So this was my problem:  After years of putting up family pictures, by the time we moved into our current home I had a large collection of pictures and frames. My kids love the pictures of themselves and their sibblings lining the walls.  But I don't, it drives me crazy, too many different colors, too much mishmash.  I love the look of  all the same or similar frames on the wall but I didn't have the budget to go out and buy all new frames.  I decided I would use the frames I had.  I painted all of my frames white with some paint I had leftover from painting the trim in my house, distressed them and then added all kinds of embellishments I have collected over the years (garage sales, friends, thrift stores,and furniture which had been junked).  I also reprinted my pictures in a black and white/sepia/washed out colors format. I! now love my family pictures and the wall in my livingroom

Hidden Pond After

Hidden Pond Before

The biggest difference we created in this family room was to highlight the fireplace area by adding large built in cabinets in the recessed areas and replacing the the lame fireplace mantle with one my husband custom built (he also custom built the cabinets).  The windows which look over a ravine were  shorter than they should have been for the wall so I created drapes that hung about a foot higher than the window.  I couldn't find drapes I loved in the height I needed except at a high price, so I took some  84 inch drapes I bought and took out  the pocket on the top and the hem on the bottom and added rings to the hang them, this gave me almost another foot of curtain length.  I then  covered the wall space above the window's but below the drapes, with soft blinds.  I think the look emphasized the windows and the view.

Farmhouse Kitchen Before

This was an exciting project for us in our new farmhouse.  We started with a small 1990's kFarmhouse kitchen After

The cupboards from the before pictures are the same as the cupboards in the after pictures.  We routered the edges and painted and glazed them for a completely different look.  The chandelier was my great grandmothers. 

itchen and a relatively small budget.  We decided we needed to recycle anything we could and still get the look we wanted.  The first thing we did was take out a small bathroom behind the back wall of the kitchen and turn it into a cooking area and a pantry.  Because the bathroom was previously there we were able to utilize the hot water previously plumbed to the bathroom for a pot filler over the stove. We kept the toilet and sink which were in good condition, for a future bathroom project downstairs.  We also removed a 6 inch false ceiling that was put in so the previous owners could have  recessed lighting in the kitchen.   We pulled out the old cabinets, they were made of oak and in use-able condition, so we  routered  the edges to update them. We then sanded, primered,  painted and glazed them.  We also  took one of the old cabinet doors off and reconstructed it to accommodate two glass panels.  Then we put the cabinets back in in a new configuration and added open shelving which my husband and I built, where we wanted things we love out in the open. Two of the open shelving units, the plate rack and the shelf over the sink came from previous homes where they had other uses. 

Because we recycled the old cabinets we were able to use our budget for a new island with a honed black granite top, and creamy granite counter tops on the perimeter cabinets.   I called multiple places that advertised great prices on Granite however I only found one place who's price was actually the same as what they advertised, Stone Mart in Salt Lake City even priced matched a price I   found on a remnant of Honed Granite. I chose the Honed Black Granite because I have been fascinated with soapstone counter tops but have been super wary of the durability.  With a family of 7, 3 of them teenage boys, our home gets beat up, we needed something durable.  When I saw the remnant of honed black granite at one of the granite suppliers I knew I had found what I was looking for, the soapstone look with the durability of granite!! I also really wanted an apron front sink, but again the price was outrageous.  I found this large and beautiful sink at Ikea for under $300.

The cabinets also display my collection (or should I say obsession) of old glass cabinet knob.s I used recycled old glass knobs of different sizes and shapes on all the white cabinets.  

The Chandelier was  My great grandmothers dining room chandelier.:)

Often times, in this day and age, a kitchen remodel means throwing out everything and starting anew.  These cabinets are oak, what better material could I find as a starting point?