Emily’s Kitchen Reveal!

It’s been more than a year since I began my kitchen renovation and I’m finally ready to share the “AFTER” photos of the space. The renovation itself took a few months to complete. My husband, Justin, and I did most of the work ourselves in the evenings after our full-time jobs and on our free weekends. It’s taken me a while to get all of the finishing touches just right, but this space was well worth the wait. We are so happy with our new dream kitchen!

Let’s take a look back at where we started… The room was closed off, the soffits were a total eye-sore, and I felt like we weren’t using half of the kitchen.

Here’s a look at our wet bar area, located just off the living room, before the renovation. We never used the sink and needed upper storage for our glassware.

And now, our completed renovation:

Removing the wall between the kitchen and living room helped so much in opening the space and creating a better flow. I love how light and bright the room now feels. When we entertain, everyone gathers around the island (which has seating on both sides).

I really wanted to incorporate opening shelving somewhere in the kitchen. We ended up creating a “coffee bar” area next to the refrigerator with shallow base cabinets and warm wood shelving above. It’s the perfect place for our morning coffee routine and I love how the decorative shelves serve both form and function. We are able to quickly grab a coffee mug, grab a tea packet (in the blue ginger jar), and also display pretty artwork and accessories.

The former wet bar is now a dry bar. We have so much storage for all of our glassware in the upper cabinets. Below, we can store larger items like punch bowls and board games.

I also wanted to share photos of our living room which adjoins the kitchen. The two spaces really work well together.

Now for another look at before and after photos shot from similar angles.

BEFORE

I’m so glad that wall is now gone. It makes such a difference!

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Now for the wet bar turned dry bar!

BEFORE

AFTER

I hope you enjoyed the little walk-through of my new favorite place in my home! If you have any questions or comments I would love to hear them!

All after photos taken by the incredibly talented, Megan Lorenz.

www.meganlorenz.com