From Day One

I wanted to paint the kitchen. When we were talking with our realtor I said "this kitchen would look so good white". You see, the previous owners were nice enough to install the largest granite backsplashes I'd ever seen, new appliances (bisque?), and new pergo floors. Who are we to complain about the 80's era oak (you know me and wood) cabinets? I mean they were in excellent condition, there was a ton of storage and the kitchen was large. It just wasn't us (me). My husband talked me out of it for about a year and half but I knew what I wanted and I was determined to get there. We tried fixing it up a little for the time being, new handles, accessories, etc. But it just wasn't what I envisioned for my favorite room of the house.
Here are a couple of befores:


But I was patient. I tested colors, I researched how to paint cabinets on Pinterest for about 3 months (Thank You to the Young House Love blog) and I developed a really clear picture of what I wanted the kitchen to look like. But I knew what I was getting into. I knew this was going to be a marathon of sorts. And it was. Think of it as some sort of "rebirth" because I started this whole project on New Year's eve last year. And here it is, March 19 and I'm all but two pieces of trim away from being done. Not that it was that easy. Here's a photo montage of the many steps to the project (cue the 80's power ballad):


Even the kids got in on the action...
Gingerbread is such a giveaway to times gone by, don't ya think?


And gone.Oh so many doors...
Almost there...
Thankfully "Winter Blast 2012" hit the northwest about the time I was putting on the final coats of paint. Stay tuned as I believe a project that took three months to complete is worth two blog posts.