It’s a big day here on the blog my friends because I finally get to show you the progress we’ve made on the passthrough between our kitchen and living room. I’m so darn excited to say that the wall of doom is FINNNALLLLLYYYYYY complete. I’m talking done, done. We got nothin’ left to do on this baby. The kitchen side is complete, the living room side is complete, it’s all FINISHED. Hallelujah! It took us longer than I expected, but since we were DIY-ing it all ourselves (with the generous help of my sweet dad) it was just a very sloooooow process with lots of obstacles. And you know how home projects go–there’s always other life stuff going on that slows down the entire project. Anyway, I’ll save you lots of rambling and just say that the wall of doom is ready for it’s big reveal! Now before I get started, let me remind you how it looked when we started this craziness several months ago:
Big and bulky, right? I wanted this wall gone from the first day I laid eyes on it. But since it’s a load bearing wall with tons of important things running through it–like electrical, plumbing, a vent stack, etc–we faced a ton of ridiculous issues with taking the entire wall down. So a passthrough was the best and only solution for us. Here is how it looks now:
I can’t even begin to explain how much this passthrough has changed the entire feel of this space. Not only does it let in a ton of natural light from the living room, but the entire kitchen just feels bigger now. I absolutely love it. And it was totally worth all the headaches and frustration.
Remember when I talked about getting our new refrigerator last week? The one that didn’t work. Well, I’m happy to say we got that one replaced and this one actually works. Whoot!
I looked at lots of different options for open shelving and I actually didn’t even decide on these until just a few days ago. But ultimately we went with these natural wood shelves and black industrial brackets. I really like the combo of the lighter wood, which is pretty close to the color of the beam in the passthrough, along with the black brackets. And you know I had so much fun styling up these shelves. Finally, I have kitchen shelves! I have all of the goodies on the shelves listed below if you’re interested.
Now let me show you how it looks from the living room side. Here’s the before:
And the after:
The last time you saw this wall it was torn apart and in need of drywall and texture work. I was so excited to finish that part up so I could paint and style it. I’ve had this pair of old windows for a while now and I was thrilled to see they fit perfectly on either side of the passthrough. And it feels sooooooo much more open in here now. I know it’s just a passthrough, but I’m seriously amazed at how it transformed this room. And that beam we used is a piece of reclaimed wood from my parent’s house. It was actually the leftover piece from a beam they put in their house over 25 years ago. How cool is that?! (Thanks for saving everything mom and dad!) It worked perfectly in this spot and the history just adds so much sentimental meaning.
Renovating our little 1980’s fixer upper has sure been an adventure so far. This is a huge step forward in our tiny kitchen, yet there is still work to do. Next up is to replace the countertops and hopefully do a farmhouse sink. I just have to remind myself that progress takes time and it can’t all be done at once. Little by little we’ll make it ours and that’s the fun part. Even though it doesn’t always feel so fun when you’re in the middle of it! This wall in particular was a headache from day one and it just went on and on and on. But seeing it finally complete now makes all the frustration worth it. So I’m just going to soak in that feeling for a while. I absolutely love it and it’s definitely one of the projects I am most proud of so far. It ranks right up there with our master bathroom remodel.
Well that’s our big passthrough reveal! Let me know if you have any questions about this project, you know I always love to chat!
Goodies in the post:
It looks amazing. I love it. What a great makeover.
Thank you Marty, I’m so thrilled with how it turned out!
This is amaaaazing!! Great job!
Thank you SO much Kaitlyn!!
Beautiful! Love your style!
Thank you Dawn!
What a great transformation! I really love the way the windows look on both sides of the passthrough. Another awesome DIY!!
Thanks Nikki, I was so pumped to see those windows work so well there!
Perfect – It looks perfect! You seem to have the perfect blend of being open to the family while in the kitchen yet being closed off enough to hide a mess if you have one. Great idea. And that bread box…where did you find that? Love everything about this new space!
I see the bread box now. Can’t wait to get to World Market! THX
Yes, it’s from World Market. And only $20. I thought that was really reasonable!
Just beautiful Sarah! What a lovely calming place you have created!
Thank you Jana! Wish you could come by for coffee to enjoy it with me! 🙂
It looks great! Definitely adds openness and lots of light from both sides! Great job!
Yes! All the natural light in here now is so much better. I’m thrilled with how it turned out. Well worth the wait! Thanks for dropping by Megan!
OH, this looks so good! I just love your style! I want this same look for my home! Thanks for ALL the always great inspiration!
You’re too sweet Kim, thank you so much! I’m thrilled with out it changed this space.
Awesome!!! It all looks wonderful, Sarah.
Thank you Gayle!!
Beautiful job on your remodel!! I love your home. On your armchairs is the color name “beige”. I am interested in ordering one. Thanks!
Yep, Julie. They are beige!
what a great idea! love how it opens up & brightens the space! so pretty! xx
Thanks Kim! I’m so happy with how it turned out. Dream come true!
Wow! I love the way it turned out. It makes such a great difference and I really love the shelves and how they go with the wood beam.
Isn’t it such a big difference Sandy!? I’m so excited to have it done. And I am having way too much fun with these shelves! 🙂
Sarah, how beautiful!!! You did a wonderful job!!! I love your style, you certainly inspire me when I read your blog. Thanks!!! I just got done with a kitchen renovation that’s been a dream for nearly 20 years. It was well worth the wait!!!:) I appreciate your God given abilities and talents!!!
Aw thank you so much Margaret! And congrats to you on finishing up your own kitchen remodel. I have no doubt it’s beautiful!
Hi there, I was just wondering where you found the vintage/rusty looking vases/containers that you have on your open shelves. I have been looking for a while with no luck. Thanks, Cynde
Hi Cynde, those are actually from Magnolia. I got them when I visited back in March. I just did a quick search for them and doesn’t look like they’re available anymore. Bummer!
What did you do with your microwave
Good question Ellen! We hardly used the microwave actually so we just removed it. If we do replace it we will probably just do a toaster oven that can sit on the counter somewhere.
Love the bead board backsplash and the open shelves. Nice remodel … inspires me.
Thank you Laura!
wow it looks great, opens everything up , and your decor soooooo Cute, love your chairs, in living room, could you share where you got them……….
love everything you post…….
Thank you so much Elaine! You can actually find those chairs in our living room here: https://rstyle.me/n/cis4jwb6hgf
Looks great! I was wondering where the ventilation is for your stove now?
Hi Vicki! We talked to a few people about that and found out we don’t really need ventilation over our gas range. Plus all we had there before was a microwave, so we weren’t getting much of that anyway!
Wow….It’s lovely Sara…another brilliant makeover! It’s frustrating waiting for bigger projects to complete isn’t it? I’m very much into ‘quick wins’ although this one was worth the wait!x
Thank you Helen, I’m so glad this one is FINALLY done and in the books. It definitely wasn’t a quick win, but totally worth it in the end.
Love what you have done to your home. Enjoy all your post, Please keep on sending them out.
Thank you
Love the way you opened your kitchen, now I think I can do the same, I have a small kitchen and a wall,like you that has all the things in it , but could just do a pass through and it would seem bigger ! Thanks for you pictures and ideas
Paint trim molding black and use real shutters also black. Shutters to wimpy for room. Just my opinion. Like what you have done.
Good Morning Sarah
Well, you did it again. What an awesome job! I love the pass through and the bead board on your backsplash. Your appliances are beautiful too.
Also I love your hardware on your cupboards. I may copy you on this. I want to paint my kitchen cupboards so bad, but hubby keeps putting me off. He said he doesn’t want me back on a ladder again after falling while painting
I absolutely love the transformation of the passthrough! It adds such a beautiful flow to the kitchen. The details you’ve chosen really elevate the space. Can’t wait to see how you style it once everything is finished!
I absolutely love the transformation! The passthrough looks amazing and really opens up the space. Can’t wait to see how you style it! Great job, Sarah!
I love the transformation! The passthrough looks amazing and really opens up the kitchen space. Can’t wait to see how you style it! Great job, Sarah!