A couple of months ago my oven packed up. I'd known it was on it's last legs as it was practically an antique but even so managing without it wasn't a pleasant prospect. We did manage to replace it within a week but of course the new one was a different size and needed fitting in such a way that the old oven housing had to be demolished. Well, one thing led to another and soon we were renovating the whole kitchen.
So the last few months here have been a bit dusty but at last there is something to show for all of the effort and upheaval. We managed to do it all on a very tight budget – we left all of the fitted cupboards, tiles and worksurfaces so it's just needed some wood, a whole load of paint and a great deal of elbow grease! The kitchen now feels at least twice as big (although in reality it is quite small) and painting it in cream and buttermilk has really transformed it.
before…
after…
during…
after…
So now H has done all the hard work I suppose it's my task to keep it clean and tidy. Clean I can handle, but tidy is more difficult as I'm a natural hoarder – my little shelves are fast filling with new finds!
little cotton rabbits 
Love it! Thought about painting my own kitchen (also wood finish) but all that painting!!!! A kitchen is only tidy if you don’t cook!!
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You’ve shamed me into at least tidying mine up a bit – love your pantry shelves!
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It looks really lovely – there is something gorgeous about cream and white in a kitchen. I’m attacking mine this morning. It’s quite a task 😦
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I love your new kitchen. Dont white kitchens make it seem so much bigger and more spacious. We have our kitchen antique white and I love it. At least you can see where you spill things on the cupboards so they get a quick wipe up! Enjoy cooking in your new space.
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Your new sparkly kitchen looks fabulous!
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Looks lovely. I know what you mean by seeming bigger. I ave a small, small, kitchen but white cabinets and light tile makes it seem open and airy – when I haven’t cluttered the island that is. I hope you enjoy your new look. ~Kelly
unDeniably Domestic
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That is lovely, and it does indeed look bigger! Enjoy!
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it looks great , so much lighter and like a brand new kitchen
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It looks gorgeous Julie ~ just goes to show what you can achieve on a budget.
Marie x
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Lovely and I agree, a change for the better. It feels so much airy and spacious 🙂
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Now I want to go and paint mine! Looks lovely Julie – finished just in time for you to start your Christmas baking ….
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I learned a trick when we did ours – which was a total tear out and rebuild – I hung a plastic “curtain” between the work and the rest of the house. What made it especially good was the evaporative cooler – I’d run the fan on full, and blow all the dust right out the open windows. A new kitchen is new energy. Tidiness does not naturally follow, though, as you may witness in my house – or as you could witness if I were honest enough to put up pictures.
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gorgeous! much better… now you can thank the oven for packing in!
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My bestest cousin always told her husband during those moments of marital discord ‘you can have clean or you can have tidy. You cannot have both!’ This is the motto I stick to 😉
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Hey Julie – that looks great, you have inspired me (maybe after Christmas) – I need to get a new cooker this week otherwise we won’t be eating turkey unless I start cooking it now!!
My calendar arrived on Saturday – I love it my birthday month July is my favourite but I do so love Georgette (long time fave) and now I am loving Lotta big time.
Take care
Davina xx
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It looks fantastic! The white make a big difference doesn’t it? Makes it brighter!
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Beautiful!! I love it all!! We did a revamp of our own kitchen last year and I know the effort that goes into it, so well done you! 🙂
Julia xxx
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It looks so lovely & love it!
love
Alison
x
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it all looks lovely and very shiny!!!
xxx
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It’s beautiful Julie! I’d be afraid to cook in all it’s shiny clean-ness — wouldn’t want to make it dirty LOL!
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When we had a new kitchen I vowed to keep it super spotless and clutter free. Everything would be put away. Nothing except the kettle would be out. There would never be any washing up left out, it would be dried up and put away immediately.
Then I came back to reality and stopped deluding myself.
As I look in the kitchen now, I can hardly see any work tops for all the stuff lying about!
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I’m so glad I’m not the only untidy one! Love the new look kitchen cupboards, my OH wants to do ours (which will be easy as he’s a painter & decorator!) but I didn’t know whether I would like it. But looking at yours is so inspiring I think I might now have to get him to do it! :0)
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my solution … taking down shelves and upper cabinets … just a new sleek exhaust hood over the burners … i made ONE spot for a display item … and i have to make the effort to get down into the lower cabinet to find the item – the exercise helps me appreciate that one piece a lot longer !
AND only one set of dishes per person … each person can wash and place in the dish rack – otherwise they don’t eat (no wasteful dishwasher or paper plates – if someone is sick we rinse all the dishes in the rack with boiling water from the tea kettle)
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It looks beyootifool!! Cream/white cabinets make such a difference I think. I only wish I didn’t live in a rented house so I could do something about the putrid green my kitchen is!
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Your new kitchen is fabby and gosh does it look tidy. You fancy coming to sort mine next? lol
Hugs Jackie x
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Love your kitchen! It looks so light and bright…feel inspired to decorate ours after Christmas!
Love Jenni x
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I love the new paint colours. I’ve been thinking about painting my cupboards for a while now to brighten up the room. What did you use for primer? Did you have to sand the wood before painting?
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So pretty Julie. I love the open shelves and white doors. I am fond of white kitchen cabinetry too except during the winter months when the sun streams through the window and I realise how grubby my cupboard doors are!!!
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Very lovely!! I dare say you need a few more polka dots though!!
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You’ve done such a great job with making something new out of something old. Love the fresh yet cosy colours.
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Oh wow its lovely. I am intrigued by the little jar with the face and the red hat on the first picture. You did well with all that painting, it looks so fresh.
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Pretty snazzy Julie. You’ll be able to cook up the most festive of Christmas treats in all that loveliness! I’m jealous!
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IT IS LOVERLY,HOPE YOU HAVE A HAPPY XMAS AND YOUR FAMILY (HENS).
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It looks so fresh and pretty. My kitchen is almost identical (the cabinets) and I’ve been wanting to repaint them but wasn’t sure – now I see how great it looks I will do it.
A question though – which paint did you use? A specialist one, for kitchen units, or just bog standard emulsion?
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Wow, your kitchen looks so much better now. I love it!!!
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Really nice! I like the more “creamy” background in contrast to the white!
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ooooo! it looks quite splendid!
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Looks lovely! I love the pale colours on the cabinets…very fresh light and airy.
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Hi Julie Wow the ‘new’ kitchen looks fantastic. You seem to have whetted the appetite of quite a few people who even now may be showing these photos to their hubbies. I did, and would also love to know the process for achieving this splendid look. Is there no end to your creative talents???? Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and all stay happy and healthy. Take care, Jenny.
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Great ideas, hope to use some of them in an article for Examiner.com with attribution and links to your Etsy shop.
Please check out my pages: http://www.examiner.com/x-23677-Providence-Knitting-Examiner
With kind regards,
Sharon Watterson
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What a fantastic makeover!!
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Cute little kitchen. 🙂
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What a great makeover!!! Lovely colors and very well mixed! The kitchen looks so cozy and warm, the perfect pair for a nice-to-live-in home!!!
Congratulations and enjoy!!!!
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Wow Julie – had to comment on this – that is stunning! Hmmmm, wonder what I could paint?! x
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Looks wonderful…yay!
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I love what you’ve done here by coordinating all your lovely jugs and bowls with the colours on the cupboards. It’s goes to show how much can be achieved without having to rip the whole thing out and start again! Jules x
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So how much work was this, my kitchen in a dark wood finish and I would love to paint it, but the behind cupboards would also need painting, was it really so much work, as I am having to move soon, it might just be a job too far…
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PS its a fab job you have done, I missed that out….
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