How we turned our old 1970’s kitchen and living room into the DIY farmhouse kitchen and living room spaces of our dreams.
Last weekend marked the one year mark since embarking on the biggest renovation project we’ve ever taken on.
I still remember cooking up our Thanksgiving dinner in a kitchen that felt much too small, on a relic of a stove that never, ever worked the way it should…
We gathered with our family around the table for one last Thanksgiving dinner staring at a kitchen full of oak…
We capped things off with everyone crowded into our back family room because our front living room was too long and narrow to actually use for anything other than furniture storage…
And then, the very next week, demolition began.
And things escalated pretty darn quick if you ask me.
A few weeks later, I walked you through our entire main floor as we had lived in it for more than 2.5 years and told you all about why our living room floor was missing.
A few weeks after that, I wished you a Merry Christmas from our half finished living room.
Not long after that, I shared all of the design plans for the each space.
Another month later, I shared a progress update of a still very unfinished space.
And then things came to a bit of a stand still.
After a very disappointing experience with our cabinet maker, we found ourselves left with a half finished kitchen. We thought long and hard about giving Mike Holmes a call, but in the interest of time, we found ourselves a good lawyer to deal with the mess for us instead. Now, it’s a long story that will have to wait for another day, but the good news is that six short months later, we finally got the go ahead from our lawyer to hire another cabinet maker to finish up the job for us.
The new cabinets are set to be delivered and installed in just a couple of weeks and I couldn’t be more excited to finally, after more than a YEAR, see this renovation project all finished up!
In the meantime, I thought it was about time I gave y’all an update on our renovation progress, so I put together a video walking you through our entire main floor renovation, including tons of before and afters to show you just how HUGE this reno really was! I hope you love it as much as we do!
And just in case you found yourself wondering about any of the finishes or decor we used, I’ve tried to link most of it up below:
Finishes throughout both spaces
wall colour – Edgecomb Gray from Benjamin Moore
trim and cabinet colour – Cloud White from Benjamin Moore
island and sink cabinet colour – Revere Pewter from Benjamin Moore
wood floors (Kaslo)
Kitchen + Dining
Living Room + Entry
This main floor renovation has been such a looooooong and challenging road for us, but we really couldn’t be happier with how it’s all coming together! Hoping to have a finished space to share with y’all really soon!
Wishing you a such a lovely day my friends!
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Holy cow!!! What a transformation!! It looks beautiful
Thank you so, so much Kellie! It’s sure come a long, long way!
You were patient and it finally all came together and it turned out wonderful! Here’s to years and years of happiness in your transformed home!
Thank you so, so much Laura! We couldn’t be happier with how it’s all turned out!
Your home is just beautiful, Kristi! It has been a long haul but sure has been worth the wait! May you and your family be blessed with lots of happiness in your gorgeous home! Enjoy!
Thank you so, so much Mary-Ann! We’re head over heels in love with the way it’s all come together! It’s totally changed the way we live in our home!
Absolutely stunning! And why does nothing go as planned? So glad you are coming to the end of headaches and heartaches and will be able to enjoy your new spaces for the holidays and winter. It looks so farmhouse cozy!
Thanks so much Peggy! It’s certainly been a long journey, but totally worth it all in the end! Can’t wait to settle into a completely finished main floor just in time for the holidays!
Wow have things ever changed! Everything is looking so good, I can’t believe your kitchen used to look like that (there was SO much oak…) I’m so happy you’ll be wrapping this project up soon, I can’t wait to see it when it’s all done!
Thanks so much Emily! It’s so easy to forget how far we’ve come! Definitely looking forward to decorating a fully finished house this Christmas!!!
Kristi, I LOVE your home! Your kitchen is a dream and I loved the video tour as it gives such a great idea of the layout of your home! Your mudroom and laundry area with the bathroom are beautiful as well! (I am SO sorry about your cabinet situation; we had an awful contractor experience once too that got serious but yours sounds worse! I hope you get the rest soon! xo
Thank you so, so much Kendra! It’s definitely been challenging, but we’re hoping to see things finished up next week (just in time to start decorating for Christmas!).
I would love it if you’d write a post about what happened with the cabinet guys! We’re about to start this EXACT process with pretty much identical changes & layout to what you ended up with and have a custom cabinet quote but for some reason I just keep holding off on finalizing….what happened with yours that turned it into such a nightmare? Any advice before making a deal?
Oh how exciting for you! I definitely plan to share all the details about our own experience soon, but for now my biggest advice would be to get EVERYTHING in writing and be as clear as you can about your expectations including cabinet design and detail, expected timeline for the product and what the payment schedule will look like. Also, do not pay in full until the work is done – this was something we held firm on and we are so, so glad we did as it left us with at least some power in the end. I hope this helps!
Awesome advice! I can’t stop thinking about your post & what you went through- having to get a lawyer and put everything on hold…it had to be SO stressful, my heart breaks for you…BUT, it turned out so very beautiful!!! I can be a nightmare with the contracts, we always demand a late penalty clause & I scour that thing with a fine tooth comb but even with an iron clad contract its still such a finicky industry. So intimidating :-/ I look forward to that post in the future! (I’m sure you need to forget about it until the wound has healed a bit)
Thank you so much Jessica! Just as soon as we’re on the other side of this busy holiday season, I will definitely share all about our journey and everything we’ve learned along the way. Thanks again for the support, wishing you all the best through your own renovation journey!