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Before & After
jamers8

Kitchen Before & After Photos

Jamie Romines
9 years ago
We have been working for the last 11 months on a complete remodel of our grandparents 1980s ranch home. We decided to work on the entire house at once so while most of is completed, we still have a couple rooms left to do. The kitchen is something that I designed myself and took months and months of planning and thinking about (had plenty of time to do that since we had so much other work to complete first) as I knew this would be my one and only shot to have my dream kitchen! The crown moulding went up just yesterday and I still need to order the stools but I couldn't be more pleased with the end result. We've come so far!
Featured Answer
  • Nancy S
    9 years ago
    Good job. That looks wonderful.

    Comments (57)

    • mmarbuv
      9 years ago
      Wow. Impressive
      Jamie Romines thanked mmarbuv
    • PRO
      Kelli Kaufer Designs
      9 years ago
      Very nice!
      Jamie Romines thanked Kelli Kaufer Designs

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    • Joann
      9 years ago
      Beautiful kitchen, great job!
      Jamie Romines thanked Joann
    • PRO
      River Valley Cabinet Works
      9 years ago
      Nice!
      Jamie Romines thanked River Valley Cabinet Works
    • mtrezza
      9 years ago
      Wow!!!
      Jamie Romines thanked mtrezza
    • Bev Crawford
      9 years ago
      Love it
      Jamie Romines thanked Bev Crawford
    • Karen Howell
      9 years ago
      Really looks a great deal better! ...curious though... why did you leave the void above the cabinets? Seems like that's a dark, dusty space that's not easy to clean. I had my contractor drop my ceiling above the cabinets & have a lighted tray in the center.
      Jamie Romines thanked Karen Howell
    • Natalie Baker
      9 years ago
      amazing job!!! enjoy.
      Jamie Romines thanked Natalie Baker
    • Kelly Abercrombie
      9 years ago
      Wow!!! What a beautiful transformation
      Jamie Romines thanked Kelly Abercrombie
    • Chase Lindamood
      9 years ago
      Do you happen to know the dimensions of the kitchen? We have a very similar layout but it's tough to imagine that kind of transformation being possible as our kitchen seems to be a tighter space.
      Jamie Romines thanked Chase Lindamood
    • shars55
      9 years ago
      Beautiful!
      Jamie Romines thanked shars55
    • Andi Perry Gowin
      9 years ago
      Looks so much like my new kitchen remodel! Weird! But I love it!
      Jamie Romines thanked Andi Perry Gowin
    • PRO
      EL INTERIOR DESIGN
      9 years ago
      painted staircase
    • Rose Behnke
      9 years ago
      Love the clean lines and no clutter look!!! A place for everything and everything in it's place, you did Great!
      Jamie Romines thanked Rose Behnke
    • PRO
      Comwest Construction
      9 years ago
      Good job. Looks nice.
      Jamie Romines thanked Comwest Construction
    • shopperjanny
      9 years ago
      Thank you for sharing how carefully you planned this project. I can imagine how many times you mentally walked through this kitchen before you bought a thing. That attention to detail makes a difference in long run satisfaction.

      I am hoping you plan to share photos of your completely remodeled home. There are a lot of ranch homes owners across the country that will be inspired by your beautiful work.
      Jamie Romines thanked shopperjanny
    • PRO
      EL INTERIOR DESIGN
      9 years ago
      from boring to interested, practical and 100% plastic surgery for you kitchen!
      Jamie Romines thanked EL INTERIOR DESIGN
    • PRO
      Gray & Walter, Ltd.
      9 years ago
      Huge change, hope you'll be very happy with the outcome.
      Jamie Romines thanked Gray & Walter, Ltd.
    • mamabear2014
      9 years ago
      Very nice job!! I love it!
      Jamie Romines thanked mamabear2014
    • swan1234
      9 years ago
      Looks great and up to date,love it.
      Jamie Romines thanked swan1234
    • deb
      9 years ago
      omg my parents in law kitchen/dining room was just like this before the tornado (Illinois) blew the house away.....the same cabinets and etc. it is so funny..wow what amazing transformation....
      Jamie Romines thanked deb
    • ajsalt
      9 years ago
      Wow, great job!
      Jamie Romines thanked ajsalt
    • kkaccordion
      9 years ago
      Super! Love your new kitchen.
      Jamie Romines thanked kkaccordion
    • Jamie Romines
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      Thank you all for your kind words! Lots of planning and doing the work ourselves definitely pays off because we can be as precise and particular as we want! I'm waiting to find the right bar stools and accessories but I'd love to share those and post more when I get that done! We, too, are in Illinois and it's weird how many people have said they have or know someone who has "these" cabinets! They are very well built and quite honestly there wasn't anything wrong with them other than they just weren't my style and the layout didn't fit into my vision. We carefully removed them and are re-purposing some of them and they'll be used in the new laundry room once I have a chance to paint them.

      I did mentally walk through this space probably thousands of times and thought about where every dish, utensil, glass and appliance would be housed. I made lists of all my "things" and assigned them to drawers so I was sure not to leave anything out! It paid off!! I have a couple of drawers that are still yet to be filled! I've never had the luxury of having a place for everything and nothing on my countertop so I wanted to take that into consideration and now I love not having to clean around lots of clutter!

      The decision not to run the crown moulding to the ceiling was two fold. First, every inch of ceiling on the main floor and in the basement (3,000 sf total) was popcorned (with extra gold glitter added -- yay!). My dad and I worked tirelessly to scraped everything down to the original drywall (luckily it had never been painted so our hard job wasn't made harder). In doing so, there were some slight imperfections left in ceiling and some minor height differences just from the house settling, so we stomped the new ceilings and I eventually chose just to get close to the ceiling with the crown rather than having to deal with those small differences. The second reason is much simpler....I just liked the way it looked not taken to the ceiling :)

      The wall with the sink on it measures approximately 14' long from one end of the cabinets to the other and the refrigerator wall 9'. And, because there really isn't much counter space along these two walls, one of our "wants" was a large island that we could both eat at and do prep work so we ended up making the island 4' x 8'. Also, what isn't really shown in the old pictures is that the kitchen was closed off from the living room with a structural wall. We were thrilled when we found out we would be able to take out the majority of the structural wall and that we would be able to have a new beam installed above the ceiling and would only need one support post. It opened up the space and made everything even better! I'll try to find my before and after pictures of that and post later!
    • lyn D
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      i think you should have one major accessory that ties the two wood tones of the floor and cabinetry together. I can't think what it could be... maybe two toned wicker stools or baskets
      Jamie Romines thanked lyn D
    • PRO
      RugKnots | Area Rugs
      9 years ago
      looks amazing and modern! would be great to have an area rug give accent to wood floor.
    • PRO
      Nicole White Designs Interiors LLC
      9 years ago
      Great job! Kitchen designs are a beast so kudos to you and your family for tackling it on your own. Curious about a few things: will there be hardware? backsplash? Looking forward too to seeing some pops of color to help liven up the space. again, a great job opening up that kitchen. It looks amazing.
      Jamie Romines thanked Nicole White Designs Interiors LLC
    • kathryn Campbell
      9 years ago
      WOW! Nice job - you should be proud of that.
      Jamie Romines thanked kathryn Campbell
    • sfsapp
      9 years ago
      Fabulous, you did an amazing job! Congratulations!!!
      Jamie Romines thanked sfsapp
    • diyer59
      9 years ago
      Wow! Very nice job. Now, give it some warmth with carefully chosen pops color and a couple of living green plants.
      Jamie Romines thanked diyer59
    • shellymagee
      9 years ago
      I too think you should have gone to the ceiling with the cabinets. Just wait till you have to get up there and clean. I will never again have cabinets that don't go the ceiling I'd rather have a soffit than have to get up there and clean.
      Jamie Romines thanked shellymagee
    • stargaze10
      9 years ago
      I just love your transformation. The color scheme is great - ready for a few pops of color. My cabinets also do not go to the ceiling but I don't mind it much...just make sure you have a safe stepladder; just enjoy your accomplishment!
      Jamie Romines thanked stargaze10
    • mswannabdesigner
      9 years ago
      Great update, get your pop of color perhaps with the counter chairs and a nice bright pattern on the cushions and then use any of the colors in the cushions as accessory colors.
      Jamie Romines thanked mswannabdesigner
    • nolaross
      9 years ago
      Wow
      Jamie Romines thanked nolaross
    • chrissiekirk
      9 years ago
      Must be a Midwest type of configuration...my kitchen in Michigan had the same layout with dining area, kitchen cabinets hanging over countertop (photo #3). When I clicked on the 4th picture out loud I said WHOA...how beautiful is that! I'm in awe! Well done son!
      Jamie Romines thanked chrissiekirk
    • rkaifesh
      9 years ago
      never would think that was the same kitchen! you must be very happy.. makes me wanting to see the rest of the changes you made. kitchen looks amazing, congratulations
      Jamie Romines thanked rkaifesh
    • PRO
      Ideas Design Excellence-in Art
      9 years ago
      Great Job
      Jamie Romines thanked Ideas Design Excellence-in Art
    • Jennifer Brown
      9 years ago
      It's amazing how kitchens come about now. Great job.
      Jamie Romines thanked Jennifer Brown
    • sandradclark
      9 years ago
      You did a fantastic job. I like the reveal above the cabinets & completely understand that problem with uneven ceilings. I had to design my last kitchen redo although it was done by a big box store & some of my wants did not happen because they did it. One thing I did do was have my husband install metal pullouts in most of the cabinets. I love those & it handled a lot of the shortcomings that the installers had. I also love the fact that you had the cabinet above the fridg pulled out to be right above. We did that as well. I had so much less space than you have so another reason I tried to do the design myself. Love, love, love your floors. Gives just the right amount of contrast with the dark cabinets. Tell me you will be putting hardware on your cupboards. I can never understand why some people do not.
    • janet0502
      9 years ago
      Are you sure this is the same house? :). Great job!
      Jamie Romines thanked janet0502
    • tobysteam
      9 years ago
      I am sooo jealous! Looks Great... Now... to convince Dear Hubby ;o
      Jamie Romines thanked tobysteam
    • gduplessis
      9 years ago
      Excellent. It's just a shame you were not able to integrate the floral fruity wallpaper trim into your new space. Just kidding. It looks amazing.
      Jamie Romines thanked gduplessis
    • PRO
      OTM Designs & Remodeling Inc.
      9 years ago
      Looks like a completely different place. Great work!
      Jamie Romines thanked OTM Designs & Remodeling Inc.
    • Lillian
      9 years ago
      Amazing makeover
      Jamie Romines thanked Lillian
    • PRO
      Cabinets & Designs
      9 years ago
      Looks wonderful!
      Jamie Romines thanked Cabinets & Designs
    • Jamie Romines
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      Hardware for the cabinets is definitely coming! Just struggling to make a decision as to exactly what I want. Also, still looking for those perfect stools and accent pieces. I think the finishing details is where I have the hardest time. I loved designing the rooms in the house (removing/building walls, cabinets, etc..) but the accessorizing is not my fav part! I will have to get photos of the rest of the house posted too (although I don't have the finishing touches in those rooms either! LOL)
    • grandmajim
      9 years ago
      Looking forward to your new photos. You are doing great so far.
    • Jamie Romines
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      In regards to cabinet hardware, does anyone have any suggestions on style and finish? I was originally thinking of a bar type pull but like the idea of mixing bars and knobs. Just not sure what to put where or whether to stay with all one style. Thoughts? Also, we have a mixture of finishes which I like (ORB sink facet and lighting fixtures, stainless appliances, black granite sink) but not sure what type of finish I should do on the cabinet hardware.
    • PRO
      Nandina Home & Design
      8 years ago

      What a change!

    • Lois Hartigan
      8 years ago

      So much better!


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