Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!

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I have been waiting to share today’s post for three months. Okay, more like five years.

When Dustin and I first purchased our home five years ago, we knew the kitchen would someday need an update. The countertops were less than desirable, the cabinets were chipping, and the appliances had lots of little quirks. And even though the kitchen needed help, it was my happy place for five years. In fact, the counters and chipped cabinets began to grow on me.

Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!

The moment Dustin mentioned the words kitchen remodel at the end of 2014, I immediately turned to Pinterest and hours of daydreaming! The thought of designing a kitchen was something I always dreamed about, and now it was happening.

After hours of browsing design options, we decided our goal for the kitchen remodel was to create a family-friendly space with lots of room. My old kitchen lacked both qualities.

We started the remodel at the end of May 2015. I honestly believed remodeling was going to be an easy project–tear down old cabinets, put new ones up, add some tile and paint. Remodeling proved to be quite the process. Throughout the process I continually had to remind myself of the end goal: a new kitchen!

And three months later…

Today is the day…

The final kitchen remodel reveal day.

Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!

Before and During Remodeling

Our kitchen is a small space, which meant we couldn’t just tear down cabinets and put up new ones. The remodel process meant opening up a tiny pocket door that passes from the main entrance and stairs to the kitchen and living room. I’m still sweeping up dust from this project…still! Along with opening up the pocket door, we also worked with a designer from Home Depot (I highly recommend their design service!) to maximize the space. This meant everything in the kitchen would be relocated.

Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!
Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!

Once the cabinets and drywall were out, it was time for the drywall installers to come in and make everything pretty again. Within two days we were ready for the next stage of the project, cabinets.

Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!
Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!
Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!
Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!
Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!

I knew the blog and freelance recipe development and photography work must continue during our remodel, so Dustin and our contractor built a temporary kitchen in our garage. Florida + summer + garage cooking = the hottest experience ever!!! I should design a t-shirt, “I survived cooking in my garage!” The flies were my constant companions and the sweat, I’m told, was an added bonus.

Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!

The Kitchen Remodel Final Reveal

I know you saw our new kitchen in the video, but let’s take a look at some photos, too. Okay?

Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!

My desire was to create a welcoming and homey kitchen where our family and guests can gather to enjoy a meal and fellowship. I’m so happy to say our goal/desire was achieved. We have only been in our new kitchen for three weeks, but already it has become the place to be in our house. The kids love to sit at the bar and help or play, and Dustin and I have spent many evenings cooking together–something that didn’t happen in the old kitchen.

Live Simply Kitchen Reveal
Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!

One of the highlights of the kitchen is the open shelving. The moment I saw the open shelving trend, I fell in love!

Upper cabinets are great, but I’ve always been horrified by the amount of junk I collect and hoard in cabinets. Since our kitchen is rather small and we wanted to simplify the space, open shelving was the perfect addition! Yes, this meant we lost cabinet space. The loss of cabinet space caused us to simplify: clean out the excess and focus on the important items we really need and use. I still have my kitchen gadgets and ten spatulas, but gone are the millions of kiddie plates, thirty different chipped dessert plates, and miscellaneous mugs we never used.

Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!

And now the pocket door opening…

Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!
Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!

We spent countless hours talking about countertops. Should we go with granite, soapstone, marble, etc? In the end, we decided to go with butcher block, and I couldn’t be happier with the final result! Our contractor was greatly concerned about the wood and water–particularly around the sink–so we sealed the countertops similar to the way one would seal wood floors or stairs. The butcher block is not only gorgeous and unique, it’s also very warm and welcoming.

Finally, can we talk about the farm sink? I have been dreaming about a farm sink in my kitchen for years! The large basin and unique design add such character to the new kitchen. To say that I’m in love is an understatement!

PS: If you want to put a farm sink in your kitchen, but feel discouraged by the steep price, go to IKEA!

Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!

The sticker on the new window will be removed shortly–once we pass our window inspection this week. I think the map adds a nice decor element for now ;).

Modern Farm Kitchen Remodel--Includes resources for products. And before and after pictures!

Thank you for joining me over the last three months as I shared updates about our kitchen. And thank you for allowing me to show off the final result!  I look forward to the future recipes, DIYs, tips, and videos we will be able to share from our new space.

Kitchen Resources

Domsjo Farm Sink: IKEA

Butcher Block Countertops: IKEA

Black Glittran Faucet: IKEA

White Shelving and Brackets: IKEA

Black Scoop Fagleboda Handles and Faglavik Knobs: IKEA

Light Fixtures- Ranarp (large and small): IKEA

Glass Storage Jars: IKEA

White Beadboard Cabinets: Kraftmaid

White Subway Tile and Gray Grout: Floors & Decor

Tile “Wood” Floors: Floors & Decor

Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator: KitchenAid

Dishwasher: KitchenAid

Slide-In Range: KitchenAid

Black Chevron Rug:  Overstock.com

Carlisle Metal 24″ Mint Counter Stools: Target

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24 Comments

  1. Do you still like your IKEA farmhouse sink? I have heard that it cracks but would love to hear your experience! Also with your butcher block countertops!

    1. Hey Reagan, Our sink has cracked twice now and has been replaced. I recommend steering clear of the IKEA sink. Highly recommend going with the Kohler options–pricier, but much better quality. We still love the countertops–totally worth it for those.

  2. A lovely update to refresh your house! I’m curious as to what the space is that shares where the bar stools are (behind the camera person). It seems that we may have a similar layout and I’m looking to update our space but can’t figure out what to do with the “other side” of the kitchen. I think ours was originally a breakfast area but it is just an open, awkward space now since we use the formal dining as our only eating space.

  3. your kitchen is just gorgeous, kristin. i kept seeing & admiring it in the background of your recent blog photos–it is quite a lovely transformation. i’m pinning it for my hopes of a kitchen update someday.

  4. This looks so good! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the style and color of the chairs at the bar, so many fantastic ideas and inspirations, thank you!

  5. Um…..could you please come to my house and help design and purge my kitchen??? 🙂 This is gorgeous and makes me want to be in the kitchen. My dream one day. 🙂

  6. SOOO gorgeous! This is seriously my dream kitchen. We already have the same light fixtures from IKEA, so I’m 1% of the way there, haha! I love butcher block and farm sinks and subway tile. I think this is a great foundation kitchen! You could easily do little updates to keep “with the times” if wanted but I can’t imagine it will look super dated. Hope you’re enjoying it 🙂 Love your blog!

    1. Hey Tierney, Thank you so much! We had a lot of fun (okay, and some stress ;)) putting all the pieces together. We went to IKEA for so many pieces in our kitchen–their design and prices just can’t be beat. I agree about being able to change things out as needed. Many friends have asked about the open shelving, and we always say that in the future we can easily put up cabinets, if needed. It’s really nice to have a kitchen with a good foundation and possibilities for changing with the times in the future, or in the case we get bored.

  7. You’re kitchen is beautiful and an inspiration! You mentioned sealing your butcher block to help protect it. We have a portion of butcher block in our kitchen and I have wanted to do the same but have been unsure of what to use. Could you share what product you used for this?

    1. Hey Rebecca, Thank you so much.

      Our contractor was really concerned about water damage to the butcherblock around the sink, so he highly recommended sealing the area with polyurethane–not a natural product, but it’s heavy duty. This means we have to use cutting boards for food prep since this product isn’t food-safe for chopping, etc. Another product we looked into was called Waterlox–it looks very promising. If the water and sink issue weren’t a concern for long-term use, Waterlox would have been our choice.

  8. So pretty! We just moved into a home with a small, outdated kitchen and were at Ikea last weekend getting a feel for their cabinets and counters. Glad to hear you like their kitchen stuff! I love the butcher’s block. Looks so warm.

    And, cooking in a garage in summertime in Florida? That’s commitment! Go you 🙂

    1. Thank you so much, Katie! I was a bit skeptical of using IKEA products for parts of the kitchen–Dustin was convinced the products would be fine. I have been super impressed with everything we purchased from them! We also looked at the cabinets, but decided to go with Kraftmaid so I could get the beadboard style.

  9. Congratulations, Kristin! It’s beautiful. I tucked away a note on pull out shelves in my cabinets for my future dream kitchen. I really enjoy your blog!

  10. Congratulations! Beautiful! I LOVE your kitchen! You have given me a lot of ideas for my kitchen.