Lighter Bites: Kitchen Renovation: Part 2 (After)

I'm just going to come out and say it: I've been terrible at blogging lately. I've fallen WAY short of my goal to post at least one new recipe a week. And since we're on the honestly track right now, I have also been pretty terrible at living a Lighter Bites life. In addition to the kitchen renovation, this summer has been filled with plenty of BBQs and outdoor parties, yummy food, lots of drinks, and a bunch of trips and vacations on which I didn't count calories at ALL (we all know that calories don't count on vacation, right?)

But my favorite season - FALL! - is upon us, and I think it's the perfect time to fall back into a routine of exercising, eating healthy, and trying to meet my goal of creating and posting at least one new recipe a week.

This post won't include a recipe, but I'm finally posting the AFTER photos of our kitchen renovation! My husband and I are absolutely thrilled with how it came out, and we hope you all like it too! In case you forgot what it used to look like, you can revisit the before pictures here.

The wall between the dining room and kitchen used to be fully closed, with just a doorway between. We opened it all up and look how much bigger it looks!

Open concept? Yes please!

The fridge used to be where the stove is now. Originally when the contractor suggested moving it here, I was dead against it. Well, I can admit I was wrong. It looks awesome, and the room feels so much bigger.

Our stove and microwave used to be on the end here, right next to the back door. And the dishwasher was right next to the sink, so you weren't able to open it if you were standing by the sink. The stove was moved to the other side of the counter (and the microwave was raised, because it was really low) and the dishwasher was shifted so we can open it now if we're washing dishes at the sink.

Look how much bigger everything looks!!!

I've got a little coffee nook now!

As you know, we renovated on a budget. We didn't replace any of the appliances, and we kept the floor. Lucky for us, the floor is in good condition and it's really neutral, so we weren't limited with our options. And I happen to really like the black appliances ... not saying we'll NEVER upgrade, but it won't be for a long, long time.

And I had to get a close-up of the backsplash. How incredible is this beige subway tile?! I'm obsessed with it. It took a while to find it, but I absolutely love it.