I don’t know about you, but when I move into a new space (which is more often than I’d like), I try to have it all planned out before the big day.  The furniture, the wall colors, where the lamps will go.  Everything.

But sometimes things don’t turn out exactly like you expect.  There’s enough space for the couch on that wall, but looks terrible.  Your pots and pans don’t actually fit in the cabinets.  The TV is perfect right there, but the deck door allows a little beam of the neighbor’s outdoor light in exactly when you want to watch The Real Housewives airkiss and then rip each other to shreds.  You get the picture.

Anyhoo, it turns out that one of the AWESOME things we didn’t count on was that our fabulous extra-narrow cherry farm table that used to be in our dining room fit perfectly in our new kitchen, so we didn’t have to buy a kitchen table and it freed up a whole room.  Frankly, I’ve always thought formal dining rooms were sort of a waste of space, so rather than doing a home office/guest room combo (our original plan), we have the unexpected opportunity to have an entire room dedicated to an office (can you hear the chorus of angels?).  I’d like our space to be:

Peaceful, with lots of work space,

multi-purpose,

separate, but equal,

and of course, well-styled.

Image credits: House Beautiful, Southern Living, Cottage Living, Stacy Style (who, by the way, rocks, and if you tweet you should follow her @stacystyle)

Image credit: Paige Lewin

Image credit: Mrs. O

So here’s my contribution to Wordless Wednesday…a sneak peek of our new-to-us house. 

Then (a mere 4 weeks ago)…

…and now

Appliances: Shop for floor samples at high-end appliance stores and stores recommended by your plumber and/or electrician…chances are you’ll get a better brand, better design, better service and lower prices than at some of the major retailers.  Also, make sure you investigate and act on all possible rebates…we saved nearly $500 using rebates alone.

Countertops: I always assumed swapping out our mid-century laminate for a new surface would be a major production and a major expense, but as it turned out, it was neither.  The countertop came off with a couple of turns of a screwdriver (watch out for built-in lazy susans, as the guts are often anchored to the countertop).  As for the granite, we went through a company specializing in counter surfaces, rather than a big-box home store.  The price was competitive and we felt the owner had a strong sense of pride in his workmanship.  When the first counter cracked coming off the truck in our driveway, the company immediately located a similar slab, cut it and had it ready for installation the next day.

Measure twice, shop once: There are, for example, different sizes of undercabinet hoods.  Make sure you know the size before you spend time driving to pick up what you think is the right one.

Get a guy with a truck: Preferably a pick-up.  You can save hundreds if you’re willing to dispose your current appliances, transport new ones and install them yourself (or arrange the installation yourself).

Sourcing: Find contractors and tradespeople through a local real estate agent.  Agents can provide a veritable yellow pages of you-can-rely-on-me plumbers, painters, electricians and so on.  If an agent is recommending a home professional, you can be fairly sure that he or she has delivered on time and on budget.  You can also be confident that they’re going to continue to do so for you, as contractors don’t want to risk a bad report since agents provide a direct line to new business.

And a few personal thoughts:

- If  you’re someone who struggles with decision-making, redoing a kitchen can be torture.  So if you can’t decide, go with white cabinets, black granite and stainless appliances (with as little black accenting as possible).  The look is timeless, transitional and peaceful.  If you want to go bold, amp up the surrounding wall color and fabrics.

- If possible, do everything you can to avoid buying a counter-depth refrigerator…choices are limited and they cost about 50% more than their 30-inch cousins.  Unfortunately, we had no choice.

- For a subtle, unexpected countertop, go with honed, rather than polished, granite.  Honed granite has a matte finish, rather than a glossy reflective one.  Honed granite can be more susceptible to surface staining, but there are products to help combat such risks.

Ultimately, a kitchen renovation doesn’t have to take over your life or your wallet.  We hadn’t moved ahead with making the most-used space in the house our own because we just assumed that the expense and disruption (but mostly the expense) would be too much.  We won’t be making that mistake again…

So how about it, all you kitchen remodelers, have anything to add to the list?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Photo credits (from top): Marston Knob from Restoration Hardware; Onyx Marble & Granite, Inc.;  craigslist

But then when my husband landed his new job and we were faced with the stark reality of putting our house on the market, our big dark kitchen faced us too. Our real estate agent, a consummate professional and trusted friend, advised that we think seriously about redoing the kitchen if we wanted our house to move quickly.  He said to trust him, and although it was hard for me to swallow that we were going to make such a substantial investment, just to turn around and leave it sitting there in the honed granite and stainless steel, we went for it.  I even said I’d kiss his feet if we made our money back. 

Guess it’s time for me to pucker up.

BEFORE (in case you couldn’t guess)

AFTER (hear the angels singing?)

Blogging.

Creating.

Designing.

It’s been a looooong time.  Miss me?

Over the past six months, my family has had a *few* changes, causing me to take a little unexpected break from The Mudroom.  Between the husbandlosinghisjob-goingbacktoworkfulltime-startingasidebusiness-husbandfindinganewjobanhourandahalfaway-puttingthehouseonthemarket-gettinganoffer-havingtheofferfallthrough-puttingthehousebackonthemarket-gettinganotheroffer-searchingforahouseinatownwithnoinventory-lookingintorentingforayear-finallyhavinganofferaccepted-researchingnewchildcareandschooloptions-finishingkindergarten-packingpackingpacking-movingclosingmovingagain-anddecidingthatmyhusband’sformercompanymayhavedoneusafavor-{breath}-                                                              eventhoughitdefinitelydidn’tfeellikeittwodaysbeforemybirthday, it’s been a little busy, y’know?

Anyway, I have missed The Mudroom so very, very much, and among the many wonderful things that have come out of this last six months is that I now have a new house (well, not *new*, but new to me) on which to make my mark!

To whet your appetite, check out some rooms that I designed and decorated from the asoflastTuesdaynolongerourhome…

Hope to see you again soon!

XO

Paige

Image credit: Country Living Antique White Finish Wood Tray Side Table from Kmart

Since I wouldn’t be the woman I am without my three boys, then I’ll just need to slip in some pink and green where I can…

Image credits: All images are the work of the uber-talented Palmer Weiss

But a chalkcloth tabletop?  I could get behind that.

Spotted two weeks ago on one of my daily reads — Sweet Sweet Life – I haven’t been able to get the image out of my head.  Amy just bought some yardage from a local Etsy seller and cut it to size. 

Voila!  Table covering and kid distraction all rolled into one. 

Image credits: Amy Hanson of Sweet Sweet Life