A Modern Kitchen Alongside Blonde Wood Cabinets
Karin is a pet photographer from Minneapolis and apparently when she’s not snapping fairly pictures of pooches, she’s busy creating a fairly darned excellent kitchen. We know you folks like to a see non-white kitchens when those come in, and this one is in fact an all wood one. Check out her letter below, which I have peppered with some of Karin’s excellent before & afters. Well, and one demo-tastic during shot.
Hi The house team! You’ve been an inspiration for my husband and I as we purchased our first home last summer and immediately began tearing it apart. After years of renting, we at last took the plunge and purchased our first home. We hoped something open and modern with plenty of natural light. Thanks to our HGTV-watching experience, we had a good handle on what to look for versus things we could change ourselves. When we came across a semi-neglected house, it had all the “must-haves” for us and we went for it. This house was in fact by far the least pricey of the ones we saw, allowing us to make some fairly big changes.
Although the before images do not convey this too well, the kitchen/dining area was dirty, tired, and needed a lot of assist. Cola (I think?) was spattered on the walls, the carpet was had a minor flea infestation, and most of the tiles in the kitchen were cracked.
Jeff and I salvaged and donated what we could and took a sledgehammer to the rest. We did as much as we could ourselves (and with the assist of family) and called in the pros when it was truly necessary (installing 600 pounds of structural beams, running a gas line to the stove, etc.). We have learned so much… and more! And to save some money we shopped around for discounts (the dining chairs are from Overstock and we in fact DIYed the dining table with legs from Ikea).
I frequently referenced many how-to’s on YHL (hello backsplash!) and you two helped instill a sense of fearlessness to tackle many “scary” projects with no previous experience. Thank you and take care! – Karin
We enjoy how light and airy this kitchen feels (proving that wood cabinets can still add up to a pleasant bright kitchen). Karin has tons of extra pictures on her photography journal along with a source list. Oh, and since we’d be remiss not to end with a shot with dogs in it – here goes nothing!
What is your go-to part? The dogs? Me too. Although those dining chairs, stools, and fairly island lights have Sherry oohing and ahhing, and I enjoy the sleek cabinet hardware and that cool waterfall edge on the island’s countertop.
