Our Kitchen: Before & After

It’s finally here. Probably my favorite renovation of the house. But before I show you the “After” pics, let me give you some background.

Brown. That is the only thing I saw when we walked into the house for the first time. I hate to admit this because I’ll sound like such a brat but when Brandon decided to buy a house, I had one specific vision in mind: new. I only wanted to move into a brand new house with brand new finishes, modern updates and IG worthy aesthetic.

Like, girl, get out of here.

Brandon could have cared less about new versus not as long as it was within budget and a good purchase – ya know, all smarter, well thought out qualities to look for. After checking out a few newer builds and comparing them to the home we finally landed on, this one just made so much more sense. I had to admit, I was wrong (surprise).

Once I was on board, I’ll be honest, I still had a list of cosmetic renovations I wanted to make to the house. The previous owners loved the color brown. I mean, everything was tan and brown and dated. I, to no surprise, love all things white, grey and light. We wanted the space to feel more open and modern and those colors typically give you that vibe and also serve as the perfect canvas for adding our own design and unique touches to the home.

We tackled a few projects to get started (we obviously can’t do it all right away) and aside from painting the entire interior of the house, the most important project on my list was the kitchen.

I’ve got one word for you. BROWN.

Literally within seconds of walking through the door, I had my vision. Well, I had two visions. I initially wanted to gut the entire thing, tear down a wall, move the refrigerator to the pantry and replace all finishes. Crazy. Luckily, I have a patient and practical boyfriend and after talking me off the ledge, we landed on a few more affordable updates.

Again, I love black and white. You know this. So, that’s what I wanted for the kitchen. I wanted it to feel open and more modern and honestly, I wanted it to feel more us. We love to entertain (and sometimes cook) and the kitchen is a great space to host folks in between the dining and living room areas. It was important to us.

So, we got started on plans. Our shortlist included: 

• Painting the walls
• Painting the cabinets 
• Replacing cabinet hardware
• Replacing the backsplash 
• Updated appliances

And you guys, it turned out great. It’s just crazy how a new coat of paint and tile can really transform a space. But I’ll let you be the judge!

I mean – right?! It looks like an entirely new space. Well, I guess it is. But it makes me so happy. I catch myself going to grab a bottle of water and just sitting there astonished at how well it turned out.

And don’t even get me started on our new appliances. I was so lucky to get the opportunity to work with Samsung on updating our Family Hub refrigerator and FlexDuo Range. I can’t wait to share more on both of these pieces because y’all are going to freak out but in the meantime, I gotta say, invest in your kitchen. Living in apartments, Brandon and I were both used to standard appliances that came with the apartment. Nothing special. But after having these installed last week, my world has changed. I’m already looking into getting a Family Hub for my parents and this stove makes me actually want to cook. Again, more to come on these bad boys but I just can’t believe how they help bring the entire kitchen up a notch.

I’ll be sharing more updates and decor from our new space over the next few weeks so stay tuned! And if there is anything specific you want to see more of or if you have any questions, just comment below!

SHOP OUR KITCHEN

“After” Photos by Shelby Gordon