Our Kitchen Remodel Reveal!

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Our Kitchen Remodel is finally complete! I have been so excited to share our new house project with all of you. We are thrilled with the updated version and the way it’s opened up so much space.

Before revealing my “before” and “after” pics (get ready… I took a lot!), I want to give a huge thanks to Z-Line for partnering with me by providing some of their products used in my renovation. I chose to use this company because I love the look of their appliances and they were recommended to me by other well known food bloggers that love them. I’m honored that they trusted my vision to include their products for this project. So with that, let’s dive into my kitchen renovation reveal!

Kitchen Remodel

When we originally moved into our house, we knew that there were areas that we wanted to eventually change with the kitchen being one of them. While it was very functional and useable as it was, it felt very confined for our family of five when we were all in there. Functionally, there was limited landing area beside the cooktop which made many aspects of cooking difficult at times. The island became the only place for prep, plating, etc. with the other countertop areas full of kitchen appliances or utensils.

Check out our Kitchen Remodel on VIDEO HERE

Peninsula

The placement of the original peninsula was probably the biggest factor in us wanting to redesign the kitchen. It separated both the Breakfast Area and the Keeping Room from the kitchen and made those areas feel isolated. The small space between the peninsula and the old refrigerator allowed limited access to these areas as well. If the refrigerator door was open then that eliminated entry or exit while it was open. Also the height of the bar seating area restricted any view from the Keeping Room to the kitchen. Even with the bar seating on the peninsula, that area too felt separated from the kitchen and we didn’t use it as much as we would like to. We really just wanted a more useable space that flowed from one area to the next.

Original Kitchen Layout

Another area that we wanted to reconsider was the desk space that was designed in the original kitchen. This desk area took up valuable kitchen space and while I frequently used that desk area for work, we decided to make a dedicated office space in another room that was already designed for that purpose. That freed up the whole wall where the desk was and allowed for moving the refrigerator and microwave.

This is what our Kitchen looked like before..

Before Kitchen Remodel

Here is our new Kitchen! The new layout opens it up so much. It’s brighter and we actually use our keeping room now. Before the kitchen remodel, it was so closed off with the old peninsula.

Kitchen Remodel After

New Layout

We worked with Ron Edwards from Blueberry Grove to design a new layout for our kitchen. We knew we wanted something different but weren’t sure exactly how to attain it. The problem areas were discussed and he proposed several ideas that really got us excited. Once we saw how the space could be opened up and utilized, it was hard to unsee it! We narrowed down some of the options and Ron and his crew got to work to make it happen.

Kitchen Island

Kitchen Island

Our previous island was very small and had limited space for food prep.

Before Kitchen Remodel

Our new island has opened up so much room for counter space and storage!

Kitchen Island

Kitchen Island

Countertops

Oh boy, was this a struggle! I bet all together we spent a full 8 hours at stone yards looking at slabs. We started out wanting quartz…then were determined to find a quartzite slab that we would like. However, NOTHING could compare to the beautiful honed marble countertops and the quartz that we saw just looked fake and didn’t compare. We have quartz in other rooms like our laundry room and love it though. The marble was more fitting to the vision that we had for our kitchen.

We have always been under the impression to stay away from marble because of stains, scratches, etc… I asked around to a LOT of people that have had marble countertops for years without any issues. The protective coatings and honing really protect the marble, so we were convinced to stick with what we loved the most. We went with Calacatta Gold Marble and thrilled with the way it looks.

Callacata Gold Marble Countertops

Storage

Storage was a concern with choosing a new layout. With the old kitchen layout I had plenty of storage and I didn’t want to give that up for a new design. However, some of the old storage was not readily accessible, with many cabinets being very high or other cabinets, like under the cooktop that housed our cookware, were hard to access and always cluttered. With Ron’s help we were able to redesign our storage with drawers on both sides of the range which has been great as far as accessibility. We went through all of our old cabinets and drawers and were able to free up some space by eliminating things that we just didn’t need or use anymore. This allowed for less clutter and randomness when we filled our new cabinets and drawers.

Kitchen Cabinets

I love having this area to store my cookie sheets!

Cabinet Storage

Cabinet Hardware

We went with iron cabinet and door pulls. I don’t have a link to the exact ones that we have, but found similar ones at Home Depot.

Cabinet Handles

The kitchen island has nickel door pulls

Cabinet Handles

Refrigerator

We always struggled with enough fridge space in our old 36” counter depth with our 3 growing boys, two of which are teenagers. After a grocery store run and a night or two of leftovers it would be packed. Knowing that we were moving the refrigerator allowed us to go from a 36” counter depth to a 42” built-in. The 42” has definitely helped with the refrigerator capacity although we lost some freezer space in the process. We have a second refrigerator downstairs so that hasn’t really been an issue. Overall, we are happy we made the switch and are loving the French door compared to the Side-By-Side.

Before Kitchen Remodel

SubZero Fridge

Coffee

We love our coffee and tea. We decided with the new kitchen remodel to have a dedicated coffee bar area. While the cabinets below this area are general storage, the drawers and one cabinet above house everything related to our coffee and tea habit.

Before Kitchen Remodel

Our drip coffee maker, tea kettle etc. are all stored here as well and.  This has been great as everything is in one place and we don’t have to go to the pantry or other cabinets for anything. Let me just add that we got a Breville Barista Expresso Machine and absolutely LOVE it!

Coffee Bar

The struggle was real

I struggled with the idea of giving up my cherished double wall ovens for a new layout. Oh, the sleep I lost over this one. I knew the look that I wanted, and the double ovens just didn’t fit with the space that we were working with in the design. One thought was to move them beside where the new refrigerator would be, but I just didn’t like the way that would look or where they would be located. This is when we started looking at 48” ranges.

The Range

We looked at several brands of dual fuel 48” ranges and I talked to some of my food blogger friends to see what they were using.  I took measurements of the ovens and I looked through all of my baking pans and dishes to see what I could actually put in the smaller side oven. One day I would think I would be fine with the 48” oven space and the next day I would think “No way!”  I contemplated going to a 60” range to get the full size ovens, but I didn’t want to give up the storage space or countertop space beside the oven or be overwhelmed by the size of the 60” in the kitchen space we have. I finally determined that I would be fine with the 48”…but even then, there were a few situations, mainly Thanksgiving, which were still haunting me about the decision.

Before Kitchen Remodel

Kitchen Remodel Hood and Range

 ZLINE 48” Dual Fuel Range

When it came to price, quality, features and overall availability, ZLINE was the hands down winner for us in the 48” dual fuel range market as compared to other brands. I received many recommendations from other food blogger friends in these categories as well. I have been happy with the design of the ZLINE 48” range and ovens and I haven’t had an incident yet that I have been wanting my double wall ovens.

The 7 burner porcelain cooktop has been wonderful compared to our old 4 burner.

Zline Range

We opted for the brass burners and love them, but it’s totally optional.

Zline Range

Zline Range

The smaller 12.5” oven allows me to bake cakes, casseroles, etc… using a 9×13 dish/pan.

Zline Range

Everything is very simple to use and we are very pleased with the even baking. You have the options of low bake, high bake, broil, convection, and convection broil.

Zline Rangeis v

Z-Line Microwave

With the research we put into the range, we knew we wanted to go with a ZLINE microwave as well. The 24” microwave wall oven has been great and is so versatile. With 11 different power levels, the option to use standard, broil and convection microwave modes it gets used a lot in our house. It was very easy to learn the features and has been an upgrade from the Kenmore Elite that it replaced.

Zline Microwave
Zline Microwave

Sink

Another area that we wanted to improve was our sink. The double bowl design of our old sink was just not working with how we cooked and cleaned. After any cooking, baking or meal for our family, it would be overflowing. The split design was never used for its intended purpose and just wanted more room for pots and pans to fit and be washed. We opted for a 31”x18”x10” under mount stainless sink. Love the room that it has and the ease of cleaning up and washing large pots and pans.

Kitchen Sink

Tile

Backsplash – this was another area that we struggled with with due to all the choices. It was overwhelming! We questioned whether to add color and design with the backsplash or keep it simple. There were so many beautiful options out there. We knew we wanted something with a somewhat timeless look but that still leaves a lot of options. After a lot of looking we started leaning towards a marble tile but there were so many different styles and sizes. We opted for a Bianco Dolomite marble in a small brick pattern.

Kitchen Tile

We are so happy we did this kitchen remodel.  The new layout also allows greater accessibility to the areas around it which in turn are used more. Changing from the dark cabinets to white, especially with the lack of natural light we have in the afternoon, made a huge difference as well in the overall feel and lighting.

Full Kitchen Remodel View

After Kitchen Remodel

A huge thanks again to everyone involved with making our new Kitchen Remodel happen!

Source Links

(Includes clickable links to all kitchen sources)

Cabinet Paint – Sherwin Williams Pure White

Island Paint – Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze

Countertops – MC Granite CountertopsCalacatta Gold Marble

Range – ZLINE 48” Dual Fuel Gas Range with Electric Oven with brass burners (RA-BR-48)

Microwave – ZLINE 24” Microwave Oven (MWO-24)

Fridge – Sub-Zero 42” Classic

Dishwasher – Asko dishwasher

Sink – Kraus sink KHT-300-33

Lighting – RH Machinist Glass Cloche Pendant 14”

Tile – Bianco Dolomite Marble

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