Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Our French Kitchen Renovations and Reveal

Sneak peak of my newly renovated French Kitchen - French taupe cabinets with white counter tops.

Keep reading for more below:



We've just finished some renovations - new kitchen, new bathroom, new floorboards, new hallway, new laundry, a few wall knockdowns etc. We didn't use an architect or kitchen designer as I knew exactly what I wanted. Initially I was actually going to build the kitchen myself so drew up plans in Visio and Google Sketch Up so when we decided to use a cabinet maker I was able to get exactly what I wanted.

We had amazing builders who did the work in 7 weeks, while we lived through it all. Not so much fun cooking on the BBQ and gas camp stove outside when it rained every afternoon last November. Ah well, look at the after photos and I think you'll agree that it was all worth it!

The house had been a bit hacked by previous owners with the kitchen being opened up into the dining room by part of the wall cut out (but not neatly). There was a distinct lack of bench space and the upper cupboards were too low above the bench tops and the dishwasher leaked all over the floor everynight. 7 years ago when we moved in, the cupboards were all fake wood laminate and the splashback tiles were brown but I had painted it all white to make it a bit brighter but you can see we really needed a new kitchen! 


Before photos

View of Kitchen from dining room. Note the low beams of wall cut out. Also floor was badly laid concrete covered with lino. The original door to the kitchen was into the hallway and is hidden behind the fridge in the picture below. We ended up bricking up this opening as it was never used.


View from the study looking into the kitchen on right and dining room on left.


This internal wall really made our dining room very dark (no window in the dining room just a skylight). We replaced the dining room and hall floorboards.Although they were Kauri pine they were very damaged and we had several broken joists. We put down beautiful NSW Spotted Gum floorboards. I really love them.


Mid renovation:

Internal walls and cabinetry all gone

 

.....And now!! 


I actually hand painted the kitchen myself, Colour is Colorbond Dune by British Paints. It was a huge job but saved us $2500. The benchtop is Ceaserstone in Snow.


Below you can see a wine rack and a great storage cupboard at the back of the kitchen bench.


I love this rangehood that I designed and my builder built me. It has a concealed Ilve Rangehood that works like a charm.


Ikea double ceramic sink and beautiful Italian Gessi Tap.


View through study and lounge room to back garden. 



A wicker basket for potatoes completes the French feel.


I'll post the rest of the renovations over the next few weeks. Feel free to leave me a comment as I'd love your feedback and am happy to answer any questions.

Cheers
Fiona xx

76 comments:

  1. You lucky gal! What a beautiful kitchen! You did a great job with the painting and the colour is divine! Thanks for sharing!!
    Marita :)

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  2. Wow - looks soooooo great! I love it!!!

    Tine

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  3. Such an amazing job! The colour is lovely

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  4. that is absolutely amazing, and i LOVE the cabinets color. and all the builtins. very custom look-gorgeous!

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  5. Wow Fiona, what a fantastic before and after. I adore your color choices, your kitchen is so pretty, so soothing, so modern! Thanks so much for sharing your inspiring kitchen makeover, I love it! Bravo !!!!
    xo
    Kate

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  6. Just gorgeous. Everything...the colors, the appliances, all looks great.

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  7. There are so many elements of your kitchen that I like. The IKEA sink is something that I'm considering for my kitchen. I love your stove!

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  8. Oh my! What don't I love about this kitchen?! I'm so jealous of your farmhouse sink and the stove hood is amazing! You guys did a beautiful makeover! The cabinetry color is perfection, too! Thanks for sharing all your hard work! :)

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  9. Holy WOW! Your changes are all so perfect. I love pretty much everything. The storage next to your refrigerator is a dream for a small kitchen. I love the colors, the small details, and I am swooning over your gas range. Gorgeous. All of it.

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  10. wow, that looks amazing! great, great, great job!

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  11. can I have your permission to post the before and after pics on my blog?

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  12. Your kitchen is beautiful,love the colors and everything you've done. I want to see more so I'm following along now.

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  13. oh my!! I am having some serious wine rack and range envy! ;) Just stunning. Love the color you used on the cabinets. So soothing and rich!
    Thanks for linking this up!

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  14. Just fabulous, love the color of the cabinets!

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  15. Love the colors! Great work! Is the Dune on the cabinets or walls?
    Kate @ welcomedtempest.blogspot.com

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  16. hi Kate = Dulux is an Australian brand so I'm not sure if you have it in the States. The wallsare painted Sleigh (Dulux) and the cabinetry is Colourbond Dune (Dulux).

    Thanks to everyone else who has commented and started following my blog. So nice to hear from you all. I am really enjoying being part of this creative blogging community. Connecting with such lovely people from all around the world.

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  17. Gorgeous kitchen!! Love the color on the cabinets, the amazing range and hood, well its all lovely! I think with some quality photography, this space would really shine.

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  18. wow what a transformation, it's gorgeous. I love the color you painted the cabinets.

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  19. What a gorgeous remodel! I love everything about it - the cabinet color and style, the farmhouse sink, the stove. Fantastic!

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  20. Such a beautiful remodel! Love that sink!!!

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  21. Beautiful! I'm swooning over here! Love the color of the cabinets,great choice!

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  22. beautiful and i love the color you chose

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  23. Awesome transformation! I love the gray cabinets, the flooring, everything. Nice work.

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  24. Beautiful! That stove is to die for. I could do some major cooking for my large family on that baby! Great job!

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  25. Beautiful! I love the color of the cabinets and your countertops are great. Love the range hood and sink too!

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  26. Hi Fiona: In the middle of my own kitchen remodel. Love your kitchen..Great choices. I can't find that sink on the IKEA website. What is the name or product number?

    Heather

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  27. WOW! What an amazing transformation. You are very talented and have a great eye for beautiful decorating. Wonderful work!
    Lindsay
    countrygirlhome.blogspot.com

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  28. this is LOVELY!! I am torn between black and white cabinets and DH really wants a dark wood. However, he may go for a greyish color like this :D

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  29. hi Heather Mrs C - The product name for the sink is Domsjo. It isnt on the australian or US website but is on the canadian one. but you can get it in store. Ikea has a sinlge or double Domsjo sink. I'll write a separate post about it but thought i'd let you know now.
    cheers Fiona

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    Replies
    1. It is a gorgeous piece of art and really showcases the room. Its functionality is awesome--takes a heavy load, cleans up like a breeze. I have the double sink. No more trying to hide the kitchen sink. It is offered in the states now-- for about $400, that's $2000 less than cheapest rival apron sink I've seen.

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  30. gorgeous. I was just at Ikea last night drooling over that sink! Love it all!!!!
    Tana

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  31. Your kitchen looks amazing! We are just beginning to demo ours and are living with drywall dust and camping in the dining room!

    Hopefully it will look as good as yours!!!

    Sue @ Beach Bungalow
    xo

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  32. Gorgeous! Most impressed that you painted all that cabinetry by yourself!! Have got to see how you did that - I would be intimidated by such a huge project! Beautiful!

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  33. Fabulous. So calming, serene and sophisticated. You are amazing!
    ~Pam
    pamspaintparlor.typepad.com

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  34. LOVE the gray cabinets. It turned out beautiful..You must be so happy....nice to meet you...just became a new follower...please visit and follow me at:
    www.cottagelivingfrombeachtoburbs.blogspot.com

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  35. This is fantastic. Love the fresh colors and your hood! Lots of kitchen makeovers going on. I am going to paint my walls soon. Thanks for joining WUW!

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  36. Gorgeous kitchen transformation!! I love the soft color choices. Martina

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  37. Loving your farm sink from Ikea! When I saw it the lat time we were there I was drooling over it. Your kitchen looks soo nice!

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  38. Just beautiful! Love the color of your cabinets. Is the Dune the wall color or the cabinets? I love that stove. What a dream to cook on I'm sure. The floor is gorgeous also.

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  39. Looks wonderful! So inspiring... I love the color of the cabinets. So many lovely details. Lucky you... congrats!!! ~osc

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  40. Oh Fiona! You kitchen is absolutely gorgeous! I love the colors. BEAUTIFUL!

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  41. thanks for sharing this at my party! i love this room, the post i did earlier today was all about dream kitchens, this has almost everything in it that i dream about. even the color! just gorgeous.

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  42. Visiting from Type A and now your newest follower. This is drop-dead gorgeous!!! Love the colors and the clean lines. You've inspired me!!

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  43. That really looks great. I think I need to check out Sketchup.

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  44. Hi Fiona, love your kitchen! Just wondering if your builder had a template when constructing your rangehood? Would love to get my builder to do something similar.

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  45. Big Fi. Very nice job. Not as good as Barton Tce West though. Can't beat good chipboard.

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  46. your kitchen is beautiful, fiona! i LOVE the cabinet color- it is all so light, bright, and airy!

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  47. Google SketchUp really is a lifesaver for people who want to try their hand at planning the design of their own place for easier visualization. And I gotta hand it to you, the way you planned it is stellar!

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  48. Thanks Kathy – I love google sketch up. What a great free tool. And it really helped me decide on some of the design details. Much better than paying an expensive kitchen company!
    Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend
    Cheers Fiona

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  49. You created a beautiful interior. I am impressed. I watched your post several times, are very beautiful.

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  50. That is a beautiful renovation! We're undergoing some Kitchen Remodeling in my NJ home and I am stuck in the mess. Seeing your great pics gives me some hope!! Thanks for the great blog!

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  51. So lovely. Light and bright but not bright white. Perfect color!

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  52. What a transformation! It looks so wonderful! Great job! And way to paint yourself!!

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  53. The grey is amazing. I cannot believe how good your kitchen looks congratulations.

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    1. thanks so much, one year on and I'm still loving it!!

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  54. Hello, love your kitchen, it is just what I'd love in our new house. Where did you get the kitchen cabinetry from? I love the doors and handles. Thank you! J

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  55. What a GORGEOUS KITCHEN!! GREAT JOB ;-) Can you tell me what kind of counter tops those are?

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  56. Very well done in renovation your kitchen.

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  57. Hi Fiona
    I am in love with your kitchen!! I know it's a year on now, but I'm looking at doing a similar renovation to the 'original' kitchen in my place. Was wondering roughly what the dimensions of your kitchen are? I've got an awkward space to work with and am trying to visualise the possibilities :)
    thanks!

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    1. hi
      thanks so much, I will blog tomorrow with the actual plans so you can have the exact measurements. it's not a huge space (big for inner west but not big for a kitchen)
      check back tomorrow on the home page for details and good luck for your ktichen redo
      Fiona

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    2. Thank you so much for your response- the post is fantastic. I'm really interested to check with local cabinet makers now- I'd ruled them out as too expensive but might be worth a check!

      cheers
      keirin

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    3. hi Keirin, If you live in Sydney email me and I can put you in touch with my builder and his cabinet maker. just email me at lilyfieldlife@bigpond.com and I will send details.
      glad you found the post useful
      good luck with it all
      Fiona

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  58. Lovely. I think designing your own is the only way to go. Hiring someone to design gives you their vision, not your own. Also a designer lean towards trendy things and often ignores the rest of the home. Sometimes you have to defend what you want--who needs that. I'm sure a good designer will listen & guide but they are few and far between--not to mention expensive.
    BTW I count 10 dials on the oven. 6 burners, 2 ovens what are the other 2 for?
    Beautiful job. It will never go out of style.

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    1. hi Charlene
      thanks for all your comments. eyr the ikea sink is great isnt it. one of the burners has two dials (it's a wok burner so one outer and one inner ring) and then one of the ovens has two dials (function and temp).
      cheers FIona

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  59. Wow this kitchen looks great.... such a transformation! I am in the process of remodeling my kitchen. What has helped me the most is this cabinetry measuring guide (https://www.cabinetstogo.com/measuring-guide.html). No more guess work and saves a ton of time. Hope this was helpful!

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  60. Wow! What a great transformation. And thank you for the honest Ikea sink review- that is how I found your blog. We are about to embark on a reno of our own and I am always drawn to the apron front sink- especially for our New England home, which was built in the 1820's. I love the price of the Ikea but I do worry about upkeep, especially with two small kids and a not so neat husband! I found your update post very helpful. You have a truly wonderful eye. Gorgeous job!

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    1. thanks so much Kate - you will love the Ikea sink. I now have a tiny chip in the base of mine but it's not really noticeable. I should have been using the sink mats!!
      cheers Fiona

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  61. hi Fiona, we are about to demo our 30 year old kitchen and will be using Ikea Adel cabinets, butcher block benches and Domsjo double sink. As we will be customising some of the cabinets and side panels etc, I was wondering about the paint finish. Yours looks fantastic. I don't think I will have too much trouble matching the off white of Adel, but getting the actual finish is a bit of a worry. Did you brush paint, roll or spray your cabinets? Also did you use a gloss or satin finish? Thank you for sharing your kitchen reno, it has been really helpful for getting the look we want in our kitchen. cheers

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    1. Hi Leoni

      All the details are on the blog – I’ll try and find the post. I hand painted the cabinets.
      ( with a brush)
      Taubmans Trim paint in colorbond dune colour. http://www.taubmans.com.au/Paints/Water-Based-Enamel-Trims
      Great paint and well wearing
      Satin finish
      Sorry for brevity , rushing now but thought I’d answer straight away – lots of emails as you can imagine.
      Good luck with your new kitchen –it’s well worth getting the details right. You’ll love the sink!!
      Fiona

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  62. I love your kitchen...even though its not a huge kitchen the use of space is perfect...you can never have enough workspace! I have always found that kitchens never have enough plugs and I like things to be out on the surface so you dont forget them...which is probably why I could never go for one of those shiny modern minimalist kitchens where you are afraid to touch the cupboards because of fingerprints and every surface is empty! I absolutely adore you dining room ceiling...that is a wow factor...what a find, you must have been thrilled to bits when you saw that! You have done a fantastic job!

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  63. Hey Fiona,

    What a nice share!!

    I loved that beautiful kitchen of yours. The photos are mesmerising!!
    There's a great difference in the past and present photographs of the kitchen. I am going to renovate my kitchen very soon, that is the reason why I landed on this page.
    It was of great help. The kitchen ideas were superb, especially that white work surface. I just loved it.

    Thanks for sharing this wonderful post!!

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  64. Your French kitchen renovation and reveal are absolutely stunning. The transformation is remarkable, and the attention to detail shines through. It's a testament to your design skills and a source of inspiration for anyone embarking on a kitchen makeover.

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Thanks for taking the time to comment! Sorry if you have trouble commenting, you can always email me at lilyfieldlife@bigpond.com