Love what you did with your kitchen. It is so refreshing to see something original and not the typical trendy look. The floors are to die for and love the cabinets and countertops as well. Well done and original.

Love the new flooring!

love the countertop. what is it?
and must commend your hard work on the floors. paid off handsomely!

This green paint is so beautiful, congrats !

anumaura, the countertop is brazilian cherry; the backsplash is actually inlaid flooring and i used corner medallions at the begining and end for a more finished look.

Thanks very pretty indeed

Really one of the best renos I have seen .. modest, so tasteful, creative, warm, beautiful..the kind of kitchen you want to spent time at.
Well done!

very well done job

Agree with others. Floors are absolutely stunning!

Hey you worked with the space you have. I think its a job well done!
-Angeline, GKB

thanks, all. Like Michelle, I was disappointed to see what looked like the same kitchen over and over, and was not willing to be held hostage to worrying about a future buyer would or would not like- that being said, it was a low budget, so low risk. the big splurge in time was the floor, and in $$ the countertop/backsplash. that was my incentive to keep going on the floors, my reward- I didn't have the counters put in till I was done with the floor!

We had, I think, a similar attitude. We just finished de-uglifying our kitchen. We're going to be here a long time, and I wanted a kitchen that was good for me to work in.

Beautiful job. The floors are amazing! That must have been a lot of hard work!

Michelle, do you have before and after pics?

Are you asking because it doesn't look updated? Haha

My whole comment didn't post. I think.

The house was built in the 70s. The kitchen had the standard dark olive oak cabinets with a z brick backsplash and wrought iron looking hardware. The wall paper was red white and blue Americana.

I will see if I can find a pic tonight.

haha! No! I just like to see both- I keep a before pic taped I side a cabinet so when I feel like I will never complete all the projects I am reminded how far I've come...

I love it. Good that you had some friends to help you out. I would be very proud if I were you. You did a fabulous job and well worth the time it took.

Love this update! When I saw the before photo, my first thought was "too bad about the big ugly black dishwasher." I was sure you wouldn't have money in a small budget to do anything about it.

But look! Your simple, cheap idea really made a difference.

Lovely! Can I ask for details about the flooring?

Fiona, the flooring was underneath a century of paint layers. this house was built in 1784 then added onto- patchwork style, until 1850. so the floors are different throughout.

I love it, Michelle! great job. Thanks for submitting it.

the boards dry out in the winter and cold air comes up from the dungeon below so last year I learned the old truck of wedging rope in the cracks- in the summer the rope was compressed but doesn't cause the wood to bulge

*old trick, not truck. not yet, anyway. a girl can dream.

This is a beautiful makeover. LOVE the flooring and counter tops. (I'm so tired of seeing granite everywhere!) The green cabinets are beautiful. You did a great job and I'd love to have this kitchen (and may very well incorporate aspects into my own).

Really nice job!! Congratulations!

Fabulous job. This is just a suggestion and not criticising ; A nice long rug going down the length of the kitchen rather than the little mat.

you're absolutely right- would look beautiful- until my farmer husband got home. or a goat noses her way in the screen door again...this house has been a great lesson in compromise... ;)

Thank you for a new inspiration pic to add to my collection for my budget kitchen makeover to come. I echo all the comments previously about being tired of granite countertops and stainless steel appliances for "perceived value" at sale time - this is my forever home -even if I sold in five years, everything done today would probably be dated then and probably redone by the next buyer. What's great about your kitchen are the similarities to my 1986-built kitchen - the oak cabinets and the black dishwasher primarily. My heart's desire is a creamy white kitchen (ala Michelle's) but green in the Granny Smith apple or yellowy green range is MY COLOR and I've been giving serious consideration to walls or even cabinets in that color. Your wall color even appears similar to mine which currently is a yellow beige that appears softy yellow most of the time. And WOW, the floors. I can't have hardwood (wrong subfloor here in the Arizona desert) but I've found a wood-look porcelain tile that I'm planning to use throughout my small open floorplan home that is so similar in color. How great to see what that color looks like in a REAL small kitchen! I have a patio door off to the side as well, though my layout is closer to Michelle's except for a corner sink with two windows. Her pic goes in my file as well because I do love the warm white. I covered my black dishwasher with one of those metallic vinyl dishwasher covers in white. Wondering if you did the same or painted over the dishwasher - either way a brilliant budget-friendly solution. Delightful read with my Sunday morning cup of coffee!

@Kge728----- I am still laughing about my suggestion.

Nice job! Give yourself a pat on the back. : )

Nice job all round. You should be very proud of yourself and I know exactly where you're coming from with a farm kitchen. Off the farm now and I couldn't stand the cleanliness of it all so I got three dogs to keep my house looking like home.

well, granite is beautiful, and two houses ago for me, it was just the right thing. I think it's really individual to the house. this kitchen had been a bedroom for 100 years then made into a cheaply-redone- to-rent kitchen in the 80's. So i decided to use materials that would have been available back in the day, rather than more contemporary. That's why I went with wood for counters and backsplash. When a house is older and more crooked and funky it feels ok to play a little and bring some whimsy into the plan.

thanks for sharing. looks great! I had forgotten about rope in the floor cracks . I grew up in a 1750s house and I think some of the rope in our cracks was from about 1880 when the house got its first central heat (wood) and the floors dried out more than they ever had before. .

Floors are amazing please share how you finally got them in such a beautiful way !! I adore them

I was wondering about the texture on the cabinets. did you buy new doors or add it yourself?

yovizna, I spent 4 months on this. tried an infrared machine because there had to be lead in those 5 layers of paint. it was awful and smoky. switched to citrastrip gel- much less toxic. only when the paint was gone did I sand, then used PolyWhey from Vermont Natural Coatings (made from milk!!) as the finish. This was the easiest and cleanest product I have ever worked with.

tannj318, that's textured "beadboard" wallpaper! just cut, wet, hang, and paint. and after all this time it's still fine.

I am very impressed and send along a pat on the back and kudos to you!!

Love the curtains - they are from vintage table cloth, yes? Creative solution which I might just have to borrow for my kitchen curtains! Any tips for how to make them?

And I echo the high praises of the floor - good on you for putting in the time and effort to reveal that beauty and reclaim that history.

hi, cookiepuss, no the curtains are a panel of a fabric called "WingStudy" by Paula Plass for michael miller. It was too lightweight for curtains and I was having a party and didn't have time (or fabric) to make them wider (and lined!) so I made panels that hang like an apron- sewn to the existing curtain panels on top but not on the bottom- thought it would be temporary but they are still there. But a vintage tablecloth would be amazing. would be happy to see what you have to work with and come up with ideas...

Well I wouldn't call your old kitchen horrifying, but your make-over is absolutely darling! Now it is a very nice homey kitchen where people can gather.

PS if I walked into this house and saw this kitchen, I'd make an offer on the house right there and then. This is one happy kitchen!

looks good

Nice, whimsical and creative. Love the floors and cabinet. Not that keen on the curtains, but I'm a plain curtain person..would love to see what you're doing with the rest of the house!

Really nice job, congratulations.

Love the floor

Awesome transformation! Love the color of the cabinets. Looks like you added beadboard to the cabinet doors, maybe? Great window treatment.

The "beadboard" is actually just paintable wallpaper. It's been there 5 years now and is as good as new. The trick is that it's on inset panels only, nowhere that it gets handled. And even when the puppy chewed it off the dishwasher I just replaced it. It made a huge difference for $20.