Met Monday......the kitchen, from country to french roosters.

Time for Metamorphosis Monday......thank you Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

, for hosting us! Be sure and check out Susan's great blog and also the other Met Monday posters this week. See what they have transformed.

I had to dig up some old photos of my kitchen and how it use to be, well phase one and 2 of it's transformation.

When we bought our house in 1997 this lovely 1980's space had gold patterned falling apart flooring, all dark wood cabinets and gold appliances. ICK!

When we were first married we rented at first an older home in our home town that the owner had just remodeled the kitchen on. But nothing I had went with it.

It was white cabinets, grey flooring and black counters. I went with bright red and thus started the watermelon period of my life.

Back to this home, so those things came with me and I first did our kitchen in a very country store like theme.

Red is my favorite color and I like a bright cheery kitchen, so there you have it.

I liked it for a long time but was ready for a change.

And buying one thing made me change the whole thing, you know how that is?

Before.......

A view of the kitchen with watermelon country store theme.

Just after we had redone the floors in here I believe.

(Click on photos to enlarge and hopefully they will for you.)

A view of the table corner with all my collectibles etc.

I hand painted the table and chairs myself.

A view of the table corner with hanging light above.

The space above the cabinets was done with a watermelon border wallpaper I found on eBay.

Old light fixtures were some I bought from a friends garage sale and repainted

and also added red and clear prisms too.

Most all the kitchen gadgets etc. hanging around the back splash etc. are family pieces, that were

either my mother's or grandmother's.

I have alot of red and green handled kitchen gadgets and I still like to collect

different and unusual gadgets.

I had handpainted all the watermelon cabinet pulls.

We had the countertops and back splash redone in really dark green and offwhite tiles and formica. Was to to expensive to justify granite or corian when we were not

redoing all the cabinets.

We refaced and painted the cabinets ourselves.

And we replaced all the appliances as we needed to.

All the things I had collected on plate shelves around the eating corner.

Some items I could not part with when I did the redo, as they were family things etc., so they have been saved and stored away for a later room maybe.

After photos........more of a french country rooster look.

When I did the redo, I had a couple garage sales that summer and sold most of the old stuff ( except family things) which helped to pay for the new things or the redo things.
I even did a wallpaper inset on the pantry door, trimmed it out with molding.

Adds some character to an otherwise plain door!

The open shelves as they are now, they hold alot of my collectibles

and I like my storage baskets on the bottom.

The bottom cabinets hold all my china sets and extra serving tableware.

On top of the fridge I even have a vignette.

One of my favorite bird cages hangs here.

Some of the kitchen accessories now

And the wallpaper.

One of my first Tablescapes for Tablescape Thursdays.

Shows the kitchen as it is these days.

Still has my red but more rich red or brick red.

Love it!

Hubby really liked this change when I did it, I was surprised.

This set of cupboards with open shelves on the top is what started the whole redo of the kitchen.

I found it at an antique shop in town for $250, already distressed but with no backing on it.

It had been a built in in an old home.

So we put plywood on the back of the lower cupboards.

Then on the top before we put on the plywood I wallpapered it to match the insets of the existing

kitchen cabinets.

I love the contrast of the red against the distressed antique white.

I also put some plate rail molding inside some of the open shelves.

The larger chandelier above the kitchen table.

Sort of a distressed bronze finish. I really like this one

and the smaller version above the kitchen sink.

A view of the kitchen as I was still wallpapering above the cabinets.

With the insets of the cabinets already done with wallpaper and new hardware.

I also took down my kitchen gadgets hanging on the backsplash walls.

I now have my rooster plates or others that coordinate hanging in this area, almost look like

tiles that way.

Coordinated this light above the stove with the new chandeliers also.

I was happy to find matching smaller and larger chandeliers at Lowes for this redo.

And the tapestry rooster valance also from Lowes.