New State, New Kitchen

Well hello there! It has been a while…probably about three years, but who’s counting? The last time I posted, we had a kitchen reveal for our California farmhouse. Currently, we are residing in the Black Hills of South Dakota! A lot has happened between the last kitchen reveal and this one. Covid pretty much turned our lives upside down. Its economic effect was incredibly stretching for us, but in some of the best of ways.

We found ourselves at a crossroads that ultimately would determine where we set roots for our children and grandchildren. After a TON of prayer, research, and discussion, we ended up leaving everything we knew and loved so dearly for a different life for our family. We are grateful every single day that we made that decision, as difficult as it was and can be (especially on holidays!).

While I will not go into our reasons for why we moved, we had a spreadsheet that pretty much summed up our entire family culture and ideals, and we combed through multiple locations in order to meet such criteria. Once we zeroed in on the top two (Northern Idaho was a second choice), we started watching the market in both locations. One day, our current home popped up and we immediately fell in love. It was very “Mockabee” in every way. Basically it was kind of weird/ quirky, a fixer upper, had lots of natural light, and was in a beautiful setting. It went pending immediately and we were pretty bummed. Fast forward a few weeks later, and our realtor had called us informing us that it was back on the market!

Believe it or not, the market in South Dakota was just as hot as it was nationwide, so we knew we needed to move fast. We went as high as we possibly could, but still fell pretty short of the asking price, knowing full well that homes were going up to 20% above asking. But God! Our offer was accepted. The seller said it was because we had four boys and a girl, and the original owner/ builder had four boys and a girl and built the house just to accommodate that family dynamic. It was the sweetest!

So here we are. Our goal was to wait at least a year to do any renovations, but as Jason watched supply chain issues become prevalent and building costs skyrocket, he pushed really hard to get the main things done. For once he was the one doing the pushing (and I didn’t care for it one bit). Now that it’s over, I am grateful that he did so. We just got rid of our last dump run and I cannot tell you how relieved it feels to have a lot of the major stuff done. I will try and post some before and afters on here at some point, but I have covered quite a bit on my Instagram stories, just visit the highlights “SD Kitchen” or “SD Kitchen Reno.”

If you made it through that wordy preface, congratulations, and if you just skipped it to see pictures, welcome to the club (I still don’t understand why a novel is written on recipe websites, but here I am, taking part in what annoys me!). Below is a shot of the finished kitchen. I provided some befores and even a during shot just for kicks. It has come a long way!

There used to be a wall right where the header hangs. We were not able to bury the header, but we still opened it up in order to enjoy the spectacular views from the dining room. It also gives a little more flow to the main floor while keeping the kitchen its own space.

Same angle, entirely different kitchen!

Just curious, do you like the glass fan, the popcorn ceiling, or the green cabinets best?

Jason had moved a few weeks later than we did, so I knew if I could just paint the cabinets, remove the uppers, put our little curio cabinet up, and remove the wall between the kitchen and dining room (before he came home), I’d be able to last a long time with the kitchen as seen above. I was actually VERY happy with this setup. So when Jason started pushing me to start the renovation, I threw a bit of a fit. He was so very wise, though, as we ordered appliances in March of 2021 and did not receive them until January of 2022. What a guy. I never regret listening to his counsel. :)

Now that you have an idea of the before and during setup, here a few left of the afters. I must give a disclaimer, my camera and gear have been retired as long as my photography career, so they are not performing in the way that they used to. I also haven’t done much practice, and this quick shoot was a bit apathetic on my end. Maybe one day I will time it so that the lighting is just right (not blaring bright sun), but to be honest, the kitchen has been done for a few weeks and it has been in full use ever since. The idea of photographing it while kids aren’t baking or making protein shakes, or washing dishes, or unloading dishes, sheesh, it’s overwhelming. You get the idea. This is most definitely the busiest room in the house. But I had the kitchen for a few minutes to myself this afternoon and I took advantage.

Here is the view from the (new) outdoor deck. The view from this side of the house is breathtaking. You can see several mountain ranges and a beautiful sunset, so to only have a tiny window above the sink (see before photos) and no access to outside seemed like not taking advantage of a free gift!

This kitchen was on a tight budget, as per usual, so there were some serious compromises (and mistakes) made. I priced this whole wall out for custom floor to ceiling windows and the estimate was more than a third of our entire kitchen budget, so that was an immediate no. I ended up finding a used Pela window on Marketplace as well as a used Andersen french patio door set, together for under $1000. Even with the addition of the bbq/bonfire deck, we were able to work it into the kitchen budget. We moved plumbing to the center of the space and brought in propane for a dual fuel range.

I get questions about the brick a lot and if it has ended up being a mess with cooking. We haven’t experienced any issues yet. The range was the first appliance to arrive, so we have been baking and cooking with it since about September, and we bake and cook a lot! We did paint the bricks with a flat paint, so touch up would be easy if needed. We just haven’t had to touch up anything yet.

Organizing drawers and making things that would otherwise go unnoticed beautiful has been a really fun process. (Jars are from Target’s dollar section)

Since Jason was so gung ho on executing a kitchen budget and ordering main ticket items, I had to choose my appliances BEFORE I even had a kitchen plan. This was very very difficult to do, so I picked the same exact range as I did in the farmhouse because I loved it so much. It was everything I could hope for in a range, and I am so glad I stuck with it, even when my thoughts were all over the place after clicking the confirm button!

We went with an entire AGA appliance package which included the dishwasher and fridge/freezer as well. All are coated with enamel and are very high quality. I was very nervous about the fridge sticking out from an otherwise streamlined wall of pantry cabinets. I wanted to go integrated, but the only fridge within our budget that was integrated had minimal capacity. I really wanted this kitchen to be a workhorse, knowing we were about to walk into a season of having five teens, who are all very active athletes as well. So, I went with higher interior capacity, but the compromise was having it stick out a few inches from the cabinetry.

I will say that the enamel appliances, paired with the ivory color, do not show any fingerprints, scuffs, bangs, dings, or even drips. Our kitchen gets a lot of natural light and this was a concern when I was originally thinking of going black. I am very pleased with the durability and the practicality of these appliances. I didn’t even wipe them down before I took these pictures. I am sure there are egg white drippings and ketchup fingerprints throughout.

Let it be noted that nothing in this kitchen is sponsored and I chose not to partner with any brands because I did not want this to be a high pressured process nor did I want to be on a deadline. Any feedback is completely honest and not motivated by any kind of partnership (just in case you were wondering).

You can see how the fridge sticks out about 3” from the cabinetry. The cabinet design was meant for it to be a tight fit, so at least it looked custom, even though it’s not integrated.

Let’s talk cabinets. Phew. This was a doozy. We had five different cabinet makers estimate the job. I was very specific in my design and most of them had never built something like my drawings showed. Overall, I wanted the cabinets to look mid century, but also very rustic and minimal with a side of homemade country. That’s a weird combination, I know. We had a varied range of estimates. Most being close to the entire kitchen budget. This was scary to witness! I was trying to figure out how to design something differently when this sweet couple from a nearby small town came over to check out the project. Their estimate was significantly lower than others. Alarmingly low. But it was all we could afford. They had never built a kitchen like this and were willing to take the project on. By the final install, they were very delighted to be over. I am sure of that. It was much more than they imagined, more detail, more cost, more effort, more everything. They were the sweetest, though, and were committed to the project even though there were lots of bumps along the way. Thankfully they had convinced us to buy all of the wood early on (even though we didn’t plan to start the kitchen for months later) as they were witnessing lumber prices jump significantly. We are so grateful they asked us to do that, because white oak jumped up 30% right after!

Another place where we cut corners was the countertops. We were referred to a “cheap” fabricator in Denver, with the disclaimer, “Don’t expect perfection or even for it to be finished, but the price is right.” Well, the price was definitely right. But we knew going into it that there could potentially be issues and there were. The cuts were wrong and there was no changing that. :) We were able to adapt the island to fit (they cut the piece too narrow!) and the other countertops are just a few extra inches deeper…more counter space, right?

Anytime that I fretted over the mishaps, I had to remind myself that a kitchen of this caliber would not have happened had we made different choices. I also am aware that kids ruin everything, so I didn’t want to be uptight about things that weren’t perfect, knowing eventually that they would be dented, stained, broken, etc. So it seemed a good compromise!

There are three sets of these massive pantries. They have pull out drawers and I asked for ample space between drawers as I wanted a lot of room for appliances and bulk items. My Instapot fits perfectly in them as well as my mixer and other appliances. The drawers below all have specific purposes, and I was even able to have a sourdough drawer, which holds all of my pottery and tools specifically for my sourdough making. :)

And this is why we bought the house! The views are pretty difficult to capture on camera, but it has been the most restful, peaceful place to live. We are so grateful. Every day! We have yet to finish the deck, I am hoping to put a cable rail system on both decks, but they are very costly, so we will patiently wait (this deck steps down to a larger deck on the right, nestled in the large pine trees).

Let’s talk sinks. I had a farm sink at the farmhouse and I absolutely hated it. I am very rough with just about everything. I move quickly and am not cautious, so having a large, porcelain sink right where I fling pans, bowls, and glasses, was not ideal. I broke a lot of my favorite pottery pieces on that farmhouse sink. I knew in doing this reno, I would want a stainless steel undermount. They are quiet, indestructible, and can hold about three bathing toddlers (I know because I used to bathe my younger three in one!). The newer ones now have this nifty little shelf that hosts cutting boards, strainers, and a dish rack. It’s really quite a product! I didn’t think I’d use all the gadgets, but it does come in handy when you have several kids chopping and dicing. Just throw the cutting board on the sink and you have some extra counter space. It’s hard to understand the scale of the island based on images, but this sink is 36” wide and the island is 4’ x 10’ (in case you are planning out your own kitchen!).

I switched up my original plan for the hood when I started realizing how much wood was in the kitchen. There was going to be a white oak hood box with v grooves and matching open shelving, but I wanted to mix up shape and texture a bit, so last minute I had my contractor build the angled hood box and I covered it with limewash for added texture. I kept the shelves white to kind of blend in with the brick and have less contrast. I am still unsure about that decision, but for now I am happy. :) The Schoolhouse sconces, albeit pricey, helped add a different shape as well, and I have actually had my eyes on these for years. I just love them so much!

The island light was built by our contractor as well. I really wanted a linear suspension light, but the ceilings are too low to pull that off and I did not like the idea of my view of both mountains and children being obstructed. So I had him build a linear take on the eighties light box. Ha! I had him wrap it with brushed brass, and although it’s a bit quirky, I actually love it. It breaks up all the plain sheetrock and gives the linear vibe while also giving a nod to all of those fluorescent light boxes that don most eighties’ homes.

That little hallway leads to our laundry room/ broom closet/ ferment & sprouting space. Eventually that will be a fun project as I plan on mixing the floor up with tile and potentially adding some color, or maybe not. Regardless, I am very content to wait…until I’m not. ;)

Overall, we are so pleased with the way things turned out and grateful for the help we were able to get in executing the project. We were able to hire a contractor this time to do some of the big things. He and his sons stayed at our place while we visited family in California. We came home to a completed shell of the kitchen. It was a complete luxury to miss all the sheetrock dust and mayhem!

The kitchen went through many phases and we had to be incredibly flexible, but we ended up being able to stay on budget and are happy that we ordered things when we did, even without an official plan. Below are the resources. Let me know if you have any questions!

Paint colors: Simply White by Benjamin Moore, flat/ trim is Manchester Tan by Benjamin Moore, Advance Satin

Wood: White Oak with Danish Oil and Matte Polyurethane sealant

Sconces: Schoolhouse Electric

Hardware: Emtek

Appliances: AGA Appliance Package

Curtains: Curtainsland (Eventually I would love to have some beautiful beige plaid curtains (that provide a little more darkening) throughout the living, dining, and kitchen, but these are bargain interim pieces)

Countertops: Taj Mahal Leathered

Flooring: Shaw White Oak in Champagne

Exterior paint: Onyx by Benjamin Moore

Reverse Osmosis System: iSpring

Faucets: Delta

Sink: Overstock

Barstools: I forget, but they were a huge bargain. They were supposed to be temporary but because they are so comfortable, I think they will be more long term!

If you made it this far, thanks for hanging. I have mentioned this on IG, but I just wanted to mention it here too. We have lived in several homes. Everything from shacking up with parents, recently a mobile home, and also in larger, unique homes. It truly does not matter what the home looks like. We have been content in every situation (even when mice skitter out of cabinets) because we know what is most important.

We have favorite memories in each space and I am so grateful that the size of home or the brand of furniture or the type of range a kitchen has does not determine my level of joy, nor does it dictate the rest of my family’s. For that I am incredibly grateful! Home is truly where the heart is and all glory belongs to the Father, the giver of life. But until he takes us elsewhere, I am going to really enjoy my coffee and my view out these windows, especially when it hits sub zero temperatures. South Dakota, I’m looking at you!

Kitchen Remodel Before, During & After

Note—I do not know what happened, but the original post and comments were deleted. If there are any questions regarding paint/ products, feel free to comment again and I’ll try to respond. :)

Well goodness gracious.  Jason and I just finished installing the last outlet covers for the kitchen and it felt like a huge sigh of relief!  The last couple of months have been a whirlwind of crazy hard work and dedication. But we have a completed kitchen, yay! And we've been able to host larger groups of friends and family and that has made the project well worth it.

From this perspective, there were two rooms; to the left a small and narrow dining nook and on the right, a laundry room.  We removed the walls for the laundry room, moved the plumbing a little bit over, kept the laundry room closets for our pantry and added an engineered header to support the roofline and upstairs.  The header was a big project, one that took a large portion of our budget, but it was the most important!  Dayn at Martin Timberworks did the work and left his trademark screw plugs. 

I designed the prep table to be some sort of potting table/ prep table. My hope was for it to be in white oak, however, I learned something new... apparently white oak is on the east coast and red oak is on the west, so if you're on the west coast, you'll pay a pretty penny for white, and if you're on the east coast, it's pretty expensive to buy red.  So we settled with red and I had to stain it with a gray based stain in order to tone down the oranginess of it. I really do love the grain that it brings into an otherwise low contrast room. As of now the table serves as the smoothie bar, the kids' sink, and a place to put drinks when people come over. To give you a size perspective, the table is 8 ft long.  This room is really large, but it's hard to get a feel for it based off of pictures.

The lights over the prep table are from Lamps Plus (although they're not available any longer), sink and faucet are from Signature Hardware --their faucets are super hardy, but reasonably priced compared to similar styles. I didn't want all of my hardware, faucets and lighting to match in finish, but I wanted it to look like it was pieced together over time. Try to ignore the unfinished plumbing under the sink. As with most of this entire project, the finishing pieces have to be custom ordered. (Eye roll!!)

Here is a before photo. The laundry room wasn't captured, however, but you'll get an idea of the dining nook.  I have really sweet memories of my boys knocking down that wall. It was the first wall to come down. The not so sweet memories are of all of us tearing down the drywall of the entire room for my Mother's Day present!

I'm just going to say it... the photos above raise my blood pressure a bit! We had fun, though. It was exhausting and exhilerating at the same time!

This wall was originally a built-in pantry and where the fridge was located. Because we were using the pantries in the laundry room, we didn't need them. It was the only place where I could put a gas range without spending the entire budget on moving a gas line.  It makes the "cooking triangle" a little bit more stretched out than I'd hoped, but it works. Having an island between the range and sink help a lot as well.  I researched several brands of ranges and ultimately chose the AGA Elise Dual Fuel Range.  Some of the comparative brands offered a grill plate on the top, rather than larger burners, and I knew we'd rarely use the grill pan in comparison to needing the space for larger pots and pans. I have no regrets. This stove is a workhorse! We have been using it non-stop since purchasing it and have all grown in our culinary skills!  It really is the perfect marriage of simple yet offers many functions. The grill drawer is used daily for broiling toast or grilling veggies. I can't recommend it enough! 

The second post above was another wall.  Here, there was a narrow doorway into the dining room.  The kitchen technically only had one window above the sink, and since the kitchen is the heart of our home, I knew I would struggle with having so little natural light.  We decided to take the entire wall down, which of, or course, required another engineered post and header to bare the weight of the roofline and upstairs.  All kitchen and dining hardware is from Top Knobs and I chose a variety of styles all in the finish "German Bronze".

Above is the before shot of the built-in pantry and fridge. That's the wall that the range is now against and we have removed the doorway and wall to the right completely.

I added a little broom closet to the left of the fridge last minute. Because we didn't know what structural changes we were going to have to deal with, I had literally a week to make a plan and start executing.  A week is very short to make a ton of decisions! I'm glad I was able to sneak in this little closet because we use it daily!

This is the opposite view of the kitchen.  I wrestled back and forth with having oak cabinetry, I really wanted oak but this portion of the kitchen (between the two headers) gets the least amount of natural light and I knew I'd have to keep things bright in order to maintain a cheery space.  Plus, cost was an issue. I ultimately decided to go with a standard shaker cabinet from a local cabinet maker. I was very pleased with his work and the cost was close to what we'd pay for boxes from a store!

I also struggled with choosing the right color as I didn't want just another white kitchen. I had about thirty swatches of greys and greiges and everything in between. In the end, I knew my senses could not handle color, so I went safe.  I chose Swiss Coffee through Benjamin Moore for all of the cabinets and trim and used Simply White for the walls. It is so soothing within this space! And after having added the butcher block on the island, that created enough contrast for me. 

I am still undecided on backsplash and may just stay that way for a while.  Originally I was going to do V-groove boards, but last minute I decided against it and am just going to let the kitchen decide for me over time.  So now we have a rail all the way around the kitchen, without a shelf or V-groove board underneath. :)

Sconces above the sink are Amazon! I think they were $13 each. For the sink, I wanted something a little bit different from just your standard farm sink, so I chose the Highpoint Collection Double Lip Sink from Overstock and mounted it above the countertop for some variation in dimension.  Since the appliances are integrated, I needed a little bit of dimension. Speaking of appliances... we went with the Fisher & Paykel Integrated French Door fridge and freezer. I really wanted the integrated look but spending $8k was not an option. This was the only brand I found that offered an affordable model. It took a little while for my cabinet maker to figure out the paneling, but aside from that, it has been a great addition.  For the dishwasher, we chose Fisher & Paykel Double Dish Drawer dishwasher as it fits our family perfectly. We don't have more than one set of dishes, so we often hand wash after each meal. Once I learned we were wasting more water handwashing than a single load would use in one of the drawers, I was sold. :)  This has been an amazing addition to our kitchen and I have a clean sink constantly because of its ease and efficiency. Win! We went through Monark Home to get the appliances because I heard their customer service was brilliant and it was!  The installers were very professional and even came back the next day when I couldn't figure out the buttons (there are only like four or five, so this was embarrassing)!

Above is the before of this side of the kitchen...again, the left wall was taken down and replaced by a post & header.  The original kitchen itself was charming and true to the style of the farmhouse, but I wanted the liiiiiight! A big renovation for a little bit of natural light! 

I battled back and forth with going with marble again or choosing something more durable. Because this move was about hospitality for us, we really wanted everything to cater towards durability and having a home that could handle masses of people and the wear and tear of children.  Ultimately, I decided to go with Caesarstone quartz.  I read up on the durability of the product and was delighted with the idea that a guest or a husband, for that matter, could simply cut a lemon on the countertop and there would be no etching.

I ended up choosing "Cloudburst Concrete" because it just felt soothing.  Jeff over at Sierra Stone, a local company fabricated them and installed them. I was so glad I chose him as he has a top-of-the-line equipment, which made cutting the detailed grooves around the posts very easy. He did a beautiful job and was so professional to work with. He even let Carter and I watch the fabrication process, which was fascinating and we both learned a lot!

Here's a full view of the kitchen side of the room. The island was a Mother's Day gift (along with a full day of demolition!). I had found it on Craigslist and it was actually a shop table with drawers. It was green and I sanded it down about four different times. Ideally, I'd like an oak island a little longer and skinnier with seating all on one side (the other side of the island looks exactly the same and has two stools as well), but cost-wise, this was the smartest thing for us to do. We bought butcher block from Lumber Liquidators and our friend Bobby helped glue it and add an oak trim around the perimeter. I've never had an island in any home we've ever owned, and I am finding out that it truly is the place where people hang out!

For flooring, this room and the twins' room are the only two spaces that didn't have original wood floors.  This room had a slab and because of previous flooring disasters on slab, I opted, yet again, for something durable.  After a ton of research, I went with Coretec Vinyl Planks in Calypso Oak. These have a cork underlay, which helps with sound, softness, and temperature, but are 100% waterproof and will not expand or contract.  I am very happy with them and anyone who walks in the kitchen immediately asks, "Are these white oak floors?" So I think they've done a great job an

The middle image is of the wall that was removed, you can see all the way back through the laundry room. The left image is of my very strong brother and step dad that came and helped us from time to time. The right image is of the headers being put in and an open space at once!

Now for the other side of the room!  This is the view from our living area into the kitchen/ dining.  Walls in the living area are "Classic Gray" from Benjamin Moore.  I had to drive a few hours for the V-groove paneling from Trimac Panel. It's hard to come by! Ideally, I would have love to do wood planks, but again, cost was an issue, so the paneling worked out great. Plus, it was so easy to hang and paint!

The dining/ school space!  This home is much larger than our last, and there are a few options for a school room, but to be honest, I miss hanging out around the table working together.  When I saw these windows and the beautiful view outside of them, I just knew that we would make this space work. We were originally going to leave the joists exposed, however, the noise of upstairs was just too much. Also, it was very rustic and the whole house is so classic, adding a rustic and industrial vibe felt awkward. So, alas, a very drywalled room. :) 

The furniture piece to the left came with the house, it was just in the living room (before pict below). I knew it would make for a great homeschool cabinet as it is massive. I had our cabinet maker add doors on the top to conceal some of the mess, we caulked the heck out of it, and then painted it the same color as the cabinets (Swiss Coffee) so that it would be cohesive with the kitchen.

We added a small little window to the right of the cabinet.  The big windows are original so they do not open and we needed air flow from the front of the house to the back. I found the window at Restore and had a friend install it in exchange for a family photo session. You get desperate in times like these and your survival mode comes out. ;)

The table is custom built by a friend's dad (support your local furniture maker!!).  We needed a larger table for the space and after eyeing an Ikea table, I just couldn't spend that amount on a piece of veneer.  Anyway, he was able to build the table and bench for nearly the same cost as the Ikea table and bench I was looking at, except it's in oak like my prep table. :)  I had been searching for months for the right chairs. I wanted something mid century, but it couldn't be too modern as the house just can't carry that style, so I found these on Craigslist and it was a small little miracle we were able to get them first.  Carter and I drove 2.5 hrs each way to get them, but I am so pleased we did. 

Hanging pendants are from Lamps Plus.

Jason's one and only opinion/ suggestion for this entire project was to add a door to the garage for entry.  Since we moved our laundry to the garage, this was a very wise decision. He is such a good man. Can you believe he only had one opinion this entire time? He basically gave me the money and followed my timeline and requests and just did whatever he was assigned to do--even if that meant creating a tent in a newly painted kitchen to trench through concrete. When everything came together towards the end (cabinets, countertops, appliances), he walked in and said, "Oh, so this is our kitchen?! Ha. So good. I think that's why we were able to do this with minimal tears and tension. He is a very good man. Thanks, babe, for your amazing attitude!

The before picture. Guys, there were up to six layers of flooring underneath this carpet in places; I guess that's a given with the home's age (built in 1864), but man, so many layers!!

That's it, folks!  I feel like I have sourced almost everything, but if you have any other questions, feel free to ask.  Companies that are live linked have either donated or offered discounts for their products in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for following us on our crazy journey!