Thursday, February 03, 2011

New Year. New Kitchen.

Happy Chinese (Lunar) New Year! Today begins the Year of the Rabbit, which happens to be my animal birth year. So woo-hoo to the rabbits!

The new year is always a sign of fresh beginnings, so with that I thought it'd be a good time to finally do the "reveal" of my recent kitchen renovation. As some of you have read, my tiny kitchen in my studio apartment finally went through a renovation that lasted eight full (working) days.

And now that it's finally done (with a few touch-up paint work and organizing to do over the next few days), I can't tell you how much I love it. Every night before I go to bed I just stand in the kitchen and give out a sigh. Even though the layout is exactly the same as my old kitchen, just having everything shiny and new just makes me feel like I'm in some fancy model home. But enough chatter. Here's the transformation as demonstrated by these before-after shots.

Cabinets were replaced and granite counter tops are now my counter of choice. I love the granite, even though it's cold to the touch. It just seems so luxurious.

New artwork fills out the only wall in my kitchen, along with a practical utensil bar I got at Ikea.

A major change is the flooring. I've raved about this porcelain faux-wood tiles that replaced the dingy linoleum tiles.

All new appliances, including a larger stove top and oven. Above the range is a microwave hood, and the backsplash is a fancy combination of colored glass and natural stone (it was my splurge item).

With the microwave now above the range, I have more room on my counter top. Also, with a stainless steel refrigerator, I can't have magnets on my frig. So I made this framed metal sheet that I now use to display my magnets. It's not as large a space as the refrigerator door, so this is now more my "magnet hall of fame" displaying my ultimate favorite magnets from my collection.

I continued the renovation into the hallway. Not a lot of major changes, just continued the wood tiles into the hallway and replaced the lighting with something more cleaner and contemporary.

So quite a transformation huh? Here are some other changes that I found really helpful, especially in a small kitchen.

On the bottom cabinets I had roll-out shelves installed so I can reach things in the back. Perfect!

I love my new sink and faucet. The sink is deeper than the old one, and I had a garbage disposal finally installed after my old one konked out two years ago. (You can also notice that I continued the backsplash behind the sink for some continuity from the other side.)

Over the bar top, there was nothing but open space, which is nice to let in more light since there's no window in the kitchen. But I felt the space was empty, so I had this shelf installed because I thought hanging cabinets would make the tiny space feel like a cave. So this option gave me a display shelf but still kept the open feel. (And I stained it myself. I still have to do the varnish though.)




Some of you kept asking what I was going to make in my new kitchen, and initially I wanted to make salmon because when I was eating out, I felt I was eating too much meat. So I wanted a fish dish to balance out my week of eating out. But then I thought paella is more festive, so that's what I ended up making. I kept cleaning my stove top for almost 30 minutes after I finished cooking just to get it clean and new looking again!

So that's the tour of my new kitchen, finished just in time to celebrate the new year. I wish you all have a prosperous and happy new year with an abundance of good food!

16 comments:

Julie said...

Beautiful!! Love the flooring and backsplash!! Can't wait for the next cooking demo video........

Carolyn Jung said...

A gorgeous re-do! I smile just looking at the photos, so I'm sure you're grinning from ear to ear every time you step inside of that kitchen. Bravo to a job well done. ;)

Row said...

Wow! Your new kitchen looks so awesome! I really dig the before and after pics... they really highlight how you've improved all aspects of the kitchen. Great job!

T-M-S said...

followed all your updates on the renovations - it looks amazing! Now we know you have good tastes also in design, not just food.

It's a dream kitchen, enjoy it.

Lemony said...

Congratulations on your new kitchen! And Happy Chinese New Year--I'm digging the sprig of blossoms on your counter, they're just lovely.

beth said...

Oh it's just gorgeous!!!! I'm envious!

Cindy said...

Wow, what a great looking kitchen! Happy New Year!

yuri said...

congrats! looks great. yeah, the backsplash was a nice splurge. you've totallly inspired me--who is your contractor and would you recommend him? thanks!

agent713 said...

That looks awesome! Thanks for the grand tour. I like what you did with the magnets. It definitely looks cleaner but still keeps the whimsy. Love the blossoms too. I need some of those. We're buried in snow here and spring feels very, very far away.

Oh, I love the paella idea for the first dish. Definitely a festive way to "break in" your new kitchen :)

Single Guy Ben said...

Thanks everyone! I'm glad you like it as much as I do. I think what's also great is that now my kitchen blends in with my living area (which had chocolate brown walls) whereas before the white kitchen was like a blight in my apartment. Now I feel I can invite people over for dinner (except they can't use the bathroom because that looks like my old kitchen, so I have to renovate that room next!).

If anyone wants to know more about my contractor, just drop me an email at singleguychef@comcast.net and I can give you more details. I don't really want to get into everything in the comment section.

Carroll said...

Congratulations, Single Guy -- it's really spectacular! My favorite parts are the fantastic flooring, and the overhead shelf. Oh, and the magnet display thing. And, and, and... :-) For someone who cooks as much as you do, and with such enthusiasm, this is bound to bring endless pleasure. Kudos, and a very Happy New Year to you!

Hungry Dog said...

Congratulations on your new kitchen! It looks absolutely beautiful and you deserve it. Happy new year!

foodhoe said...

I love it! Looks like you really thought out how to maximize the space. I have the pull out things in a couple of my cabinets and really wish all of them did that... Anyways, can't wait to see it featured in one of your exciting videos!

Mrs. L said...

Awesome Chef Ben. Love what you did with the magnets. And I honestly, with such a small space, couldn't have imagined all the great things you did!

Kim said...

GORGEOUS!!!

bespoke kitchens said...

that is a major improvement, very sleek and stylish. i really like the new rustic colour scheme.