The Flood and Subsequent Kitchen Remodel, Part 2

After six months of living without a kitchen, we were thrilled to have things come together and be so beautiful as well as functional. Did I mention how much I love running water?!

Here is our new fireplace and dining room. We want to add tile or stone to the fireplace at some point. And maybe a wood beam mantle. 

I got a new light fixture (which I love!) for above the table, and that's my old clock (which I still love!) from Pottery Barn. I've had people ask me where I got the light. It's been discontinued, but I got it from Joss and Main - I love that site! At some point I want to find another one for my entry.

I tried several light bulbs until I found the perfect ones - antique, amber-tinted LED from Lowes. That little glass ball on the bottom is a nice touch. It ties in with the glass pendant lights above the island...

Here are the three pendant lights I chose for above the island. I love their contemporary look as well as the light they produce. And I like how their translucency keeps things open by not visually blocking the space. I bought them at West Elm, but I can't find them on their website anymore either. That's another great site. 

These deep island drawers are AWESOME! I lost some cabinet space when we widened our kitchen window and took down the wall between the kitchen and living room; now it's where I keep all our plates, bowls and plastic cups, as well as my baking utensils and a bunch of other things. I have to work hard to keep the top from getting covered with clutter. It's great for baking, rolling out dough, eating breakfast, painting, doing homework and working on projects. 

Dave installed 2 big ceiling fans, and I looked a long time for these. I did not want them to have lights in them, and I wanted them to be really big with a lot of power. They are great, and I love the clean, modern look. I got them at Joss and Main. 

We replaced the carpet with wood in the living room, stairs and hall. At first it was really loud in here, but it got better when we added an area rug. The carpet had to be replaced in the family room downstairs as well. Most of it was still in good shape, so I brought a big piece of it upstairs. Dave trimmed the edges since this picture was taken. We also got new curtains, since these ones were old and dingy and too short. I still need to get finials for the ends of the curtain rod I made out of conduit a few years ago. I'm thinking I'll go with glass balls to match the lights. 

We love the new fireplace! It puts out a LOT of heat, and it includes a fan, thermostat, light, crystals, rocks and driftwood. It's super functional and has a very sleek, modern look. 

I got the biggest 5 burner stove I could find. My old stove top was always so crowded. I like the 3 different size burners and heavy duty grates. I am really happy with it. I looked a long time for the hood. I found one I loved on Pinterest, but it cost thousands of dollars. So then I searched for one like it that was more affordable. I found it at Overstock for under $500. I love the simplicity of the design and how it's open all around it, all the way up to the ceiling. It's super easy to remove the filters to clean them. In fact I just did it yesterday. I chose a light grey subway tile for the back splash, and I broke it up with a fun lantern design in the same color above the stove. The tiles are handmade (I didn't know that when I chose them - I just really liked the color and how well it tied everything together), so there are slight variations in shape and color. That makes me like it even more.

Another last minute addition was to continue the tile around the window all the way up to the ceiling. It only cost an extra $100, and I'm so glad I did it!

Here's the view as you walk up the stairs. 

Everyone loves that drinking fountain! We seriously go through way fewer cups these days. I wanted one that was more stylish, but those didn't have filters or refrigeration. Function won out. 

Going through these pictures helps me realize why I was SO incredibly busy last winter, looking and researching and comparing and deciding! So I looked long and hard for these floors. I wanted them to be light but not too light. Warm but not yellow. Distressed but not too rustic. And wide but not too wide. I went to the local flooring store and found these ones (they fit all my criteria, and I immediately fell in love with them), but they were way out of our budget. Like $3-4,000 too high. So I searched for the exact style and color online (Anderson Bernina Maple Bianco) and found them at Regal Floors. They shipped them to us directly, and my contractor had someone install them for a very reasonable price; we literally saved thousands of dollars and still got the exact floors I wanted. 

Dave has wanted wood on the stairs forever. I tend to prefer carpet, but I have to admit that I like these so much better! They make a beautiful first impression when you walk in the front door.

These are not the counters I was originally thinking of getting, but Dave liked them, and they quickly grew on me too. We knew we wanted quartz because it is so durable, and we wanted to get something light, but I was thinking we'd get more of a marble, swirly look. These are really contemporary and fun, especially with the little sparkles in them that reflect the light and cast little rainbows when the sun hits them just right. I love them. Good eye, Dave.

We used to have a divided porcelain sink. I like this one way more. It's really big, and I can fit huge pots and pans in it. We went with the same faucet we had before.  

My contractor did a good job choosing the window. The big middle section has an unblocked view while the 2 little side windows slide in to the middle.

And here's the view from the fireplace towards the stairs. One of my kids said their favorite part of the remodel (besides the drinking fountain of course), is the wooden hall so they can slide all the way down in their socks. It's the little things in life.