Island Kitchen Refresh DONE!

Just in time for Memorial Day, my kitchen project that started in November, is DONE!

Just as a reminder, this is where we started. The project scope was to replace the kitchen countertops, sink, sink hardware and install a new backsplash.

Because I couldn’t stop there ~ we also painted the kitchen walls (Tim did it) and I gave this red hutch and its matching photo magnet board a fresh coat of Benjamin Moore “Gray Owl” to go with the new kitchen color scheme.

Kitchen walls to be painted F&B “Borrowed Light” which is SO pretty and changes color depending on the time of day.

Let me just preface all of this with ~ nobody wants to do a project this small in a 1910 house during the off-season on an island. NOBODY! I spent a good chunk of the fall researching, begging and bribing people to come over to Block Island in the freezing cold, on a ferry that sometimes ran once a day. My friend here actually looks happy installing our new white quartz countertops. He is really happy because we helped him get his van out of the mud, where he was stuck for two hours at the top of our hill.

This time, the counter stopped at the right place!

New VIGO sink – really big and deep. Kohler single faucet will go in after the backsplash is done.

Here we are so far. It is a miracle I got this countertop installed in February. The room already looks so much lighter. Lets see if my backsplash person shows up…

The photo on the left is the look I was going for. The tile on the right is what I chose for the new backsplash.

Michael showed up!!!!! Had to buy him a good lunch, which is also impossible in the off-season. He was happy with a sandwich from the Block Island Grocery. Nice guy.

Going in… There is his fabulous sandwich.

So, the backsplash was supposed to be completed in one day. Nope. Michael finished installing the tile, but it did not set fast enough for him to grout before he had to head home on the LAST FERRY of the day. That meant… Michael had to come back. Normally not a big deal, but I live in fear that any contractor will find the trek to the island laborious and disappear forever. Trust me, it has happened.

Finished product… Michael came back with his wife and they stayed the night to finish the grout. The least I could do. He did a beautiful job and used a new grout that (allegedly) does not stain. That will definitely be tested this summer.

I am SO HAPPY!!!! It was worth all of the crazy backing and forthing for the last 5 months to get this done in time for Memorial Day.

Not shocking, I could not find a painter to help me out, so Tim painted the kitchen walls and trim. With the smallest roller known to man.  And he was FREE 🙂

I got this hutch and little magnet board in 2001 when we bought the house. We need the extra storage for dishes and I love old photos of family and friends from our early beach days displayed in the kitchen. The red did not vibe with the new kitchen though.

BTW, red is not an easy color to cover…. four coats  of “Gray Owl” later.

I am going to try and be more organized this summer and keep the hutch neat – HA HA

DONE! Complete with a basket on top to hold all of the suntan lotion that is usually scattered all over the kitchen. I love the new “Borrowed Light” walls behind the hutch.

Painted magnet board up – complete with new (old) photos.

We are up and running. Very excited about this refresh. The kitchen feels so light and bright now – a lot more “beachy” than before. Don’t even ask me what I was thinking with the old countertops and backsplash?

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Memorial Day Weekend. Cheers to summer!

the wry home