Life’s been a little extra busy the last couple of months with the purchase of a home!  My parents and I worked really hard at painting, adding baseboards, cleaning, fixing little odds and ends, trimming doors… the list goes on.

One thing that ate away at me was the kitchen. It was a space that  was dark.  I didn’t get excited to grind coffee in there or more importantly: to cook.  I wanted my kitchen to be a place where I felt at peace and excited to serve people.

So, before engagement and wedding season really kicked in a utilized a couple of my slower weeks to paint my cabinets!

I’ve been teasing you all on Facebook with Instagrams of pieces of the new office.  Still not quite ready to showcase that baby, but I am ready to show off my hard work on the kitchen.

This is by no means my dream kitchen.  In fact, I thought I was an espresso cabinet kind of girl.  Though I’m convinced it would be cheaper to wallpaper this place in hundred dollar bills than to redo it and get it up to my dream kitchen!  haha  It’s just a starter home, remember!  Eventually John and I will turn this place into a great rental property.  But I digress… Back to the kitchen.

With such a tight space, I knew I needed something light and bright to open it up.  So white it was.  I’ve also been on this teal blue kick.  I knew that I better take advantage of it now, because I know when John and I  marry he’ll never let me get this artsy and girly!

So here it is.  The product of my sweat and yes, even a few tears (have you TRIED hanging cabinet doors?!).

I give you my sorta-shabby-chic, 1950s-inspired, you-only-live-once, single-20-something-girl’s kitchen. :-)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Still gotta deal with that awful light fixture.  Love the light it puts out.  But open to suggestions on replacements.

Featuring heavenly Fleur de Sel sea salt lotion from Williams-Sonoma.
And handmade sugar scrub from my friend Jen. :-)

One of my favorite Napa trips with our friends Kevin and Eryn.
A reminder to slow down and enjoy friends and sunshine.

The awesome utinsel holder was a gift from John’s mom from Anthropologie.  Loooooove it.
My fat baker’s cookie jar was my Nana’s.  Dad says she got this before WWII.

Ahhh!

*sigh* Much better.

Still need to get my herb planters to hang on the right side of that pretty mirror, which was a gift from my friend Sarah.

Apron hook and kitchen timer also from Anthropologie.

New dishes: Anthropologie.  Pulls: Martha Stewart, Home Depot

Knobs: Anthropologie

A few behind the scenes pictures from the iPhone

Cabinets were painted with Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations.  It was a piece of cake!  Loved this. I used Pure White.

Hinges were just spray painted with Rustoleum Metallic Spray Paint – Nickel

Knobs and pulls were installed by my awesome daddy. :-)