Miss Leah from More Ways to Waste Time sent over a link to a fabulous kitchen remodel that she just posted her blog. You have to check it out. It’s great especially if you’re about to embark on a remodel project involving a lot of elbow grease. In 3 weeks when I leave for Germany I have to design my kitchen from the floor up so Leah’s post encouraged me a lot. When it comes to kitchen design in a foreign country I’m quite lost… But I’m excited and these photos only serve to excite me more because I’m planning on a gray/white/goldenrod scheme for my new kitchen and the refrigerator that I purchased for it yesterday is stainless as all of our appliances will be. The kitchen is also quite small, smaller than this one even… But I have lots of hope for it!

Leah, thank you! Click here to get the nitty gritty on this kitchen, complete with before and additional after photos.

(images from more ways to waste time and house obsession)

32 Responses to “Awesome Kitchen DIY”

1 Leah commented:
July 15th, 2008 at 11:49 pm

Thanks for the kind words! I’m glad you like it. It was worth all the dust and havoc created from the demolition… Good luck in Germany with your new kitchen.
2 Diana commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 2:19 am

I love the idea of a recipe blackboard – simple, useful, and homey.
3 leanne commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 2:55 am

wow, that’s amazing. am i the only one who loves to see how people use ikea pieces to personalize their space? though they are somewhat of a blank slate, everyone seems to find their own twist on utilizing the bones of the design. it’s especially great in kitchens.
4 decor8 commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 3:01 am

leanne i totally agree. i spotted those pendants right away, they look like ikea. you are so right, it’s amazing to see how different people use the same budget item in a space but yet the look is completely different.
5 SimplyGrove commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 5:18 am

This kitchen is perfect!! I love the cleaness of it. (Is that proper english?)
6 tollipop commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 5:45 am

Wait, I’m confused. Did I miss the memo that said you’re moving to Germany?? Is there a detailed explanation somewhere on your blog? Or even better, a step by step “how to” so I can pack my bags and jump on *that* train?

Because I love all things Deutschland and even emailed Car M?bel yesterday and asked them, in my best German, to set up shop in the U.S.A.

I’m probably the only one who doesn’t know exactly what you’re talking about, but if this is real, bona fide move to Germany–oh, I wish you all the best!
7 Lobster and swan commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 6:06 am

That is one stunning kitchen! I love the recipe board.
8 driftwood shack commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 7:31 am

this is a great kitchen they’ve managed to pack it with style without packing it with stuff!
9 lokis_mistress commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 12:24 pm

For anyone who has only seen this kitchen here, go and see the before pics, I actually had the words “dear GOD” escape my lips when I scrolled down to what she started with. The transformation is brilliant! I love the vintage table and canisters and how they look right at home with the newer pieces. She shopped very well for this space and did an excellent job! LOVE the floors!

Also very keen on the IKEA pieces used in bits and pieces. Sometimes you see a room and it just screams IKEA but it is nice when you can throw a few pieces together in a way that just fits the space. What would we do without IKEA? Really? I hate generic shopping, but even I have at least three pieces at the moment and have definitely had other pieces at one time or another. Funny that.
10 erin commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 12:40 pm

This kitchen is great! I also love seeing how people use Ikea in their home. In the store I would probably never use certain things, then when I see the pieces in someones home mixed in with everything else, i’m always like oooh i want that now!

I’ve always liked wood cabinets, but lately I’ve really been feeling the white cabinets and wood floors! It’s so clean and bright!

I LOVE the large chalkboard too!
11 Anonymous commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 12:46 pm

i am so in love with this kitchen! it’s not my usual style, but it is just perfectly formed <3
12 Julie commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 1:05 pm

Love the giant blackboard!
13 Leah @ House Obsession commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 1:06 pm

Hey guys! The funny thing is that I found the EXACT pendants but vintage. I wanted to buy them SOOOOOOO bad, but they were a lot more money, plus I would have had to re-wire them. Budget-wise it came down to the Ikea versions. Oh well…thank goodness for that big blue box!
14 decor8 commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 1:20 pm

tollipop – you are so cute! yeah, you missed the announcement. but i’m not moving 100% to germany. my husband and i spend 3 months over there each year and last year, we decided to take an apartment of our own instead of always staying in a hotel. now we have a one bedroom and we plan to stay over in germany 5 months each year. you can read all of the details and watch the progress here:

http://www.hollymaus.blogspot.com

so i am still going to be living and based in new hampshire but my 2nd residence is also in germany.

xo
holly
15 moodboard commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 2:38 pm

I’m swooning over your wood floors-great job!
16 orange you lucky! commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 2:39 pm

Oh! I love love love this kitchen!
Can anybody tell me where I could get these ’school’ type chairs? Love ‘em! h:)
17 Joslyn commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 3:02 pm

i love these spaces, but i’m always partial to chalkboards!
18 doreen commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 3:12 pm

If I might give a kitchen designing tip–what helped me in planning my kitchen remodel was thinking about every task I performed in my kitchen and going through the steps to preform those tasks, and then planning space accordingly. Also I took an inventory of my kitchen stuff and carefully planned storage to accommodate it. Also important to me was traffic flow, access to my yard, and views while washing dishes!

I admire your courage to remodel in a foreign country. Good luck!
19 ara133photography commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 3:25 pm

That is beautiful!!! I love the relaxing color scheme :)
20 Mooney ? commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 4:46 pm

Oh how I dream of a U shaped kitchen like this… I just love layouts like these… thanks for sharing… my house is in need of LOTS of elbow grease… but we love it… it’s a labor of love we have… hehee.
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21 Mooney ? commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 4:46 pm

Oh how I dream of a U shaped kitchen like this… I just love layouts like these… thanks for sharing… my house is in need of LOTS of elbow grease… but we love it… it’s a labor of love we have… hehee.
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22 Nest Interiors LLC commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 5:27 pm

A chalkboard is so fun and retro…once you’ve been out of school for a decade or so :)
23 Kara commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 6:45 pm

There are many clever ideas of how to add instant style from this post. I also enjoy seeing how mass market pieces are interwoven into homes without looking like the catalog or showroom floor. It is so interesting to see how the same product is displayed in different cultures. I recently purchased the IKEA published “Beloved Homes! A drop-in book of nine much-loved homes, from those of us who life at home” for that reason.
24 Alicia commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 7:50 pm

I love everything about this kitchen!
We are in the process of painting, and it gives me hope that there may be a beautiful end in sight.
25 Rick Bucich commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 9:24 pm

Thanks for sharing! My favorite part of the referenced blog entry, ?The other funny thing is that at least three different workers asked where my ‘new’ sink was. I had to keep explaining that this was my new sink!?
26 tollipop commented:
July 16th, 2008 at 10:38 pm

Holly,

Well, you just slayed me with your fabulousness. Five months in Germany is so, so…je ne sais quois! I mean, the amazing factor on this just blasted into outer space!

I will definitely be following this adventure on your blog–thanks for the link and I am wishing you a lovely adventure!
27 Mrs. G commented:
July 17th, 2008 at 12:56 am

I love the lights over the sink and the wooden floors. Sigh…
28 Anonymous commented:
July 17th, 2008 at 1:32 am

Is that a Boston Terrier on one of the pics? Where did you find it?
29 Juddie commented:
July 17th, 2008 at 10:53 am

Oh! So wonderful! And what a transformation from dark and dingy to light and uplifting ….
30 Liz commented:
July 17th, 2008 at 5:01 pm

What a pretty little kitchen. The grey-blue looks beautiful with the wood floor. I’ve been working at Benjamin Moore for a long while and those blues are my favorite right now :)
31 Uncle Beefy commented:
July 17th, 2008 at 8:34 pm

Okay…taking a quick blogging break from painting (oy!)… but… lord have mercy! I love me this kitchen! So clean and stylish but so personal and homey! I LOOOOOOOOOVE it! And the blackboard wall? Go on with their bad selves! So inspiring for sure, Miss Holly! :)

Thanks for passing it along :)
32 yelloworanges commented:
July 17th, 2008 at 10:38 pm

So nice to see this redo!
I had agonized about the perfect color for our 2nd room and finally decided on gray. I took just as long researching for the perfect one… and due to company coming over (read my reply to the motivation post. lol) got the new color on the walls.
I Love it! I was afraid I was going to make a boring room, but this just proves how amazing gray can be.

Hopefully I can get the boyfriend to put together the IKEA wardrobes soon and maybe you'd like to post my B & A. I think it's going to turn out great!
33 Elina Pinis commented:
December 31st, 2008 at 1:56 pm

I like how everybody are amazed by IKEA products, because I have always loved them. They are fairly affordable, and most of their thongs you can make your own with color, or using objects in non obvious spaces. Love the kitchen and everything in it :)

Elina Piniss last blog post: Admission Portfolio

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