Hummingbird High’s Kitchen Remodel, Pt. III: After
This is the final part of my three-part renovation diary for my kitchen remodel that happened last summer. In this post, I give a tour of my kitchen AFTER the remodel. To see the kitchen before the remodel, check out Part I: Before. To hear more about my kitchen design plans, check out Part II: Inspiration. Thanks for following along!
After half a year, I’m finally revealing my kitchen! A big thanks to my incredibly talented photographer friend Celeste for taking these beautiful photos of my kitchen. For the last few months, I’ve been sharing bits and pieces on Instagram. But now it’s finally time for the official tour! Here we gooooo:
BEFORE/AFTER: THE SINK AREA
So remember this hot mess? Complete with a sink leaking into the wall of the house, 18-inch depth countertops, a window that I couldn’t open since it was painted shut and no dishwasher resulting in a setup of two space-consuming dish racks perpetually full of drying pots and pans?
Well, now it’s THIS:
Although I did lose some of the old house charm (in particular, I’m sorry to see the black tile border and the ventilated cabinets under the sink go), the sink area is much more timeless and functional with the white subway tile and neutral rectangular cabinetry.
Can we just take a second to acknowledge the dishwasher next to the sink? Prior to the remodel, I hadn’t had a dishwasher in years. And let me tell you something, guys — Erlend and I get in to so many less fights now that we have a dishwasher. It’s crazy how many of our fights were related to washing and leaving dirty dishes in the sink.
In the end, despite some initial reservations, I went with the double bowl farmer’s sink from Ikea that some of my blogger friends had warned against. It was just too cheap, huge and pretty not to buy. Although I sometimes panic when I wash off things with particularly colorful ingredients like turmeric or beets, staining hasn’t been a problem yet — everything can be cleaned off with citrusy soap, salt and elbow grease. Also that faucet deserves some praise: it reaches all corners of the huge sink, and its spraying capacity is out of this world. Washing sheet pans and giant woks has never been easier.
My neighbors used to grow bamboo in their garden, turning their house into some sort of mini bamboo farm in the 70s and 80s. My own house benefits from this funky bit of Southeast Portland history — even though a new set of owners lives there now, they left a lot of the old bamboo farm’s greenery and a huge, verdant, blooming wall made of bamboo and other trees divides my house from my neighbor’s house. This is what the window looks out onto; the view is nothing but green, green and more green. Also since the window faces west, it lets in a lot of great light in the late afternoon. Considering I live in the heart of the city, this is really the best view I could ask for.
Seen above:
- Dishwasher: Miele Futura Classic 4225 with Cutlery Tray
- Sink Faucet: Ikea HJUVIK
- Sink: Ikea DOMSJÖ Double Bowl
- Rug: World Market Cardinal Concentric Braided Rug (no longer available)
- Pendant Light: West Elm Mini Industrial Glass Pendant + West Elm Spiral Edison Bulb
- Plants: Artemisia Portland (succulent) + New Seasons Market (eucalyptus)
- Bowls: Anthropologie Mini Latte Bowls
BEFORE/AFTER: THE RANGE AREA
This is where I used to cook. A dimly lit side of the kitchen with no hood, excessive and oddly sized storage that wasn’t actually all that useful leading to tons of clutter:
- Hood: Vent-A-Hood K30 Pro Series
- Range: KitchenAid Architect Series II 5-Burner Gas Double Oven Range
- Fridge: KitchenAid Architect Series II French Door Refrigerator
- Cutting Board: Madeira Bread Board
- Salt Jar: Ikea KORKEN
- Butter Dish: Anthropologie (no longer available, but this is similar and very cute)
BEFORE/AFTER: THE “FRIDGE” AREA
Well, I turned the area into something glorious. Something I hardly believe I have myself. Something that causes me to pinch myself everyday to make sure that it’s real.
I turned it into a baking station:
Now if you look closely, you can see how nerdy I really am — not only have I used a freakin’ professional label maker to label all my jars, I’ve also included the weight and volume measurements per ingredient. For instance, my giant jar of flour has two stickers: a label declaring it as all-purpose flour and a sticker reminding me that “1 CUP = 5 OUNCES”.
BAKE NERD 4 LYFE.
- Mixer: KitchenAid 5-Quart Artisan Stand Mixer in Pistachio
- Jars: Oggi Acrylic Jumbo Canisters, Oggi 5-piece Acrylic Canister Sets, Kerr Wide Mouth 32oz. Mason Jars and Weck 7.4oz Tulip Jars
- Gallery Photo Frames: Ikea RIBBA frames (small and medium) and Ikea VIRSERUM frames (medium and large)
This is the result:
With the arch gone, I was able to expand the counters along the sink, giving me more counter and cabinet space than before. It made a world of a difference, really opening up the kitchen and streaming in more natural light than before.
Remember that a goal I had for my remodel was to be able to turn the kitchen into a place where we would actually enjoy lingering. I think this nook does that — the windows let in lots of lovely light, which makes it the perfect place to enjoy breakfast and lunch. Even at dinnertime, one of us is usually hanging out in the nook while the other person is cooking or cleaning in the kitchen.
Another favorite detail of mine are the built-in benches. Having built-in benches saved us a ton of space, especially when compared to having a table and four separate chairs. I made sure that the benches had extra storage space underneath — the end of each bench has a cabinet door that opens to reveal storage space the depth of each bench. Pretty nifty, huh?
Seen above:
- Light Fixture: Schoolhouse Electric Factory Light No. 4 Pendant
- Table: CB2 Odyssey White Dining Table
- Chair: Crate & Barrel Vienna Yellow Side Chair
- Shelf: modified Ikea EKBY JÄRPEN / EKBY BJÄRNUM shelf
- Frame: Ikea RIBBA (featuring this funfetti anniversary cake!)
- Vases: Ikea SOCKERÄRT and Stumptown Cold Brew with flowers from New Seasons
- Terrarium: Artemisia
- Chopping Board: Ikea DOMSJÖ
- Animal Figurines: World Market Paper Safari Animal Ornaments (no longer available)
And there you have it!
Before I head out, however, I wanted to take some time to reflect. Back in January, Food52 ran an Instagram contest asking folks to share their tidy kitchens. Mine was one of the kitchens regrammed. While most of the comments were overwhelmingly positive, I noticed a handful on my picture and others regrammed that accused Food52 of only picking high-end kitchens that only rich people could afford. Some Instagrammers even left comments that the kitchens looked unlived in, and that many were purely for form and show.
Here’s the truth: yes, the remodel was crazy expensive — I’m embarrassed to say that it cost more than half of my annual salary, even despite consciously choosing several lower-end options (stock cabinetry and lots of Ikea, for instance). And here’s how I was able to afford it. It’s not sexy, but here’s my formula:
Lots of saving, sacrifice and help.
What does that mean? Saving high-paying bonuses from stressful, soul-sucking jobs that were so awful that I cried of relief and exhaustion every time I left the office. Living with too many immature and careless roommates who I absolutely hated and treated me disrespectfully for way too long. Guiltily borrowing a little bit of cash from my incredibly generous parents. But these are the sort of things that you don’t see on the blog, and it’s far too easy to sit back and judge. And even despite it all, I still know how incredibly lucky and privileged I am in the first place to have had all those opportunities, even the ones that left me feeling miserable and racked with guilt.
As for the claims that my kitchen looked unlived in and unused, I actually laughed out loud. Of course my kitchen doesn’t look like the picture you saw on Instagram!!! Hell, my kitchen doesn’t even really look like the pictures you see above! In reality, there’s a large unphotogenic drying rack by the sink, the double oven range is always splattered with grease and, on the counter, there’s a massive clear jar of fermenting rice that looks remarkably like vomit that Erlend’s studiously trying to coax into wine. There’s almost definitely a stack of dirty dishes in the sink and weird sticky puddles on every surface of the kitchen. But who wants to see that?
People come to Blog Land because we like the glimpses into other people’s lives; it allows us to quit our jobs and vicariously live in beautifully restored barnhouses in provincial France, wear designer clothing that we can’t afford and eat exotic food from far-reaching corners of the world without gaining a single pound. Bloggers are more than happy to provide that escape, but it’s important to remember that these are exaggerated moments and that what you’re seeing is everything at its best/shiniest/happiest/most Pinterest-worthy. It’s a rotten game to start comparing yourself to such unrealistic standards, and it’s one that is ultimately impossible to win. Because outside the frame of every shiny, sparkling picture, all of us have dirty dishes, shabby furniture and ugly rooms too.
I am green with envy right now, because your kitchen looks absolutely amazing! And although it's very tidy in the pics, I disagree with those Instagrammers that it doesn't look lived in – it looks like a functional, practical and downright gorgeous space to spend time. Congratulations and enjoy it! (PS I have an IKEA 'butler's sink' (as we call them in the UK) and it's never stained, or broken my plates!)
Love your kitchen remodel. I'm remodeling a bathroom and looking for a more matte and less shiny white subway tile. Yours looks like exactly what Im looking for. Could you please tell me what kind it is?
I love everything you talk about in this post – from the amazing remodel (love that sink. I totally get what you mean by wanting space to comfortably wash sheets and woks. woks are huge, ya know.) to your comments at the end about the kitchen and blogging and whatnot. I completely agree with you, and I love how honest you are about it. I'm sorry you had backlash about your kitchen, but trolls will be trolls. I still remember when Food52 instagrammed my pork mooncake during mid autumn festival, and I got some people saying "ugh that's not a mooncake. we take mooncakes seriously here" etc, because they just didn't know that su-zhou style mooncakes exist. Also, your comment about dirty dishes and stuff made me laugh out loud (to the chagrin of my cube-mates), because it's SO TRUE and SO REAL. There's a reason food styling plays a role, especially for food blogs.
LOVE your kitchen.
Bah, I wrote a thing and it got eaten.
Just fyi, your link to part 1 is broken!
I absolutely love this remodel. I like that you walked through your decision for the countertops – I love the butcherblock counter look but it does just seem impractical in the long run. I currently have countertops in my rental that are similar to your old ones and while they are vintage cool they are so obnoxious – the thick tile edge traps crumbs, they're too shallow…ugh. They look cute but if you're a baker…not worth it.
I also appreciate your comments about affording the remodel and your previous posts about buying the house. My boyfriend and I are hoping to buy a house in Portland eventually and are getting nervous about how fast houses get snapped up and the rising prices – I'm happy to see someone our age did it!
A) Again, this is gorgeous. You did such a great job. I think you have a second (third? fourth?) career opportunity in home design/remodeling. B) I love that last paragraph on Blog Land being somewhat unrealistic. It is always a good reminder that lives portrayed through Instagram and Pinterest aren't like that 100% of the time. But keep it up. It is still fun to get that inspiration and be whisked away somewhere more beautiful! 🙂
PS – I love that you used a professional label maker for your flours and spices. It's now on my list to borrow it from you.
Thanks Kylie!
Thanks Thalia!
Thanks Maria! Super appreciative of your kind words — I spent a lot of time fretting about the appliance choices and floors, so thank you for pointing them out!
I could not be more in love with this post. Thank you for your honesty. We started looking into a kitchen remodel and were flabbergasted at how expensive everything was. It is strangely reassuring to read how you chose to prioritize and finance your remodel. Oh, and it's stunning by the way.
Thanks Holly! That means a lot to me. My goal was to make the kitchen as functional as possible! And when I heard the criticism, I actually laughed. I was like… "what? people don't think i cook in the kitchen…. they're kidding, right??? where do all the baked goods on this blog come from then???"
Hm, not sure if I can be of any help! Contrary to what the pictures show, the tile is actually shiny; it's from Oregon Tile and Marble company (I wanted to stay local). However, during the tile selection process, I did consider a matte subway tile from a company called DaTile (I think?).
WOW, I cannot believe somebody said that about your mooncakes!!! That makes me want to punch something! People are the worst!
Thank you for the kind words, Betty! Come visit me in Portland and we can cook something in the kitchen together 🙂 You make those pork mooncakes and duck fat noodles, I'll make dessert.
Ah, thanks for the head's up about the link! I just fixed it.
Yeah, when I first bought the house, I *loved* the vintage tile… fast forward my first week living in the house and realizing what a mistake the tile was. It got so gross all the time, with little bits of food stuck in between the crevices and the grout.
Now is definitely the time to buy in Portland — house prices just keep rising and rising! I definitely lucked out when I bought my house two summers ago; I don't think I could afford to buy in my neighborhood now.
Hahah, let me know! I can give it to you the next time we see each other 🙂
Thanks Natalie!!! Let me know if you need any help or referrals with regards to designers, contractors, etc, especially in Portland. Kitchen remodels are always beasts and I spent around 6 months fretting about everything. Totally worth it in the end though.
Michelle you are SO ON!!!!!!!!! Definitely making it out there sometime soon 🙂
I hope you're moving this kitchen with you, you did such a great job with the design and picking out every single furnishing and appliance. I find that such a hard task when it comes to designing rooms. Also, I love that you put it out there, our homes are just like anyone else's though even at times would love to have a spotless kitchen or home, the reality is it never is but then again that's what make it special.
If I ever get to design a kitchen/home, I'm having you involved in it. Just saying 🙂
Oh man, I don't even want to JOKE about moving the kitchen with me to NY. I'm going to be very, very sad leaving my baby behind!
that sink! swoon. xo
Gorgeous!! I'm dreaming of my own dream kitchen as we prep to sell our home and move, so I'm definitely bookmarking this for the future!! I'm sure I won't be lucky enough to find one of my own, but I'm just in love with your nook!!
We are getting our kitchen done in the next few weeks. What sort of tile did you go for is it the mini style or the regular 200×100? Please help Ive been looking for pictures of both and have come to a dead end and you kitchen is perfect!
Oh my gosh, SO, SO dreamy, MIchelle!! AHH the baking station, those amazing benches (with storage underneath, so genius) all that light, airy, dreamy HH-goodness. It makes me feel happy and peaceful just looking at this. Hope you're just reveling in it daily 🙂 yay!!
im jealous of your kitchen! its so beautiful!
Gosh, I enjoyed reading these remodel posts, and the result is just mind-blowing. I'm seriously in love with your kitchen, Michelle! That sink, a double oven (!!), the lovely nook, blog pics on the wall… I'm sure the remodel cost a lot of nerves, time, and money, but it was worth it. Congrats on making your dream kitchen come true! xx
Just tried these but hey did not turn out well. They don't look anything like the pictures. Instead they spread out all over the pan and were very flat. This would be ok if they tasted really good but they are pretty bland, unfortunately. They'll be good to crumble into a milkshake as they do not come off the silpat mat whole but in chunks since the caramel sticks. I am more disappointed in that I was making these to bring to a cookout and the way they turned out I can't bring them so we have nothing to take. Good idea but the recipe needs work. I followed this recipe exactly also, so it's not a problem with what I did from what I can tell.
Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that they didn't work; maybe you used too much caramel per cookie? The caramel is not meant to be mixed in, but instead drizzled lightly over each cookie as you portion them out.
How far ahead of time could a person bake these? And what would be the best way to store them? Thank you!!!
Probably up to 1 to 2 days in advance; the nice thing about these brownies are that they intensify in flavor the longer you keep them (that is, until they start to get stale). Do not cut them into squares though until you're ready to serve; cool the pan to room temperature completely and wrap in plastic wrap as tightly as you can. Store at room temperature.
Wow wow wow! It looks so beautiful! This would be my total dream kitchen, seriously! And that light from the window! I didn't know kitchens like that existed outside of Pinterest…
I want to marry your kitchen. Is that legal anywhere? Will your kitchen agree if I give it a ring?
But seriously, it's lovely, and I think you're awesome for admitting that it takes a lot of money from various sources to get the kitchen of your dreams. I'm hoping to do the same with my kitchen one day if I can learn to stop spending all my cash dollaz on ridiculous things!
Definitely! Let's make it happen!
Thanks for sharing this. It helps me think realistically but creatively about future kitchens for my family.
This looks awesome! What an amazing transformation. I was hoping you'd be sharing your final results! And those baking cupboards? Squee!
I'm currently about to start my kitchen remodel process, but I'm procrastinating so bad haha. I've bought a fridge 2 months ago and it's just been sitting downstairs in the entrance (where I left it when it got delivered), because actually starting the process and ripping out the old kitchen really freaks me out haha. So time consuming, so expensive haha. In the meantime, I've distracted myself by doing up the downstairs living room though, as that was a much simpler and cheaper process haha. So not all bad, right?
Michelle, my dear, you have great taste in kitchens! My kitchen plans include white subway tiles, open shelving, black and white cupboards and fake butcher block counters (the kind that's much lower maintenance but still looks good). I'm leaning towards the farmhouse sink too, but can't quite decide if I want to take it in a more contemporary direction. So many decisions!
I just love the way your kitchen came out. The cabinets are lovely–where did you get them? What brand are they? Did you paint them or did they come that way?
This kitchen is completely stunning! I apologize if I missed this, but could you tell us what the paint color on the walls is?
Oops, I must have missed this! Sorry for the delay — I went with the regular 200 x 100.
They are Omega cabinets: http://www.omegacabinetry.com/ and I went with the stock "dove grey" and "oyster white" colors (that was one of the places I skimped — painting cabinets can be pricey!).
No problem! The kitchen walls are painted in "Grey Owl" by Benjamin Moore with a matte finish.
Were is the hardware from for your cabinets? I love the handles!
I really love how your kitchen turned out! Beautiful and functional 🙂
Found your blog from the post about your kitchen from Apartment Therapy. Really beautiful kitchen! I love that baking station – so awesome. I know what you mean about keeping it real – I wrote a post about my kitchen and then a separate one about how I left out my toaster because we toast and that's how we roll. Love your blog. Enjoy your beautiful kitchen!
I love your remodel! It's beautiful and airy and so functional. I'm jealous of the farmhouse sink. I've been wanting one for awhile now but need to concentrate on some floors and other redos. Plus, like you, I'm wary. I'm worried not only of stains (I can tomatoes and make jams) but of nicking the finish with my pots and pans. How's yours holding up?
Gorgeous kitchen! What are your paint colors? Your kitchen is MY inspiration!
The hardware is from a company called Top Knob: http://www.topknobs.com/ They sell knobs and pulls on Amazon, Home Depot, and local hardware stores!
So I've had the sink for nearly a year now, and nothing's stained yet despite our best efforts (that is, I constantly bake, my boyfriend brews beer, etc). We're not even all that vigilant about cleaning it either! However, I've noticed some yellowing/graying around the drain area but that's about it.
The walls are painted Gray Owl by Benjamin Moore, while the trim is Simply White by Benjamin Moore. The cabinets are stock colors from Omega cabinetry; the top half are a color called "oyster" and the bottom are "dove gray".
I am a brand-new reader (I got here via The kitchn) and I have to say: I LOVE your kitchen and I LOVE that you posted about sacrifice/paying for the remodel. You don't owe anyone an explanation, but its nevertheless refreshing to see a reminder that blogging/instagramming/etc is about putting the good stuff out there.