apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

perfectly lovely in the before picture.

I like the new counter and tile backsplash - those are nice updates.

But I prefer the old black floor, which grounded the space, the old light fixture (the new chandelier in the breakfast area is a nice addition) and the old semi-circular shelves at the end of the peninsula counter which offered some relief from all the straight lines and angles in the room.

The new one is well done but...I did like the character of then first kitchen more. Especially the floors.

I like the new white floors better. They make the narrow space feel more spacious.

Excellent! and inspiring. :-)

P.S. *excellent* touch of glam with the new light fixture.

The updated version looks a lot brighter than the old version, thanks to the lighting, the backsplash, and the white floor. But I miss the curved shelves on the end of the lower cabinets. I love those little touches you find in older kitchens. At least the upper cabinets were left alone.

I'd love to be the owner of either kitchen, truthfully!

I was glad to see that this wasn't an extensive remodel and they left a lot of the character of the old kitchen.

When I saw the "Before" picture, I was perfectly prepared to hate the "After" but I gotta hand it to her, she largely preserved a beautiful old kitchen. I kinda like the dark floor, but I'll assume it showed a lot of dust and drove her crazy and any changes she made probably related to the utility of the kitchen. Maybe she kept bumping into that cute rounded shelf. I am just so impressed that someone kept that kitchen and didn't put in a magazine kitchen. Well done. Beautiful.

Love that modern vintage mash-up. Love it.

I agree that the "before" had a lot of character- but the countertops were begging to be updated. The "after" has maintained the sweetness of the kitchen- but now it's much more functional for a modern cook. I liked the curved shelves on the end of the counter, but that path was not particularly wide, so I think the space is more valuable.

I think this kitchen will look infinitely cuter with MORE on the shelves- especially those above the sink.

At first I thought the 'before' was the 'after'... I actually loved the 'before'. In the 'after' pic some of the new elements are lovely but the overall effect is too blindingly white. I REALLY liked the dark floor in contrast to the serenity of all the fixtures. Also, I know from experience white floors are a bitch to keep clean and unless you are rigorous about daily cleanings (and no shoes!) they look dingy very quickly.

The "before" was nice, but I do like the "after". I like that they kept it simple and bright; didn't overload it with every high-end material and appliance on the market.

i like the dark floor so much more than the white. The after is a little too sterile for me. I bet the white floors will show dirt more so than a dark floor.

Both the 'before' and 'after' are lovely. I love the black floor, though.

Thank GOD, a vintage kitchen remodel that didn't involve gutting it's original character. Well done.

before beautiful and after beautiful..you need one of the pink pantone tea jars posted ^^^^.

Really nice. The updates don't erase all of the character in my opinion. Really great to see an older kitchen updated without an extensive reno.

I liked the contrast of the floor versus the all-white in the before pic...the after is a little bit blinding. But a lovely kitchen both ways.

new countertop and backsplash, yes, but the black floor was so much better.

As an owner of a white on white on white kitchen... i would die for a black floor!! I would like to know if the new countertops are high gloss... that may be something I am considering to my own.

Prefer the before myself. I like that some of the vintage charm remains but the shape of the counters were a big part of it. Also too white.

Love the before and the after, but REALLY love the after. It looks so clean and bright, definitely makes me consider painting my kitchen all white and it gives me pause about gutting it (it was built in '68 and some days I long for clean, sleek and modern, other days I love the precious cuteness of it.) Does anybody know what she used for the countertops? I love them and no matter what, my 40 year old white formica needs to be replaced.

Everything ABChao touches is lovely. That house tour was my favorite ever.

I was so scared I was going to click through and see the beautiful original completely destroyed. Way to keep it classic.

I love this kitchen, and am glad that it wasn't extensively remodeled.

I've been dreaming about having that exact vintage stove in our next kitchen -- forget who makes it, but the claw-like "knobs" are fairly distinctive.

While I love the white floor and how it opens up the space, I am not sure how I feel about the backsplash, which strikes me as too trendy for this kitchen, and the counter material... I may have been tempted to add more wood counters, but then again...

One thing I was really hoping she would change though are the handles on the upper cabinets, which are very distracting and just don't fit.

Just being my picky self though, it is a truly lovely kitchen.

Beautiful in both, but way too white for my tastes. Even with the little touches of color, it's just too sterile.

That white floor will probably show less dirt than the black. I have a white kitchen floor that has the look of painted brick and it sure is easier to care for than the previous darker version.

I would love to replace my harvest gold backsplash with those white tiles. They look so fresh.

I prefer the old black floor but the update was done wonderfully and in keeping with it's vintage character.

Just logged in to say how much I love the before. What a lucky dilemma! Going to look at the after now......:-)

Well, saw the after....My response: Exactly what bepsf said. I liked the dark floor, old light fixture, and rounded shelves. Love the new countertop, the chandelier and furniture are great.

Love 'em both! Excellent job in choosing what elements to save (scallop trim, rounded corner shelves).

I love the all white floors. Makes the kitchen sparkly and bright.

Thank you, AT, for these very nice write-ups! We are so happy with our kitchen update. Also, the "after" photo is attributed to Lori Andrews.

To answer some questions:
1. I hated the black floor, because it looked filthy the very second I finished cleaning it. White somehow hides everything so much better. I love it.
2. The decision to remove the rounded counter was due to both space and because I thought a rounded edge of Cararra marble would look crazy. I liked those little
shelves, but they had to go.
3. The counters are Carrara marble.
4. The stove is Chambers, left here by the previous owner. Lucky us!

Thank you for all of your comments! We're always delighted when Apartment Therapy writes about our house.

Beautiful updates, the white floor and tiled backsplash and new counter tops are lovely, but it is a shame that the rounded counter had to go...I've always loved how they looked.

I had a white floor once. If water drips from your hands, say at the sink, onto the floor and you step on it you have a foot print. White floors are just as impractical as black. However, who wants practical when it looks so good.

Hrprincess, the same thing happens to me. My white floor drives me crazy! Cute yes, but with people walking back and forth it gets pretty grim quick. I mop once a day trying to keep things nice.

NICE BEFORE BUT NICER AFTER... LOOKS LIKE OUR RENTAL KITCHEN.

To echo almost everyone else's sentiments --- excellent before and after! I'd kill for either kitchen. It's a shame to hear that black floors are almost as high-maintenance as white floors though; I was really gunning for black floors for our kitchen redo.