Making the New Kitchen Our Own

Friends, it sure has been an exciting month for our family as we settle into our new home! We were really blessed by the fact that for the most part, the house was totally move-in ready without a ton of changes we needed to make. The room we’ve actually done the most to so far is the kitchen, which is no big surprise, since for many of us the kitchen is the most important room in the house {aside from our crafting space, that is}! Here are four changes we made since moving in:

1. New Counter Tops and Sink
This is how the kitchen looked the week we arrived. The counter tops, although not the color I’d have chosen, were still an upgrade from our old house, so I’d have kept them if it hadn’t been for the sink. It was stained and dirty looking, despite our best efforts to clean it, and because it was an integral Corian sink {meaning it was all one piece with the counter top}, we were told we couldn’t replace just the sink itself.

They didn’t need to tell me twice! I had been saving up some money for home projects and most of it went right here to new granite counters and a stainless steel sink. I got to choose my color, steel grey, and I absolutely love it. It was definitely expensive, the priciest thing we’ve done to the house thus far, but totally worth it because these will last beautifully for years to come.

2. New Kitchen Faucet {provided by Delta}
You might have noticed in those before and after photos that the counters and sink weren’t the only things to change; there’s also a gorgeous new faucet. When we moved in, this is the faucet that was in place:

It was less than ideal for three reasons; one, the neck didn’t swivel from side to side. Two, it was totally loose {which we could have fixed}. But three, I was totally spoiled by the faucet in our old house. You might remember that last fall, I had the opportunity to review a Delta Touch2O. This fabulous fixture has Touch2O Technology {Touch Two-oh}, which means that instead of trying to turn or pull a handle when your hands are messy or full, you can activate the water flow with just a tap anywhere on the faucet spout, hub, or handle.  Which means I don’t have to get paint, glue, cookie dough, and goodness knows what else all over the faucet and making an even bigger mess while we’re trying to get clean!

We chose the Cassidy model and before long, our whole family got completely used to turning the kitchen faucet on and off with a simple tap. So much so, in fact, that when we moved, I kept tapping the faucet that was there, just out of habit. When we knew we were going to move, I expressed to my husband that I didn’t want to leave my Touch2O behind. Fortunately, Delta stepped in and saved the day {I think they felt sorry for me!} and provided me with one for the new home so I didn’t have to try and sneak mine out before the buyer realized what happened! Whew!

Now I have my beautiful, easy-to-use faucet to help make my new kitchen really feel like my own. And, the Stainless finish matches all our other appliances and looks just right with our stainless steel sink.

3. Updated Knobs and Handles
You may have already seen my post about how I did this; it actually cost me nothing but the price of a can of spray paint. I removed the existing hardware and gave it a good coat of Krylon Stainless Steel spray. It matches my appliances perfectly and my friends who didn’t know I’d done it said they would never have guessed I didn’t buy them that way.

Here’s the before and after:

Amazing what a little coat of paint can do, huh?

4. New Table and Chairs {provided by Wayfair}
One of the first things we noticed when we looked at this home was how spacious the kitchen is. There’s a gorgeous bay window and plenty of room for a dining set. We have a formal dining room as well, which is where we put the table and six chair set we purchased when we got married, but we were in need of a more casual set for everyday use. I browsed around on the Wayfair site for a great five piece set…which was a huge job because there are so many choices!

Hubby and I finally settled on the dCOR design Atwood 5-piece dining set. This set includes four chairs with beige microfiber upholstered seats and a wood table constructed of hardwood and wood composites. It has a rich cappuccino finish so dark that it looks almost black, which perfectly coordinates with my countertops and appliances.

It arrived in less than a week, then it was time to put everything together! My friend Gretchen and her kids happened to be visiting, so I put them to work and made them help assemble the table.

First, we unpacked the box, which contained the table top, four legs, hardware, and an allen wrench. {Whoever Allen was, what a great little tool to invent, no?}

Then, all we had to do was attach the legs to the table top and voilá! All ready to go. The chairs only required a few simple steps for assembly as well; the only tricky thing was the angle at which you have to twist the screws. It took us a little while, but we {with some help from my dad, who also got suckered} got them finished and they look great! They’re very comfortable to sit on, just ask Fuzzy, who regularly steals someone’s chair at dinner time.

I could show you a bunch more photos of the table all completed and styled with my pretty decorative placemats and flowers, but let’s be real. We don’t live in a magazine. What’s most important is that the table is useful and sturdy and allows us to make our house a real home. It’s the place where LC eats his breakfast every morning before school and the place where we all share about our day as we eat dinner together. It’s the spot for sweet treats and good reads.

And, my favorite thing about it is when it’s so full we need to bring in an extra chair because the neighbor kiddos want to join us and invite themselves on over for spaghetti or tacos or whatever we’re cooking.

That truly is my favorite thing about our new kitchen. Yes, I love my counters, my faucet, my table, and all the other things I’ve done to make it look the way I want it to, but the truth is, what makes it feel like home is the people laughing, talking, and eating in it. The fact that it’s a welcoming place not just for our family, but for our friends and neighbors means more than anything.  What’s your favorite thing about your kitchen?