The Kitchen

 This was the kitchen when we bought the house.  It had very little counter space and a little half bath that took up the corner space.  We kept the windows, but got new cabinets (Thank you, Mark Jones of Modern Kitchens!), Jeff installed hardwoods and a natural stone backsplash, lights came from Home Depot, granite from Olympia Stone.  The wall between the kitchen and dining room was removed, which allows for easy traffic flow and lots of space for entertaining.

 Below is the dining room before.  The green carpet had to go...

 Here's the dining room after.  I'm inspired by Restoration Hardware.  Grays, creams, khaki.  These are peaceful colors that serve as a backdrop for the real "color" of our family-5 children!

 Here is the island-an original cabinet we salvaged from the kitchen.  We had it spruced up a little by a carpenter, and then I painted it.  Jeff added a butcher block top from Ikea, which he first stained dark and then polyurathaned. Bar stools came from Overstock.com.  This island is where our kids eat breakfast, work on homework, and on and on.  It's the meeting place of our home.