kitchen before and after

our kitchen makeover has been at least a year in the making.

before:  tan linoleum, tan laminate counters, leaky rusted faucet.  

kind of blah.doors off 

concrete countertops in - love these!  i've wanted concrete for so long.  done by our friend, jeremy in the neighborhood.cabinets and backsplash painted (i was 8 months pregnant.  after being gone all day, we came back home to out-of-control fumes so the whole family slept at the in-laws for a night.  our painter was not even bothered by it.  said he couldn't smell a thing.  um, that's not good.)  

linoleum and carpet gone.voila!

another angle

the details

i'm trying these pellegrinos out for the summer.  may change them out for something else.  also probably something for the tops of the cabinets.  maybe. plants.

thanks to denise, who has a great eye, and gave me the push i needed to paint my cabinets white.  i love them!  and to denise (and deborah), who found the floors at costco, and the stools (love) at overstock.

i wish me kitchen was always this clean.  baby bottles and formula dominate these days.

Concrete

I am in love with concrete counter tops. They are heat resistant and anti-bacterial, and more importantly, beautiful. Concrete? Yes, concrete. Think Pottery Barn's cash register counters. Think chic and urban. Think warm. Yes, warm. Think endless color possibilities. I have found a few places that will make and install, but I don't know how much maintenance is involved. Does concrete need to be sealed often? Will it crack? (No, but I had to throw that in since everyone thinks of sidewalks when I mention this product). And then there's the price. Yikes!