1. Chelsea’s Kitchen:
“We live in a 120-year old Victorian in downtown Saratoga Springs, NY. The counters are a marbled soapstone (as well as the HUGE farm-style sink) and the island is a stained cherry. We paneled the wall above the sink and painted it in Benjamin Moore’s Palladian Blue. The cabinets and shelves were all done by a local craftsman.
“I love the look of our open shelving, but we are finding that a pantry is going to be necessary, as the sippy cups and Cheerios just don’t look so cute all stacked where the world can see them!”
(Chelsea blogs at The Carriage House Chronicles.)
2. Michelle’s Kitchen:
“We built our home almost 4 years ago. We were on a tight budget but wanted to make sure that our kitchen was something that could stand the test of time. We went with simple ivory cabinets and black granite counters. We recently added an ivory subway tile backsplash with contrasting grout.
“Our kitchen is the place where all of our friends and family end up when they visit. Our breakfast nook and island offer a lot of seating. The kitchen is also open to the living room and dining room so no one feels left out while cooking.”
(Michelle blogs at Decor and the Dog.)
3. Frederique’s Kitchen:
“I love my kitchen because, except for the floor and backsplash, we did it ourselves on a very tight budget: IKEA cabs, sink, and even an IKEA wood countertop painted black (this is a now three-year old temporary countertop–we’re planning to replace it with honed black granite).”
“I also love the size of my kitchen, not too big, not too small; just right! An added bonus is its location, on the second floor of the house with all the windows at tree level.”
4. Kathleen’s Kitchen:
“I love my kitchen. I love the light and airy feel and the natural light. I love the glass-front doors and the neutral off-white. I love how it is open to the family room but separate. It’s a cozy and happy space that our family and friends enjoy. It’s us!”
5. Lori’s Kitchen:
“We love our new kitchen remodel! My favourite items are the double dishwashers, double ovens, 15″ quartz bar and 15″ butcher block! We have plenty of storage and everything was planned out over an entire year. Construction took over 9 weeks.”
“The butcher block is fully food safe functional (we cut directly on it). It also has an integrated compost ‘hole’ for throwing away your scraps.”
6. Mary Ann’s Kitchen:
Mary Ann writes: “I love my beach house kitchen because of the light that floods in through the east windows in the morning, so that it’s almost like being outside in the garden. I love the way more than one person can be in the kitchen at the same time (even if it’s usually just me!), because of the ‘zone’ organization.”
“I love the iridescent tiles over the cooktop, the huge refrigerator that actually holds a casserole dish, but mostly for the way my family can be together here.”
7. Ainhoa’s Kitchen:
Ainhoa writes: “When we moved to our house two years ago, the wallpaper was peeling off the walls, the linoleum peeling off the floor, I did not like the cabinets or where the appliances were in the kitchen. My kitchen is small but if it wasn’t I would have never been able to afford all the changes I wanted when we remodeled.
“I kept mostly the same cabinets, but we changed all the doors and hardware, we also took the doors off some cabinets and added some corbels. The beautiful apron Kohler (almost new) sink I found on Craigslist for $300, and the old wooden beams on the doorway I found at a farm last year, when we took the kids to a pumpkin patch, and also got them for an excellent price.”
“But my favorite part of the kitchen is the floor… After doing months of research, we found an artist (about 2 hrs from us in PA) that made beautiful brick tiles that actually look REAL and old, but of course much thinner than real bricks.”
8. Maya’s Kitchen:
“I absolutely love my kitchen! My husband and I designed and installed it ourselves, except for the counter top, and it turned out exactly how I had envisioned it. We bought standard Home Depot cabinets that we spruced up with some corner detail on the bottom that look like feet. And the kitchen island is from IKEA.”
(Maya blogs at Completely Coastal.)
9. Gayle’s Kitchen:
“I love my kitchen because it was a project we completed, as well as the whole house, while living in a travel trailer in the driveway! We purchased a 1914 Craftsman and renovated the whole house… the kitchen to the studs! I chose every material and placement and am so pleased with the beauty as well as the function!”
10. Katherine & Conan’s Kitchen:
Katherine writes: “I LOVE MY KITCHEN! Why? Because it cost us less than $400 and because we worked with what we already had to make something truly unique to our tastes. My husband and I call it the Accidental Kitchen Remodel because it started as one little thing and quickly snowballed into a full blown, tear-your-floor-out, fixer upper.”
“What we were left with was actually the kitchen of my dreams. Sure, there aren’t double ovens or recessed lights but it is a huge improvement on what it was before we started and the money we saved more than makes up for what it might lack.”
Visit their blog for more photos and info.
Truly charming series of photographs. Love your readers comments about how they feel about the Kitchen space they have created.
I’m always curious about the back-story of renovations. I wonder if your readers would care to share if (a) they had a budget when redoing (b) if they stuck to it and (c) how their contractors fared in on-time completion -promise versus actuality. How many did some work themselves?
Great kitchens all.
My 2 favorites of these are Chelsea’s and Ainhoa’s. I like the open shelves of Chelsea’s, with the blue paneling behind. Ainhoa’s is so pretty and rustic–love the beams around the door, the wood countertops, and the old brick tiles. Is it possible to get the name of the company who makes those brick tiles?
The tile for Ainhoa’s kitchen is from Inglenook Tile https://www.inglenooktile.com/
Thanks for the link, Phil!
whoa – I am blown away by these kitchens – every one of them! Such good taste in the house blogging world! I’m also curous to hear about budgets (as I am always thinking: is that possible on my budget?)
Love Ainhoa’s kitchen-so warm and farm houseish!
Oh they are all pretty:)
I love Michelle’s kitchen and Ainhoa’s kitchen! They are both gorgeous! I love all the stories as well, what people enjoy in and about their space is what’s most important after all:)
my husband actually gave me the green light to paint our cabinets white. this is huge! it’s going to look so good…hard to do on a new construction, but it looks so clean and fresh!
Wow! These kitchens are all great! I love something (or everything) on many of them, but I have to say that I’m in love with Ainhoa’s Kitchen. I love the brick floors and how cozy and intimate it feels. I can imagine baking bread with my kids there! 🙂
xo
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
All amazing kitchens and some done on such tight budgets. Very impressive. Ainhoa’s kitchen stands out to me. I love the vintage style and how it oozes warmth and coziness.
1, 4, 7 and 9 are my favorites!
And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mary Ann’s living room….wow!!!! Such a warm, sun-filled space to wake up to! White kitchens are my favorite, I WILL have one someday! 😉
I love #4, it just looks so homey!!!
Eek, I can’t decide–they all have fabulous features and are all different even though they are all white. Ainhoa’s kitchen is like a little jewel and Gayle’s is fabulous.
They are all so lovely but Gayle’s resonates with me the most. It has all of the details I would like in my ideal kitchen. Great post!
I like #10, especially the last picture. Love those vintage stoves! And it’s much better without the double ovens and recessed lights in my opinion, Katherine!
I was surprised that #10 was your favorite. There are so many beautiful makeovers! I can see where redueing the floor was not a pleasant job and it made a large improvement. One thing I would do that would not cost much is to paint the chest of drawers white.
Well, I love vintage (that is a dream stove for me), hate recessed lighting, and like a non-decorator look. I also like the chest of drawers the way it is – I have a very “unfitted” kitchen myself.
Lovin’ every single one of these kitchens, but I absolutely ADORE Ainhoa’s kitchen… so wlecoming.
My favorite is Kathleen’s. I like that it’s clean and bright, but that the personality of the room comes from the accessories like curtains and pictures. Anyone could move in and put up their curtains and put their dishes in the cupboards and it would instantly be different. Several of the others are really nice, but too “specific” – to be happy in them, I’d have to change structure or tile or countertop or floor…
If I had to pick my favorite (not counting mine 🙂 I really like Katherine and Conan’s kitchen #10
# 1 for me !
Beautiful collection! My favorite is #6, Mary Ann’s. I love the breezy, beachy feel.
Great kitchens, but I love Kathleen’s Kitchen!!
Love seeing white kitchens and they’ve all done such a nice job. Dear to my heart is Ainhoa’s…every surface, every detail. Beautiful and warm. Would it be possible to find out where she purchased her lantern pendant, please?
thank you so much for your comments!
here is the link to the lamp:
https://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Antique-Copper-4-light-Chandelier/4127718/product.html
we love it! and the price wasn’t too bad 🙂
That’s great–thanks for the link to it, Ainhoa!
Thanks so much!
Thanks so much Julia for including my kitchen!! I’m loooving Ainhoa’s Kitchen!!!
Maya I love your kitchen. Could you please tell me about your stove? I have been searching for a white slide-in stove with black top, but can’t find anything. I also love white cabinets with black countertops. What is your counter? Thanks
I love Chelseas kitchen – her combination of finishes work well together and create interest. I think Ainhoas is also lovely and just exudes warmth and character.
Love, love, love them all! Great work/visions! I am smack in the middle of redoing my 1980’s honey oak, pink/blue/metallic wallpapered, antique brass pulled, super-soffited, fluorescent lighted, octagonally themed, non-accessible kitchen. When we closed on the house, I immediately posted my white/black inspiration kitchen photo on the cabinets and everyone peered at it very skeptically. “How can this kitchen ever remotely look like that?” My son went to college in September and sweetly said before he left, “I can see it now, Mom!” I just wish it was picture ready for this “event!” My contractor (me) is slow, chatty, under-financed and doubles as the cook, housekeeper and chauffeur while holding down another job. 😉
Oh Mari-Lynn you made me laugh 🙂
🙂
Great job with all these beautiful kitchens. It looks like #6 has something different as cabinet hardware but I can’t tell what it is. Is it possible to find out? And that’s my vote, Mary Ann’s beach kitchen. Love those bar stools, too. Where did she find them???
Thank you for the compliments! The cabinet hardware is actually marine cleats, stainless steel dock hardware. The barstools were built by my husband. We saw some that we liked that were way too expensive so he designed and built them. We love it here!
Wow, he did a great job with the barstools!
I thought so, too! And they are actually comfortable. I bought cushions and ended up sending them back because we didn’t need them.
So many pretty kitchens!! But I have to say that any kitchen with a real vent / hood over the stove-top is gonna win with me, since I have the vent / microwave thingy that doesn’t really work well (mine is not even vented to the outside :'( ).
Lori’s kitchen is magnificent. I mean really. that 15 foot bar is incredible. And the house it goes with is probably awesome, too. Double dishwashers AND double ovens? Wow. We have a lot of company over so that kind of workhorse kitchen is attractive to me.
They are all so beautiful!
Though I LOVE #7 – Ainhoa’s kitchen!! It has a very rustic, cottage, Provence France, look to it. 🙂
Ainhoa’s kitchen —- love love LOVE!!
I don’t know why, but I’m really loving Michelle’s kitchen the most. Maybe it’s the simplicity of it. It just feels inviting to me, but could definitely use some “pops” of color here and there…
Wow! They are all beautiful…I cannot decide a favorite, because they all are just right for the home, and have their own character and beauty. Well done!
Mary Ann’s kitchen is wonderful. I’ve always wanted 2 sinks (so practical) and Mary Ann has found a way to position them beautifully. I also love where she’s placed the clock. I would have liked to see a close up of the (tile?) backsplash as it looks lovely and seems to reflect quite a bit of light.
It is iridescent tile grouted in white, very subtle until you get up close.
Kathleen’s is my favorite kitchen. I love how warm and inviting it feels. I also love that open shelf cabinet above the fridge. It makes it much easier to get things from up there.
I love them all but the last one looked “real” as well as attractive to me. How on earth did she do that to the fridge. What a great, fun, funky idea! And how on earth does she keep it clean! My fridge gets covered with greasy fingerprints every week.
Hi Julia the pressure is on to be honest all the kitchens are beautiful but I really love 1. Chelsea’s kitchen and 7. Ainhoa’s kitchen – everything about the two kitchens – perfect. Thank you for sharing it was fun. Regards Esther from Sydney (getting hotter) not fun for Christmas shopping.
My very favorite is kitchen #7 Ainhoa’s Kitchen!! Everything I’ve ever wanted in a kitchen! Drool over everything in it, especially that floor! It’s now my dream kitchen for when we downsize. The second picture of her kitchen went straight to my kitchen Pinterest board.
I like them all. I will save this link for sure because I want a white kitchen!!!!! I have never seen a feature with ten white kitchens. This has been a great reader contributed feature. Do bathrooms please. 😉 #3 and #5 are two favorites but I do love them all seriously. That crazy long bar in #5 with the cool bar stools and butcher block top. It’s got me thinking. #3’s back splash. YUM!
My favorite is #6 the beach house kitchen.
These are so gorgeous! I think the first is my favorite though, I love the blue wall and the mix of cabinetry and countertops. Some great inspiration here, white kitchens are my favorite.
I love number one because of the paint color and the opening shelving. I also love number 10 for the ceiling. That ceiling is unusual and I would love to have high ceilings like that.
All these kitchens are wonderful and look real, and are mostly a size that would be found in typical houses (unlike most featured in magazines). My favorite is Ainhoa’s, but my own kitchen is closer in style to Gayle’s, so I like that too, naturally. I’m always impressed with the DIY-ers, and those who get creative on a tight budget.
So much fun to see so many kitchens! Gayle’s is my favorite because it reminds me a lot of my own, Craftsman is my absolute favorite home style, and I love the renovation story of living in the driveway!
Love love Lori’s kitchen.
There is so much counter space and I love the modern feel!
How interesting to see how people still love a white kitchen. These are all great examples. Love Frederique’s IKEA kitchen! Lori’s is equally stunning. Well done everyone!
#5 – Lori’s kitchen is awesome…clean, airy, functional and BEAUTIFUL!
if you like whaite kitchens you need too see this transformation by Remodelando La Casa https://www.remodelandolacasa.com/2012/01/adding-moldings-to-your-kitchen.html brilliant!!!! they make builder cabinets look custom. =)
=/ White kitchens not whaite =P
I LOVE kitchen #2! What a great size…not too small, not too big. And I like that they used a contrasting grout color. We did the same for our bathroom…white subway tile with dark grey grout…turned out great!
I like them all but I absolutely LOVE the first one with the open shelving. LOVE IT!!!!
I enjoy the kitchens of the 1950s. All color and warm happiness!
this kitchen is AWESOME… i want this!
my favourite is Ainhoa’s kitchen!!!!!!!
wow Ainhoa’s kitchen looks amazingç!!!
I LOVE AINHOA’S KITCHEN!
Very inspiring kitchens. I love the brick or faux-brick floor.
Ainhoa’s kitchen
I like #10, the floors and openess. And the old timey feel. Not all matchy matchy. I love the fridge, open shelves, and the stove placement reminds me of my Grandmother’s kitchen, fond memories there.
# 7 I LOVE the wood beams, and the sink, open shelves, hardware. The small country, cozy charm. The window over the sink, and the curtains underneath. (The same grandmother i mentioned before, had curtains under her sink.) I appreciate the work, and look of the brick floors, but I would do them in a reclaimed wood to match the beams. Not glossy, but worn and aged. I do love the old table in lieu of an island. Perfect spot for a late night snack, or to shell peas.