DIY Kitchen Remodel in a 1910 Home

The kitchen is officially DONE! I have to wholeheartedly thank my husband for the immense amount of work he did to make my kitchen dreams come true. Peter literally did everything in the kitchen- he even built the cabinets! I did help a little- I did a lot of the design work, painted and helped Peter when I could. This project turned out beautifully, is very high end, excellent quality and took about a year to complete (he does have a full time job). Here’s the fun before, during and after pictures!

The “before.” These are the listing pictures. We bought this house 5 years ago and the kitchen was fine. Because it was such a huge project and we wanted to get other projects done before we tackled the kitchen, we decided to wait a while until we were crazy enough to take on this task.

Notice the laminate flooring. A few months after we moved in, we ripped up all the carpeting and laminate floors on the first floor of the house and had someone refinish the original maple hardwood to a natural finish. This is one of the few projects we actually paid someone to do because it was quicker and easier for us as new parents.

This kitchen also featured soffits, poorly painted cabinets and appliances that looked ok but the fridge would leak and we wanted a gas stove instead of this electric one. The window above the sink was also impossible to open unless I stood on the counter and yanked it open. And the ceiling fan contained about an inch of grease covered dog hair on top of the blades- yuck!

The bottom right picture is actually the bathroom. If you want to see the before and after of this room, you can read it here!

Here’s some of the “during.” One of the reasons the kitchen took so long was we wanted to keep it as usable as possible during construction. So we demo’d the top cabinets first, did all the drywall/plumbing/electrical that needed done, and then tackled the bottom. While this was not a quick process, it did allow us to use the kitchen.

And here’s the amazing “after!” This kitchen is now a dream and I pretty much live in it. We wanted to keep it classic that would look timeless for decades, especially since this is such an old house. This kitchen is truly us and I could not have asked for anything better. And because Peter made the cabinets, we have a very high quality kitchen that was also cost effective.

Here are some design details we incorporated to keep this kitchen timeless:

1. Natural maple cabinets. Wood cabinets are always in style and this shaker finish is simple.
2. White countertops. White countertops always look clean and bright and are always on trend. This was the only other thing in our kitchen we hired out (remember, we had the floors redone by someone after we moved in). We chose solid surface because it’s good quality, doesn’t stain or scratch and is cost effective. We used a local countertop company to help with this project, Olson Enterprises.
3. Vintage backsplash. We wanted to have fun with the backsplash because that’s our personality. This black and white backsplash is bold and interesting while remaining true to this 1910 home.
4. White farmhouse sink. I was on the fence about the farmhouse sink. While I love them, I was concerned they were going out of style. But then I realized that a farmhouse sink fits this old home and would always look nice! The size is also amazing. This sink is physically smaller than the sink that was in the kitchen before but it seems much larger because it doesn’t have a center divider.
5. Slate colored appliances. We got new appliances a few months after we moved in. I had a hard time choosing a color- white looks cheap to me, stainless is not my style and black is too dark. And then I found this slate color, the perfect blend of new while remaining timeless. We also added a dishwasher! This house did not have a dishwasher when we moved in so the addition of one has been amazing.
6. A larger window over the sink. Who doesn’t love more natural light? Because we got rid of the soffits, we were able to install a larger window above the sink. And this one actually opens!
7. Vintage chandelier. This black chandelier is perfect for this old home.
8. Black hardware. Another thing I had a hard time choosing. Gold? Matches the cabinets too much… Silver? Would clash with the appliances… Wood? Too much wood… Black always looks good on a light wood. And because we had a black light fixture and black hardware, a black faucet seemed appropriate. Side note, don’t cheap out on anything plumbing. Buy a brand name like Moen or Kohler. They’re cost you more upfront but they’ll last. We’ve learned the hard way.
9. Wainscoting. This 1910 house has NO wainscoting and that was surprising to us. We thought she needed some.

Here are some things that we added for fun that we like now but can be easily changed if we ever don’t like them in the future:

1. Dark green walls. Green is currently trending and green with natural maple looks SO good. I chose Pittsburg Paramount Night Watch PPG1145-7 from Menards in an eggshell finish. My grandma always said to paint walls in an eggshell finish because it has a nice sheen while not being too shiny, and is cleanable. She was right.
2. Light green wainscoting and trim. This is the same color that is in the bathroom which is right off the kitchen, Sherwin Williams Sea Salt SW 6204. This color compliments the dark green very well, ties into the bathroom nicely and adds interest to the space. I chose a satin finish for this. Side note, did you know you can get any paint color you want from a less expensive place? All you need is the color code. I either go to Menards or Home Depot to get my paint, which has always worked great, and it saves me money.
3. Dark green floral rugs. I got these washable rugs off of Amazon and they have been great! They work beautifully in the space, can be thrown right into the washing machine, and I thought the bug and bird print was funny.

Here are some design tips if you ever want to tackle your kitchen:

1. Choose neutrals for the hard to change stuff like countertops, backsplash, floors and sink. Did you notice everything in this kitchen is neutral except for the accents?
2. Choose the best you can afford. If you buy cheap cabinets or plumbing, you’ll regret it in a few years when they need replaced or are falling apart.
3. Make your space what you love! This is your home and your kitchen. Don’t choose things just because they’re on trend. Choose things that make you happy because you’re the one who is living there.

Have you ever gone through a kitchen remodel? Leave a comment, I would love to read it! And make sure to sign up for email, and follow me on Instagram, LTK and Pinterest for my latest posts!

~Caitlin~