The Long-Awaited Kitchen Renovation

The Final Big Project in our 125-year-old Vermont Farmhouse

For the first time since we moved into our 125-year-old Vermont Farmhouse nine months ago, construction is finished. Well, it’s not really finished since nothing is ever finished in a farmhouse or a in micro-bakery, let alone in a space that is both. But this was the last big project needed to make our house livable and functionable, and now it’s over and we can finally exhale. Here are some of our favorite moments from the long and difficult construction process.

Here is the gutted kitchen we began with. It was really cool to see some relics of the original construction of the house still serving their purpose behind the walls. We realized that the exterior wall had never been insulated which helped explain why our heating bill had been so high! Despite the dust, it was a relief to see the kitchen in this bare state, full of potential and free of clutter.

This picture shows the moment where enough of the cabinets had been installed that our new kitchen finally felt like it was beginning to take shape. We decided to go with unfished cabinets and finish them ourselves to maximize our budget. We kept the appliances but replaced the window with a better insulated one that actually opens. We’re looking forward to putting it to use as soon as the weather warms up!

This was the moment we first turned on our new pendant and under-cabinet lights. It was probably the single most exciting moment of the entire construction process! The kitchen is so much brighter than before, making it a functionable space we actually want to spend time in.

We had played around with the idea of staining the cabinets, but ultimately we decided we wanted to paint them for a bit of color. These were the color samples we picked from, and let me say, it was not an easy decision. We finally decided on a medium-dark blue for the bottom cabinets and a subtle off white for the uppers. The painting is still in progress, and of course we’ll share pictures once it’s completed.

I’m sure we’ll have more house and bakery space updates from time to time, but for now, it feels really good to close the construction chapter of our Vermont journey. At long last, we can finally get back to our true love: baking!