Although I knew from day one exactly what to do with the kitchen, other rooms were more problematic, so painting them was at the top of the list.
Since paint is the cheapest and quickest way to transform a space, that would make the place feel more like home and give us the encouraging boost to conquer another kitchen remodel.
Since we loved the kitchen remodel so much in our Texas house, we wanted to create the same look.
The renovation plan for this 10-year-old kitchen included painting the walls a lighter color, installing a microwave over the stove, replacing the old appliances, replacing the window treatments, removing the nonfunctional wobbly shelves over the sink, painting the cabinetry white, new hardware, new countertops, and new chandelier.
Oh, and cookbook storage…currently on the ledge between the kitchen and family room.
Installing microwave over the stove
Thus, step one, just like in Texas, was the installation of a microwave over the stove.
I’m befuddled as to why houses built in 2000, like both my Texas house and now my Virginia house, don’t have a microwave installed over the stove.
Although I cook via grilling outdoors and with the stove/oven indoors, the microwave is so handy for quick reheats of food and liquid.
Unless the kitchen is massive, it takes too much valuable real estate to place a microwave on the countertop or in other cabinetry.
Thankfully this came up in conversation with our inspector, who explained that the current cabinet of our Virginia house was too low to the stove to simply place a microwave underneath…thus, a coding violation.
Why was this Virginia house built like this, when the Texas house (below) was set up to simply add the microwave?
Annoyingly, we went a few months without any microwave until all the other main floor rooms were painted.
Then we dug into the kitchen.
Display shelf over microwave
At the suggestion to raise the cabinet over the stove to the proper height for adding a microwave underneath, I saw pros and cons.
Tall as I am I would not be able to reach a cabinet that high, although an elevated profile would add a focal point over the stove.
That got me to thinking…how about cutting the cabinet down to size and leaving it as open shelving to create a display shelf for seasonal décor?
That became the plan.
Demo included removal of the cabinet, the wobbly wooden shelves over the sink, and the window treatments left by the previous homeowner.
After the cabinet was cut to size and reinstalled, a new over the stove microwave was placed.
Further upgrades
After patching holes in the wall, the dark green walls were transformed to creamy yellow.
Meanwhile I sewed a blue floral on yellow valence for the large picture window overlooking the deck, under which we had installed new continental blinds.
Needing cookbook storage, I kept an eye out while shopping and found a French Country wrought iron shelf that looks great in the bare corner tucked out of the way from the action.
Stay tuned for more!
