Rounds’ Kitchen Remodel | The Finished Product |

Rounds’ Kitchen Remodel | The Finished Product

January 8, 2016 by Katie Rounds

This past summer we hired Troy with Modern Building and Design (www.modernbuildinganddesign) to remodel our kitchen. Remodeling is a long but fun process…here are some highlights from ours and pictures of the final product.

Our previous kitchen was a galley style kitchen that was very closed off to the front dining room and made it challenging to feel like you weren’t stuck in the kitchen alone when guests were over. There were also elements in the kitchen that we liked and wanted to preserve such as refinishing the cabinets instead of replacing them.

Here are some before pictures…

So…the design process ensued and lasted several months as we made all of the tough choices from countertops to faucets. We reached out to several contractors and designers along the way and got great pointers and advice from all of them that helped create the final product.

Here are some of the notes that I sent the contractors to help them envision what we wanted to do…

And of course, who can do a kitchen remodel without a Pinterest inspiration board. Here is a sneak peek at mine…

As this was going to be a long and messy process, we decided to schedule the demo start the same day we left for a two week California vacation. So as we pulled out of the driveway with the Yukon filled to the brim with luggage, Troy and his team pulled in and started tearing down walls. Over the next two weeks, Troy’s team worked tirelessly and finished the majority of the major work so when we came home, we would have a big reveal. This was probably the best part as we weren’t really looking at many progress photos over the prior two weeks.

Here are the only two images we saw during our vacation…

And then after a few final touches, the kitchen was complete and we couldn’t be more pleased with the final result. I’ve tried to note most of the items (brands and stores) below. This kitchen has made a huge difference in our home and I don’t think either of us would change a single thing. My favorite part is definitly being able to see out the front and back windows while in the kitchen and dining room.

A cute baby in a picture is never a bad idea…and since it was a wonderful rainy day…it was also a “stay in your PJ’s all day” kind of day.

Apparently a stuffed dog snuck into this photo with me knowing, I am sure it wasn’t the 18 month old that snuck it in there 🙂

This view would have never happened in the old kitchen…standing at the new island, you can face this direction and look out the front window while the kids play in the driveway.

These light fixtures are probably one of the most complimented items in the kitchen…certainly the statement piece and fit perfectly in the new skylight box.

We originally talked about doing just two normal skylights in this area…but Troy worked his magic and surprised us with this…it is simply perfect for the space and gives us the vaulted ceiling look that we originally wanted but didn’t want to spend the money to achieve.

We originally had a window over the sink but decided to enlarge the window and make it flush with the countertop. This is a custom window that opens from the center. We also had a custom pull-down screen installed (hidden at the very top in that circular shape) that is perfect to keep bugs out but the window open. As this window opens fully to the backyard, we also have the countertop flowing into the backyard to create an outdoor bar as well.

Of course I had to add in my favorite winter candle that I picked up from Notions and Clothery located in the Roose Parlour & Spa in downtown Phoenix.

The area rugs are authentic Afghan rugs that I purchased from a private seller on a local neighborhood sale page.

Our new coffee/drink bar is likely the most used area of our new kitchen. The shelves were a custom build by Troy and the lower cabinet was created from one of the leftover upper cabinets from the old galley wall.

Our new breakfast nook was finished off with this beautiful table that was built from scratch by Candice Norman at The Jones Yard (Jones Yard Facebook Page) and the custom pillows and cushion were created by my talented friend, Victoria Richardson. The chairs were abandoned chairs found at an old house that we sanded down and restored.