25 May 2010 A family-friendly kitchen, faux show

When we moved into our home it was complete with a shotgun kitchen that felt closed off from the rest of the house. It was also dark and impersonal.  We first decided to knock down a wall dividing the kitchen from the living room. 

Brad Holmes (a carpenter out of Little Rock) came to our house and walked us through the cost and timeline of the wall knockout. I initially wanted an island, but due to the cost of rerouting plumbing and load bearing walls, we opted to just do one wall, creating a bar area.  He was so helpful and honest. 

When he was done with helping my husband tear down the wall, we added two prefab cabinets to make a larger counter space area and more storage areas.  These were purchased from Treasure Hills Discount Store in Greenbrier.  To connect the space in between the two prefab cabinets, my husband used scrap wood and beautiful trim to create shelves for cookbooks and baskets full of toys. 

Next, we searched out granite dealers (They will actually bid against each other, knocking the price down).  We decided to use a granite installer out of Hot Springs, who did a great job.  Nifty tip: Installers will also give better deals on granite that they have in stock or left over.  We chose “Uba Tuba,” which this particular dealer had in excess  With the new granite we had to purchase a new deep sink and faucet, which we got from Overstock.com.

For Valentines Day, my romantic husband built me a display range hood and over the fridge cabinet.  We moved the microwave to the pantry because I had for the longest time wanted a range hood for a particular painting I had done. My husband went the extra mile and installed a vent hood with a light and under the cabinet lighting.  He also added more dramatic crown molding to the existing cabinets to tie everything together.  The over-the-fridge cabinet extends to the ceiling, giving the appearance of a built-in fridge (the real thing is very expensive).  Inside, he created a divider for my cookie sheets. I love it!  We hung family photos on the side of this cabinet.  My husband did this under the direction of our friend and neighbor (cabinet maker extraordinaire), Marlin Warmbold of Conway. 

Finally, when all the cabinets were up and installed, I primed and painted them. Painting cabinets can be a real chore.  Thankfully our dear friend, Nate Huggins (and his family) painted our cabinet doors for us. Real friends paint for each other. We painted the cabinets and doors the same color as the trim in the house, a warm and inviting shade called “Vanilla Custard.”  When we put all of the doors back on, I taped off once more and embarked on a journey of faux finishing. 

To faux finish with a glaze is actually very easy.  You just need a glaze, a paintbrush, many old rags and some plastic gloves.  I did a trial door, just to make sure I liked the glaze.  Then, after my husband sanded the corners to give an Old World look, I got to work.  I painted around the outside trim with the glaze and then rubbed it in so the middle was a bit lighter than the outside edge.  What I love about this look is that if children nick or chip it, it doesn’t matter — it looks like you meant to have it look that way!

I painted one area (that is not visible unless you are in the kitchen) with chalkboard paint for my little ZuZu to draw on while I make spaghetti!  With all the shortcuts and price cuts I found, I did splurge on hardware.  I ordered glass handles and knobs for half price from Hobby Lobby.  The glass knobs give these cabinets an elegant look.