Posts in Remodels
Farmhouse Kitchen // Picking our Unlacquered Brass Hardware
Farmhouse Kitchen // Picking our Unlacquered Brass Hardware

Brass was the metal of choice in most turn-of-the-century homes, at least the ones I’ve seen, and not surprisingly our Farmhouse is full of it. Doorknobs, sash locks, cabinet latches…it’s everywhere! And I’m so glad because it’s my favorite metal finish.

When it came time to pick the hardware for our Farmhouse kitchen renovation, there was no question it would be brass too. And to be sure the new brass ages well and patinas like the old brass, I picked out an unlacquered finish (also called living, unfinished, or raw).

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The Farmhouse, RemodelsCathyfarmhouse kitchen reno, roundup Comments
8 Great White Kitchens That Might Make Me Rethink Color
8 Great White Kitchens That Might Make Me Rethink Color

Ever since we started dreaming about our Farmhouse kitchen renovation, I’ve imagined a color on the cabinets. But lately I’ve wavered a bit. A few fabulous white kitchens have crossed my screen and made me rethink our plans.

I know, I know, white can seem so boring. Or maybe (hopefully) you were going to say classic? White kitchens have been around a long time and span all design styles. But lately there’s been a push towards moody hues in the kitchen. In fact the last kitchen we renovated was dark green. But I dare you to take a look at these 8 white kitchen and not fall back in love with white.

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RemodelsCathykitchen design, farmhouse kitchen reno Comments
Porch House Kitchen + Sunroom // 5 Lessons from a 16-day kitchen renovation (+ The Before-and-After's)
Porch House Kitchen + Sunroom // 5 Lessons from a 16-day kitchen renovation (+ The Before-and-After's)

At the end of every project, I like to look back and remember where we started. Seeing those ‘before’ photos when you’re standing in the ‘after’ is fun, rewarding, and confidence-boosting. But more than that, it’s insightful. Looking back gives me a chance to see where the project excelled and where it fell flat.

So today, I’m going to share some ‘before and afters’ with you and 5 lessons that we learned on the Porch House kitchen + sunroom renovation. And you can be sure that we’ll be applying these hard-learned lessons on our upcoming Farmhouse kitchen renovation.

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The Porch House, RemodelsCathykitchen design, Kitchen Comments
Staring the Laundry Room…Demo and Plumbing!
Staring the Laundry Room…Demo and Plumbing!

Before we could really dig into our kitchen remodel, the washing machine and dryer needed to be relocated. They sat in our future pantry, which of course, just wouldn’t do. These machines get a lot of use (with 3 young kids and country mud, I mean a lot!) and we didn’t want to go without them for long. So the new laundry room became phase 1 of our kitchen project, which we kicked off last week!

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RemodelsCathyfarmhouse laundry reno Comments
More About Butcher Blocks - Where we Like to Use Them (and where we don't!)
More About Butcher Blocks - Where we Like to Use Them (and where we don't!)

We’ve used butcher block countertops in 5 of our 8 kitchen renovations to date and we’ll be using them again in our Farmhouse kitchen this Spring. In all of those kitchen renovations, we’ve learned a lot about wood countertops, made some mistakes, and learned what works best for us. We shared some butcher block basics a couple years ago (here), and today we wanted to dive deeper into the types of wood we’ve used and where we’ve found they work best (and where they don’t!).

First, let’s look at 3 kitchens we’ve put butcher block countertops in…

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RemodelsCathybutcher block Comments
Our Final Farmhouse Kitchen Floor Plan (And How We Made the Decision)
Our Final Farmhouse Kitchen Floor Plan (And How We Made the Decision)

Sometimes it takes being away from home to really give you clarity about your home. At least that’s what Garrett and I found while on our recent 3-week road trip. 

We spent hours (and hours, and hours…) in the car. A couple of those hours were spent talking about our home and upcoming kitchen renovation. But most of the time, we didn’t even think about our Farmhouse. We were too focused on our family, where we should stop next, and having fun.

And all that non-thinking-about-our-home turned out to be gloriously freeing and enlightening. By the time we got home, both Garrett and I knew exactly what we wanted to do with our kitchen. And I think our choice will surprise you, because it certainly surprised me!

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The Farmhouse, RemodelsCathyfarmhouse kitchen reno Comments