The Heart of the Home...

I suppose it could be said that the kitchen remodel is officially over. Only a few holes --- one the result of our saw-crazed electrician --- remain unpatched, and these will be done once the temperatures around here reach double digits and my fingers thaw! So, would you like to take a peek? Well, for those of you who have never been to our house, you have to see the before pictures before you can truly appreciate the after pictures.

We live in a 1940s Cape Cod nestled in a quiet WWII-era neighborhood. This 65-year old house is absolutely wonderful, and the process of God leading us to it is truly a testament to His perfect provisions. The story of this kitchen remodel, particularly His timing of everything, is also further evidence of His constant leading, but the story is too long to post here.

What I call the "footprint" of the kitchen didn't change a bit... but nearly everything else did. We replaced the cabinets, painted the walls, replaced the sink and fixtures, replaced the floor, new curtains, some new decorations, and ultimately we will replace the ice box too! Yes, I called the refrigerator an ice box --- I am not from here, remember!

Here are the before pictures (plus a few silly pictures of Dylan, Brooklyn, and Riley playing inside of the old empty cabinets --- I had to post them)...

Remodeling the kitchen proved to be an enormous disruption to normal daily life... especially when done during Christmas! The results were worth it though, and the efficiency of this kitchen surpasses the old one incredibly. Those of you with small kitchens know how important it is to have a well-organized and well-designed kitchen to maximize its usability. While we were unable to do some of the "major" changes that we would have ideally liked to do, the changes that were made have definitely created a kitchen that is more functional than the old one... and much nicer looking too! So, welcome to our new kitchen...

For me, the feeling of this kitchen is overwhelmingly "Southern" - the dark green walls, the oil-rubbed bronze fixtures, the black & white pictures of New Orleans on the soffit, the brick floors, the bronze fleur-de-lis that pepper the kitchen with little reminders of home, and the magnolia swag that Brian suggested. A little bit of decorating still remains, but we are so happy with the result thus far... ya'll come by, you hear!