Are You Thinking About A Kitchen Remodel Delray Beach?

Two summers ago, my mom redid her kitchen.  She ripped out all the cabinets and started from scratch. The finished kitchen is beautiful! She went from a boring, outdated kitchen with a bar and wood grain counter tops to a beautiful country kitchen complete with open shelving instead of cabinets and an island instead of a bar. Even though the kitchen is the same size as before, the new layout gives it an open feel, making the room seem bigger. 

I have an idea of what my ideal kitchen would be, and I hope someday I will have a home where I can make that idea a reality.  I want a more modern kitchen than my mom, because we have very different taste when it comes to decorating.  I was looking at pictures on a kitchen remodel Delray Beach website, and I fell in love with their use of stainless steel. My favorite picture, if you go check out the website for yourself, is the one with the stainless bar with the stainless diamonds behind the stove.  I love this kitchen!  There was one with black counters and wood cabinets that I liked also, which should come as no surprise to those of you who know me well. 

I could spend hours looking at pictures and planning what my dream kitchen will look like someday.  I just hope that someday comes, and I'm not left just dreaming about it.

Kitchen Lights

I have a huge fluorescent light in my kitchen.  It is one of those long, rectangular ones that you see in grocery stores and restaurants.  I would love to replace it with something more stylish and modern, like the one pictured above.  All the accessories in my kitchen are black and silver, so this fixture would match perfectly.  I have looked at several flush mount ceiling lights and while I like this one best, there are so many to choose from. 

I would love to replace all the lights in this apartment.  Heck, I would love to just be able to paint a wall, but I'm not allowed.  I can not wait until the day I can afford my own place so I can decorate however I want.

I Want!

 I used to love to cook.  I probably still do, I just don't have the time.  After working all day, the last thing I want to do is stand over the stove.  The kids hate it, because they live on cereal and sandwiches most nights.  I want to get back into the habit of cooking, though. 

I love looking online for recipes and kitchen gadgets.  I know I have said this before, but if I was to ever buy a house, the kitchen would be the deciding factor in my picking a home.  One of the things I would want is a huge pantry.  I have a small one now, and I am crazy about keeping it organized.  Right now, my biggest annoyance is my canned goods.  I can only stack them so high, and they take up so much room.  I found this can organizer, and I really want it.  Isn't it awesome?

 The best thing is that I also found a shelf reliance coupon that can save me some money.  I really do love coupons, especially when I find them for things I really need (or want!).  And I really want that organizer.  In fact, I want a few of them.  They would make my pantry look great.

Mom's Kitchen

Now that Bob and I are separated, my mom and I are going to finish her kitchen ourselves.  Yes, you read that right.  So far, my mom has patched the holes that Bob left in her ceiling when he moved her lights, and she did an awesome job.  In fact, I think she did just as good as any San Diego General Contractor could do. 


Of course, there are going to be things that even we can not do, like building the cabinet she wants to put her washer and dryer in. She doesn't want anything really fancy, but she does want this cabinet to match the kitchen cabinets.  I don't think she'll need San Diego Custom Cabinet Makers, just someone who can make a decent cabinet.  Ryan really wants to try building it, but I am not sure my mom will let him.  I mean, he's only 15.  It's a good thing that Bob got as far as he did with her kitchen, because it would have been pretty expensive if she had to hire a San Diego Kitchen Remodel place to finish the hard stuff.

For now, she is going to do a little at a time herself until it's done.  I know she can do it.

Clocks And Tablecloths

My house is the cleanest it's been since we moved in.  I did so much cleaning and organizing to get ready for the photo shoot yesterday, that now I don't want anyone touching anything.   I want to keep things the way they are for as long as I can.

The funny thing is, they didn't take many shots of me at my desk.  They liked my kitchen better, and did most of the shooting in there at the kitchen table.  I am so glad that I repainted the cabinets.  The are a couple of  other things I would have liked to have replaced before the shoot, and one of those things was my kitchen clock.  The one hanging on my wall is so old.  We bought it when we first got married, and it has hung in the kitchen of every house we've ever lived in. I think it might be time to buy a new Large wall clock.

I found this gorgeous Decorative Wall clock online, and I want it to replace my old kitchen clock.  Isn't it pretty?

 

My kitchen is black and white, so it would  match perfectly.  

I also want to get a new tablecloth for the kitchen table.  The shoot designer asked if I had anything other than the Valentine heart one I am currently using, and I don't.  I need to get an "everyday" tablecloth that will look good in every season, but I can't decide between black or white.

Which color would you use?

Before And After Cabinet Pictures

These are the main cabinets in my kitchen.  As you can see, the maintenance guy did a horrible job painting right before we moved in last year.  He used a cheap paint that was not washable at all.  In fact, whenever I tried to wipe them down, the paint would come right off.

Before

After

These are the cabinets under the sink and the only drawers in the entire kitchen.  They look horrible, don't they?

Before

After

It took me all day, but I am thrilled with how great the cabinets look now. 

Kitchen Remodeling

For the past four months or so, my husband has been my mom's slave on weekends.  She decided that she wanted to redo her kitchen, and asked Junior to do it.  This is what it looked like before:

And this is what it looked like Thanksgiving Day:

Big difference, right?  He removed all the cabinets, and completely rebuilt the bottom ones.  He also left off the bar and made an island instead.  I think that is my favorite part of the entire kitchen.  It has huge doors that open up the entire front side, and inside there is a shelf.  All my mom's small appliances and pots and things fit in there perfectly.  She didn't want upper cabinets put back up, so Junior made her some shelves.  You can probably tell that there are still things left to do...the molding isn't finished, and the floor needs some tiles replaced.  Junior replaced the ceiling fan and the light fixture above the sink, too.  I think the only things he didn't replace were the Kitchen Doors.  

He also redid the dining room walls.  Here is a before shot:

And here's what it looks like now:

Not bad, right?  I love the blue my mom picked out.  It's so bright.  The kitchen has been put on hold until after Christmas, so Junior is finally able to relax a little on the weekends.  I think he's earned it!

Dream Home

Writing about bathrooms got me really wanting to look at some houses that are for sale. I know it will be difficult to find the exact house of my dreams, so I was also looking at home builders Winston Salem NC. Salem is not too far away from where I am in South Carolina, so I want Junior to drive up there with me to look at some of their model homes. Who knows. We may find plans for the house of our dreams. I just hope they can recreate the bathroom I have fallen in love with, and the kitchen I can see in my head with the white cabinets and the black and gray marbled counter tops. The floor in the kitchen will have to be a black and white checkerboard.

I'm not going to be too picky. Or am I?

The Perfect Sink

House hunting with my mom has really got me wanting my own house. This apartment we live in is nice enough, but I want a place I can decorate and remodel in my own taste. When I finally do get a place of my own, the first room to get an overhaul will be the kitchen. We own our own appliances, and they are fairly new. The refrigerator and stove are both black, and the stove is a flat top, which I love. I want to have white cabinets put in, and a black or dark gray counter top. I'm not sure if I want an ordinary stainless steel sink or if I want something different. If I do get a stainless sink, it will be an undermount. I love the look of those. It's also a whole lot easier to wipe spills and crumbs directly into the sink if there is no lip. They also have these "smart divide" sinks that have a lower middle part, so that it's easier to wash long pans and cookie sheets. I love that idea.

I am also considering a granite sink, and this is probably the way I would go. This would look really cool if I got granite counters as well. The granite sink I found online is made of "green" materials, and is coated with ions that kill bacteria on contact. How cool is that? Oh, and I can get the granite sink in black, just like in this picture. I love, love, love this sink. Crazy, right, that I would be going nuts over a sink? The sad truth is I can see myself designing my whole kitchen around this sink.

I wonder what kind of faucet I can find to go with it?

Kitchen Goodies

When I shop for gifts, I always try to find that one perfect thing that I know the person will love. I look for quality products at reasonable prices. I get so happy when I find that perfect gift, and it is on sale! I am all about saving money. This year, there are a few women on my Christmas list who would love to receive something for their kitchen. During Sears Cookware and Bakeware Sale, I'm sure I can find something for everyone on my list. I have been wanting a stand mixer for years now, but they are so expensive. Imagine how excited I am that Sears has a KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 quart Stand Mixer on sale. And do you know what the best part is? I can get it in purple! Oh how I wish I could get every appliance in purple. My hubby would kill me, but I would be so happy. If that's not your style, there are many other things on sale. Blenders, toasters, deep fryers and bread makers are just a few of the things available. I would love a bread maker, too. Right now, for a limited time, I can also get a basic essentials 8-pc. roster set for $4.99. That price is after a $10 mail-in rebate, and only until 11/8. I'm sure there is someone on my list who would love that, and at that price, I love it too!