100th Post &amp; KITCHEN COMPLETE!

100th Post & KITCHEN COMPLETE!

Not only is my kitchen complete, but this is my 100th blog post! I have had SO much fun blogging and am so happy to have made so many wonderful connections through the "blogosphere!" I hope you guys continue to follow Abode Love- I SO enjoy hearing from all of you!

Now- back to the nitty-gritty...

After months of hard work and lots of help from Colonel Dad... the. kitchen. is. DONE!!!! I cannot believe it- literally... cannot believe that I am making this post! Here is the before... I was getting ready to paint the walls in this photo

Check out that gorgeous light fixture--

Mister Husband, Lady and myself preparing for Crosby paint by Ralph Lauren Home.

And again...

After paint:

time to paint those skank cabinets! (notice all of the furniture in the living room! We had NOTHING!)

read more about this here

Colonel Dad coming over to begin demo...

kitchen backsplash and countertops being gutted... read more about this here

skank countertops gone...

new granite and sink!

fab-faucet installed... read more about this here

new hardware! bye bye knobs! read more about the kitchen hardware here

Colonel Dad laying down tile - read more about tiling here

tile placed... now waiting for grout and lighting...

me applying grout - read more about this here

ready to sponge!

cleaned up- ready for lighting- grout done.

Colonel Dad starting in on the under cabinet lighting

space left between the countertops and tile...

caulking the gap- gray to match the grout

smoothing out begins... almost done!

and now, just a little reminder of how the kitchen began...

Ta-Da!

The lighting is the icing on the cake! I really love how much it brightens the backsplash- it makes the space look larger than it actually is!

Here is a view from the living room

I really love the West Elm Andalusia runner- it really brightens up the space

I painted the island gray to mix it up a bit- I wanted a custom feel, and I didn't want the space to be overwhelmed with cream cabinetry.

The nook... I love the cowhide rug addition, the Pottery Barn chandelier adds glamour to the space- and also notice that I painted the ceiling a warm, metallic gold to warm up the space and tie in the golds and browns that are seen in the tile on the floor... read more about the surprise cowhide addition here.