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Making lemonade from lemons We didn't find out that our dishwasher was leaking until I started pulling the ugly faux-brick off the kitchen bar and noticed that the bottom of the bar and the wood floors were soaked with water and starting to warp. A phone call to insurance and their assigned contractor later and a kitchen renovation was underway! Obviously they didn't pay for all of it, but they paid for a decent portion which helped us justify making a few extra updates on our own dime. Our ho-hum kitchen had bored me for years. We found out a few months after moving into our home that there was a kitchen window that had been tiled over--inexplicably. I can't even imagine why. It reduced the natural light so much it made the whole house seriously dark. (enjoy me in hair curlers and an apron- it's the only "before" picture I could find hahaha)
We started by demo'ing the dark & dated backsplash and opening the window up and adding shiplap to the bar. I drove down to Reclaimed Designworks in Dallas and found some yellow oak salvaged from a Southern cotton mill circa the 1860's. We lightly sanded (so as not to lose too much of the character), lightly white washed, and sealed with Modern Masters Exterior Dead Flat Varnish. We chose a bone white subway tile for a sophisticated and clean backsplash look.
We hit a few hitches with opening up the window that we weren't totally expecting. First, the window was like something from Dr. Seuss all slanted and off-kilter. The contractor built a nice new box frame for it to straighten it out. Then we had to find a new material for the window ledge. We went with a matching salvaged wood to the bar. It was a big hit with our cat Handsome Rob.
I ordered 4 different sets of hardware before landing on Restoration Hardware's Duluth collection in brass. I highly recommend-it was totally worth the price (and you get a good discount when you sign up for their membership).
I also ordered Restoration-Hardware look-alike pendant lights from Lighting New York; the Quorum 804-17-80 Signature 1 light, 17" aged brass pendant. With a coupon it was $163 compared to Restoration Hardware's $516 price tag. 
Other upgrades to the kitchen included cutting into the existing granite counter tops to widen the cooktop space and add a new GE Profile Series 36" Gas Cooktop. Let me tell you... as an avid home chef - this upgrade was worth every penny and made me happy every single day!
The last upgrade was maybe tied for first favorite with the cooktop... the 33" single basin sink by Krauss in stainless steel and Kohler's polished chrome artifacts kitchen sink faucet (K-99259-CP).
Without further ado... here's the full reveal!     Products used in this project:
*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning that I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
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