A log cottage kitchen transformation

Well after a loooonnngg break, I’m back at blogging. I hope your summer has been going along well, mine has been busy, as per usual with projects, cottage company and gardening. But of course, come January I will be wishing for that summer busyness. In today’s post I’m sharing my log cottage kitchen which we recently renovated. This post will showcase my steals and splurges on this kitchen reno.  So sit back, grab a coffee or tea and follow along on my log cottage kitchen reno adventure. Huh, maybe renoventure….it really should be a word.

log cottage kitchen with blue cabinetry, stone island and open shelving

So this kitchen started looking like this.

Before Kitchen

So let’s start with the bad:

  • lots and lots of wood, so much so that it felt dark and dingy
  • drop down breakfast bar on the island that was too low for anyone to actually sit at
  • the wood window shutters, more wood??
  • leaking sink and faucet
  • ineffective and insufficient lighting
  • false ceiling over sink, which made that area even darker
  • floral backsplash
  • chipped and lifting countertop
  • desk area that was not functional

However, it had lots of good:

  • size and layout was great
  • flooring is in great shape
  • stone island wall
  • most cabinetry boxes were in great shape
  • two large pantries which were still working well
  • vent downdraft was existing
  • corner china cabinet
  • lots of windows
  • lots of counter space

So our TO DOs were to:

Before kitchen

Before kitchen Before kitchen

So there were definitely lots of places where we could save money. Originally I wanted to keep the cabinet fronts and just have a few made to match and then paint the entire kitchen.  However, once I took the cherry fronts to a few companies for an estimate on refinishing, they gave me the bad news that the finish on them was in such bad shape that they would have to be stripped bare. Which was going to be approximately $100 per door, not including the cost of spray painting them. So…onto Plan B – all new cabinet fronts. I can’t say it was inexpensive as it was a custom job but I am thrilled with the results.

The plan on computer via Sketchup. I love that it actually came out really close to my original plans.

Log cottage design with ketchup Log cottage design with sketchup Log cottage design with sketchup

Cabinetry

The decision for a blue/grey colour for the cabinets was made shortly after we moved in and it was still my top choice. With all the orange of the wood, the cool tones of the blue/grey are a soothing visual relief. It complements the wood and allows the remaining wood in the kitchen to sing. No one used to notice the log ends by the pantries before but now everyone points them out.

log cottage kitchen with blue cabinetry, stone island and open shelving

Once we had a good look at the cabinetry we realized that all the lower drawer cabinets were sagging so we made the decision to have all new lower cabinetry made. We also removed the desk under the window. Due to the lower windows in this area, I decided to have cabinetry made to look more like a piece of furniture here. The two large cabinets house all my big platters, bowls and serving dishes and the open shelving offers some display area.

I had been going back and forth on whether to use butcher block here or continue with the quartz countertop. However, once the quartz fabricator did his measurements we were looking at having to purchase two slabs to cover the entire kitchen. So the butcher block was the perfect way to keep the budget in check and since they were from Ikea they were a steal. Plus they are a great match to the existing wood.

The existing china cabinet was refaced and I had new seeded glass installed that looks like water droplets, so pretty! I also had new lighting installed so it can be lit for entertaining.

The center upper cabinetry was all removed and I added in one small upper cabinet where the existing microwave cabinet had been. This was specifically for glasses and mugs as I knew this would be the tea/coffee area. Black cabinetry hardware was added with square knobs on the cupboards and cup pulls on the drawers.

log cottage kitchen with blue cabinetry, stone island and open shelving

The rest of the cabinetry boxes stayed and just fronts were made for them. I also had the dishwasher and fridge panelled to match. This was a splurge but I DO NOT regret a penny of it. In fact this is my hubby’s favourite thing in the kitchen.

Island

I also wanted to keep the stone island as there is a matching fireplace and exterior garden walls. This stone is local and comes from a closed iron ore mine that my father-in-law used to work at. So there’s sentimental and practical reasons for keeping the stone. My husband wanted the kitchen to have two colours so I was happy to accommodate this by painting the island in a soft black, which was pulled from the stone colour.

However, once the new induction cooktop and downdraft fan were bought we realized that the existing island was about 2-3″ short in depth to accommodate them.  My carpenter was a genius in managing to keep the stone front of the island, by propping it up while the rest of the entirely new island was built around it.

The fun with the island didn’t stop there. Because of the drop down breakfast bar the stone was too short for the now one level island. This shortfall was fixed by having a piece of wood cut to fit and painted the same black/grey as the island. And then of course there were the holes left when the existing supports were removed. My husband, was the hero at this point when he found stone that would fit and fixed all the gaps. Lastly, custom corner corbels were added to each end of the island.

Log cottage kitchen with stone island

Open wine storage was added back on one end and a beer/wine fridge now installed in the island, holds even more. About 6″ of unused space at the far end of the island became a cupboard with narrow shelves perfect for holding cat food supplies. An electrical outlet was also added on the far end of the island for convenience.

Shelving

The live edge wood shelving was a real labour of love. I knew I wanted them to be floating with no visual means of support and that took some doing. We purchased the shelving rough from a supplier and had them cut to size. I spent many, many hours taking off the bark and sanding them down. Then my husband went to a welder to have custom supports made that were then drilled into the log walls to ensure they would be completely stable. Then the shelves themselves had to be drilled to match the metal support dowels. We were thankful that we found all these amazing labourers in our little town. Once up we both loved them and they were definitely worth all the effort.

Log cottage kitchen with live edge open shelving detail

Now they house all our everyday dishes and a few special pieces that I rotate once in a while, when I tire of the view.

Countertops, sink and faucet

As I mentioned above I used quartz for the main counters and butcher block for the lower cabinet by the window. I am still in love with these quartz counters. They have a casual, natural feel and the slight veining in them helps to disguise any dirt.

Quartz countertop

iPhone pic

For the sink I originally wanted a farmhouse sink but it wouldn’t work with the angled corner of my kitchen without moving the dishwasher and since I was trying to keep the costs low, I went with Plan B again. A stainless steel, rounded square sink.

log cottage kitchen with blue cabinetry, quartz counter and sink and faucet detail

I went back and forth on either a double, single or one and a half sink. I ended up selecting the one and a half sink. Since the area wasn’t too big, a double sink would have meant two tiny sinks. So the convenience of having two sinks won out.

log cottage kitchen with blue cabinetry, quartz counters, sink and faucet details

The Artesso articulating faucet was generously donated by Brizo in exchange for my blogging about it.  I loved this faucet and planned alot of things around it. I knew I wanted a dark finish to contrast with the light cabinetry and counters.

Log cottage blue kitchen with faucet detail

She’s a beauty and I absolutely enjoy her every day.

Lighting

I also wanted dark finishes on my lighting but I love the look of mixed metals. So I went with dark finishes but with little hints of bronze.

Log cottage blue kitchen with lighting detail

log cottage kitchen with blue cabinetry, stone island and open shelving

As you can see in this picture above the large pendant has a dark grey and bronze finish.

log cottage kitchen with blue cabinetry, stone island and open shelving

The articulating sconces are also a dark finish but with bronze necks. The sink pendant also has a dark  finish but with clear glass.

The wall you can just see on the left I made into a chalkboard. It’s a fun place for everyone to put messages.

Backsplash

I kept the backsplash neutral and clean, since there were enough finishes and textures going on. So even, though I love a fun cement tile, I kept it simple. This large scale subway matte tile has a handmade look and with the soft grey grout it is pretty timeless.

Log cottage blue kitchen with white subway tile and live edge wood shelves

It covers the entire back and side walls of the kitchen. We painted the walls above the cabinetry the same colour white as the tiles to keep the flow.

Log cottage blue kitchen with white subway tile and live edge wood shelves

This was not quite a complete gut but it was certainly transformative. Most people who had seen the kitchen previously, think we have enlarged the space. It just goes to show how light and brightness can make such a difference your home.

Now, how can we transform your kitchen?

*Photography credit: Melissa Kew Photography – all photos except before and iPhone pictures

 

 

Catching up….

So how is everyone? I’m great. I’ve had a ridiculous crazy end of summer, early fall, but it’s all good. I thought it’d be a good time to catch up with everyone and share all my news.

So first up, my daughter got married a few weekends ago at our cottage. And for those of you that follow me, you may remember my son, also got married at the cottage, the same weekend, last year.  Crazy two home grown weddings in one year…and yes, I’m still recovering. So pretty much for the months of August and September, we were busy getting the place wedding ready, which entailed having the exterior window frames painted, the beach roto-tillered within an inch of it’s life, roof repairs and of course, the never ending job of keeping critters from ripping up our lawn, for the oh so tasty grubs (we kind of failed on this point, but I’ll get to that later). We also were having a new furnace and air exchanger (which also acts as an air conditioner) installed the week before the wedding. So needless to say, I was a little stressed out about it all, until it was finally installed and working the Tuesday before the wedding….phew!

My daughter and son-in-law had decided on late fall, so that it would be nice and cool for them….well, not exactly how it turned out. We had our heat wave in mid to late September this year, so our cool fall wedding turned into a blazing hot 40 celsius summer wedding. So obviously, we cancelled the propane tent heaters we had ordered.  But at least it wasn’t raining and the a/c was working!!!

Here’s a few candid shots from the day.

wedding ready beach

wedding flowers

Bride and groom

Wedding

It was a spectacularly great day and since one of my son-in-law’s groomsmen, is a master of fireworks, we had a spectacular show once it got dark. You can check my Instagram video to see them. And you can’t even see the totally ripped up grass, courtesy of the family of raccoons that were being well fed with grubs….sigh…. Oh well, nothing is perfect.

So obviously the wedding kept me busy and just a few days before the wedding, the cottage was photographed for a design magazine. This was sooooooo exciting for me, of course, but it’s an incredible amount of work to try and get everything ready and picture perfect. So all the things I had put off and hadn’t finished, now needed to be done yesterday.  So there was alot of measuring, sourcing, purchasing, picking up, transporting of items, and of course, cleaning, lots and lots of cleaning. Here’s a few shots I took of the cottage prior to the photographer arriving.

Beach chairs

Conversation area on the deck with propane fire pit and

cottage dining room

cottage floral arrangement

cottage front porch

I’ll be sure and let you know when the issue comes out, but don’t hold your breath, it’s going to be awhile, as that is just the way it is, in the design magazine industry.

In between these two things, I’ve been working on completing a cottage reno and starting two bathroom renos. One bath is in full mode now, hopefully done in a week or two, and the other should start in the next few weeks. Here’s a little sneak peek of where the first one is heading, design-wise.

Bathroom tile selection, white and bright

Just realized the adhesive is showing on the top tile…opps. And the little squares are paint options for the clients to view. Once I have proper photos, I’ll let you know which paint colour was chosen.

And just yesterday, I was absolutely stunned to find out that I was nominated as one of the top 100 influencers in Interior Design for 2018. So if you have a minute and feel that I’ve somehow influenced your design style, I’d love your vote. Just click here or on the picture below and you’ll go directly to my name on the list.  Voting is open until Oct 10 and you can vote daily.  And just for that, I’m sending you a big hug and thank you!

Design Hounds Top 100 Influencers Nominee

 

So that’s all my news, sorry for such a long post, but I had a lot to cover. Have a fabulous weekend and to all my fellow Canadians, Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your turkey day!

Lisa

Quick cottage refresh and award winning kitchens

How is your Spring going? Lots and lots of rain here, really hoping that our late spring/summer improves soon. We’ve been busy recovering from the flood at our cottage and celebrating our daughter’s upcoming wedding by having her bridal shower this past weekend. It was a lot of fun and I’ll be sharing some pictures of that later this week or early next week.

fresh and bright country cottage shelf detail Photography credit: Melissa Kew Photography

 

Today, I actually have a few links to share. CDECA (The Canadian Decorators’ Association) just published their post on the 6 award winning kitchens for 2017. I’m happy to be included in this amazing group of designers/decorators. Click on the picture above to see all the winning kitchens.

And if you are looking for a few tips on how to do a quick cottage spring refresh, check out the article that I contributed to in the online magazine, More.

Happy Wednesday and here’s to some more sun!

Lisa

 

A bright and fresh country kitchen – CDECA Silver award winner

Not a very humble title but I’m a little stoked to have my bright and fresh country kitchen win the Silver award for CDECA’s Decorating and Design Awards.

I thought I’d share the Youtube video showcasing my cottage kitchen.

Very exciting for me! And I’d like to say a big congratulations to all the 2017 winners.

Lisa