Now We're Cooking!

My new kitchen is really just my old kitchen dressed up and changed cosmetically. We have lived in our house for 22 years. We didn’t build the house, but we have been its sole owners. Over the years, my kitchen cabinets have changed hue from light to dark and back again. I had first painted my kitchen cabinets country blue. A few years after that, I painted them black. The cabinet doors had begun to sag, and we had already replaced the original worn hinges with ones that never fit quite right. After many years of use, the appliances no longer functioned well, either.

Instead of ripping out the entire kitchen, however, we chose to purchase new cabinet doors, drawer boxes with new glides and matching drawer fronts, along with convenient slide-out shelving, in order to refurbish and update our cabinetry. Danny Sullivan took on the monumental task of measuring, ordering and installing all those drawers and fittings, and he also put up crown molding. Danny is a craftsman par excellence! I painted—again—the cabinet faces, interiors, doors and drawer fronts. This time, I chose a creamy color.

For the floors, I chose ceramic tiles in varying warm tones and sizes. New appliances feature a stainless finish. Our GE Trivection range offers speedcooking, which combines radiant heat with microwaves. This oven cooks quickly and enhances both the taste and the texture of food. Our new microwave also bakes and speedcooks in addition to standard microwaving, and when the kids are away, it’s perfect for preparing a meal for two.

We have enjoyed our new/old kitchen very much. However, after nearly suffering heat stroke from the daunting task of scraping unsightly texture compound off the ceiling, I thought I’d never see my project completed! Word to the wise: Some jobs are not meant for do-it-yourselfers!

Kitchen Before:






Kitchen After: