Kitchen Renovation of our 1980s Contemporary Home - Must See Before and After!

Wow!  It's been a while!  We've been busy with renovations of the 1980s contemporary home we purchased in Fall of 2018.

We finally finished the kitchen renovation!  It was a long process, mainly because of the backsplash I chose.  I've learned when selecting materials for your renovation, always check availability.  The backsplash we ordered took FOUR months to have cut, shipped, and installed.

I can't wait to show you after photos of the kitchen but, first, let's go back to what we started with.  Here are the befores (straight from the MLS with the previous owner's decor :)

See, I told you!  Straight out of the 80s.  Vanilla cabinets, countertop, backsplash, and oak cabinets.  None of this was in bad shape.  It was just dated and not our style. 

So, our plan was to take down the upper cabinets to open up the kitchen space.  With the vaulted ceiling in the breakfast area and the 8' ceiling in the kitchen area, the upper cabinets made the space feel like everthing was crammed into the area. 
So, after we moved in, had two weddings, Thanksgiving, and Christmas...DEMO DAY began!

Nothing like swinging that heavy hammer to release stress lol!  We actually didn't destroy the cabinets that we removed.  They're solid wood and well made.  We sold a few and repurposed the others for storage in the garage.  I hate to watch home shows where they just destroy everything. 

Anyhoo, we removed this side desk area and the upper cabinets.  We were also able to remove the countertops in one piece and sold them too.  Every little bit of money back into the budget helps when renovating.

Ok, enough talk...let's get to the good stuff!  Ready to see the after photos! 

Here ya go!

We removed the uppers and replaced them with open shelving.  We replaced the old almond colored electric stove with a gas stove and added a new stove hood.  We also replaced the old almond colored refrigerator with a new stainless one.  The dishwasher was only a couple of years old so we kept it.  It was black and worked with the plans also.  And, did you notice the cabinets?  Same ones.  We just painted them black and added new champagne gold hardware.  (Sorry the lighting is bad in these photos...one day was so gloomy and dark and the next was super sunny.  Lots of natural light in this house and I love it!)

We replaced the cream colored Corian countertops with a white quartz.  It has a subtle grey veining but appears white overall.  The double sink was replaced with a graphite Blanco granite sink.  The faucet is champagne gold and black as are the sconces.  All from Amazon and you can find them HERE and HERE. (affiliate link)

And, the part that took SO long but was SO worth it...the solid quartz backsplash.  With the open shelves, I knew I'd have a lot of things displayed on them.  I was afraid by using a tile/grout backsplash, it would add too much busyness.  The smooth surface of the solid quartz balances the busyness on the shelves.  What can I say, I like stuff and I enjoy having my stuff out where I can see it :)

If you had asked me a couple of years ago if I'd have a black/white/blue kitchen, I would have said no way.  Now that I've got it...I love it.  The colors, lines of the shelving, solid countertops and backsplace fit nicely into the contemporary feel of this home.  However, my collection of blue and white dishes and antique copper pots fit the space as well.  All about balance!

This is the bar area looking into the dining room.  For an older home, it has a great open concept feel.  In this area, we removed the hanging pendent lights and replaced them with two small recessed lights.  The quartz countertops were brought into this area as well.  It makes the perfect area for my coffee and it's a great spot for serving food when entertaining. 

So, that's the kitchen reno.  What do you think?! 

If you missed the renovation progress we've done, you can click HERE to see the wet bar area renovation or click HERE to see the master bedroom sun deck.

Thanks for stopping by and, as always, God bless!

Angie