lookin' real good

It's like a whole new kitchen in here! The lower cabinet doors went back up tonight. Love it! There's a few tiny things left (3 electrical plugs, caulking, tile sealing) but we'll make our deadline for Friday for those things. The ceiling is one major thing left to fix up but that is just going to wait... so daunting. Instead we'll relish in this nearly complete beauty of a kitchen!!

getting frosty

Project of the day: frosted glass for our upper cabinets. Looking pretty slick. Might just new to paint the shelves inside since you can really see the white through the glass. Plus, one day I plan to paint the whole insides a fun colour, and organize the junk that's still partially showing through. 

bam, grouted!

I'm especially pumped about this almost-final step because it's like icing in the cake, and I had a major hand in the results. My first grouting experience is in the bag. My lovely assistant helped too of course, this really was a team effort that took the afternoon. And the kids were as accommodating as we could ask for with grout up to our eyeballs. "What doing mama?", A's reaction to me up on a ladder awkwardly perched above the sink. 

grey and white

Not done but EXCITING!

the end is near

I imagine anyone who has/is renovating can understand this sentiment: almost DONE! Yet that finish line is still just over the hill. Small things like switching electrical outlets, getting glass cut for cabinet doors, hanging shelves, grouting and the most dreaded task - scraping/patching/painting the ceiling are yet to be completed. All the tile is up now though! And painting the lower cabinets is well underway. Here's the latest: 

painted uppers

More progress! The upper doors are painted and up. Well 7 of them. The other 4 need new glass cut for them. The paint is Benjamin Moore Advance and it's been fantastic to work with!

And now on to painting the lower cabinets... New Years deadline? 

more tile

Another month, another project moving along. Life got in the way for most of November but we managed to tile another wall this week. It isn't grouted yet because we still have to tile the backsplash on the other side of the kitchen. We're far from experts but each bit of tile is a bit more learning and we've been working together at it pretty well. 

Above the sink there are going to be 2 shelves and a storage element from Ikea. It'll be kind of nice to move some things of the dining room table when that's done!  

The goal for completion is Christmas, which is rather daunting with December being tomorrow, but we might just be able to power through. Fingers crossed!

oh so beautiful

These beauties speak for themselves... :)

fresh paint

Out with the blue and in with the new! The kitchen is now freshly painted with CIL Atmosphere and looking fine. It feels awesome to be checking things off our list and painting walls felt like a dream after sanding/priming cabinets. Of course some parts, like above the sink, will be tile so that part awaits our counters/sink/faucet to be installed - and tomorrow is the big day for that! 

countertops pt 1

Things are starting to come together! Our biggest ticket item(s) - Silestone counter with new sink and faucet - are being installed on Friday so it's been great motivation to keep other parts moving. So while we're feeling the countertop love, the side counters got a nice upgrade today. They're Ikea Akerby in Birch, a nice easy change to replace our 80's laminate. Since most of our food prep is done on the peninsula it was an opportunity to use something more affordable and have the warmth of wood. The cabinets are only primed but I'm loving the change already. Their thunder will surely be stolen at the end of the week, so for now, we'll oogle over our new side countertops!