Luckily the subfloor was in awesome condition and all I needed to do was clean them.I scrubbed every last board with vinegar, soap and Borax.
Our contractor reconfigured the upper cabinets around for us so we could gain that right sided work space, and the kids didn’t risk the chance of burning themselves coming right up the stairs. You can see the difference in the picture above and the picture below with the cabinet placement.

The color is a mixture of Dark brown and Mahogany. Did you know you don’t have to be stuck with the color right out of the can? You can mix them to get a custom shade. I knew I wanted dark, rustic floors. The refinishing products were all low-VOC as well . Though, I still thought they smelled.
To take the grain down on the cabinets, after sanding, I puttied over the deeper ones with wood putty and sanded again till smooth.
The last step was adding the now painted and distressed hutch,saying buh-bye to the boob light and hanging my grandmother’s rewired chandelier. We added a embellished element to cover up the gap with the old light and new light.
We removed the wood piece over the sink and replaced it with corbels we found on-line. It was a really inexpensive up-grade.
And I needed a spot for my dish towel, So why not a towel bar on the front of the cabinet?
And the light is a thrift store make over, I spray painted the fixture part and ordered a new glass globe from a lighting shop on-line.
You put it on and it dries overnight. You can tell because the water beads right up. The best part is when your coffee maker overheats and smokes about a week after they are installed and leaves a burn mark, you can just sand it right out and reseal.I found some tiles at the tile store that I put on my window sill to keep the water from ruining the wood sill and it’s a nice southern window for my herbs and plant starting.

Cabinets Linen White Int. Rm. Satin


*This was posted Via Jennifer Rizzo. com
I am in love with your kitchen and love seeing the before and after of it, All the hard work was worth it., and it totally transformed your space
Thanks Christy!It was it was transformation and so worth it!
It’s awful that you had to deal with the nasty water leak, but what a beautiful ending to the story! I adore your kitchen and all the special touches you added!
Thank you Rhonda!We are so happy with it!
It’s just beautiful!
Thank you Kirby! I can’t believe what a difference it still makes!
Jen- your kitchen is amazing. Thanks for taking us through the transformation.
Thanks Laura!!!
I read a lot of blogs and see a lot of kitchens. Yours has always been one of my very favorites. It’s just beautiful. What a thrill it must be to go in there every morning and make that first cup o’ coffee. Great job and thanks for sharing.
Thank you Jo!
Jen,
I love seeing your kitchen. What a beauty. The transformation is amazing. What a bright and wonderful space this is now.
Kris
Thanks Kris!I love the brightness!
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
like a totally different place. enjoy!
Beautiful kitchen! Y’all did a super job!
I have always adored your kitchen. I still own the Country Living magazine it was featured in. It was fun to read the whole story behind it.
Emily
Beautiful!
I love seeing your kitchen transformation again Jennifer.Your kitchen is one of my favorite…it is absolutely gorgeous!!!!
xx
Anne
Your kitchen truly looks worth more than that!!!! Fantastic job Jennifer! I myself am doing a renovation and I can tell you, it’s costing a lot, lot more than that, and I’m not even sure I can achieve the same gorgeous look like you did! Thanks for sharing this!
Love it! Great solutions!
It is really beautiful! I love looking at all the different little details in your pics, I know it must have been tough to deal with but oh the finished product! congrats on being in the magazine 🙂
saw this on Facebook…and I love your kitchen Jen…you did a beautiful job
Klaske Construction, Inc. is out of Esmond, IL:: the phone number is: 630-973-0359 and his email is: jkcraftsman@hotmail.com
Being that he is my husband, I don’t mind sharing that information with your readers
hope you are having a great summer
xo + blessings,
Anne Marie Klaske
I am so in love with your kitchen. This might have been discussed somewhere in the past, but what make is your sink? I looovvvvvveeee it, and they make the same size in an apron front I would be all over it. Also — the towel bar is the most brilliant thing ever, and I hadn’t noticed that before. Perfect!
OMW !!!! just beautiful !!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE everything!!!!!!!!
Jennifer, Your kitchen is beautiful, I love the green on the china cabinet. And, the chandelier of your grandmother’s is gorgeous, it adds sparkle.
That is amazing! I love so much about this kitchen. Great job.
I love to see kitchen transformations. Yours is just wonderful. Love the hutch color and the way you distressed it.
Hello Jennifer, Thanks for this start-to-finish recap of your beautiful kitchen. The hutch is my favorite! I just love the way you have styled your kitchen also & “staged” the photos. You’ve got some serious skills!
Warmly, Michelle
Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust
This is my first time seeing your kitchen and it is truly amazing! So many beautiful elements! Just perfect!!!!
Heather
Sweet Number 9
Your kitchen turned out beautiful, Jennifer! I love seeing the transformation! ~~Angela
What a story! I’m so sorry it was such a nightmare for so long. I do love it when tragedies can be woven into our wildest dreams though. And the kitchen hutch/cabinet is beautiful. Well done.
Glad you are to the happily ever after part,
Marian@Gathering Branches
Wonderful job Jennifer, great choices, decisions and details throughout. Trim for backsplash = love it, may try this in my own house when the countertops get pulled 🙂
You did an AMAZING job!! Your kitchen absolutely looks wonderful and is such a inspiration!
Whoa! It turned out to be awesome. Pretty impressive design. Simple yet very adorable. 🙂
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Your complete kitchen remodel is so beautiful. I like it.
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I have Ikea counter tops. I put a mineral oil on them but it doesn’t seem to seal them. What are you using?
I use the sealer that ikea sells. You can also use Tung oil. Or if you have a wood working store, they will have a butcher block sealer there.
I am in awe. It’s amazing! Great work.
Fabrication costs for the counter tops…is that for the edge?…or installation or both? Everything looks gorgeous! <3
That was for both the install and the edge. Thanks Sybil.
Great job! Did you make your kitchen island?
Beautiful kitchen! I just have a question. Was it easy to paint the hinges white? I am remodeling oak cabinets in the laundry room, and I was hesitating between painting them dark to match the knobs, or white like the doors. What made you decide to go white with the hinges?
To be honest, pure laziness and not wanting to spend the money on replacing them. Hinges aren’t cheap! I also didn’t want them to stick out against the white cabinets. They were a very dated bronze.
How are your counters holding up. I love the look I’m just afraid about water damage.
It’s been four plus years and they still look great! I do need to seal more often around the sink area, but other than that you can’t even tell they ever get wet, and we have a lot of standing water!
I love the hutch you refinished, I am going to refinish a similar one for my son and his new bride for a wedding present. I have found several how-to’s using chalk paint, milk paint or latex. Could I ask what product and color you used for your project?
I would really appreciate any advice on your refinishing that you could offer.
It’s antique Jade and I do have a a post on it if you’re interested.
I love your kitchen, thank you for sharing it with us. I notice you painted your hinges on the upper cabinets. Did you use the same paint as the cabinets themselves? How did you do it? I am in the middle of painting my cabinets and was going to put in concealed hinges; your way would be cheaper (and I’m afraid that I will do it wrong and ruin the cabinets). Help!
Hi Michelle. I just primed them with a primer for all surfaces and painted on them. They have held up very well!
Hello,
Your kitchen is absolutely gorgeous and such an inspiration! I am wondering if you would share which online lighting shop you purchased your new glass globe for over your sink? I have been searching for the same type globe and cannot seem to find one that size or clear anywhere. Also I love the corbels over your sink and tried to search Premier wood but without any luck.
Thank you so much,
Lynn
Hi Lynn, the corbels are from Van Dyke’s restorers and the light cover I think I bought on-line but I can’t remember where. Try searching under bubble glass replacements globes.
Thank you so much! I found a similar light fixture on West Elm but while gorgeous it is not budget friendly! I know I will find one if I keep looking. I am excited to check out the corbels. They really add great interest to the space.
Have a great weekend!
love your new kitchen I too have the 80 oak and are looking for white ideas…..love your hutch perfect