We did some cosmetic changes to our kitchen over 5 years ago – new counters, moved the island, and put in new cooktop and fan. I would still love to do some cupboard and drawer changes, we are leaving those as-is for now. We put in new can lights and painted the ceilings in January and then hardwood floors this winter (in February) and right after that, our oven, microwave, and refrigerator stopped working properly. Timing was spring of 2020 and the quarantining and stay-at-home orders had just been issued so this in and of itself was stressful BUT because all of the appliances were beyond repair (14+ years old) and the refrigerator/freezer could be used as beverage and food overflow storage in the garage – very convenient for grocery shopping every 2-3 weeks.

I’ve received a lot of questions on Instagram (follow me here) when you’ve spotted the new appliances and asked for specifics, so I thought I’d give you a little tour full of specifics and details. It’s not a huge change but it feels like a big change for us.

AFTER

One of my favorite spots in the kitchen is this little cookbook nook – you can see across the kitchen I also have some cookbooks in a vintage French apple basket next to the refrigerator. In the previous set up we had a bookcase around the refrigerator – we removed that bookcase for the built-in refrigerator. Here’s a before pic for reference – you can also get a glimpse of the old floors:


BEFORE

APPLIANCES

For consistency, we have slowly replaced our appliances to Kitchenaid Pro – we love them and have been really happy with them. We have always purchased our appliances from Lowe’s and have had great service and delivery if you have one nearby.

REFRIGERATOR

The kitchen had a space for a built-in refrigerator but it was never placed by the original owners. We found one that would fit the space perfectly and went for it. It’s a Kitchenaid 30.0 cu. ft 48-Inch Width Built-In Side by Side Refrigerator with PrintShield™ Finish. If you’re wondering about the “PrintShield™ Finish”, it’s amazing!  I was skeptical but it doesn’t show prints or smudges at all and it looks like regular stainless steel.

If you’re curious what the inside layout is, here’s a factory image from Kitchenaid. I wasn’t sure if I could go back from a drawer freezer to a side-by-side, I love this layout. I love that there isn’t a water or ice dispenser in the door and and I love how much room there is in the refrigerator and freezer.

We also have a stand-up freezer and the old refrigerator in the garage. This has been a huge blessing when it comes to meal planning, grocery shopping, and having food in storage.

WALL OVEN / MICROWAVE / WARMING DRAWER

The built-in oven/microwave/warming drawer was originally a Kitchenaid so we went with that as the replacement this spring because we didn’t want to have to do any reconfiguring of anything or reworking cabinets during Covid. We are loving them and definitely see a huge improvement on the original ones from 2006.

You can find the wall oven and microwave combo here if you’re interested.

COOKTOP

We purchased the cooktop and hood when we originally re-did our kitchen and love it. Kitchenaid has slightly changed the design but it’s basically the same. I love having the larger/stronger burner in the middle.

DISHWASHER

Here’s a how to clean a dishwasher post if you’re interested.

We have had this dishwasher for a few years – I love that it has a third top rack. It cleans well and is quiet. The model we have is no longer available but this is close.

The key to an easy to clean kitchen? Less on the counters, less in the drawers – just keep the necessities. I use this DIY Stone Spray on my counters to keep them clean and shiny.

Get in the habit after meals of cleaning up dishes, putting everything back in its place, wiping down counters, and do a little Nightly Sink Scrub every night. Here’s my Nightly Sink Scrub Routine if you’re interested.

You can find the towels, dish soap, spray bottles and darling labels pictured throughout this post in the Clean Mama Shop here.

PANTRY

Food storage is really key to an organized kitchen. Regardless of what your current set-up is for food storage – pantry, cupboard, or basket, if you take some time to plan out your food storage, you’ll reap the benefits over and over. If you’re looking for how I set up our pantry, you can head to this post for all the details and how to set up an efficient pantry in any space.

DETAILS

One of my favorite features in the kitchen is the backsplash – it’s simple and adds interest to the room and protects the walls and it’s super easy to wipe clean. I love that it’s a variation on subway tile.

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The subway tile backsplash is from Lowe’s – you can purchase at the store or online and there are a few color different variations of the same tile.

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The granite we chose was from a local countertop supplier – it’s a fairly common granite that you can probably find at just about any supplier – New Venetian Gold.

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The paint is Benjamin Moore’s Revere Pewter – my favorite go-with-everything neutral. You can see the paint colors in our entire home in this post.

Hardwood Floors: Hallmark Floors | Monterey Hardwood in American Hickory. These are the easiest to clean floors I have ever had – they’re a matte finish with 3 different widths. The color is not too dark and not too light – with 3 kids and two big dogs, it’s super durable. We LOVE it!

There you have it – a complete Kitchen Tour!  We’ve been slowly working on our kitchen for years and while an overnight transformation is always super satisfying, I’ll take a slow and steady approach  every day of the week.  You can see other posts in my home tour here.