Prior to & Soon after: A Drab Victorian Kitchen area Gets a Daring Makeover for $50,000

When my greatest buddy, Mike, and I made a decision to take our shared adore of previous properties and passion for renovation and style and tackle a challenge with each other, we did not intend to invest in the very first property we saw. But then my real estate agent instructed us about a affordable Victorian in need to have of some appreciate in our household of Louisville, Kentucky. It was a behemoth of a dwelling with various decades of deferred servicing, and a time capsule of a kitchen area — entire with a jukebox. When the owner plugged it in and it performed a scratchy 45, we had been all in.

Mike and I dubbed the house Sleeping Elegance for the reason that we realized that hiding powering the overgrown snarl of shrubs devouring the household was a magnificent residence waiting around to be uncovered. Our plan: Carry the residence to life and sell it. When this was a total-dwelling reno, down to the bones, the kitchen is what manufactured us tumble in really like with the property — and we understood that the kitchen area would be what would sell it. So which is in which we devoted the lion’s share of our energy, consideration, and price range.

All collectively, the kitchen area took 22 months and $50,000 to renovate, like new mechanicals as perfectly as appliances, counters, and cabinets flooring set up and painting. That was a large amount much more time and funds than we ever imagined it would choose. Tears and Champagne most likely flowed in equal evaluate on bad days and superior, and there have been instances along the way we puzzled if we’d at any time be finished. But we just kept picturing the kitchen area the way we realized it could be, taking turns reassuring every other that it would be worthy of it, and in the conclusion it was almost everything we dreamed and much more. 

Regular for a Victorian-era residence, the kitchen was at the back again of the residence atypical for a Victorian kitchen area, the house was really substantial. Way too big, in reality. Simply because there was currently a dining place, one of our initially decisions was to slice the kitchen in 50 %.

A different huge selection? Taking the kitchen down to the studs and flooring joists. With only a couple of windows, lowered ceilings, cumbersome soffits around the extremely classic cupboards, and a combo of worn red linoleum tile and brown carpet, it just did not entice. So, away we went, bringing in a demo workforce to get the occupation done.

With a blank slate, we could see that the higher ceilings and freshly uncovered brick from the chimney could established the phase for what we envisioned as a nostalgic-glam kitchen area, heavy on drama. Farrow & Ball’s deep and saturated new Scotch Blue identified as to us, and even nevertheless we knew the spectacular shade broke just about every rule of true estate, we built the shade palette around it, deciding on clean, heat whites and greys elsewhere. 

Even with these daring selections, it was crucial to us to hold the sense of an outdated (maybe even Previous Entire world) kitchen area. We experienced baseboard custom made-produced in the very same dimension (additional than nine inches tall!) and model as what was originally in the residence, and our superb painter was able to restore most of the other woodwork.

The end result is a new kitchen that is still unquestionably appropriate for the era of the residence. In reality, the nicest compliment we’ve been given was from somebody who reported it didn’t glance like a intestine-occupation reno, but like a kitchen which is evolved around the yrs.

At the coronary heart of the kitchen is the array. From the beginning I realized I preferred a matte white gasoline stove, ideally Bertazzoni (because I’m obsessed with the Italian selection in my personal kitchen). I assumed the 36-inch Learn Sequence all-gasoline range would elevate the kitchen from attractive to a showstopper — and that it did.  

We set the stove in the island, bucking the additional normal placement of owning the sink there (mainly because I detest that at my home the cook’s again is to the space). As for the island alone, Mike and I located a satisfied compromise that authorized loads of area to stroll all around the island but nonetheless have a generous prep location.

Not anything was settled so amicably, however. We ended up bringing in an interior designer mate to mediate on a several added details of disagreement. In the higher cabinet debate, I acquiesced to her pronouncement that buyers would want uppers — my dread was they would near the area in and make it really feel dark. Spoiler: They did not, but I received on the Farm sink debate. I write for Kitchn — I know how significantly we all really like our farm sinks! 

Aiming for a advanced-but-even now-heat-and-welcoming really feel, we chose Shaker-fashion cabinets in a colour called Platinum from Cupboards To Go as a moderately priced option to tailor made cupboards, but splurged on gorgeous marble counters that pulled all the things collectively with its veins of deep blue.

For the flooring, we liked the strategy of significant-format tiles I’d famous as a craze when I attended the CERSAIE ceramic tile present in Bologna, Italy. A good friend in the industry generously offered two-foot-by-four-foot tiles for us as a check situation for a new product line, and we convinced the installers to make sure you install them even while they turned out to be pretty challenging to function with. Environment them on a diagonal was a ton of additional perform and substance, but built a environment of distinction.

The day the kitchen was formally finished, the two of us cooked a food jointly to rejoice our creation. Imagining the long term proprietor doing the same, and knowing we experienced actually presented the kitchen area anything we would have in our very own residences (and then some!) definitely did make it truly worth it.