Kitchen Remodel- Part 4 - Decisions, Decisions- Kitchen Cabinets

I had originally my dream kitchen with white cabinets but for some reason I couldn't picture it in my condo.  I have light oak hardwood floors that I didn't want to change and most of my living room furniture is dark.  My new more practical dream kitchen now had dark cabinets to contrast the light floor and granite counter-tops to pull it all together.  

Step 1- Kitchen Cabinets

I had previously decided to use Home Depot because it was convenient for both my dad and me while living in different areas of the country.  We also decided at this point that it was much easier to deal with an in store than online design consultant so that they do everything while you were sitting right there.  Based on the style and colors I had in mind I had to decide between Thomasville and Kraftmaid.   Luckily for me, my dad had just installed a Thomasville kitchen with dark cabinets and he wasn't that impressed with the quality or staining so it made my decision to go with Kraftmaid pretty easy.   I liked the Peppercorn the best on cherry wood (yes- the wood does make a difference!) and wanted a simple design.  Some of my favorites were the Hayward and Sonora.  

Hayward

Sonora

It also comes in Peppercorn but I thought this color better highlighted the differences.

Decision:  Hayward Cabinets in Cherry Peppercorn

Next up was actually ordering from Home Depot.  If you don't have a strict timeline to follow, I'd suggest waiting for a special.  They have them frequently and they can be bundled so I'start paying attention and hold out until you get a good one!

Also, I didn't have someone come out and measure after we made the changes (removing the wall/opening up the corner) so we made our own drawing.   This was pretty risky and actually a bit stressful so I'd recommend having Home Depot come out and re-measure.  

Dad worked with his guy at the HD in Ft. Myers, FL to come up with the cabinet list/new design.  They even came up with a genius idea to use medicine cabinets on the left wall (the one with the window) where the air duct sticks out.  Sounded a little weird, but in reality I have 2 custom spice cabinets and you can't even tell until you open them.  

I took that list to my local HD design consultant when I was ready to place my order. Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as I had imagined and the clock to get the discounts I wanted was working against me.   Lessons Learned:

1. Make an appointment.  I tried to just walk in, apparently that's not how things work with the HD Design Dept.  Finding time around my work schedule and before the special ended was challenging. 
2. They wouldn't just take my cabinet list from the HD in Florida my dad gave me and order everything on it.  They had to actually re-design the kitchen in the system.  This also took time.  
3. Luckily Vivi (my amazing consultant) from HD Bethesda, MD was wonderful and was able to turn this around very quickly for me!  I also realized that ordering from a list without the checks built into the design software was risky (its a lot of money and you can't return) and was thankful that she made me go through the process.  

The money!

• Original cost: $6280.70
• Total savings was $999,50, $528.12, and $400!  Thanks again, Vivi for your magic!
• Grand total:  $4353.08
• And I did not have to get the HD credit card, so I also got to earn some points!