Are you looking for some inspiration for your open concept farmhouse kitchen remodel? Here are some incredible before and after photos that will hopefully inspire you and confirm to you that if we can, you can too!
An open concept farmhouse kitchen has become so popular over the last few years that we decided to remodel our kitchen/living room area in 2019. Going from a very small kitchen of 350 square feet to adding 1100 square feet to our house divided between living room, dining room, and kitchen made a drastic difference. When doing a new remodel, you don’t always have to add square footage, but in our case, it was a must. Our family was growing rapidly and we needed the extra space.
An open concept farmhouse kitchen of my dreams would require a few things. First and foremost, a huge kitchen island with plenty of space to prepare food, entertain, and a seating area for the grandkids. Secondly, my oven and dishwasher away from one another. In my previous kitchen, you couldn’t open the dishwasher and the oven at the same time because they would hit one another. Thirdly, a big pantry with a closed door that no one could see through. I only had a few cabinets that I used as my “pantry” space. There were several additional things I added along the way, but those were the three things I had to have different in the remodel.
I hope that sharing our before and after transformation with you will inspire you that you can do the same. Here we go back down memory lane. A lot of great memories were created in that kitchen, but boy was she ugly.
This post is all about open concept farmhouse kitchen.
Open Concept Farmhouse Kitchen
Here she is! As you can tell this was demolition day! We had already taken out the small island that held my stove. So, if you can insert that into your imagination you can see that the space on the right of that island was the kitchen area and the space on the left was my dining room. It was so small and so poorly arranged. You could not open the dishwasher door and oven door at the same time. They doors would hit if they were both opened. Every time I was in my kitchen, I would tell my husband that I wanted to have space for several to be in my kitchen at the same time.
You can see the small opening we had to the living room. It was just the size of a double door opening. So, I couldn’t wait to turn this area into one space with an open concept. This picture gives you a better view of what used to be our dining room and back door. The dining room was where the trash can is setting. You can see the back door between the standing boards on the left wall. We helped the contractor tear out insulation and do most of the demo in this kitchen and living room area. While we were doing this remodel, we were living down in a small bedroom with no a/c in the middle of summer. It was all worth it now that it is over.
To the right is what was my so called laundry room. As you can see, there was only room for my washer and dryer. We had two accordian doors you could shut so you couldn’t see the laundry. This room was not anywhere close to our bedrooms or bathrooms. It was so inconvenient. During the remodel we build a new laundry room and closet just off the master bedroom. This has been a gamechanger for me.
As you can see my stovetop and ovens are nowhere near my dishwasher. Praise! A closed off pantry, huge island with extra seating, and it couldn’t be more of an open concept kitchen. I still can’t believe it when I look at it. It was a total transformation. There was a lot of sweat and tears put into this remodel. We did add 1000 square feet to this area both to the back and side of the old kitchen area. The transformation is mind boggling to me.
I love the fact that having an open concept floor plan keeps everyone together. Whether you are in the kitchen doing dishes or watching tv in the living room, there isn’t a separation. This is the view from my kitchen sink area. I always wanted to be able to be a part of whatever was happening in the living room as I worked in the kitchen. When my family gets together, my girls and I are all able to do a job in the kitchen and never get in each other’s way. That was my main goal. I absolutely love having enough room in my kitchen and living room to accomodate my entire family. When we get together, there are eight adults and six kids and counting. This has been the perfect remodel for my family.
We put in a lot of work on this remodel. We would go and do the footwork for our contractor to try to find the best deals on doors, floors, appliances, lighting, and just about everything you can see. I will be forever grateful we were able to do this remodel at this time in my life.
It’s easy to see other people’s homes and to become envious of what they have. I lived in my home for thirty-one years before we were able to do this remodel. We are all living in different times of life and budgets. I encourage you to find contentment where you are and what you can do. Whether you choose to do a little at a time or you are saving up to do it all at once. It’s your life and your home. So, always choose to do what’s best for you and your family.
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