthy everything was before- the oven was charred black with ashen pizza inside, the sink was yellow, and when the electricity shut off, no one opened the fridge, and Dan and I spent 2 hours disinfecting the village that was founding a new world in the fridge and freezer. I felt a little like King George III. I'm proud of it, but ashamed, too.

AFTER:

Adding some color made me feel good. The exposed shelving we got at IKEA for $7. Better than the $2000 we were quoted for cabinets, for now.

This watercolor and fabric are both treasured items from Moldova- the cloth is regularly kept at the entrance of the home to be a sign of welcome.

BEFORE:


Do you like the fruit??? (the fruit that I spent 2 hours trying to remove and were more permanent that Kat Von Dee's tattoo sleeves?)

 AFTER:

So, yeah, we put a cutting board over it. That'll do.

My Anthropologie knobs. yes, I'm shallow. It's a symbolic milestone.

Yes, the spice box is actually a box. It was free.

Fruit from the trees out front. It doesn't have anything to do with the kitchen, other than the fact that it's edible, I just like them.

 

It's got a long way to go, this little home, but I feel very much like in its own quirky way, it represents us and where we have been, what we are now, and what we are saving our money for in the future, haha. Thanks donors, DI, and Home Depot coupons!