31 Days of Coffee: The Kitchen Before and After, and After Again

Welcome to day 27 of 31 Days of Coffee! And what better place to find the coffee than the kitchen?

This kitchen had gone through a mini renovation at some point before we moved in. The countertops are a composite material called Staron, made by Samsung and similar to Corian or Silestone. The glass tile backsplash had been added, and the chrome hardware on the cabinets had been added.

Like I said, it had been updated a little, just not to my style. But then again, nobody asked me. :)

And then there were the mismatched appliances. I had mismatched appliances at my last kitchen, too, but it didn't bother me because they were all white. But this kitchen had a little bit of everything. A white refrigerator that dripped and was on its last leg. A black microwave with a broken door handle. A black functioning dishwasher. And one newer stainless steel oven that they called a double oven, but was in fact, just an oven on bottom that we had to bend down every day to use, and a broiler on top that we never used.

We know from past experience that buyers love two things : First, they love stainless steel appliances. You just have to sit through a marathon session of House Hunters on HGTV to figure that out. And second, they love to have their appliances all matchy-matchy.

This is where I have to add my disclaimer: I'm not a fan of stainless steel appliances. I don't like the added work of keeping them clean from constant fingerprints and smudges, and I'm not a fan of the industrial look they add to a kitchen. My dream kitchen has white appliances, or maybe even retro vintage appliances that look like the ones in my Tante Mimi's house. But this is not my dream house or my dream kitchen, so we're pandering to the HGTV crowd.

Over the summer, we purchased an entire set of new appliances for the kitchen. After doing a lot of research online and in stores, we decided on the Whirlpool Gold series appliances.

I fell in love with the size of this refrigerator. It's huge! And the best part?

The freezer has a pocket for pizzas! We love that! The freezer also has two pullout drawers, so no digging through piles of frozen foods to find the fish sticks.

My husband really loves the ginormous microwave. But me? I love the ginormous gas stove!

I love how sleek it looks with the controls on the front and not the back.

Somehow, the absence of the control panel on the top makes the back area look larger.

If you have the option to get a dishwasher that is stainless steel inside, I would suggest you do. They run so much quieter. And because our kitchen opens up to the family room, I really wanted a quiet dishwasher.

The kitchen does have some unique features. I really like this black double sink.

And the wide window sill with crank out windows is very nice.

I can see my happy birds at the feeder.

The glass tile back splash is a little busy for me. But I'm managing to cover some of it up with my collection of tole trays.

I also like the under cabinet lighting. It gives a nice ambient glow at night.

This little corner cabinet is begging for some love and attention. I'm thinking of paint and maybe some beadboard wallpaper in the back.

The kitchen has a coffee bar! Now I know, some people would say "Lady, that's no coffee bar. That's a planning desk." To which I would respond "Who needs to plan when there's coffee to drink?"

The kitchen opens up to the sun room.

Look! A new, functioning sliding glass door to the patio! Excuse the wall...that's a future project. And yes, it is raining today, which means no painting.

Oh look! My Christmas cactus is getting ready to bloom...for Halloween!

The kitchen is big, but we're not sure what to do with the wide open space between the prep area and the kitchen table in the sun room.

It feels like a dance floor. Maybe it needs a disco ball?

We would just move the table out, but then the light fixture is not centered over the table, and the ceilings are differing heights.

And then there are the cabinets. The honey oak cabinets. Or should I say, the partially real, partially fake honey oak cabinets. Seriously? Who chooses fake honey oak?! Cheap builders, that's who.

You can see that it's fake because when the previous owners took down their stickies and calendars, it left behind nice holes where pretty fake wood used to be. Nice.

So now we will be turning our attention to the kitchen. Our plan is to paint the cabinets in this lovely color called Linen from ReClaim paints.

ReClaim is magic paint that will stick to anything. It bonds and it self levels, so no brush marks. Unlike Annie Sloan or other chalk paints, this paint actually has a nice silky finish. Not gloss, but not flat either.

If I like the look, I will probably use it to paint the bathroom cabinets as well. But that's a project for another day.

Today, I will drink my coffee in the kitchen and ask my husband "So when are we getting started on this kitchen?"

Blessings on your rainy days, cafe friends!