My husband and I were debating yesterday how long it has been since we renovated our kitchen and we could not believe it has been five years. We chose a white farmhouse kitchen even before the days of Pinterest! By the way, in case you are wondering, Pinterest launched in March of 2010.
It had me wondering, if I were to do my kitchen now with all of the amazing eye candy out there on Pinterest, would I still make the same choices? And, after five years, am I still happy with the choices that I made.
By the way, because I know you will be wondering, all of the sources (that I know) can be found
HERE.
To start with - the layout (you can find all of the details on the layout
here). We took out our very small and unused mudroom to gain four more feet in the length (our laundry room is not out that door you see below, which used to be one bay of our garage). This was the best decision we made because it allowed us to have a sit down island which we use every single day. It also allowed us to layout the cabinets better including the hutch area that I love.
Layout - I wouldn't change a thing. Click here to see our
full farmhouse kitchen before and after.
Moving on to the white painted cabinets, I would do that again. I will say however we have had some wear and tear on the cabinet paint. The worst offender is the trash bin pull out cabinet. We have purchased spray paint from the manufacturer and our contractor has sanded out the spots and sprayed them to keep them looking fresh.
There is a small detail of an extra groove on the inside edge of the paneled door. I never should have done that because it is a dirt collector and almost impossible to clean. If I were to do it all again, I would do just a shaker door with no extra details.
We chose to finish our island in a rustic alder. I still love the look of the mix of the wood with the painted cabinets and it has held up really well.
Appliances - I would say are a mixed bag. The dishwasher works great - most of the time. It seems strange to me however that I have to clean my dishwasher in order for it to work at its best. My old junky one cleaned the dishes every time without fail and without my intervention. The stove works great and I love the size. We have had to have work done on it twice - once was our error and the second time was a part replacement that to me seemed a bit early to have to replace. All that said, if I were to do it again, I would get the same stove. I would NOT get the same dishwasher.
Our stainless steel farmhouse sink is one of my favorite things and has held up really well and is really easy to clean. A+ on the sink for sure. As reluctant as I was to install granite, I do love our Kashmire White style. I also still love my white subway tiles. They actually have a crackle glaze over them and there is a row of molded tiles so I think they stay classic with a little bit of a different style.
Lighting - I would not change the lighting over our island or over our table. I still love them both. I will say however that cleaning the glass is a pain, especially on the island fixtures.
We recently made the shelf over the stove a little bit deeper to add some more interesting items up there, but I am still fiddling with it. And yes, these pictures were all taken when it was warm and there were leaves on the trees. Oh how I miss those days, but I am trying to embrace the beauty of the snow and cold!
Thanks so much for reading and wishing you a great day!
