Creating a Dream Kitchen with Renuit’s Cabinet Refacing

The kitchen is often referred to as the “heart of the home.” It’s where meals are prepared, laughs are shared and family gathers. I’ve hosted many get-togethers with friends, family and special guests, and guess what… they all find their way to the kitchen!

Having a kitchen that is functional and pretty has always been my top priority! For the past 4 years “J” and I slowly updated and upgraded the space – adding new appliances, a new faucet, new paint – but this year we knew it needed a bigger facelift.

We decided very early on that gutting the entire kitchen was not an option. We liked the flow, the placement of the appliances and the existing cabinet bases. Why do more work when it’s not necessary, right? What we really needed was additional cabinet space (a pantry), stone countertops and a new, more modern look for the cabinet doors.

So one evening “J” and I sat down and hand-sketched some designs for a new pantry. Sketch after sketch we kept coming back to an option that included a built-in desk area. Call me crazy but I LOVE the idea of having a desk in the kitchen! We knew this addition would not only add storage and maximize space, but it would make the kitchen more functional.

With sketch in hand we headed to Home Depot Canada. After sitting down with kitchen design expert, Kaitlyn, in Home Depot Canada’s kitchen design centre it became obvious that refacing the existing cabinets and working with Renuit Cabinetry to build the desk and pantry would be our best choice! It’s crazy to think that most people believe gutting the kitchen and starting from scratch is the way to go, but with Renuit’s unique services and offerings (which are available through Home Depot’s across Canada) you can have a completely new looking kitchen for a fraction of the cost! Saving money and getting what I want… it’s a win-win in my books!

Working with Renuit

In-Home Consultation
The first step in the whole process was meeting with a Renuit representative. Home Depot Canada’s design expert put me in contact with Rosie to pick a date for our in-home consultation. Rosie came prepared with samples, swatches, and colours galore! While Rosie measured up the kitchen, “J” and I were able to pick the colour and style of our new solid wood doors, as well as the quality, colour and edge style for our new quartz countertop. It was fun getting to lay everything out to create a style board!

After everything was measured, selected and signed for, Rosie walked us through the process to come. Renuit would handle everything. How easy is that?! They would build & install the new desk and pantry, remove & dispose of the old cabinet doors, build & install the new doors, install the hardware, remove & dispose of the old countertops, level, template & install the new quartz countertops and Diamond U 2 SILGRANIT Sink, and add any finishing touches, like trim. Holy smokes, right? Clearly, I couldn’t wait to get started!

Measure, Measure, Measure
Proper and precise measurements are very important to the project like this. Each cabinet maker is different, so not all doors are the exact same size. Renuit’s cabinet maker, Bob, was the next visitor to my house, taking exact measurements for the new doors. He even took the time to talk about the new desk and pantry, making sure he could accurately envision what I wanted and the measurements needed to make it happen.

Shortly after Bob left, a representative arrived to create a template for the new countertop. If you’ve never seen a templating laser in action it’s pretty cool! After all the measurements were taken it was pretty much a waiting game… 6-8 weeks to be exact!

Install Time!
When Stephanie from Renuit called to schedule my kitchen install it was like Christmas morning! I couldn’t believe how quickly those 6 weeks flew by! The only thing “J” and I had to do before install day was clear out the cabinets and move all appliances. Sounds easy right? Let me just say the “keep, toss” debate got pretty heated (I am the type that keeps bags of noodles that only have ¼ cup left in the package! I understand it’s not enough for a serving, but once you combine all those packages, bam! Full pasta meal! This seems to drive “J” crazy.).

From start to finish, the cabinet and countertop install went off without a hitch! It was lovely spending 4 days with Fred (Renuit’s cabinet installer) and learning about all the different types of kitchen projects he has worked on. He worked respectfully and diligently to ensure my new cabinet doors, countertops, sink, desk and pantry were installed to my standards, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the results!

The new shaker doors and sleek pulls add a modern touch to the space, while the white countertops create a sense of airiness; instantly brightening up the room. The extra deep Diamond U 2 SILGRANIT Sink is a dream! If you are new to granite sinks, they are truly remarkable! Ultra-resistant to chipping and staining, not to mention heat resistant (up to 280C), the SILGRANIT sink is exactly what my kitchen has been missing! It even has a matching faucet!

Lastly, the pièce de résistance… the pantry and desk! I can’t believe how much usable space I now have in the kitchen! No more stowing appliances in the basement or cramming the cupboards so full I fear to open them. Everything has its place, which is exactly what I wanted!

I can’t tell you how thrilled I am with the transformation of this space! I would highly recommend Home Depot Canada’s refacing program if a full kitchen is not in the budget – it can update a kitchen instantly for a fraction of the cost!

And if you think it looks good now, click on over to my next post to see it with the backsplash installed!

If you liked this post you might also like these other kitchen posts:

• How We Installed Our Subway Tile Backsplash
• How to Build An Industrial Pipe Shelf
• Creating a Dream Kitchen with Renuit’s Cabinet Refacing
• Kitchen Makeover Inspiration

Disclosure: This post was in partnership with Home Depot Canada. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.