So here it is – from “gut it” to glory. All those agonizing decisions about the style of cabinetry, the type of counter top and the choice of appliances – the result is stunning (if I do say so, myself)!  In fact, I’m almost speechless.

I wanted white farmhouse cabinets – since we’re on a farm and because they remind me of my Dad’s parents’ kitchen. We wanted a black counter top, initially envisioning something more polished, but when we saw this “leathered” Ocean Black granite, it seemed the perfect choice – dramatic, but not shiny.  Shiny just wouldn’t work in this rustic space anyway.  And we wanted stainless steel appliances.  Of course, we started at one end of the spectrum, and ended up at the other end – with Viking (mostly because I liked the French door oven, and you can’t mix Viking with GE – right?).  Miraculously, it all came together.

The first time I saw the cabinets installed, I thought I had fallen down Alice’s rabbit hole. The ceiling is low (very low), and my kitchen wall cabinets in our previous house were made to fit 9 foot ceilings, but somehow, those two thoughts hadn’t really connected in my head.  These wall cabinets looked so tiny that I rushed right out to buy a shoe-horn to wedge my dishes into the space.  Moving in was a bit challenging, but everything found a place – even if that place is Goodwill, for the stuff that didn’t exactly find a place.  And that was part of the plan anyway – downsizing.

Opening up the fireplace was one of the best decisions we made. It makes this house.  It’s the perfect backdrop for Thanksgiving Dinner at the farm table. Of all the rooms in this house, this one went from being a dungeon to being dramatic.  Take a look….