Weekly Renovation Series ~ Jeannette from EcoIncognito.com, shares her kitchen renovation story

While shopping for a home in Chester County, my husband and I decided that we wanted a fixer upper to have the opportunity to build our dream kitchen right away. As soon as we closed on our house he set to work on the construction project. As with every DIY renovation, there were unexpected challenges, but at the completion it was an amazing experience. Our family now has a delightful nook to come together to cook and enjoy our food

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We don’t have a ‘before’ photo because he literally gutted the entire space. However, we did repurpose the original cabinets in the garage as a work space. Now the kitchen features stainless appliances and a glass tile backsplash. This juxtaposes with the embellishments and cast iron cookware for a rustic-modern theme. We selected eye-popping red accessories as our design elements.

Photo Credit: Stephanie Cheseboro http://www.stephanielee-photography.com

Early in the design process, my husband discovered a creative way to nearly double the amount of cabinet space in our kitchen. He created a breakfast bar with lower level cabinets on the kitchen side. Plus, he inset the refrigerator into the wall to free up the space for a floor to ceiling pantry.

We get a bit of natural light from the window, so our plan is to grow a window-box of herbs to incorporate into our cooking. Recently my toddler has made loading the dishwasher a challenge since she likes to remove everything as I load it. The window offers a delightful view while I hand wash dishes with her and dry them on the ample counter space.

We selected wrought iron/microsuede barstools to match the furniture in our family room. To add visual interest to the breakfast bar, my husband installed finials and framework, then painted the whole piece the same color as the walls. The counter is a custom piece, ordered to match the rest of the countertops in the kitchen.My favorite part of the kitchen is the induction stove! We picked induction because we didn’t have a gas hookup at the house and discovered that it is a great alternative to a conventional electric stove. You can read all about why I love cooking in cast iron on an induction stove on my blog. Many experts agree that induction cooking is the most eco-friendly type of stove. Paired with a cast iron skillet, it is an excellent way to save money on operating expenses while cooking with ease.

Thanks for reading about our DIY renovation! We hope this inspires you to create your dream kitchen. It is the heart of the home, so putting in the effort to build a space that begs to be used makes it much easier to put a hearty, home cooked meal on the table every day.

Special thanks to Stephanie Cheseboro of Stephanie Lee Photography for the photos. She is a local photographer and Mom to two young boys. Her love of photography shows in her beautiful work on family photography and children’s photo shoots.

Jeannette Bezinque is an eco-friendly blogger and mom to two green girls. She chronicles the creative way she balances parenting with a green lifestyle at EcoIncognito.com. 

Find Jeannette on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.

• To view all of the home renovation projects featured in this series – click here
• If you are interested in sharing your home renovation project please click here. 
• Your contribution to the series can be any room in your house, garden or patio.