Kitchen Today

Today our kitchen looks like this. Our TV can hide behind a roll down door. Behind the black glass is a VCR and stuff-the black glass so you can use the remote while the door is closed. At the far right you see a smidge of our next project...the stair and area at the bottom of the stairs is currently gutted.
I think the undercounter lights make a huge difference. We used nice halogen lights and they are on a dimmer. I'm currently considering and trying to convince DH to remove the lights over the sink and put in cans behind that valance....because I'd like to hang more plants in there. We reused all our old appliances (20+ years old) to save money. We replaced the dishwasher with a quieter one (Bosch) and I love it...you can't tell it's running unless you lay your hand on it. We are hoping to replace the stove and fridge with black ones this year.
This is what you see when you come in the back door. The black spot on the floor is the hind end of our napping dog. January's goal: get the valance finished for over the window. I had Joe put an outlet up there for Christmas lights, but it is supposed to be hidden by the valance. The cabinets around the fireplace are extra deep because of the depth of the fireplace. The cabinet to the right of the fireplace has roll out shelves so I can reach the back of them easily.

The floors were a money saving measure that we ended up liking very well. We wanted wood but the wood floors we priced out were just not going to fit in our budget. I just could not see putting this big an expanse of vinyl in our old house (we do have it in the bathrooms). We ended up installing car siding with the flat side up and staining it dark enough to contrast with the cabinets some. It's rustic, and not for someone who cannot stand to see their floors get worn, since pine is a soft wood. We like it though. It's easy to clean and it seems to be holding up.
This is standing at the sink looking back. We use bottled water so we put in place for that. I figured if we ever opted to get rid of the water bottle, we could put shelves in that spot for cookbooks...or wine storage. There are recycling bins in the big drawer under the water.
Behind the couch is our computer desk....so you see, from where I am I can see the TV, the computer, and the fireplace.....and I'm a step away from the fridge. This is definitely a favorite room for everybody. I'm rarely alone when I cook anymore and I love that. Used to be, every one was in the front of the house watching TV together and I was way back here in that old brown and orange kitchen cooking by myself. This is much better!

We put the backsplash in a year after we "finished" the kitchen. It's tumbled marble we found at a home improvement store. The counter is corian-like laminate edged with solid pieces of the same in a darker color. I like it. It's easy to clean, not over the top expensive and looks good after 4 years.

Story of the kitchen is in 5 posts. In order they are:
Before
Money Saving Cosmetic Fix
Big Remodel-walls come down
Paint and Cabinets Going In
and this post which is where we currently are!