Just the thought of remodeling has us dragging our feet, especially when we factor in time, money, and then more money. So it helped a lot to see what a wonderful job Leah S. did on her newly remodeled kitchen! What started out as a wood-paneled horror has been transformed into a light, airy space that looks inviting and full of character. Check out more photos after the jump, and make sure to see the entire kitchen space (and more inspiring photos) on her blog, House Obsession.






WOW! gorgeous... is that a super wide sink?
view DahliaCactus's profile
it looks great, but I totaly would have lept the bottom wooden panels. So full of character, now its just...mail order catalog.
view Eleno_Mome's profile
I mean 'kept' not lept....uhhhh
view Eleno_Mome's profile
The wood floors have me drooling!
view Doogle's profile
Color me impressed! Love the floors.
view jooly's profile
THANK YOU! This is exactly what I want to do with my dated, dark 70s kitchen.
view madampince's profile
I would LOVE to do this but people always tell me that when you sell, buyers always look for cabinet space...
view IpreferAngie's profile
Eeyeah. Yawn. This needed a Retro Renovation intervention.
view little ribbons's profile
it was SO much better before.
view buyersremorse's profile
I miss the bottom cabinets! Fantastic new floor, though.
view nausved's profile
wow... i can't believe some of you guys like the before better!! i think the end result is awesome! i love the clean white cabinets against the rustic wood floor. also love the chalkboard!!!
great job!
view eribear12's profile
I'm shocked by the negativity- I think it looks amazing!
the 5 person team on Design Star could have learned something from this place!
view tallguylehigh's profile
It's a fun example of changing tastes over time, the swap from light floor/dark finished wood cabinets to light cabinets/dark finished wood floor. Looks good.
view neutopian's profile
Love it! Love the floor, cabinet color & wall color. It's fresh & homey.
view j_wild's profile
love the new floors
view LaDonnaNichole's profile
Beautiful rennovaion, especially the floors. An upper cabinet or two balnced with open shelving would have been ideal.
view Seaside's profile
The after looks great, but the bottom shelves had so much potential.
view somedudeinvicenza's profile
Hi all,
Regarding the comments about my old cabinets...I understand completely where you're coming from. I had originally planned on keeping them and really liked the "idea" of them. However the actual useable drawer space was non-existent on the bottom, and on the top the depth was only about 9" (which is less than standard). Not to mention they were horrendously filthy/moldy inside. We kept the cabinet doors/drawers though so that we might re-use the wood for some later project down the road. I actually have more useable space now than I did before.
I also thought long and hard about my decision for very few top cabinets. I have a row of top cabinets to the right of my refrigerator. They're able to hold almost everything that I use daily including food. The only thing I wasn't able to fit in the kitchen was my wine glasses. However, those will be able to fit into the built-in in the dining room. One day when I decide to sell this place, that decision might haunt me because people want more space...but as for me and the way I use my kitchen...it works.
Thanks for all the positive feedback by the way!
view House Obsession's profile
What a great makeover. And as a frequent baker, I love your great prep space. It's a nice inspiration for how to organize my own kitchen to be useful!
view ee2485's profile
Wow! Was that much of the window covered up by the cabinets and curtain before? It looks so much bigger and brighter now. I love your floors and I love your wall color. Will you share the color please? As the owner of 70's cabinets that will HAVE to be replaced I admire how you kept the best of the old and made it brighter, workable and better.
view laramarie's profile
The blue/grey is Lowes Valspar Silver Leaf. Thanks guys!
view House Obsession's profile