Step Inside Our Home! Part II: Kitchen

We are on to part two! 

 As I mentioned in the first post of this series, we bought a spec home and didn't have any say in the finishings at all. Texas is still really into that "rustic" look... which wasn’t a great fit for us. So when we moved in, we decided to change a few things. We really didn't love the counters or backsplash.... or cabinet colors. HA! I know, I know, so picky. But we were spending a lot of money on this brand new home and I really wanted it to work for us and be what we liked. So we talked our builder down on price to compensate on some of this work we wanted to do.

The biggest thing we changed was the kitchen cabinets. They were previously a dark brown wood color (come on, Dallas..?!?), matching our floors. We really didn't love it, and weighed our options in what to do to fix it the most cost-effectively. We researched a ton and came upon Colors on Cabinets here in Dallas. We told him what we wanted and he came through amazingly. Exactly what we pictured. His review is at the end of this post.

The hardware we chose was found here . We found it for a great deal, which was super necessary considering I had set out a strict budget and we had over forty cabinets to put hardware on! We first ordered a sample and as soon as we got it, we put in our full order because it was exactly what we were looking for. They are VERY heavy and very solid. We chose this antique gold color to pull in the warm tones from the counters - to try and make me like them a little more. Ha! And it worked! I can totally live with them now. A little work goes a long way!

We got these barstools to tie in with the hardware.

With all that said, here is our kitchen!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

The kitchen really is the heart of the home! 

Now more than ever are we convinced of that phrase. When we first moved in, we camped out of 2 suitcases while our movers were *two* weeks late (insert eye roll). We made the most of it by setting up what we could, and we had several things to buy. Little by little it felt less huge and empty, as the sectional came, our bed, and then finally our clothes, TVs, etc. 

Some of the things we had to buy was a kitchen table and some bar stools. 

Of all the things we bought, these two things came VERY last. I mean took-several-weeks-to-get-here-last. 

All of the rest of our stuff was either here, but we really struggled with this place feeling at all "homey" and we just couldn't figure out why. 

At last, one day, our kitchen stuff came - we could COOK! No more takeout and PBJs:) And then at long last our bar stools came- we no longer had to eat on the floor! Finally our table came. We cooked a REAL meal and sat down at a REAL table with each other for the first time in months and one of us said, while doing dishes, "wow, it FINALLY feels like this is our HOME." 

It was crazy how that was what sealed the deal - eating together at the true "heart" of the home. 

I now totally get why people say that. Something about warm, prepared, home cooked food and a place to sit and bond with loved ones makes that place in the home extra special - and one where the most memories tend to be created. 

Part 3 will be our master bedroom and office. Thanks for reading!

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[[ For our friends here who have asked about the Colors on Cabinets company we used, here is our review:

We looked at a million paint swatches and narrowed it down to several that we liked. We knew the look that we wanted, and Charles, the owner, helped us find the perfect shades we were looking for by bringing in actual cabinet samples that he painted in our colors. His job is to solely redo cabinets - and let me tell you - this dude is the REAL deal. He knows his stuff and even fixed several issues on the cabinets that we weren't even aware of (hinges, etc.) He installed a pull-out trash can cabinet and several soft-close hinges. He installed the hardware we purchased, free of charge, and worked with us on his price to meet our needs. He went every single extra mile, and I couldn't love the man more. He even called just to check in after we just had our baby a few weeks ago.. Charles. Absolutely whole-heartedly recommend! ]]