August 5, 2020
Kitchen Tour : An Easy to Clean, Organized Family Kitchen
We did some cosmetic changes to our kitchen over 5 years ago – new counters, moved the island, and put in new cooktop and fan. I would still love to do some cupboard and drawer changes, we are leaving those as-is for now. We put in new can lights and painted the ceilings in January and then hardwood floors this winter (in February) and right after that, our oven, microwave, and refrigerator stopped working properly. Timing was spring of 2020 and the quarantining and stay-at-home orders had just been issued so this in and of itself was stressful BUT because all of the appliances were beyond repair (14+ years old) and the refrigerator/freezer could be used as beverage and food overflow storage in the garage – very convenient for grocery shopping every 2-3 weeks.
I’ve received a lot of questions on Instagram (follow me here) when you’ve spotted the new appliances and asked for specifics, so I thought I’d give you a little tour full of specifics and details. It’s not a huge change but it feels like a big change for us.
AFTER
One of my favorite spots in the kitchen is this little cookbook nook – you can see across the kitchen I also have some cookbooks in a vintage French apple basket next to the refrigerator. In the previous set up we had a bookcase around the refrigerator – we removed that bookcase for the built-in refrigerator. Here’s a before pic for reference – you can also get a glimpse of the old floors:
BEFORE
APPLIANCES
For consistency, we have slowly replaced our appliances to Kitchenaid Pro – we love them and have been really happy with them. We have always purchased our appliances from Lowe’s and have had great service and delivery if you have one nearby.
REFRIGERATOR
The kitchen had a space for a built-in refrigerator but it was never placed by the original owners. We found one that would fit the space perfectly and went for it. It’s a Kitchenaid 30.0 cu. ft 48-Inch Width Built-In Side by Side Refrigerator with PrintShield™ Finish. If you’re wondering about the “PrintShield™ Finish”, it’s amazing! I was skeptical but it doesn’t show prints or smudges at all and it looks like regular stainless steel.
If you’re curious what the inside layout is, here’s a factory image from Kitchenaid. I wasn’t sure if I could go back from a drawer freezer to a side-by-side, I love this layout. I love that there isn’t a water or ice dispenser in the door and and I love how much room there is in the refrigerator and freezer.
We also have a stand-up freezer and the old refrigerator in the garage. This has been a huge blessing when it comes to meal planning, grocery shopping, and having food in storage.
WALL OVEN / MICROWAVE / WARMING DRAWER
The built-in oven/microwave/warming drawer was originally a Kitchenaid so we went with that as the replacement this spring because we didn’t want to have to do any reconfiguring of anything or reworking cabinets during Covid. We are loving them and definitely see a huge improvement on the original ones from 2006.
You can find the wall oven and microwave combo here if you’re interested.
COOKTOP
We purchased the cooktop and hood when we originally re-did our kitchen and love it. Kitchenaid has slightly changed the design but it’s basically the same. I love having the larger/stronger burner in the middle.
DISHWASHER
Here’s a how to clean a dishwasher post if you’re interested.
We have had this dishwasher for a few years – I love that it has a third top rack. It cleans well and is quiet. The model we have is no longer available but this is close.
The key to an easy to clean kitchen? Less on the counters, less in the drawers – just keep the necessities. I use this DIY Stone Spray on my counters to keep them clean and shiny.
Get in the habit after meals of cleaning up dishes, putting everything back in its place, wiping down counters, and do a little Nightly Sink Scrub every night. Here’s my Nightly Sink Scrub Routine if you’re interested.
You can find the towels, dish soap, spray bottles and darling labels pictured throughout this post in the Clean Mama Shop here.
PANTRY
Food storage is really key to an organized kitchen. Regardless of what your current set-up is for food storage – pantry, cupboard, or basket, if you take some time to plan out your food storage, you’ll reap the benefits over and over. If you’re looking for how I set up our pantry, you can head to this post for all the details and how to set up an efficient pantry in any space.
DETAILS
One of my favorite features in the kitchen is the backsplash – it’s simple and adds interest to the room and protects the walls and it’s super easy to wipe clean. I love that it’s a variation on subway tile.
The subway tile backsplash is from Lowe’s – you can purchase at the store or online and there are a few color different variations of the same tile.
The granite we chose was from a local countertop supplier – it’s a fairly common granite that you can probably find at just about any supplier – New Venetian Gold.
The paint is Benjamin Moore’s Revere Pewter – my favorite go-with-everything neutral. You can see the paint colors in our entire home in this post.
Hardwood Floors: Hallmark Floors | Monterey Hardwood in American Hickory. These are the easiest to clean floors I have ever had – they’re a matte finish with 3 different widths. The color is not too dark and not too light – with 3 kids and two big dogs, it’s super durable. We LOVE it!
There you have it – a complete Kitchen Tour! We’ve been slowly working on our kitchen for years and while an overnight transformation is always super satisfying, I’ll take a slow and steady approach every day of the week. You can see other posts in my home tour here.
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Casey Says
This was wonderful–thank you! My secret wish is to be able to tour other people’s homes to see how they’ve laid things out and organized and especially why they’ve made the choices they made. Strangers typically won’t let me just wander through their home asking questions, but this was the next best thing! Your kitchen is beautiful and functional. One quick question–did you consider getting a second oven or do you do just fine with one? I’m going to be remodeling my kitchen eventually and I have two currently. Just wondering what your experience is like with one. Your book and blog have been incredibly helpful to me–thanks again!
Clean Mama Says
Post authorThank you Casey! We did look into getting a double oven but we would have had to do some carpentry, cabinetry, and electrical work and didn’t want to do that at the height of coronavirus. The oven is larger than a typical oven as well – we love it! The microwave has oven features as well so it’s significantly more functional than just a microwave 🙂
Louise Oneil Says
I LOVE it!!! We are building right now so lots of great ideas! And my favorite part of your kitchen photos is the turquoise teapot, lol! The fridge looks awesome! We are also planning a wall oven or two, and I may copy your rangetop. Thanks for sharing!
Melissa Danks Says
Appliances make such a difference. We have been replacing them slowly since we moved in a few years ago. We replaced the fridge first since the one that was here was “New Zealand Size” as we called it since it’s the size my in-laws have in New Zealand. It was tiny and became our drinks fridge in the utility room. We ended up with a Bosch because we were restricted by space and wanted a true counter-depth fridge in white. Eventually I want to have a wall of cabinets with the fridge and oven/microwave in it and wanted a seamless look. Recently, we got a new dishwasher also from Bosch which is the best! We had the old 2003 dishwasher that came with the house and it was so noisy! I now keep opening it by mistake because it’s so quiet. That’s it for now for us, though, since the entire kitchen needs to be gutted in a Reno before I buy more (fingers crossed that our tiny 30” drop in stove lasts until then). We will be taking down walls, making an island and completely reconfiguring the original 1971 kitchen. It’s too bad the cabinets are ineffective because they are solid wood!
Vickie Says
Thanks so much for sharing! The new frig looks beautiful!! I’m really enjoying all your tips as I’m a new subscriber/follower 🙂
Clean Mama Says
Post authorThank you Vickie – welcome!
Lois Says
So nice to view
Thanks for the tour.
Corinne Weber Says
Where did you find your French Apple Basket?
Clean Mama Says
Post authorDreamy Whites! https://dreamywhitesatelier.com
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Marie Christensen Says
This was the best post, ever. I not only love (and enjoyed reading about) all the renovations you’ve made, but found myself willing to purchase whatever you suggest because you are such a trusted source for trying to run a clean and efficient household! Thank you for all you put into your blog, I’m sure it’s a lot to keep people motivated to clean. I have learned from you, and little by little I’ve gotten so much better and less overwhelmed by it all. Thank you!!!
Carmela Says
We just bought a side by side fridge and LOVE it!!
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Jacqueline Says
I am so interested in how your matte finish floors are holding up? I have two dogs and it feels like they are constantly smudged. We also have darker color of red oak, and a matte finish – it hides scratches well, but the smudging is awful – thoughts?
Clean Mama Says
Post authorWe LOVE them! With 2 dogs and 3 kids, they’re super durable and look almost new still. I’d say that it’s a semi-matte finish and there isn’t smudging.
Rebecca Says
This post was great and I love your kitchen! I also really like your kitchen rug. Any chance you could share where you purchased it? It is so hard to find a non-boring neutral colored runner. I really like the look of yours. 🙂
Clean Mama Says
Post authorHere’s a pantry post:
https://cleanmama.com/the-guide-to-setting-up-an-efficient-pantry-in-any-space/
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Bev Wolfinger Says
So happy to see that you have furnished your lovely kitchen with Kitchen Aide products since most (but not all) are manufactured here in the U.S.A. My husband worked for Whirlpool for 47 years making dishwashers & just may have helped build your dishwasher racks!!!
Also glad to see you promoting Rubber Maid products. I had a great customer service experience recently when I contacted them to inquire about replacing lids on my glass storage containers that I have had for years . . . after sending photos of the ones I had, they sent me brand new containers with lids!!! More than I ever would’ve expected!