This post was created in collaboration with Martha Stewart Living ™ exclusively at The Home Depot.
 

 
It’s been a busy few months around here, but after designing, planning & installing our dream Martha Stewart Living™ Kitchen, the time has come to reveal the final results.  As you may remember, this was the space we started with.
A “custom” kitchen that had been pieced together through the past fifty years.  The doors & drawers had seen better days & the lack of counter space really made this a challenging space to work in.  Especially when we all love to cook.  Our main objective was to add more counters, as well as rearrange the appliances to create a more natural flow.  This was the result…
 
We were able to almost triple our previous countertop!!  And it really has been a bit of a game changer. Meal prep is so much easier now, even with a four year old sitting on the counter.
Here was the previous view of the sink area…
And now…
Incorporating a few space saving cabinets from the Martha Stewart Living™ collection available exclusively at The Home Depot, we were able to create an L at the end of our kitchen, increasing both storage, as well as the addition of those counters.  The angled unit on the end was the perfect solution to extend the kitchen with our limited space & sits adjacent to a Lazy Susan cabinet that efficiently stores every single item that previously lived in that giant wall unit.
 
While I fell in love with the Wellston Cabinet profile, I choose to mix up a few other elements to achieve the custom look I was going for.  I added one of the more traditional crown moulding options from the collection & also choose to include these beautiful ornate corbels to support the new open shelves.
 
The open shelves sit on top of our herringbone backsplash accented with charcoal grout.  I am so glad I made the decision to go all the way to the ceiling with the tile.  I am also thrilled I was able to camouflage the outlet covers…  Click here for that tutorial!!
FYI… I spoke to the tile manufacturer & it should be back in stock any day!!!
 
After creating our breakfast nook last year, we knew we wanted to incorporate it into the new kitchen layout.  The banquette fits in seamlessly with the new cabinets.  The large pantry unit that backed up to the area before, made the nook feel a bit cramped.  Losing that full height unit & bringing the counters over have completely opened the space letting so much more natural light in during the day.
 
The full extension drawers provide ample storage for all of our utensils & flatware.  The soft close feature is perfect for a home with a four year old & a fifteen year old, who both tend to be a little heavy handed.
 
I even convinced my husband to fill one of the drawers with our spices… and it just might be one of his favorite features now.  It is so nice to simply open the drawer & glance down for the spices needed vs digging through them in a cabinet as we had done previously.
 
The light fixtures got an upgrade as well.  I went with two of these flush mount brass sputniks from  Lucent Light Shop.  They provide a ton of light & add a modern touch.
To solve the design dilemma about the base cabinets not lining up with the upper cabinet, I had the counter installers, from Old Castle Surfaces, create a full height splash using the Martha Stewart Living LG Hausys Viatera Quartz and had them cut a decorative detail.  This design reflects back to the banquette in our kitchen’s breakfast nook & is something not everyone is going to have in their space.  I also love the juxtaposition of the quartz detail against the full walls of herringbone.

The end panel of our upper cabinet is also a really useful message center.  It simply appears as an end panel, but secretly opens to reveal three pockets & hooks for your keys.  It is so nice to have a go to spot for these items that usually get left anywhere & everywhere.
 
Due to space limitations, our fridge & range had few other options for a new location.  They had originally sat like this… Basically just plopped into the space, with a cabinet over the fridge that was impossible to reach.
 
We decided to switch the two appliances to open up the entry from the back patio (which is our main entrance on a daily basis) and build out the cabinetry to frame them out a bit…
Going from the previous, to our new layout we are wondering why we never moved them sooner!  This layout functions so much smoother for us, not to mention the addition of our new GE double oven /gas range & Advantium over the range wall oven/microwave.  We basically went from one oven to three!  We are truly fitting as much function into this small space as possible.
At the end of our kitchen we had a narrow little area that never fit anything… having a slender base cabinet & counter installed gave us yet another area for a work space.
 
I am so pleased with our entire experience in creating our Martha Stewart Living™ Kitchen.  From the initial design meeting at The Home Depot, to the install using their certified & knowledgable installers.  Our kitchen is finally a joy to work in & we can’t wait to create our first real meal in here.

As of 2017, the kitchen accessories have been updated and moulding has been added.  To see the new changes, click here.
xo – Kristin
I have partnered with & thank tremendously Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. for this kitchen program. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own.  Thank you to MasterBrand Cabinets, LG Hausys, The Home Depot, Old Castle Surfaces, Kohler & GE for contributing to this project.