the kitchen before & after

A few years ago (2009 to be exact) I sent an e-mail to Layla from The Lettered Cottage. and purchased a photo consultation that came with a free written consultation.

My living room was the lucky recipient of the photo consult and I adored the whole process, especially the end result! I did a post about it here. Layla did a post about it here!

I've made a few changes since then, but overall the room is pretty much the same.



I also did a post about my kitchen here but wasn't able to do much more than switch some wall art.

Fast forward to this spring when we decided to bite the bullet and tackle the kitchen. Clearly I'm on top of my blog posts because it's almost a year later and I have yet to post about it. Everything in good time.

Here are shots of my kitchen before-





And just a little more than 2 years later and with lots of helpful inspiration from Layla, here is my kitchen after-





We didn't spend a ton of money- instead of using granite or something else equally as expensive, we opted for C*rian. Rather than getting all new cabinets, we opted for adding new doors, hardware and a fresh coat of paint. We also decided that although the dishwasher wasn't stainless, we just couldn't justify getting a new one when our old one worked just fine. It's all about weighing your options and prioritizing your wants.

These choices felt like the right ones for us both functionally and financially. Each time I walk into the room, I smile! It was worth the wait.

And, as luck would have it, we're in need of making some changes to the kitchen in our new house and we've already ordered some of the same products to transform that space too. When something works- why not stick with it!

A huge thanks to Layla for her design genius, her willingness to share it and for making kitchen dreams come true!