Before and After!

Open shelves, Open kitchen!

My first "before and after" post!

I really enjoy looking at all of the fabulous "before and after" projects 

that are displayed on blogs across the web. 

We moved into our current home almost 6 years ago and have done many updates and projects.   Nothing major...yet. And for most of them, there is no official "before" picture to be found.  Our most recent project, however, does have a "before" shot  (thanks to my husbands quick thinking...and his mobile phone.) 

Our house was built in the mid 80's. I must assume (since it is common around my neighborhood) that at that time it was popular to have a row of cabinets "hanging" over the counter seperating the cooking area from the eating area. Well, I  never liked those hanging cabinets. I always had to peek underneath them to see anyone at the table...I felt as if I were in a different room all together.

Sorry the picture quality is not very good, but you get the idea. Uugggh! Right?

I always knew that someday those cabinets would come down.

Only 5 years after we moved in, the cabinets did come down. The project was finished in about 10 days and for very little money...compared to most kitchen re-dos.  

We knew we wanted the kitchen to be open. Because those cabinets were connected to each other all the way around to the window, we had to replace those that hung on the wall....so in keeping with the open theme, we went with open shelves....and we love them!

Of course, we have to keep our dishes neat on these shelves, but luckily our other cabinets still have doors and contain our mismatched cups, a variety of coffee mugs and lots of pyrex dishes and tupperware.

So what do you think of our open kitchen?

Maybe one day we will gut the whole thing and go all stainless and granite, but for now we are just so glad to be able to cook, clean dishes, chat, do homework, and color at the table...and feel like we are in the same room....'cause we are!

Happy Day!