Hate say it but I think ledge stone is going to be a regrettable mistake. When most fast food places are using a product it’s time to take it out of high end design.

Holy Smokes! That is like night and day! Awesome!

Wow. That is one chopped up kitchen. It looks like a maze.

Hands up who’d have been happy with the before ? Is it just me? ( ok , lose the barstools…)

Oh no! Will you hate me if I say I liked it better before?

Please send me 1/4 the size of that kitchen for my own use. Stupid Brooklyn living.

I think it’s a bit overstimulating. The set-up wasn’t very good before, but the kitchen seems to feel lost in the new layout, despite every attempt to be warm and inviting with all of the wood, and stone, and rich earth hues.

I love the new version, with the exception of the two off-set islands. Is that odd to anyone else?

OMG I totally jumped in my seat when I saw the after! I think they did a marvelous job with such a huge (seemingly unmanageable) space. I think if I were standing in the kitchen “before”, it would have seemed as if they just kind of threw the appliances in along the wall and made that big ol’ counter because that was the shape of the room…right..so where else are we going to put things? The color choices/materials really ground the space.

I think the kitchen looks nice both before and after. As for wedding favors, how about a box of those delicious Savannah pralines?

loving the floor. what is it?!

we thought about designing & screenprinting t-shirts as our wedding favor…an interesting design that somewhere *very* subtly includes your wedding date or names…maybe play up the location since it’s a destination

It looks very nice.
My favorite upgrade (besides the appliances of course) is the windows.
I don’t know why they didn’t splurge on a gas stove.

the before was bleck. the after … mostly an improvement. i love the deep, rich wood of the cabinetry and the soft blue on the walls. but wood on the ceiling always feels oppressive to me and the stone on the wall doesn’t feel warm, it feels dated. it looks like they replaced two large windows and a door to the outside with a smaller window and some cabinets along the floor — that’s kind of a shame. there seemed to be more light coming in before. and the dual islands are a little weird.

while the before kitchen was dreadful, i must say that i am not overly impressed with the after- it’s a little lifeless, no real personality.

I agree with Chelsea that the After is overstimulating, and with Corwyn that there’s restaurant feel (although I get chain restaurant, not fast food).

I dunno, this is certainly a big transformation, but I feel like it went in a completely different sideways direction rather than up.

I would have been perfectly happy with the Before kitchen, but what really matters (we should remember!) is that Jordan likes the After. :)

Gotta say – just too hard and masculine for me…I need softness and color.

Before was not wonderful but after is truly awful. Like a black cave. Ugh.

You, clueless? i can’t believe it. The only wedding advice I have, after having had an incredibly stress-free wedding 7 years ago, is this: Don’t give yourself too many choices.

All the best withe the preparations!

What a phenomenal transformation! I love the natural materials with the metal and glass. I’m not wild about the black — it makes the room less inviting than another color (like white or green…) would. But I love the ceiling and floor and appliances.

It’s o.k not amazing. I am a fan of dark kitchens but i have to agree with Chelsea on this one: it is a little bit overstimulating.

I assume this person loves to cook and entertain, so the restaurant feel doesn’t really bother me. Definitely a more dramatic and interesting space. I would probably have made the second island more compact to allow for a larger dining area and used a gas stove instead of electric. Other than that, a job well done!

Kitchens are so very subjective, and it’s easy to be critical. My mom recently redid her kitchen– a pricey and mostly irreversible undertaking–and I was honest with her and told her I didn’t like it. I thought she’d be satisfied with the fact that SHE did and she’s the one who has to live in it, but she took it pretty badly and said I should’ve just been polite since she put so much time and money into the project and there was no going back. Not sure to what extent I agree with her, but that exchange was in the back of my mind as I looked at these pictures and read the comments. Now–attempting to be honest here without tearing apart the home owner’s choices–my initial reaction is that the Before was blah and uninspiring but had enough potential to be transformed via paint and accessories. IMO, such a major overhaul appears wasteful and unnecessary. I think that with the state of the world today, we should all be focusing on reusing, refurbishing and trying to make socially- and environmentally responsible decisions whenever possible, and the After seems to contradict that ethos

Before is MUCH more pleasing. The after looks dark, ugly, lowered the ceiling, and the floor looks like a leapard died giving birth. Sorry it wow, this is just the worst “makeover” I’ve seen.

Love this! It is so different. How do people just look at a space like that and come up with something so different than what was there before.

While the new kitchen holds together aesthetically I think I would find it quite depressing, and would prefer to live with the ‘before ‘ version.

As for the wedding favors, I would have no clue either, but I like Betsy’s suggestion of the Savannah pralines. Almost anyone would appreciate them (so many wedding favors seem geared to appeal to women only) and would add local as well as gastronomic flavor.

Wow…that is quite the transformation…love it. Some people have amazing vision.

i suppose some of the problem is how it has been staged. it’s missing signs of life.

I have to disagree and say that the BEFORE kitchen is completely serviceable for 99% of the world’s population. Seems kind of greedy to want to renovate it.

It’s this kind of spending for spending’s sake that has got the Western world in the financial crisis it’s in.

To me, it just looks like someone had money to burn

Hazel Smith and others:

You are reading a design blog. You may be kidding yourself if you believe you’d be happy to live with an ugly, dated kitchen because it is “serviceable for 99% of the world’s population.” Especially if you had the means to remedy that.

That is 1) self loathing, 2) self righteous, and 3) a serious case of martyrdom.

I want my life to be filled with beauty AND function. Even in the most mundane moments. (That’s one of the reasons I like this blog).

That doesn’t mean I have to spend a million dollars to create things that please me. But I’m not going to give up painting because people are starving in Ethiopia. (And that does not mean I’m insensitive to Ethiopians.)

I’m sorry, but the before was so much more appealing. The after just looks forced.

WHOA! one of the most dramatic b&a’s i’ve ever seen. what a difference (and what a huge space)

Ok, I hate that the comments were mostly more on the negative….But, I would have stuck with the old way. There was such potential with painting of the cabinets, different hardware, some kind of cool art. I too thought to myself that is alot of money spent on that, when I don’t think the kitchen was horrid before. It had so much potential. I think it just needed some LOVE. Each to his own! If that is what you wanted and you love it, then I hope you enjoy your kitchen.

Not sure on this one either, I love the dark cabinetry, and stainless steel elements but the heavily knotted timber floor and ceiling is too over powering. No location is mention for this home, I assume its in the woods, as this is the vibe I’m getting. If it is in the woods the makeover was successful in forming a connection to the location.

I’m with Mike: a compression of the second island (with the sink) and the use of a gas stove instead of electric. Since the kitchen is indeed so very large, using more earthy and warm-coloured paints on the walls and windows would be a cheap but effective way to condense the space. Perhaps using a larger and more industrial-style vent hood over the range would provide a solid focal point as well. Ooh using curved islands would help focus the space more, as it does look kind of “maze-y”. The design overall though is quite nice. It looks much better than before.

There are lots of things I like about the new kitchen, but one thing I really don’t like is the diagonal floor.

Wow! I would LOVE that kitchen…even though I don’t cook. :o)

Frightening! Both before and after.

A lot of haters, here. Do I detect a bit of jealousy?

The old kitchen was awful (sorry, it was beyond paint & accessories). The new kitchen may be a tad overdone, but it is well done.

About 90% of the kitchens in shelter mags are more than a “tad” overdone, and you don’t hate on them. Get over yourselves.

The thing that puzzles me is the use of the stone behind the stovetop- can you imagine trying to clean that??? A nice tile would have been beautiful, and way easier to maintain.

Design comment withheld, but a comment on the size of that room: TOO BIG!

I couldn’t stand having to go so far to put something in the dishwasher. It would really increase the amount of time spent in the kitchen….

Who needs that much stuff to merit that many cabinets?

It is 2009 – SIMPLIFY!

now that is a gorgeous kitchen remodel!

Wow- I didn’t expect so much feedback when I submitted this kitchen project, so in fairness to myself (hopefully without sounding defensive) I would to at least explain some of the choices and reasons for decisions because you can’t see everything.

The house was bought 1 year ago as a foreclosure; it has been on consistent can of worms. The cabinets were made of a laminate finish therefore I could not paint them. I consistently had to glue them back together and half of the doors were missing when we bought them so out pets really liked the readily available snacks from the pantry. The room in my opinion was to big so I tried my best to create a separate dining space, hence the double islands, they are farther apart than they appear.

The ceiling did not change, someone had already spent the time and money to put pine through out the entire house (all 6000) sq. feet, I didn’t care for it much myself in the beginning but it seemed such a waste to tear it out so I choose to work with it. Hence, the floor which is actually not new but a old barn I bought in MN to reuse the wood.

It’s also important to know the house is outside of the suburbs in St. Paul, MN. We are surround by several acres of nature and trees so I felt it was important to maintain the atmosphere and not create a city like kitchen in the country. We have our own well and septic tank for crying out loud.

The stone was used for two reasons, the adjoining room has a large fireplace with existing matching stone so I wanted to tie the two rooms together. The second is stone is natural and cooking elements such as grease spatter naturally soak into the stone and never have to clean it. Which bring me to the electric stovetop instead of gas, I love the look of a gas oven but my neatness and need for complete tidiness pushed me to choose the clean look of the electric.

The windows had to be replaced because if you saw the outside they had rotted through the wood because the previous owners let the yard and landscaping grow out of control for 5 years. In fact we received a notice from the city that a siding and window replacement was mandatory. We actually added an additional 9 windows to the room so forgive my own photography if I didn’t portray that.

For you budget folks, I am a 28 year female and I completed several of the items myself. I am versed in construction, plumbing and electrical… My father and mother taught me throughout high school because they thought it would be important and valuable to do as much work as I can myself. So fear not I helped the economy and I bettered myself.

In the end these submissions should be fun, I was glad I came across this blog. I am new to the industry so I thought I would submit my hard work, so thank you for taking the time to not only read but to offer your thoughts. If you ever in Minnesota and you want to see what it looks like in person send me a note.

Thanks you. Jordan

Way to go Jordan! I think it’s nice to see that someone created something out of the ordinary from the typical stuff you would see on this blog. Not everyone’s taste is white, merimekko, birds and such. I think the recycled barn flooring and diy nature of it is great! Your kitchen definitly looks like an amazing place to cook and entertain!

I really appreciate that this redo doesn’t have the “typical white, merimekko, birds and such” look of this blog – this look is everywhere and I am so tired of it. I think the kitchen turned out great – I love the black and the stone, and I appreciate that Jordan made the effort to create a contemporary look that would work well with the pine ceiling. My only dislike would be the floor, which feels too busy to me in addition to the rest of the room. But then it’s hard to tell from a photo. Overall, great job!

I don’t know what all the criticism is about. I would love to have this kitchen in my house instead of the tiny closet of a kitchen that I currently have. It seems very open and social. great for entertaining!

I love it, I just think the furniture needs to be more silver than black.

It was nice to hear the response from the artist! I have great respect for someone who is rehabbing a foreclosed property and putting so much time, thought and love into it. My fiance and I are actually rehabbing a foreclosure we bought over the summer. It’s a real challenge but a beautiful house despite its obvious years of mistreatment. I’m glad to hear of others doing the same thing. We have the same laminate type cabinets in our kitchen, the countertops are like plastic and everything is brown. It’s got a quirky 80s big square light fixture which actually could look interesting in the right place, but maybe not in this house-a 1928 colonial. So, maybe we’ll post our kitchen before and after someday. Kudos to Jordan for the inspiration.

[drool]

Dear Jordan, good for you! You owe no-one an a apology for how you spend your money but I love your reasoning. Not to justify myself but I’m sure you can see that the before kitchen did not expose all its problems – like us all it put its best face forward in a photograph. I also agree with arroyo – one man’s need is another man’s luxury and we don’t get to judge – we all make design decisions that are not life and death issues and cost money that could be spent on philanthropy but if you follow that logic to the extreme you are eating only stale bread and water and wearing rags. Enjoy your beautiful kitchen!

i don’t necessarily have any strong opinions on “liking” or “not liking” it. but i do think that the overabundance of texture is a bit overwhelming, though i do appreciate the spaciousness and the diy aspects of it. and while i’m not that into the overall look of it, it does look professionally put together, and i think that’s great.

as for those who criticize anyone who chooses to spend and indulge on such endeavors, don’t hate. while financing is another issue, we’re all entitled to do whatever we like with our own personal space. i’m surprised (or not) that this was even brought up.

Thanks for the info on your rehab, Jordan, and your gracious response in the face of so much criticism! I think a lot of the haters are jealous of the the huge space – I admit, I too would love a bigger kitchen, but I’ve learned to simplify and make do. That’s one of the costs of living in LA and not the Valley or the Midwest.

I think it looks GREAT. I love the way the ceiling pops and the contrasts of polished wood, rough stone, glass and metal. I’m sure in person it is much warmer than the photos, especially with what looks like a beautiful view out those huge windows. Beautiful work.

And side-wedding note: having gone to SCAD and meeting my fiance in Savannah I thought if we got married in Savannah (I don’t think we are) I would give out gifts from Savannah Bee Company. A great product with cute packaging. Congrats!

OOPS! I just read your article… no honey. :)
I’ll keep thinking of what reminds me of Savannah, other than spanish moss.

In response to Krista comment that such an overhaul seems wasteful considering the economy; only if you have to go into debt for the overhaul. Otherwise if you have the money spend it and then give away the old materials to someone who’ll use them. People without money spending is what got us into this situation. People with money spending is the only thing that will get us out.

This is an interesting reno.
This look is very common in the Pacific Northwest – though I think there is a little too much knotty wood(we tend to stay away from this much wood up here because we are surrounded by so much of it outside).
I generally like the new vibe Jordan has created – I like dark kitchens. Just a wee bit too many knots for me – I think I would have painted the ceiling a pale cream colour because I like a tongue and groove painted ceiling and it would make it feel a little more happy :-)
Love the rock work – we have this in our house too!

That is gorgeous! I’m jealousss. =[

Ouchh, Arroyo, I’m none of those things!

Maybe I didn’t make myself clear enough. Corwyn better stated what I was thinking.

Because of America’s sense of “Entitlement”, and hence, the sub-prime issue and people forfeiting on their loans, the whole world’s in a big fat mess.

Jordan has expressed herself well and I apologize.

But when I initially saw this reno that looked as if 75-100K was borrowed for the project it didn’t look as if we had learned from our mistakes.

If Jordan is one of the lucky ones with cash then go for it.

I totally agree with Fiona Richards. If the ceiling was painted a pale cream it would totally change the feel of the space.

Congrats on finishing the kitchen! What a huge undertaking.

Hi Jordan – it says a lot that your reply stymied the negative comments! Good on you for your forthright defence – and yes, it does make a lot of difference to hear the story behind it.

holy crap! had you not said it was a before/after- i wouldn’t have known that it was the same room! amazing work.

so incredibly amazing! i love love love the entire transformation. it is so earthy and natural. what a great use of space…

Grace, Nandos does it in Australia. Also, our new McDonalds cafes have it too.

good for you jordan! from a fellow minnesota girl i think you did a FANTASTIC job! i love it!

Amazing!

The new kitchen was very well done. Maybe personally I would have changed a couple of things but that’s the thing… this kitchen was designed for a particular family and their lifestyle. The “before” kitchen looks like it was thrown into this architecturally interesting house without any regard or relation to it’s 3-d space and in fact not studied much in it’s 2-d plan. A cabinet salesperson probably put that kitchen together. Did it function? Maybe. Did it inspire. No! This new kitchen was actually DESIGNED. Great job Jordan!

love it! I’m sending you the link to my daughter’s website….a newlywed & links to sites where their wedding was featured. Peach salsa was the favor they used. Umm!

There is a McDonald’s in Atlanta that has the stone look..

Hard to see it with Google Maps but here it is:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=mcdonald%27s+perimeter+center+west&sll=33.929972,-84.302216&sspn=0.072925,0.153294&ie=UTF8&ll=33.926483,-84.337921&spn=0,359.923353&z=14&iwloc=H&layer=c&cbll=33.926487,-84.337755&panoid=E8EgsL8TwN5UrneLux710Q&cbp=12,15.561854161333827,,0,6.3981747730805685

I dont know what all the complaining is about. I really like it. It looks like a modern take on a “mountain lodge style” kitchen. Really really cool looking.

i don’t know what all the complaints are about, either. there’s no way the old version was better. the new kitchen is amazing. even if it’s not your cup of tea or reminds you of mcdonalds (WHAT? Why would i want to take style advice from someone who is so familiar with the interior of Mcdonalds?), you ought to be able to appreciate that the elements that definitely do work– like the floor/ceiling/rear wall combination. plus, it’s a big space which is difficult to configure– kudos for a job well done.

Wow Jordy!! I was in awe when I looked at these pics! It’s amazing and I LOVE it! I couldn’t believe all the negative comments. Congrats on an amazing transformation and a kitchen many would covet!

…oh, and I can see that the second island is for entertaining and that’s not a dishwasher so far from the sink… it’s a wine fridge! ;)