Kitchen Reveal

Can you believe we are just a day away from celebrating Thanksgiving? I hope you all have your special thanksgiving pants ready... lol.

At Casa Marques, Thanksgiving is all about the kitchen— it’s the place where all the cooking and love will come from. As a result, Sergio and I knew it would be the ideal time to reveal our finished product. And I’m using the word finished loosely... there’s still tons of decor pieces I’d love to add to our shelves and space, but structurally this is the finished product.

But before we make the final reveal, let’s go back memory lane. Here’s what our small, old, enclosed kitchen looked like before:

And then remember when we did this to it and stripped it to its bare wood:

So without further ado, “Are you ready to see our kitchen?! One... Two... Three... TADA!”

I realized after the photo shoot that I forgot to add flowers to our vase, but I was way to excited to share this reveal with you all. #FlowerFail

The kitchen as a whole was a HUGE project to undertake and it was also our first project!

THE WORK DETAILS:

1. Our old kitchen had a small entryway from the dining room. We expanded the entryway and made an Art Deco design above the entry, this is a character design that the rest of the house showcases. We wanted to make it seem like that too was an original piece of the house.

2. We tore the wall separating the family room and the kitchen. This was so difficult since the wall was made from Dade County Pine (better known as “wood of steel”). It took us three days to finish removing said wall. But that opened up the space tremendously.

3. We removed the worn tile and replaced it with wood. The front half of the house has the original hardwood floor from 1940, we obviously could not get that wood to add to the second half of the house, but Lumber Liquidator has something close enough.

1. We installed new drywall and redid the lighting. The old kitchen had one light fixture in the center (it functioned as a fan too). We installed recess lighting and lights above the sink and above the kitchen seating area.

2. We had custom cabinetry installed. We took out the old cabinets that were slowly falling apart and with the help of a carpenter designed the layout of the kitchen. This part is fun because you get to design a space unique for your particular use. We wanted glass cabinets for the top and closed cabinets for the bottom. I still remember when the carpenter asked me if I was sure I wanted all glass cabinets for the top, he was concerned about hiding the mess. I was like I have other secret places to hide the mess... lol. In all seriousness, I highly recommend doing your own kitchen layout, it will help with storage and kitchen function.

3. We installed new kitchen appliances. I have always loved the custom paneled look of appliances. Unfortunately, not too many kitchen brands offer the panel-ready feature. This in essence means that you buy the refrigerator and dishwasher without its “doors” and you install wood doors that match your existing cabinetry. I highly recommend getting panel-ready appliances. We love getting asked where’s our refridgerator and our dishwasher. #FindWaldo Additionally, we added an induction stove-top, oven and exhaust with its built-in hood (also designed by us). Lastly, to save on space, we installed a drawer microwave.

4. We splurged and took a risk on the countertops by going with Calacatta Gold marble. I know Quartz is best and more durable, but the raw beauty and imperfections of the marble is so hard to replicate. Maybe one day we’ll regret it... but for now we are so happy with our choice! We also installed Carrera marble subway tiles as our backsplash. I wanted the wall where the hood is to be a statement wall, so we went a little out of tradition and installed floating shelves with the entire wall covered with the backsplash. My husband has already accepted that I’m so EXTRA...

5. We redid the plumbing. The refrigerator was installed where the oven is today and we had to redirect the water source to place it where the refrigerator is today. Since there was an existing water source where the oven is today, the plumber recommended installing a pot filler in that space. A pot filler is a faucet above the stovetop where you can fill your pots with water, hence the name “Pot Filler.” It’s one of those things that once you have it, you wonder how did you function without it... lol. It avoids you transporting your pot with water for pasta or just for boiling water. We also installed a farmer’s sink with new faucets.

6. The hold details— the kitchen is white, but to bring warmth we added gold touches throughout. The hardware and light fixtures are all gold.

GET THE LOOK:

1 | 2 | 3 (sim)| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

We absolutely love the final outcome! We use the kitchen peninsula daily to eat our meals and Sergio, the chef of the house, loves cooking in his kitchen!

We thank you for following along our journey and we hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Love Always,

Jenni