Before and After: Kitchen

I know you got a peek at the finished kitchen in the living room before&afters...but can you even believe it when you see these before pics??? Oh my, that ceiling!?!? Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. I can't even believe it. Now, I LOVE cooking in this kitchen. It is so bright and roomy. Why did anyone EVER put in drop-down ceilings? And why did these look oh so bad?

Even though we kept the lay-out and the cabinets, we really did a lot of work in this room. We put in all new appliances, the cabinetry needed a lot of repairs, the breakfast bar was revised and moved out into the living room about a foot. The countertops were all replaced, the plumbing was updated, a wine rack was built, the sink was refinished, and the ceiling was, well, ripped out!

I guess I should also point out that we replaced that linoleum backsplash! 

So, maybe I change my mind...maybe this is the most drastically improved room! How can I choose when they all were so desperate? I do know that having a beautiful new kitchen might not be the best for the waistline. I've been cooking and baking more than I ever have before and it turns out I can bake a mean pumpkin cheesecake! Still a pretty fair trade.