Starting the kitchen update.

Hello, all! There has been some progress in our humble abode!

After years of pinning and pining, I knew our kitchen would be the first place to get a facelift, and I knew what kind of kitchen I wanted.  I have a whole Pinterest board of retro/country/modern kitchens, but there is one particular pin that has inspired me. It's from blogger Jen Johner.  Her kitchen was even featured on apartmenttherapy.com. Find her blog here!

So cute. I cannot resist yellow.

Let me backup.  When we looked at the house before we bought it, the kitchen was a big selling point.  Heck, I will even say it was not bad. However, it was just bad enough it needed some updating, but not so bad that we wanted to tear everything out and start over.  You better believe we don't have the money or the talent for that. AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FO DAT!.. Anyway, I could tell the kitchen was good room to start in, to get our feet wet in the process of making this house our home.

The very first thing we did was put in new stainless steel appliances.  They are Whirpool brand, and they immediately bumped up the amazingness of our kitchen.  But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Here are some 'before shots', minus the old appliances. We love the white cabinets! We hate the vertical blinds. And, notice the old forest green 'tile' linoleum and the big rug the previous owners left.

View from kitchen table

View from the kitchen sink

And here are closeups of a couple of the appliances. Not pictured: new dishwasher.

Another thing we have added to the kitchen is this fabulously buttery and bright formica table and vinyl chair dining set. I found it on Craigslist for $100, and it came with extra vinyl if we need to reupholster the chairs.  Seriously, such a deal. I am in love with it!

It's hard to see how yellow the top is in this picture, but believe you me, it is yellow and wonderful retro goodness.

Next, I knew we needed a bill-paying-command-center. So we bought this cart/island from Walmart.com and the two gorgeous stools from Target.

This may very well be my favorite part of the kitchen thus far.

Well there you have it; the current state of our kitchen.  We're currently in the process of picking a paint color and deciding on the perfect flooring. It is taking some trial and error in the paint department. There are so many to choose from. I know I want a minty-green that isn't too light/bright, not too blue, and not too dark. Ha!

We like dark floors that have a little bit of a gray/rustic look, but we can't decide what type.  We want vinyl, but there are lots of choices. You can get planks that lock together, thinner pieces that stick down, or a one big piece off of a roll, sort of like carpet.  The picture is one you get off a roll, and we really like color, but I think it looks super cheap (which it is). I'd rather get the planks. Tim's not so sure (he really likes the cheap one).

Pretty sure this is the one! The sample looks a little greener on our wall. Yay!

This is what we're thinking for the flooring.

Now we just gotta find the time to paint. Check back for more progress!   <3

-Kenz