before and after by Kate Pruitt 51

before & after: sunny kitchen makeover


I tend to stay away from yellow — in clothing, home decor and life in general. It’s a shame, really, because I do think yellow is an extremely energetic and joyous color. Bright, bold yellows can be really hard to work with, which is why I doubly admire this kitchen makeover from Christine Soccio. You can see from her “before” images that Christine likes the sunny color — she had touches of it in her textiles and accessories — but it was overwhelmed by all the wood and tan hues that surrounded it. The new white-and-gray combo is an immense improvement and really allows that beautiful yellow to pop. I also love Christine’s bold choice in tile and flooring, which work together to make this white kitchen charming, cheerful, eclectic and anything but dull. Nicely done, Christine! — Kate

Have a Before & After you’d like to share? Shoot me an email with your images right here! (Low res, under 500k per image, please.)

Read the full post after the jump . . .


Time: 2 months

Cost: around $25K

Basic Steps: I am rather obsessed with the iPad app Houzz, so I did a lot of research there, on Design*Sponge of course (the book was a huge inspiration), in magazines and watched a lot of HGTV. My husband and I wanted to have a modern look but wanted to respect the 1926 Dutch Colonial roots of the house. The first thing we got were the great antique lights at an estate sale up in Connecticut. I have always wanted a white kitchen, but I didn’t want anything too fussy. A lot of white kitchens in the Design*Sponge at Home book inspired me. I even emailed Grace in a panic because I was in love with a black and white hex floor on page 31, but it wasn’t in the budget, so we ended up with the funky VCT flooring, which ended up looking great.

My advice is to try to avoid what everyone else is doing and do what makes you happy. Don’t follow the crowd. Everyone thought I was nuts with my lantern tile backsplash choice. “What about those little glass tiles?” But it has far more personality than the glass tiles that everyone is doing right now. I’m very happy with the final look. — Christine

Sources
Cabinets: Adelphi Cabinets (installed by Signature Kitchens in Hawthorne, NJ)
Appliances: Kitchen Aid
Counter top: Caesar Stone Organic White
Wall paint: Gull Wing Grey from Benjamin Moore
Faucet and sink: Kohler
Flooring: VCT from Armstrong (purchased at Lowe’s)

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51 Comments

Danielle

Absolutely love the floor pattern in your new kitchen!

Yvonne Cornell

Where did you source that fabulous under-counter porcelain farm sink?

kat

That rug in front of the sink sure looks like it comes from anthropologie- am I right?

Tiffany S.

Love the tile, love the floor, love the yellow! Houzz would be proud.

kathryn

i love before and afters…this is one really nice…love the flooring and back splash with yellow highlights!

Lauren, Kohler PR

@ Yvonne isn’t it darling? it’s the KOHLER Whitehaven self-trimming kitchen sink. Its self-trimming design makes install simple, and there’s also a model with a shortened apron front that eliminates the need for custom cabinetry below. White is classic, but you should see how it looks in the 4 new colors from Jonathan Adler! (www.kohler.com/color)

Zoë

I love white kitchens too! I especially love the backsplash tile – beautiful.

DRomanell

I love this kitchen…mostly because it’s mine!! Thanks to the fine folks at D*S for the post. And to answer a few of your questions: Yvonne – the farm sink is from Kohler, named the Dickinson / Kat – the rug is actually from Target! / Boo – there are more pictures of the floor (and the rest of the kitchen) on Facebook. Thanks again, everyone!

Kathleen

Gorgeous! We’re just in the process of refreshing our own kitchen and will definitely be using this as inspiration. Great work!

Patty Jacobson

I love yellow and grey. My living room and dining room drapes are the same pattern and color. I so agree with doing your own thing and not what everyone else is doing. When people saw the fabric for the drapes, they said really? But everytime I walk into my living room I smile! Your kitchen is very inspring. I’m looking to redo and it’s noice to know you can do it for 25K.
Thanks.

Diana

Whoa, this is a gorgeous kitchen overhaul. I love the yellow and gray scheme and all the different patterns and textures. Really beautiful!

Sarah

Would love to see more photos (where on facebook?). Also where did your source your tiles? Totally love this kitchen project!

Kate Pruitt

Hey All! I’ve added a few more pics of the floor and tiles so you can see them in better detail. Enjoy! :)

Danielle

What a beautiful, light-filled space! We’re in the very beginning stages of a kitchen remodel and this is definitely an inspiration! Thanks for sharing!

Heather

Love it, awesome job on the backsplash tiles and floor pattern! Also the antique light is gorgeous. I really like that you encourage people to go with what they like and not what is trendy. All those HGTV kitchens with the granite counters, dark stained cabinets, and glass mosaic backsplashes are starting to grate on my nerves! Your redo is similar to what I want to do with our 1895 Ontario cottage house kitchen, which was last done in the 80′s… Thanks!

Arcadian Home

I REALLY love this kitchen makeover. In the before pictures, I felt that there was too much incandescent-esque yellow in the kitchen via the cabinets and lights. After the change, there’s a feeling of “clean” that would draw me into the kitchen to prepare meals… I like the lemony yellow accents on the towels and curtains, too! :D

- Anna

Amina from PAPER/PLATES

Wow! Quite a facelift. I’m usually not that into yellow (reminds of a baby’s nursery) but I’m really enjoying the sparing use of it here. Great find!

Lauran

Great job! I used those exact lantern tiles on the floor in my Moroccan-style bathroom — also with gray grout! Great minds think alike!

Laura

LOVE yellow and grey as a colour combo. Great kitchen, i will be stealing the look.

DRomanell

Hello again, all. Procuring the backsplash tile was quite a bit of a hassle. I believe we contacted 5 or 6 different vendors, all who claimed at one point or another to have stock back-ordered from Mexico with no definite date for delivery to the U.S. A supply finally came in (called Merola white porcelain “lantern” tile) from Standard Tile in Totowa, NJ, so we jumped on it. As far as more photos go, I created a public album where you can see more of the reno, get model and vendor info, etc.: http://bit.ly/Pq9SP0

Patsy

Wow, a great makeover. I would only make one minor change. I would line the window treatment w/a white blackout lining. That would eliminate the distracting shadows of seam lines, hem and rod pocket and highlight the well chosen fabric. It would be an easy fix and make this kitchen perfect for me at any time of the day

Ania Onichuk

Your kitchen looks amazing! Great job

Could you please tell us where you got the backsplash from.

Thank you.

c.w.

Beautiful kitchen. So helpful to have the “before” and “after” photographs from the same p.o.v.

Sara Kalashian

Love this kitchen! We specified this backsplash tile – Love it! – but it has yet to be installed. It looks so great…so much so, that I want to use it in my own home now! Lovely palette too.

Leigh-Ann

Though my renovation won’t be finished until next month, our kitchens are shockingly similar, right down to the lantern backsplash tiles!!! I got a $$$ quote from a cute tile boutique, but was able to find them for a fraction of the price on Overstock. (Not an ad for the site, or anything.)

Tiffany H

Thank you so much for posting the source of the grey paint on the walls! I’ve been looking for the perfect grey for my living room with two failed attempts on the walls already. This looks like the one.

Breanne @ Porter Design Company

I am in LOVE with this kitchen redo! It looks like a totally different space! This goes to show how a good eye and design imagination can go a long way. The homeowners did an amazing job on this one. The gray and yellow look amazing, I want this to be my kitchen!!

Azil

Yes, standard wood cabinets with granite countertops are not for everyone. I love homes with character; unfortunately our house had too much damage we had to do away with original materials (hard to find replacements in a small city). Upon remodeling, I used a gray color throughout the house because any accent color looks great against it. Yellow was one the colors that came to mind; yours is fabulous, will use it in the guest bathroom, thanks for sharing!

laura

Love your backsplash tile! Good job choosing what you love rather than the current trend! Also love your pops of yellow!

Lulu

Where is the white trim piece for the backsplash tile from? Do you have the name for it?Thanks.

Jenny

What is the name of the yellow paint color on the wall in the adjoining room? It is visible in the photo of the oven and cook top. Thanks!

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