Last updated on July 4th, 2018
Good news: On Thursday, the counter top was installed. On Friday, the appliances were hooked up. Now the kitchen re-do is nearly complete!
I say “nearly,” because the contractor still has some cabinet tweaking to do. Also, I haven’t yet selected a tile backsplash. And lastly, only the room’s south and west walls have been tackled. Matching base cabinetry will be installed on the east wall later this month.
Some pictures for you:
Before…
And after.
I love the gray-veined, white quartz counter top. I love it so much that I can’t bear to clutter it up with my batterie de cuisine. Give me time, folks.
I love the sink! It’s wide enough (22 inches) to accommodate my large baking sheets and cutting boards, and deep enough (10 inches) for my tallest stockpots.
The gas cooktop, from General Electric, is the best I’ve ever owned. (The contractor has yet to install the drawer panel that goes in the empty space below.) I purposely selected this cooktop because its knobs are on the side, and out of reach of a certain counter-surfing canine.
The counter-surfing canine in question. (Hi, Avery!)
The double ovens are a dream. I’ll discuss them later in a separate post (or in a video).
Wondering about the yellow Post It notes on some of the cabinetry? These indicate problem areas that the contractor will address. One cabinet door was poorly finished — the new replacement door has already arrived.
In closing, I’d like to thank you for staying by my side throughout this krazy kitchen project. Please know that I kept your comments and suggestions in mind when purchasing the new cabinetry. That’s why you see more drawers than doors!
xKevin
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Patricia says
Kevin, your kitchen is dreamy! ❤️
Lori Rose says
Looks fantastic, Kevin, and you will love having more drawers than doors!
Linda says
Love it! Always thought if I could redo my kithen, I’d opt for more drawers. I am thinking how nice a light backsplash would look if you incorporated maybe a line of greyish tiles that picks up the color in the countertops. Have fun and create more masterpieces!!!
Carole says
Love that you went to the ceiling with the cabinets, no more dusty wasted space.
Dee says
Wow Kevin
Your kitchen is drop dad gorgeous
Dee says
Sorry meant drop dead gorgeous n I love the marble!
Dee
Janis says
Wow, Kevin. The kitchen is perfectly beautiful. Really love that quartz countertop. The kitchen looks professional yet elegant.
bette says
Fantastic!!!
Ellen says
Awesome! I see you have some stainless steel and glass items. My tip for removing fingerprints and making them sparkle ( before you ruin them by using ‘recommended’ cleaners ): drizzle a little non-bleach soft scrub into a wet microfiber cloth. Wring out. Wipe surface all over until prints are gone. Liberally spray straight white vinegar on said surface and wipe completely dry with clean Terry towel (that has been laundered without fabric softner) Voila. Sparkle! and no harm to the surface.
Good luck
Pat says
My advice for keeping a clean and sparjkkling surface is to use just water and Norwex Enviro cloth and window cloths. No need for bleach or nasty chemicals. Keeping everything healthy for you and your precious family.
Jane says
Beautiful!
Christie says
More cleaning tips- essential oils like thieves, lemon or purification + a little vinegar+ a little Castile soap and water. Not harsh; removes bacteria, voila!
For the backsplash tile, given the age of your home a white subway tile with a light gray mortar would match and highlight your gray veining. This is what I used, though I used bevel edge subway to give it a textural pop.
Question/ where on earth did you find that color mixer? The bright green is wonderful and I’d love to but one if I could find it.
John says
It looks GAW-JESS, Kevin! I’m jealous because I started my kitchen reno the same day as you, but am only about halfway through (floor issues, crooked wall issues, plumbing issues…) Ugh. Hopefully will see some forward momentum, this week.
What was your first meal made in the new kitchen? I’m still fantasizing what mine will be…
Beverly, zone 6, eastern PA says
A whole new outlook on life, fostered by an efficient, stylish kitchen. Bravo!
Catherine says
Simply ethereal ! Pristine! A restful and sublime oasis, wherein your culinary genius may flow….ahhh.
now, time to miss it up and get cooking!
On my wish list & much needed – hors d’oeuvre recipes that delight, yet with few ingredients, such as billionaires bacon, or that cucumber lobster thing….packing ingredients for a boat to island summer, where perishables perish rapidly! Yet gardens abound.
a billion thanks!
Christine says
Lovely! I noticed immediately after my own kitchen remodel that the food tasted better….possibly because the chef (myself ) was happier and more relaxed in a more efficient and beautiful kitchen space. Enjoy!!!
Cary says
At last! An atelier worthy of your Q-linary artistry!
Arlene says
You made it! Great new look and will make you happy for a loooong time.
Enjoy.
Pam R says
Wonderful kitchen!! Enjoy, Kevin!
Katherine says
Timelessly beautiful! Love it. Enjoy!
MaryB says
Looks very nice! Take your time selecting a backsplash. You may find it unnecessary when you get your stuff back onto the lovely empty counters. 😉
Kattrinka says
Very pretty! Go for COLOR in that new backsplash!
Leslie says
Hi Kevin, Think hard on what you want to do with your back splash. If you pick something you may get tired of or it looks dated eventually then you might want to replace. To me the only areas you would need a backsplash is behind your sink and countertop stove element. Artisan tiles are lovely ie: Mexican or Middle Eastern tile designs which will go well with your Victorian home. Use tiles for color and beauty because you love color with your kitchen utensils. Paint the rest OR research kitchen tiling in different styles. If you want to connect both backsplashes if you decide to go with the paint run a line of smaller tiles on top of the quartz ledge just under the sockets in either mixed or a dominant color. You do most of your prep work on the island it appears so tiling the whole backsplash area would be a waste of money unless of course you like that look. The rest of your house is basically Victorian. Do you want to stay in that style or would you like a mix? It can be a daunting decision and I wish you well. Remember, stark white cabinetry can be wonderful as long as you remember it can also become cold in how you design the rest of the kitchen. Good Luck 🙂
https://www.google.com/search?q=middle+eastern+tile+designs&oq=middle+eastern+tile+designs&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l2.11351j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
https://www.google.com/search?q=mexican+kitchen+tiles&oq=mexican+kitchen+tile&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57j0l4.13519j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Kristin says
Love your countertop choice with the white cabinets
Diane Hinkle says
Your new kitchen is lovely! Don’t you just want to pull a comfy chair in and sit for a while and admire and then plan what you will cook first. I am happy for you!
Amen Kahwajy says
Just keep your drawers clean and dry. Seriously, great choice. My last house had double wall ovens. . .fantastic and so uber efficient and easy on my back.
Amen Kahwajy says
Also, I used tile for all splash areas, except for directly behind the stove where we used a smooth stainless steel panel, one sheet, and it was so easy to clean and not worry about. And no expensive
Sandra L Allen says
Hi Kevin,
Love the tips from fans on how to take care of your kitchen surfaces. I am a housekeeper and will use and share some of the tips. Like your new kitchen, but it needs some color!
Sandra says
Love the new look.
Marcia Zerance says
When I first read the article I thought to myself why did he wait so long to pick out a backsplash. The more thought about it though, the smarter I thought you were! While the kitchen is yours, it is also going to be filmed frequently so you may want to look at backsplash possibilities through the lens of a camera when making your decison. Would love to see some color!
Patricia says
Love your new kitchen, but love your sweet Avery more! She has such a thoughtful expression and beautiful soulful eyes. You must make her some dog biscuits in your new kitchen!
Linda says
Kevin, your kitchen is a dream come true. I’m sure you will enjoy all the new features and the white will soon have color companions doted here and there. I love it.
MARY CHRISTIANI says
Wow! What an amazing difference! Beautiful….simply beautiful!
Julie R says
Kevin, your new kitchen turned out beautiful. As for my kitchen, it has bricks going up the wall behind the stove. The bricks were there when we moved in. I painted the bricks, a soft creamy off white, and have been happy with that look all these years. The brick adds texture and interest, and the creamy off white color goes with everything. For easy kitchen clean up and getting rid of bacteria in the kitchen, I use Hydrogen Peroxide in a spray bottle and go to town with it on all of the surfaces in my kitchen. It shines up the surfaces and gets rid of bacteria all in one, with no harm to anything. Thanks for sharing photos of your new kitchen.
Mary Ann Zeimet says
Hi Kevin,
I know how excited I get when I get a new appliance so I can only imagine how you are feeling now. When my new gas stove arrived a few years ago, I kept walking back into the kitchen just to see it again and my two large burners instead of one. Before going upstairs at night, I would turn the kitchen lights on just to take another look. I wish you many delicious meals and recipes in your new kitchen.
Sherry says
Now you just have to remember where you put everything as you return all your equipment to cabinets & drawers! Have fun!!
Dennis Rosenfeld says
batterie de cuisine….Love it!
Darlene Snyder says
Great results. I’m in total agreement regarding a pop of color.
(You’ve shown your flair with the blue spatula, etc.)
Once you have your colorful back splash you may want to check out some fun door pulls for the upper cabinets or a select few. I love my ceramic knobs & so easy to change out, kind a like a new sweater.
The brushed stainless lower pulls match your appliances and look great.
Go for the fun and color!
Give that sweet pup a good ear rub for me.
Happy cooking. My friends rave when I make your recipes.
Bon appetit’
Darlene
Cindy S. says
Beautiful renovation! Can’t wait to see the wonderful recipes that created there.
Kara says
Absolutely PERFECT, Kevin! You made a clean, attractive, efficient workspace for a COOK! You DID NOT make a showy, over-furnished and over-applianced showplace to impress. The quartz is pretty, the best choice for endurance, easy care. I love that you kept your wood-topped island, a happy and comfortable place to prep.
Beautiful room! Happy creating space! Enjoy! Make food! Share it with us!
Great love to you and yours.
Jay says
I’m so happy for you! Having lived through a 13-month (!) kitchen reno immediately prior to a cross-country move, I’m impressed with how speedy yours has been accomplished. I’m also impressed with the excellent advice your readers are giving you re: backsplashes. Can’t wait to see what you decide!
Audrey Topper says
Kevin, it’s just beautiful! You deserve to have a kitchen worthy of your talents. Happy cooking!
Edna says
Looking pretty swift there, Kevin! You are going to love working and doing videos in your new kitchen. I agree, if I do a kitchen reno I would put in way more drawers. Right now my kitchen is nearing 35 years and not so swift but clean.
I am making your teriyaki tofu bowl today! Roasting Broccoli will be new to me but we love that vegetable.
Best to Avery.
Carole says
Are you sure you want a back splash? We used a good quality paint which wipes off easily and is always in style. Although some of the new back splashes are stylish, some are already feeling like last year.
Diane says
It looks great (even if not complete), so enjoy!
Gladys L Banta says
Kevin, it may be a little late for this…..but I noticed the natural light seems to be coming behind you when working at the counter or at the sink (a lot of our cleanup work is done at the sink when the sun has already set) I do hope under-cabinet lights were considered and installed.
Elaine Clark says
Wow, it turned out beautiful ! Love the countertop cook top . A great job ! Now lets get cooking !!!
Peg says
Your cabinets and countertops are as close or the same to what I just did in a bathroom. I love the white on white.
Enjoy!
Melody Rae says
Looks beautiful, but I always wonder why people choose white for kitchens? Must have way more time for cleaning than I do! May you love every moment.
Marg says
I also was wondering about under cabinet lights. Mine are a necessity.
Lelain Lorenzen says
Beautiful kitchen, Kevin! All goes together so well & will be a lot easier — and more fun! — to cook in. We just had a smaller house built and I wanted to share the backsplash tile. It looks different in various lights, has a lovely hand-finished irregular quality, and a glow almost like mother of pearl. It’s called Mallorca, made by a company called Equipe in Spain. Ours is cream in 2.5″ x 8″ / I see it also comes in light gray & no doubt white. Such a special look yet cost only $80 more for our whole kitchen than standard white subway tile. Give it a look! I can send a photo if you like…
Elda Gray says
Kevin, your kitchen looks great and if you like all your drawers now – you will love them as you use the kitchen. #lovekitchendrawers
Also love double ovens – can’t wait to hear what you have to say about yours.
Regards,
Elda
JoAnne Walker says
The kitchen is so bright and cheery. It’Lloyd look great in your videos.
Best wishes.
Carol says
What fun to enjoy your excitement! I look forward to this each Sunday and can’t wait to see what else is in store.
Georgeann Brown says
You will be sooooo happy with your new kitchen. You will wonder why you took so long to have it done (other than $$).
Karen at Country Gardens says
wow looking good!
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Ginger says
I think you should pick a big bouquet of your favorite flowers and put them in your wonderful kitchen. Pick out a color from them and incorporate that into your back splash. The color of your kitchen(white) should be viewed as a background with counter appliances, bowls, flowers, etc as the bling. That way you could always vary the look .
Kathleen says
Beautiful! You will love your quartz counter tops! Just remember they are heat resistant not heat proof. Something extremely hot would crystallize the beautiful counters. Speaking from experience. . But you will love have blueberries and red wine doesn’t even faze it.
Glenda says
Looks really great, Kevin! Can only imagine the hours of enjoyment you will have in your lovely kitchen, conjuring up more great recipes for us to try!
Simply love Avery!
Mary Ann says
I really like it!
Monique Wilson says
I am so excited for you! You will love your kitchen daily. You deserve all the best!
Jill Mackay says
So bright and a great feeling of space. Love it!!! You’ll be cooking up an even bigger storm now!!
Joyce Van says
Beautiful new kitchen !! Let the color come from easily changed items….appliances, towels, curtains.
Martey Costello says
It looks great! How about a glass subway tile that picks up the gray in the counter. Bling without ostentation….
Lynn says
Kitchen looks fab.
I’d go for a glass backsplash instead of tiles. They’re so much easier to keep clean and no grout to go brown, which it inevitably does.
Smoky grey would be good and then add bits of colour with appliances, flowers and so on. Otherwise, I’d say pick a strong but soft colour eg celery green that you love enough to set the tone for the kitchen.
Joanne in Zone 6b says
Love your new kitchen, Kevin!
Congratulations on a job well done!
Thanks for the tofu bowl recipe, too; can’t wait to try it.
Also, for any readers wanting to eat less meat who haven’t yet tried Kevin’s Black Bean Burger recipe, don’t delay in finding and trying it. The best burgers EVER!
Barbara Parrish says
Luv a white kitchen and yours looks just great…it looks like it belongs to you so enjoy!!
Yamile Rijo says
CONGRATULATIONS!! Almost there and the worst is over.
What a beautiful kitchen. Enjoy.
Gale Dickert says
Love your new cabinets, Kevin–ENJOY!!! The man who built my stone countertops said to spray Lemon Pledge on counters regularly to protect and keep them looking nice. I use left over squares of cut tile in different sizes (from a bathroom tiling job) under hot pots to protect my new countertop. They match the counter. I glued inexpensive little self-adhesive felt circles from the hardware store on back of tiles protect the counter. Nice to have “free” counter protectors in sizes that fit my pots –and which glide easily on my counter without scratching!
Sheri Rice says
Wow! What a dramatic and beautiful transformation! I hope you love it all. We moved last summer and our new house has a dream kitchen, and I honestly don’t remember how we ever made do before.
Btw contractors call the items to fix the “punch list.” If there are things not right or not in keeping with the contract, I believe you may withhold final payment until the punch list is remedied. Just FYI. It’s usually more difficult to get stuff remedied if you’ve paid in full, but it also sounds like you have a great contractor. Now you can sound all professional when you inquire about its status. 🙂
Enjoy!
Barbara Chaisson says
Found this on Pinterest. Victorian Kitchen Tiles…something victorian would help blend the new modern with the old Victorian style of your home. https://search.aol.com/aol/image;_ylt=AwrE188O5RRbbm4AbpFpCWVH;_ylu=X3oDMTByMDgyYjJiBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMyBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw–?q=victorian+kitchen+backsplash+designs&v_t=webmail-searchbox#id=461&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Ftopinspirations.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F04%2FMajestic-Victorian-Kitchen-Ideas-with-Elegant-Medieval-Chandelier-and-Luxury-Kitchen-Cabinet-Using-Classic-White-Interior-Color-and-Gold-Accent.jpg&action=click
Barbara Chaisson says
Saw this Victorian kitchen window treatment and thought some window treatments would help pull the modern back to the Victorian and blend the two. https://search.aol.com/aol/image;_ylt=AwrE188O5RRbbm4AbpFpCWVH;_ylu=X3oDMTByMDgyYjJiBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMyBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw–?q=victorian+kitchen+backsplash+designs&v_t=webmail-searchbox#id=124&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fyouthvisioning.org%2Fimg%2F2018%2F05%2Fspace-photos-pictures-organization-backsplash-granite-luxury-islands-ideas-images-budget-walls-kitchens-white-wall-world-kitchen-red-coffee-apartments-outdoor-countertop-victorian–728×546.jpg&action=click
Nicki Butala says
What a dramatic difference!! I can certainly see why you don’t want to put anything on the counter – you just need the 1st ding in the counter and that feeling will go away, LOL! Your kitchen is so bright just the way it should be!! Fantastic job!
Barbara O'Brien says
Kevin! Looks fabulous and a kitchen that inspires cooking and baking … wonderful appliance and finish choices. What a joy for you to create more yummy recipes for us!
Barbara
Martha says
Love everything about it! Congratulations!
Rosie S says
So lovely!!!
Phyllis Sullivan says
LOVE LOVE LOVE WHITE! I did my whole kitchen in white. So peaceful.
FYI I did white ship lap as back splash.
Could send you a picture … how can I do that.
Rebecca says
Hi Kevin!
Just out of curiosity, in your kitchen rehab adventures, have you learned why the cabinets are not built all the way to the ceiling? I’ve always wondered…
Thanks!
Carla Sitar says
Hello Kevin,
Your new Kitchen will be a marvel & exquisite hang out place when completed.
Congratulations on your well designed & executed project (coming from an Interior Designer, specialising in Kitchen Designs & Fit-outs & a gal who loves to cook, as do you 🙂
Looking forward to seeing your completed new Kitchen soon.
Cheers & Congratulations from Carla & GEorGE DownUnder XxX
Susan says
I like your white kitchen with stainless appliances and the Shaker style cabinets. Up-to-date, timeless, very chic imo. Enjoy!
Maureen Ardzeck says
Hi Kevin,
Did you ever completely finish your kitchen renovation? I really would love to see the backsplash tile that you picked out & the completed project! Love all your articles!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Maureen – I haven’t yet selected the backsplash tile. Soon!