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our kitchen : the reveal

K GUYS! it’s that time! you’ve been asking and i’ve been finishing little details and then putting it off but it’s finally time to share the finished kitchen with you.

now i don’t want you to forget how the kitchen looked when we moved in. oh boy it was a doozy. barf. and even though i don’t want it’s ugliness here, i figured one before and after photo in the sea of prettiness was acceptable. 

we kept pretty much the same exact galley layout as the original kitchen, the only changes were moving the fridge over to the right and we brought the range hood down lower so we could keep it the same height as the cabinets (they had to go through our closet instead which seemed very worth it.)

we went with ikea cabinets and used semihandmade doors/drawer fronts. this was the best idea ever — i really wanted to use ikea because of all their hidden drawer options and drawer dividers and they look so different than the finishes ikea offers. they were also super helpful with extra pieces and making things clear (because the ordering and delivery process is pretty intense). we had a woman from ikea come to do the kitchen measure/plan and she ended up doing the oven 5 inches further to the left than i’d wanted — so once i noticed we had to scramble and have semihandmade make a piece for each side of the oven so that we could have the edge of the range at the edge of the wall. it worked out! also once the kitchen was finished, i wasn’t happy with the amount of space between the top of the fridge and the cabinet above it — and even though my contractor didn’t want to fill it, we compromised and he was able to cut some scrap we had to fill the gap halfway. it looks so much better now.

we skipped hardware for most of the upper cabinets and just used these minimal pulls from superfront. the cabinets to the left of the fridge ended up being too close to the fridge to open comfortably, but i didn’t want the hardware to be visible, so we used two of these pulls and they’re basically invisible!

we went with this matte white subway tile for the backsplash, with a light colored grout (i think it was snow white).

and remember how i didn’t know what to do about the range hood and the tall ceilings? i decided to just go with the simple box, so i had my contractor build the simple plywood box around it, and paint the same color as the upper cabinets. i am so happy with how it turned out.

we ended up moving the microwave down, and even though all four of my parents are very confused about this choice — we love it (i’m sure until the baby knows how to open it). i also like that we left it as a hole basically so we can easily swap out the microwave if it breaks. we really don’t use it enough to warrant designating a more prominent position for it, so i’m happy with where it is.

i went with stainless appliances, but decided on the white fridge since it would be so front and center. it’s the only appliance you actually see when you walk into the house, and it blends in but looks gorgeous and i reaaaally love it.

i have always wanted a professional range and my dream came true. i’ve always enjoyed cooking and baking, but doing it on your dope ass fancy ass stove makes you happy every single time. it’s from bertazzoni (along with the dishwasher) and i love it so much. we also got a griddle top which was the best choice ever, i’m making pancakes every weekend and life is so cool.

we decided on two open shelves on each side of the window, and we’d bring the backsplash up to the point where those started. but once we started really planning, i realized it would look so weird in between the two windows (why they didn’t just put one large window in, i’ll never know), so i decided to have a simple flat window frame built and then everything would look more built in — and it does! so happy we decided to do that.

we went with a waterfall edge on our island and it looks soooo nice. we originally had a little shelf on the end which held all our cookbooks and it was kinda hard to lose that storage space, but i think it makes the biggest difference aesthetically so whatever. we went with a gorgeous white slab that’s called silestone (from this place) — so far it’s been so chill, v low maintenance, we got one scratch on it and we got it right out with comet.

and that’s it! i’m still completely in the honeymoon phase with it. like it just makes us happy to be in there all the time, even doing fucking dishes.

and in case you want all the sources for everything in one place….

BASICS

lower cabinet doors (in tahoe), upper cabinet doors (in supermatte white), superfront drawer pulls, matte subway tiles

appliances

fridge, bertazonni range, dishwasher, microwave, sink, faucet, hood

ACCESSORIES

bar stools (similar), pendant light, stoneware canisters, runner rug, black petrified wood tray, pepper mill, soap bottles, dish brush, enamel cup, cast iron casserole, spoon rest, cake stand


i’m gonna do some follow up posts for you guys, like i was thinking a post on the breakdown of some of the prices for the kitchen as well as a tour of the drawers and stuff. would you like that?

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76 Comments

  1. Gorgeous! White fridge was a great choice. I can’t wait to do something similar with my microwave- my parents would be confused about it, too, haha. I think that generation just relies on them more than ours.

  2. Thank you for sharing! I had been waiting for the kitchen reveal for very long, and it was totally worth the wait! So pretty!!! Enjoy it 🙂

  3. I am drooling. This is the kitchen of my dreams! Fantastic job!

  4. Gorgeous! We have our microwave below as well, it is built in and is like a drawer, you can use it as a warming area to.

  5. Wonderful! So pretty. We have a similar fridge situation and I’m going to ask someone to fill that gap now! Thanks! I’d love to see how you organized drawers. I need major help with that. 🙂

  6. Hayley Alyse says:

    Love it! I like that its simplified but still in the same location. We have a similar layout in our kitchen and I CANT wait to redo the crappy cabinets and black, yes black granite counters ick!. I would really like to know the costs so I can plan for ours thanks!

  7. Love your kitchen! Can you talk about where the open shelves are from and how you mounted them?

    1. Yes! I want open shelf info please. We were thinking of using Ikea also but with stainless brackets on ends. I don’t want such thick shelves. [email protected]

  8. Where did you get your cutting board?

  9. Wow Molly, you guys did such a great job!
    I love the window solution, such a creative way to solve a problem.
    Right now I’m at home, working, reading blogs and running to the kitchen every 1/2 hours because I’m baking sourdough bread. I can only imagine what it would be like in a beautiful kitchen such as yours (I’m renting a house, and really, really wish my landlord would let me repaint the freaking mustard yellow walls in the kitchen).
    Anyhow, thank you so much for the inspiration, I can’t wait for the next project!

    xx

    – Chloe
    http://consciousbychloe.com

  10. So lovely. Wish it was my kitchen!! Yes ☝?️ Please, where are the shelves from?

  11. Can’t get over that “before and after”- great job, Molly!

  12. It looks beautiful! You did such an awesome job 🙂

  13. LOVE.

    Also, wanted to share that there is a “drawer” microwave set up. We have it in our house, and it is ah-mazing. Such a space saver to have the microwave below. Here’s a link to just an example:

    http://www.sharpusa.com/ForHome/HomeAppliances/Microwaves/MicrowaveDrawer.aspx

    Especially handy with a baby, because there’s no buttons that pop it open (It needs to be a pull from above to open the drawer). My work had them, and when we re-did our kitchen it was one of the “must” luxury appliance purchases. 🙂

    So happy your kitchen remodel is done and beautiful!

  14. Your kitchen is beautiful! Love your style! I’d be super interested to hear about your budget/price breakdown. We just bought a home this year and it’s always helpful when reveals come with numbers to get a sense of budget plan for our own projects. Thanks again for sharing!

  15. so beautiful! I wish I had gotten a white refrigerator. It’s looks amazing. I would love if you can share the process on how you got started. It seems overwhelming with all the decisions! Costs would also be a big help for someone trying to plan it all out.

  16. s.montgomery says:

    This is NEATO!!!

    Everything turned out way nice!

    I would get a kick out of any follow up posts you do (drawer tours, etc.)

  17. Wowww that is so pretty and so bright! I have dreams about having such a beautifull kitchen! I love how clean and minimalist it looks, but also with a lot of charm, very very nice! Congrats! xo
    Melodie
    http://www.happymelodie.com

  18. It’s. SO. GOOD. I’d be interested in seeing a tour of the drawers. I’d also be interested in a seeing a floor plan of your house. (I just stalked your house posts a little and now I am curious.) Your whole aesthetic is great!

  19. Love the kitchen! I’d love a price breakdown if you don’t mind sharing! As someone who is on the house hunting process it’s always nice to see some numbers so I can plan a ballpark figure!

  20. ahhh – sooo gorgeous! love it so much, major kitchen envy. love that fridge & range. and would definitely love to see & hear more details on it all – keep these dreamy kitchen posts coming!

  21. I am always looking online for articles that can help me. Thx!

  22. It has been 18 months since my kitchen redo and I am still in love with it! I love the white but ours is much darker in tone due to hubby with migraines. We have a new style lazy susan in our blind corner and all lower drawers and shelves are pullouts, these are very welcomed additions. We lost space in one area and added it in others. I just bought a kitchen wrap basket(?). Now all my baggie, foil, plastic are neat and tidy. I wish the chair rail was more in line with a line in the pantry and we still look at each other and go “aaa where does this go?” but I am still in love with my new kitchen everytime I walk in. Thanks for letting me see your beautiful kitchen redo.

  23. Would love to see the price breakdown! Thank you for sharing your kitchen. It turned out beautiful!

  24. re the baby and the microwave–you are correct–babies/toddlers LOVE buttons. one solution could be to put a door on the cabinet–and then just open the cabinet when you want to use the microwave. I’m not sure if this would work for you, but it would make the lower cabinets perfectly seamless.

    ps. I am drooling over your kitchen, it’s gorgeous.

  25. So, so lovely. I ordered the same fridge for my kitchen remodel. I loved the fridge, but in place it was too cool of a white compared to the slightly warmer adjacent white cabinets, so back it went and SS it was. Love the floating shelves, the waterfall edge, the microwave under the counter. Swooning over here… 🙂

  26. Everything looks beautiful!!!
    1000% improvement from where you started. Good job!

  27. How exactly is your range vented out? We have tall angled ceilings & have a range on a non exterior wall. When we renovate, I would love to not have the hood go all the way to the ceiling.

  28. Elizabeth says:

    Your house is stunning all around! I was curious about the thin, tall, white, appliance on top of your counter. What is that?

    Many thanks for your inspiration!

  29. Um, where did you get that toaster?????

  30. I love love love your barstools but don’t really love the ones you linked as (similar). Do you mind sharing where to get your exact barstools? Thanks!

  31. Hello,
    Love this! Do you know for the back splash if spacers were used for in between the tiles if so do you know what size? Thank you!

  32. Who made the little ceramic dish with the zig-zag of white glaze around it? I think it’s holding your salt? So cute! I must know the maker!

  33. It is so fabulous!! Love hearing your design decisions and challenges. We painted our existing cabinets at our current home & did new counters, backsplash etc. but hope to do an IKEA kitchen in the next one!

  34. Hi Molly,
    Beautiful kitchen!

    Is there any issue with the semi handmade doors and seeing the Ikea box (I.e seeing a strip of Ikea cabinet between semi handmade doors?). I’m seriously considering a similar combo, but this concern is giving me pause.

    Thank you!

  35. Gorgeous! How deep did you make your waterfall counter overhang (where the chairs push in)? I’m wanting to do similar and yours looks pretty shallow, which means it might work for our small space. Thank you!

  36. I have a question about your microwave set up. Did you get one of Ikea’s microwave cabinets and add a filler piece to the top or did you get Ikea’s drawer cabinet and remove the middle drawer?! I’ve been staring at the photo trying to figure it out for my own kitchen.

  37. It looks so good! Any reason you went with the semihandmade matte white uppers instead of the Ikea white Veddinge fronts? I’m currently researching a similar project and LOVE the way yours came out. Thanks!

    1. I am wondering the same thing! Is it because semihandmade panels have different thickness than veddinge? (I dont know if this is the case) Or maybe it is about the edges not being similar?

  38. stephanie says:

    what a beautiful kitchen! I love it!!! I am considering white quartz in mine, and I wonder, how are your white quartz counters holding up?

    1. Molly Madfis says:

      amazing. and they’re so easy to clean!

  39. Hello! We’re doing stained solid birch cabinet doors and drawer fronts and then white from the counter up. Darker wood floors, wood base cabinets, white on top–the same sort of look you have. We’re spending a lot for my solid wood cabinet doors and drawer fronts and would prefer not to ruin the look with big hardware. Found your site when searching for tab hardware. Would you mind posting some photos of the white tabs on the uppers? Thank you!

    -Lora

    P.S. You’re in LA? Me, too!

  40. I like such pastel colors. It is very elegant and beautiful. I really liked the wicker chairs)) Its eco-friendly! Where can I buy the same for my kitchen ??

  41. I like such pastel colors. It is very elegant and beautiful. I really liked the wicker chairs)) Its eco-friendly! Where can I buy the same for my kitchen ??

  42. What color wall paint did you use? It looks like all your white tones match really well.

  43. Hi! I have pinned your kitchen several times in the past wanting to remember some of your lovely details when the time came for my own kitchen Reno…. and the time has come!! We have original teak cabinets which are gorgeous, but the backsplash, counter, sink and appliances all need a major facelift. Your palette and materials choices are my direct inspiration.

    I was wondering if you could share the brand of your refrigerator? The link to sears you provided no longer works!

    Thanks so much!

    1. Molly Madfis says:

      i just updated link!! 🙂

  44. This is beautiful! Wondering what color you used on your kitchen walls? Is it just a true white? Looks sooo good!

  45. Your kitchen turned out great- such a crisp and clean look. Love the combination of the white fridge with the SS range and dishwasher.

  46. Erika Fluharty says:

    Looks beautiful! Do you remember the grout size that you used? 1/4″? I am about to order the same tile for our guest bathroom shower + wall!

  47. Christie Sapienza says:

    I am obsessed with your kitchen! I love every choice you made. Please do a follow up post with all of the details!

  48. Marina Sh says:

    Hello Molly.

    This is first time visiting this blog. And I love it, many thanks for your insight! My husband and I have actually had our countertops for 4 years. 2 months ago the area adjacent to sink started darkening. Most definitely it’s due to a sealer which was utilized by company which installed the countertops. I wanna reseal countertops but I do not know how to do that appropriately. Should I do that or maybe it’s better that installing company reseal them. I’ve currently read forums and blogs trying to find granite sealer. Blog graniteprotect was very helpful, I think Stonetech would be a good choice. What do you think? Thank you.

  49. julie mcfadden says:

    I love your kitchen. I noticed your subway tile is not staggered, which I really love. What made you decide to do that and does it increase the risk for cracking ? Asking for my husband , ha

    1. Molly Madfis says:

      i don’t think so!! 🙂

  50. Kirstan Watson says:

    We are in the process of choosing a countertop for our new kitchen and yours is just gorgeous. I know you said it’s silestone but could you give a little more information on the specific product you used? We originally wanted to go with white concrete but after hours of research realized that staining would be too big an issue. Now we’re looking for white quartz options but we don’t want something that looks like plastic!

    Thanks for any information you can provide 🙂

  51. Love this kitchen!
    I’ve had it saved for such a long time and now that I’m planning my own reno (!), I’d love to see your cost/timing breakdown – did you ever do a post for that? I can’t seem to find one.
    Thanks a million!

  52. Hi- Absolutely gorgeous kitchen! Did you use Silestone pure white quartz? If so, how is it holding up? Thank you!

  53. Hi Molly,
    Beautiful kitchen !!! What brand Ikea cabinet base did you use?

  54. This might be really dumb to ask but even my contractor is confused! What did you use to get the range hood insert covered? Love the clean sleek lines of your built in hood. He’s suggesting using ikea filler panels? Is this how you achieved it?

    1. Molly Madfis says:

      we just use plywood and painted it!!

  55. Great kitchen. I showed your upper cabinets to my contractor (specializing in ikea and semihandmade kitchens) and he says we won’t be able to do the same thing with just ikea and semihandmade. He asked if the photo is photoshopped because on the underside of the IKEA cabinets are some mounting parts (basically not pure white) and in the picture the cabinets are pure white. Did you use any custom made solution for that? Or is it photoshopped? Thank you!

    1. Molly Madfis says:

      thank you! i’m confused, nothing is photoshopped here 🙂 you can’t see the underside of the corner cabinets but is that where you mean? there are some mounting parts but it doesn’t bother us.

  56. Your kitchen looks beautiful! You did an awesome job.
    I like to read and watch new ideas about kitchen design and kitchen remodelling.

  57. Absolutely lovely! HUGE upgrade and I love the simplicity of it. Where, may I ask, did you find that lovely salt cellar with the zig zags?

  58. Love you design and choices
    Can you tell me more about the Microwave cabinet and choice from Ikea
    Many thanks, Mei-An