It has been over a year since we “finished” our kitchen and I can’t believe I’m just now getting around to sharing it with you. Mainly because this is probably the biggest “wow” moment I’ve had when it comes to the small changes we’ve made throughout our home.

You may recall from when I shared our kitchen in 2017 that when we bought this home three years ago, the kitchen looked like this.

After we bought it, we switched out the counters from this granite you can see above to Cambria Quartz (swanbridge). We also changed the light fixtures above the island. Those changes made the kitchen look like this.

But last year, we wanted to finish off the space a little more. This kitchen is what you see as soon as you turn the corner after coming in the front door, so when we decided we wanted to invest more into our home, this seemed like the most logical place.

Here it is now…

What all did we do? Well, first off, we got in touch with the people who made our cabinets and had them make matching cabinet boxes that would sit right on top of the current cabinetry, but this would allow the cabinets to run all the way up to the ceiling. We also added a layer of trim to the bottom of all of the uppers. If you look at the before pictures, you’ll see the upper cabinets just end at the bottom with no trim or anything. This one piece of trim across the bottom made a huge difference in making the cabinetry look more custom.

We also had a range hood made, which replaced the microwave that used to be right above the stove. Luckily we were able to salvage the microwave cabinet and move it into the pantry, where we built out a Butler’s Pantry. You can see in the photo at the very top how there used to just be wire shelving in there. Now it’s a finished space that serves a multitude of purposes—food storage, serveware storage, an arts & crafts cabinet for the kids, and then all the bottom cabinets underneath are for toys. It serves us well!

We also changed out all of the hardware to an aged brass finish, which really warmed up the space. I’ll link sources at the end!

Aside from that, it really was just some accessories that I personally feel really helped to make the space feel more layered and “finished.” The biggest one, which also happens to be the latest addition, are these Sunwashed Riviera Counter Stools from Serena & Lily. We have four of them, but I felt that just three look best in this space at the island. We keep the fourth one in the pantry, which is where I rest my purse down when we come in, although I moved it for the photo. It also is great to have that fourth one whenever we need more bar seating!

These stools are incredible for so many reasons. First of all, they wipe off. Our last ones were upholstered and got so dirty from the kids. Plus, I love the natural woven texture and color. I also really enjoy how these have more of a covered back to them than our last ones. Not being able to see through the backs to underneath the island cabinetry makes the whole space feel more “substantial,” if that makes any sense at all. Oh, they are comfortable, too!

They are available at Serena & Lily in lots of colors.

sources

stools    |     runner rug     |     lighting: lanterns above island and chandelier in butler’s pantry     |     faucet     |      cabinet hardware: drawer pulls and knobs     |     blue & white ginger jar     |     artwork by sink     |     cutting board     |     subway tile

Thank you to Serena & Lily for partnering on this post.