While living in Rhode Island, Korilyn \u201cKori\u201d Martin and her husband began to search for a new property with a historic feel that had enough acreage for her entire family to enjoy. But it wasn\u2019t that easy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt’s really hard to find the acreage and the antique house in Rhode Island,\u201d she said, \u201cSo it brought us up here to New Hampshire.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That move would prove fruitful in more ways than one. They ended up choosing a 1700s-era farmhouse with 4,000 square feet of space on 25 acres of land. But despite the antique look, Martin said the previous owners had made substantial improvements to the plumbing and other critical features, making their eventual renovation much easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was all just cosmetic stuff that we were able to renovate ourselves a little bit at a time on weekend projects,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their list of upgrades included brand-new cabinets, but once again, they ran into difficulties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Martin decided that hardwood cabinets would be the best fit for her new and improved home. Looks were important, but with three small kids, that was only part of the equation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don’t want to have to ever worry about them spilling drinks and [the hardwood cabinets] swelling and then having to get it replaced,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n At first, she turned to a big box store for the cabinets she wanted. But right before she was about to make her purchase, she ran into some problems. The cabinets she thought were hardwood were actually made of particleboard. On top of that, her cabinets would take 6 to 7 months to arrive at her home, much slower than she had anticipated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The long wait time was the final straw. Martin declined her order with the big box store and began her search for a better alternative. That\u2019s when she found the RTA Cabinet Store. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Martin\u2019s cabinets arrived just one week after she ordered them. That not only beat out the big box store but several local cabinet shops she\u2019d considered as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But a quick delivery was just the beginning. To ensure she got exactly what she was looking for, Martin took advantage of RTA\u2019s free design service<\/a>. Once paired with a designer, she explained her vision of equal parts preservation and a greater sense of warmth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur goal here with renovating our home has always been to maintain the home\u2019s original character to try to bring that back to life,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have exposed beams throughout and just a really warm palette. So, we wanted to bring that feel into our kitchen but without it feeling too warm.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Martin\u2019s designer got right to work, formulating a blueprint that really impressed her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEvery little measurement was spot on,\u201d Martin said. \u201cSo, when it came time to order the cabinets, I had zero reservations, I knew that everything was going to work.”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once her cabinets arrived, it was finally time to build. She initially set aside three weeks to get everything assembled. Little did she know how easy it would be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It took just 2 days for Martin to assemble and install her cabinets thanks to RTA\u2019s step-by-step assembly videos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe had our computer up with the tutorial going as we were assembling, and we would pause and do that stuff and then play and then pause, and it just made it so easy,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She ended up choosing the Devon Slab Kitchen Cabinets<\/a> in white and pairing them with pre-existing maple cabinets that went on the bottom. This created a nice two-tone contrast that helped lighten things up while pairing nicely with the darker, maple cabinets that she \u201cdidn’t have the heart to rip out.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n These cabinets were also placed around the refrigerator and on top of the white quartz countertop. Martin said it was all about achieving that high-end look without the massive spending attached. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI felt like I could splurge on my appliances and the countertops, and then make very specific choices with how we wanted to stack our cabinets, just to make it feel a little bit more high-end,\u201d she said. This also led to extra storage space for appliances and food while staying accessible for her kids. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To complement the cabinets, Martin painted the trim in Chantilly Lace<\/a> by Benjamin Moore and added paneling to the ceiling. Alongside some extra touch-up painting and customization, the kitchen renovation took about 6 months to finish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Take one look at Martin\u2019s Instagram @thefarmhouselife or her blog<\/a>, and you\u2019ll be amazed by the fruit of her labor. She also received national recognition in American Farmhouse Style\u2019s October\/November 2022 edition alongside several other historic farmhouses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall, Martin said that using RTA cabinets was much easier than she expected. \u201cEven if you don’t consider yourself a DIYer, I still think that it is simple enough with the tutorials to give it a try,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ready to get your project started right? Check out RTA\u2019s Resource Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rtacabinetstore.blob.core.windows.net\/rtacabinet\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/24144105\/Before-1024x640.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThinking Outside the Big Box<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rtacabinetstore.blob.core.windows.net\/rtacabinet\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/24144154\/After-1-1024x771.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nA Great Design with Little Time and Effort<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rtacabinetstore.blob.core.windows.net\/rtacabinet\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/24144204\/After-2-1024x640.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Finished Product<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n