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February 18th, 2010
before & after: lexie’s kitchen + victoria’s bench


it’s before & after day! this is increasingly one of my favorite days on d*s. i’m always so inspired by what you all send over. to start us off, here is lexie’s beautiful kitchen remodel. new paint, butcherblock countertops, and a backsplash completed the look and now the kitchen feels fresh and modern. great work, lexie! read more about the project here.

[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? just shoot me an email right here with your images (low res, please).]


CLICK HERE for victoria’s mid-century bench makeover after the jump!


up next is victoria’s fun telephone table/bench makeover. new paint and fabric give this mid-century beauty a modern facelift. click here to see more of victoria’s furniture rehab furniture projects…

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65 comments
Lisa said:
February 18th, 2010 - 9:02 am

That’s incredible! It looks like a completely new and bigger space!

Virginia said:
February 18th, 2010 - 9:12 am

cute kitchen!

Anna said:
February 18th, 2010 - 9:14 am

that’s my favourite before and after room makeover yet! and the bench is really sweet too.

heather said:
February 18th, 2010 - 9:16 am

oh yeah that’s alot better, I bet you will want cook more now.

February 18th, 2010 - 9:16 am

What a dramatic before and after for that ktichen! It’s fantastic! Great work!

Courtney said:
February 18th, 2010 - 9:21 am

That new kitchen looks amazing! I’m definitely heading over to her blog to see what other projects she has tackled.

Sandy said:
February 18th, 2010 - 9:25 am

i love all of the fresh white walls and cabinetry! White really is a nice and refreshing color to repaint wood with!

Becky said:
February 18th, 2010 - 9:27 am

Raising the cabinet over the sink was probably one of the best ideas. The kitchen looks completely different, great job!

julianna said:
February 18th, 2010 - 9:31 am

I love that she kept those appliances!

Jen said:
February 18th, 2010 - 9:34 am

The kitchen is amazing but I LOVE the bench – so groovy and clever!

cheryl oz said:
February 18th, 2010 - 9:39 am

the scalloped hood vent is just so terribly cute. it’s amazing what paint can do — it really freshens things up in a heartbeat!

Laura said:
February 18th, 2010 - 9:44 am

Before and after days are one of my favorites too!

Beautiful makeover!

Emily said:
February 18th, 2010 - 10:07 am

So often Kitchen makeovers featured on DS tend to be full renovations, I love seeing what a little paint and new countertops can do. Love it.

February 18th, 2010 - 10:16 am

Wow, what a change! It’s amazing what colour can do!

Samantha Lewis said:
February 18th, 2010 - 10:21 am

AHHHHH Ive been look everywhere for a bench like that! lucky.

Gillian said:
February 18th, 2010 - 10:26 am

I was going to say exactly what Emily said. While I enjoy seeing all the makeovers, I truely appreciate seeing a spectacular kitchen redo where it’s not a total gut rehab. I love that she works with what she has and it still looks great!

I’m also a sucker for those older looking appliances like the oven in the wall.

pam said:
February 18th, 2010 - 10:42 am

wow! love how it still has a retro touch but it is clean and modern!

February 18th, 2010 - 10:47 am

I third the sentiments of Emily & Gillian. Love a redo that looks great and is affordable for the general population. Love the tongue and groove (?) back wall and the color choices work great!

Cher said:
February 18th, 2010 - 10:52 am

I love that they kept the old oven too. Not everything has to be ripped out.

February 18th, 2010 - 10:54 am

I love the kitchen makeover. I want to put in butcher block counters for mine too like that kitchen has.

Amber said:
February 18th, 2010 - 11:02 am

I love the phone table/bench make over :) The kitchen looks amazing as well. Great Job!

Kate said:
February 18th, 2010 - 11:09 am

Love the kitchen reno and that is was a freshen up, not a total gut. Can anyone comment on the practicality of having butcher’s block counters near the sink? Also, what is the paint color of the cabinets? Thanks!

Sarah said:
February 18th, 2010 - 11:16 am

Is it me or does the before kitchen look like the Draper’s? Great job, BTW!

grace said:
February 18th, 2010 - 11:17 am

kate

butcher blocks need to be treated (many, including ikea counters, can come or be treated before installation) to prevent staining.

if you want to prevent any major nicks and dings (though i love the way that looks) you can talk to the manufacturer about a thicker coating on top that will prevent knife marks, etc.

grace

Jackie said:
February 18th, 2010 - 11:27 am

Noooo! That was a complete, untouched vintage kitchen!!

It absolutely could have been freshened up without ruining the orginal character.

Where are my Mad Men fans? This was a classic Betty Draper kitchen!

Sasha K. said:
February 18th, 2010 - 11:36 am

Both are great! That little bench is so cute!

February 18th, 2010 - 11:37 am

love the new kitchen … so bright & cheerful & i want one too!

christa said:
February 18th, 2010 - 11:39 am

i love the original appliances, especially the scalloped range hood, but i hate they removed the vintage countertop!

StarBossom said:
February 18th, 2010 - 11:55 am

Amazing what a little paint can do!

Adrienne said:
February 18th, 2010 - 12:03 pm

WOW that kitchen looks great!!! What an improvement! I cannot imagine trying to cook in that much dark wood…wow…talk about oppressive. The “after” is so light, airy, and charming, but still has vintage charm! What a contrast!

Shayna said:
February 18th, 2010 - 12:12 pm

Wonderful job on the kitchen. I love that you left the original range hood.
As for those vintage countertops…we have them and they are so hard to clean around the metal edging. The linoleum floats up at all of the seams, the caulking gets funky. Charming as the original countertops are, I can’t wait until we can replace our own with butcher block. Well done!

Monika said:
February 18th, 2010 - 12:36 pm

wow!!!! what an amazing transformation!!!!!
so much light, color and optimism!!!
love it!

Joseph said:
February 18th, 2010 - 12:48 pm

Well, as my dad always said, a coat of paint will cover up a multitude of sins!

lexie said:
February 18th, 2010 - 12:49 pm

thanks for all the kind comments!

kate: the kitchen cabinet color is benjamin moore october mist. so far the butcherblock has held up nicely. i treat it about once a month so there is some maintenance involved.

viola said:
February 18th, 2010 - 1:02 pm

It’s amazing how many dingy kitchens there are across the world. I can’t bear them, fortunately my kitchen has been renovated and looks like the ‘after’ in this do-over.

casey said:
February 18th, 2010 - 1:29 pm

I have the same floor in my kitchen! We have been planning to replace the counters with butcher block as well,Ikea here I come!

Abby said:
February 18th, 2010 - 1:38 pm

I too like that she kept the hood over the oven. In the new kitchen it looks charming, instead of outdated.

Donna said:
February 18th, 2010 - 2:00 pm

I love the kitchen transformation. Particularly the subtle color on the cabinets!

Sue said:
February 18th, 2010 - 2:11 pm

The kitchen is brighter and fresher looking now. Really looks cute.

February 18th, 2010 - 3:18 pm

I love little reno’s like this. It doesn’t take much money to make something sad into something happy. Nice work.

Randy Bombardier said:
February 18th, 2010 - 3:40 pm

Wow, now that is what a kitchen should look like. The before made being in the kitchen gloomy. The new kitchen looks like a light and cheery place. It is just like being at my sister’s house.

cvjn said:
February 18th, 2010 - 3:48 pm

Love the kitchen makeover! This is my favorite kind of post, you can really see how she worked with what she had and incorporated a few new elements to come up with a really timeless space.

mickey said:
February 18th, 2010 - 4:10 pm

The kitchen looks just great! Keep Rob out of there and it will look good longer.

Teri Craig said:
February 18th, 2010 - 4:38 pm

I am fortunate to have Lexie as one of my good friends. I love what she has done to the kitchen and the rest of the house. Not only do I get to sit in the kitchen and chat over a glass of wine, she make me yummy things in it too:)

koolaroo said:
February 18th, 2010 - 4:41 pm

strangely i kinda like the before and wish that you could have kept some aspects of the wood still there.

February 18th, 2010 - 5:12 pm

i love befores and afters they are so inspiring!!

Ryan said:
February 18th, 2010 - 6:21 pm

I didn’t think the before was spot on, but i think that it looked way better than the after for sure. I think if the cupboards were just stained darker and the wall was painted neither a neutral nor dark color. Plus there are just so many colors available that white for a wall, even a brick wall, is just about wrong.
Sometimes it’s nice to just refurbish an old piece of furniture rather than completely overhaul it…..

grace said:
February 18th, 2010 - 6:26 pm

“white for a wall is just about wrong”

really? it might be if you light bright colors, but it seems odd to me to suggest that someone picking a white wall is “wrong”.

grace

Trish said:
February 18th, 2010 - 6:48 pm

I love this kitchen makeover! You managed to upgrade it while keeping its original charm! I adore that yellow framed chalkboard and have been trying to find a frame just like it to make a chalkboard for my kitchen….was this something you bought or made? Help!

Bobbie said:
February 18th, 2010 - 6:57 pm

Wow, I think the white wall is SO right here. What a gorgeous kitchen reno!

Maddie said:
February 18th, 2010 - 7:04 pm

love that framed blackboard!

Sara L. said:
February 18th, 2010 - 7:21 pm

I love this kitchen redo. Especially how that gorgeous hood now pops against all the light colors.

February 18th, 2010 - 8:27 pm

I adore how she kept the scalloped edge in the original colour – it looks so great against the sage. Beautiful before & after!

Nadia said:
February 18th, 2010 - 10:02 pm

Outstanding redo Lexie!! I can’t wait to see more work from you! Love the yellow chalkboard.

lexie said:
February 18th, 2010 - 10:18 pm

Trish: the chalkboard was a converted mirror i found at old time pottery. i spray painted the frame and painted the mirror with chalkboark paint. easy!

February 18th, 2010 - 10:44 pm

That kitchen makes me want a new one so badly because mine is a bit small especially for all the baking i’m doing for my cookie business!

lionqueen said:
February 19th, 2010 - 3:09 am

love the range hood!

Claire said:
February 19th, 2010 - 4:02 am

Oh I love Victoria’s bench!!! That gal does some amazing transformations! Check out her blog!

Lisa said:
February 19th, 2010 - 9:52 am

Amazing job it went from looking like a dingy cottage to a bright warm kitchen, definitely feeling the love there. I also love the scalloped hood, and love that you kept the flooring. Your colour choices are spot on, this is truly what a makeover is; using what you have and making the things that blended in ~ shine!

Lisa said:
February 19th, 2010 - 9:57 am

could some one please paste Lexie’s site I can’t seem to connect.

amya said:
February 19th, 2010 - 10:12 am

hi lisa – the link is working on my end, but it is: http://www.designandthecity.net/2009/12/my-cottage-kitchen-update.html
-amya

February 19th, 2010 - 12:20 pm

I love your gorgeous kitchen makeover! It is so bright and pretty now! I don’t think the flooring detracts, but if you want an easy fix my mom painted hers with normal latex gloss paint and it looks fab in charcoal grey. She has to repaint about every 3 years. Thanks for sharing! :)

cb said:
February 19th, 2010 - 7:41 pm

I would love to see a brighter flooring, but this transformation is already great enough!

cara said:
February 21st, 2010 - 2:47 pm

I have to say- i love the old wooden cabinets with the hardware. But then again maybe they just remind me of my grandmother’s house? The after is amazing and lovely though.

Alicia said:
February 25th, 2010 - 1:30 pm

I agree. the old kitchen was much cooler and retro.

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