When we first walked through our house, the kitchen looked like something straight out of a rustic lodge. While the bones were good, with an amazing open space perfect for entertaining, it needed a serious kitchen makeover to become our dream kitchen!
After months of planning, decision-making, and more Pinterest scrolling than I care to admit, we finally wrapped up our makeover. I learned SO much during this process that I wish someone had told me beforehand, so I want to share it with you.
Want to tackle your own kitchen remodel? Grab my Kitchen Remodel Timeline Worksheet to keep everything organized!
My Kitchen Before the Makeover
Here’s what my kitchen looked like before the makeover:
Looking at these photos, you can see we had a solid foundation, but several challenges to work through. The original kitchen had that heavy log cabin feel with lots of natural wood, but it wasn’t quite the vibe we wanted for our family.
Here’s what I focused on during this makeover:
- Opening up the entryway: We expanded the front entrance by 4 feet and switched from a single door to double doors, so I could see the beautiful hayfield across the street while cooking.
- Custom cabinet stain: After countless Pinterest fails, we finally nailed the perfect ashy gray stain on knotty alder cabinets that removed all the yellow undertones.
- Practical flooring choice: Wide plank white oak with a matte finish that hides dog slobber and kids’ water spills (priorities, right?).
- Smart appliance decisions: Found a way to get that high-end built-in refrigerator look without the crazy price tag.
- Clutter-free countertops: Added an appliance garage because I was determined to keep every gadget and knife block off the counters.
- Strategic layout changes: Converted the dining room into a home office and moved the laundry room to create a new hall bathroom. We even moved the staircase into a completely different room to create a more open concept.
This makeover took our rustic cabin kitchen and turned it into a space that truly works for our busy family life, but still keeps the character we loved about the house!
7 Things I Learned From My Kitchen Makeover
1. Trust your vision
When we bought our house, I knew the kitchen needed a complete overhaul. But I could SEE the potential in the amazing, wide-open space.
Some people thought we were crazy for taking on such a massive project. The original kitchen was functional but felt heavy and dated. We saw a lot of work ahead, but I also saw morning coffee with a view of the hayfield and my kids doing homework at the island while I prepped dinner.
That vision kept me going through every frustrating moment of the renovation. When you can picture your family actually living in the space, it makes all the decisions easier!
2. Pinterest dreams don’t always translate to reality
Picking cabinet stains was a headache. Those gorgeous Pinterest photos I’d saved? Not so easy to replicate on real wood cabinets. After many attempts and different stains, our cabinet maker finally nailed the perfect match. Peek at my Pinterest Kitchen mood board I put together for this project.
Overall, bring those inspiration photos, but be prepared for some trial and error!
What I didn’t realize was that the lighting, the photographer’s editing, and even the type of wood could really change how that stain looked in real life. It just took way longer than I expected and definitely tested my patience.
Knotty alder can have a yellow tone when you put on the clear coat needed for protection in a busy family kitchen. And while I wanted the knots in the wood to show, I didn’t want any more yellow tones. But thankfully, our cabinet maker was extremely patient with me and kept mixing and staining samples until we found the perfect combination.
It’s also important to note that looking at the stain color in a workshop vs in your home is very different. So every time he came up with a new stain option, we would bring them home and place them around the kitchen, with the floor sample, at different times of the day.
3. Go against the trends when it serves you better
White oak cabinets were having a major moment, but I wanted more character in the wood. We chose knotty alder instead and used a custom stain to remove the yellow tint, creating a beautiful ashy gray color. The lesson here is that sometimes the road less traveled gives you exactly what you need!
Knotty alder has all these beautiful imperfections, like natural knots and grain patterns that give it personality. The wood itself was more affordable than white oak, which meant we could spend more money on the custom stain process.
4. Matte finishes are a parent’s (and pet owner’s) best friend
Our wide plank white oak floors have a matte finish, and it’s been a game-changer. Dog slobber, kids dripping water everywhere…the matte finish hides it all. We got the Portercraft Floors – Adelaide Collection – Enfield. 3/8″ x 6″ Wirebrushed Engineered European White Oak Hardwood. See the exact floors we have here.
As a mom of 3 active kids, shiny floors would have been a nightmare. Now I can go days without mopping, and the floors still look decent!
5. You can get the high-end look for less
We wanted the built-in Sub-Zero refrigerator look but not the price tag. The Frigidaire Professional with a trim kit gave us the aesthetic we wanted for a fraction of the cost.
My husband was skeptical at first because he thought it would look cheap or obvious. But once it was installed with the trim, even our contractor was impressed. It looks completely custom and blends seamlessly with the cabinetry around it.
6. Clear countertops make all the difference
My biggest request was that no appliances or cutlery sit on the countertops. We added an appliance garage next to the refrigerator, and it completely transformed the clean, uncluttered look I was after.
I’m slightly obsessed with clean countertops. Not even in a minimalist way, but more like “I want to actually use this space for cooking” way. When every inch is covered with a coffee maker, toaster, knife block, and whatever else, there’s nowhere to prep food.
The appliance garage was the perfect solution. All our daily-use appliances live there but stay plugged in and ready to use. I just open the doors, mix my smoothie, and close them back up. It sounds like a small detail, but it made the biggest visual impact. The kitchen feels TWICE as big now!
These are the 3 appliances that we use daily that are off counters and out of sight!
7. Sometimes you have to let go of the dream (for now)
I desperately wanted a butler’s pantry for food and beverage prep, but there was simply nowhere to fit it in our open concept. It was frustrating to let go of something I’d been planning for months, but sometimes your Pinterest board has to meet reality (and yes, I created a Pinterest board just for the Butler’s Pantry, ha!).
Maybe we’ll add a butler’s pantry in a future renovation, but for now, what we have works beautifully for our family.
My Kitchen After the Makeover
Since taking most of these photos, we have swapped out a few light fixtures and added some finishing touches. Here’s the final result:
The transformation is honestly everything I dreamed it would be and more!
The two-toned cabinet combination of warm knotty alder and crisp white creates the balance I was hoping for, and you can see how that custom ashy gray stain we fought so hard to perfect really pays off. It has all the character of natural wood without any of that yellow undertone that would have clashed with our vision.
The kitchen island has become the hub of our home, just like I knew it would be. The appliance garage on the right side of the refrigerator wall keeps all our daily gadgets hidden but accessible. You can see how clean the countertops look without a coffee maker, toaster, and knife block cluttering them up!
Everyone Loves a Good Before & After
Get My Kitchen Remodel Timeline Worksheet!
Planning a kitchen renovation can feel overwhelming when you’re trying to coordinate contractors, deliveries, and decisions all at once. I learned so much during our makeover about timing, what to order first, and how to avoid costly delays.
My kitchen remodel timeline worksheet breaks down every phase of the project so you can stay organized and on track.
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