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Home Stories A to Z Kitchen with AZ Faux Beams

When I was nine years old, my parents designed and built (one of) their dream home(s) on the shores of Lake Michigan. It was a gorgeous 3-story home, tucked away in the woods, oozing with character and outdoorsy charm. The second level had these gorgeous exposed beams a few shades darker than the hardwood floors. We moved around a lot growing up, but that house always felt the most like “home” to me, and my love affair for exposed wood beams has never died!

Fast forward to a few months ago, when I saw this incredible bathroom makeover on my dear friend Traci’s blog. She showed off her gorgeous new bathroom complete with faux wood beams! Say wha??? Faux beams that look like rustic barnwood beams that I can actually lift and install (with minimal help)! Oh yes please!

white kitchen

I contacted AZ Faux Wood Beams to discuss the benefits of faux beams and design options for my kitchen.

logo faux

This is what I learned:

  • The beams are made of polyurethane.
  • They are made from the molds of actual wood beams so are very authentic in appearance.
  • They will not split, crack, or dry out like real wood but can be easily cut to size with a hand saw.
  • They are incredibly lightweight making them easy to ship and install.
  • They are termite resistant.
  • They can be painted or stained.
  • They look exactly like real wood!
  • They come in a variety of finishes, sizes, and styles.
  • They are manufactured by Superior Building Supplies.

AZ Faux Beams has been featured on HGTV and the DIY Network. They offer such amazing products that I was thrilled to try them out for myself! I discussed my design options with the AZ Faux Beam team, and with their help I was able to choose the number of beams in the style and finish that was perfect for my kitchen. I chose the Old Timber Beams and I LOVE them.

faux beams

The color is exactly what I was hoping for. They are a gorgeous true brown without a lot of reddish tone to them and they look beat-up, chunky, and straight from an old barn :). The beams I chose were actually close to 15′ long. The total cost of three beams of the size I chose runs around $350 before shipping. I think it would be very difficult to achieve a similar look for less. And they are so light that two of you can easily install them in a day!

faux wood beam

I was already loving all of the recent changes that I made to my kitchen but the beams are definitely the icing on the cake! They separate the kitchen visually as a “room” in our open floor plan and add some additional architectural interest and character.

white kitchen beams

And since I haven’t really shown you my kitchen in it’s non-Christmas state yet, how about a few more glam shots for you before you go?kitchen

kitchen shelves

kitchen sink

Okay, and here is where you can really see how far my kitchen has come in the past few years. Below is the before.

kitchen before

And the much improved after :). Eek! I am thrilled with it now! It is EXACTLY what I was hoping for when I started my kitchen makeover journey several years ago.

white kitchen with beams

If you are wondering how in the world to install the beams, I’ve included Traci’s video tutorial below. I was going to make my own tutorial for you, but Traci did such a great job that there was really no need. We used toggle bolts to install wood blocks in the ceiling (because there were NO studs in place) and then drilled wood screws through the wood beams and into the wood blocks. It’s not hard to do, but is a two person job. Click on over to AZ Wood Beams and see if there is a beam that speaks to you!

I loved these beams so contacted AZ Faux Beams and asked them if I could review their product.   They agreed and were excited about reaching all of you. As always, the opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.  My family loves these beams, how easy they were to work with, how natural they look, and the character they add to our home. I highly recommend them!

Linking this post to: Transformation Thursday, Beneath My Heart

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Comments

  1. I love it!! I’m looking to I do this same thing however my kitchen is open to an eat in kitchen area and our family room. Is yours? Would it look weird if I just added beams to the kitchen and not to the rest of the attached space? Thanks!!

    • Thanks Amanda! You can see a more recent picture of the kitchen in my spring home tour if you’d like. Here is the link: http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/springtour I don’t think it looks weird at all to just have beams in the kitchen. You can get a better look of my entire level in the tour to see what you think.

  2. Thanks so much for your prompt response to the link regarding your kitchen beams. I was hoping there were faux. I just purchased a condo so I have to be careful what I attach to the roof area. I think these will work as they are likely glued in place.
    Oh, FYI I just happened to be going through my email ‘trash’ looking for something I had deleted. Your response was in there (something about how the apple mail systems stacks the conversations). I was happy to ‘discover it’ but irritated about almost missing the response!

  3. With havin so much content do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright violation?
    My site has a lot of unique content I’ve either authored
    myself or outsourced but it seems a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my permission.
    Do you know any techniques to help protect against content from being ripped
    off? I’d truly appreciate it.

  5. Love the beams. they certainly look like the real deal.
    Can you tell me where you bought the lights?

    Thanks!
    Dee

  6. Hi Beth! I have real beams in my house and I’ve been looking at updating the look. What color do you have on the walls? it’s almost a blueish? does it feel cold?

    Thanks,
    Ali

  9. What’s so great about the kitchen is that the beams do not look at all out of place. They look as though they are really part of the structure. Love the white cabinets too!!

    Maude

  10. wow! Looks wonderful!! When we were in Lexington, I would look at our wonderful back room and try to think about how I could get some beams back there! When we moved to Virginia Beach, voila ! Beams already there in the family room ! God is so good. wendy

  12. The whole kitchen looks gorgeous! The beams give it such character and I love the contrast between all the rustic elements and the white cabinets.

  14. Beth, this looks fantastic! What an amazing makeover. It really changed the whole appearance of the before picture! The exposed beams add character to the space. Well done!

  17. Beautiful Beth! What a gorgeous space you have! I love everything…the colours and the open shelving and the white cabinets! You are such a lucky girl to have such an awesome space! The new beams looks amazing too! Have a lovely week! Angie xo

  18. Oh my goodness! Your kitchen is absolutely stunning. I love every element and the beams look wonderful. The The back splash is amazingl. And the colors….WOW! I grew up on Lake Michigan in Union Pier across the lake from Chicago. 🙂

  19. Love them, Beth! How hard did they hit you with the shipping? I’d love to keep these in mind for when we move. Your kitchen makeover is wonderful!

    • Shipping varies depending on where you live of course but it’s NOT cheap. You need to factor in the cost of shipping into the total project cost for sure!

  21. Gorgeous kitchen! So inspiring. Question for you – how did you go from wood cabinets to white? Did you have a professional painter come spray them or was it something you did yourself? If so, how? I have similar wood cabinets now that I like but don’t love. Thanks! xo Liz

  22. I love your kitchen so much!! You have been such an inspiration to me!! I love all your ideas and it looks so beautiful together!!! Thank you!

  25. Gorgeous kitchen! Love that soft blue too, was it hard to cover the orange paint? We are tackling our kitchen soon, so I’m off to learn more about the Faux Beams!
    Thanks for sharing!
    ~Liz@HoosierHomemade

  29. Hi Beth! I actually just found your site through a Google Alert I had set for DIY stuff to get some more inspiration. I had to comment and tell you how much I love the kitchen remodel. Lightening up the colors like that really makes it appear more open and inviting and I really like the stone backsplash (is it real or faux as well?). As far as the beams go, I agree they look great… I actually did something similar to help frame our dining area and give it a subtle visual separation from the adjoining living room in the middle of last year with a couple faux wood beams. I can’t wait to read through the rest of the site. Seeing other DIY interior design plans has really helped spark the do-it-yourself gene in me.

  31. Oh my Beth!! This is just so fabulously gorgeous! I want some beams right now! Every details is so lovely and I totally relate to how happy you must be feeling with your new kitchen. You did an amazing job! I will definitely be ordering some beams when I finally get settled in a new home. Thank you for sharing this great product with us.

    Heather

    • At first I thought I wanted them for our master bedroom (actually I still do!) because our ceilings are vaulted and go up to 14 ft at the highest point. I think they look awesome on vaulted ceilings!

  35. Love your kitchen, Beth. I am partial to white cabinets ( I have them in my kitchen). I like the clean, fresh look of your new space along with the decor you added (those baskets are too cute!). To me, it’s a timeless look. You really did a great DIY job!

    Nancy

    • Thanks you Nancy and I agree. My mom has had a white kitchen for over 15 yrs now and it still doesn’t look dated. I love white!

  36. oh my word, girl! Your kitchen turned out gorgeous! I love how much brighter it is!

    I am so impressed with the beams, they look so real. We don’t have a space for them in our living area (our kitchen, dining and living rooms are all in one big square. What do you think of these beams in a master bedroom? Also, how high are your ceilings? We have 8′ ceilings… do you think that is too low for beams??

    Thanks in advance for your expert opinion 🙂

    • Thanks Leen! I’ve seen beams in homes with 8′ ceilings and I think it all depends on the room design and amount of natural light that a room receives. If they are too low they can sort of mess with the “chi” of a room and make it feel crowded. Our ceilings are at least 10 ft on each level.

  38. Hi Beth, Your beams are great with your kitchen. I love the look of the baskets on top of your cabinets too. What a beautiful transformation!

    • Jesse they look AMAZING! What a huge transformation! Thanks for sharing your post ;). And yes, I was so pleased to be able to bounce design ideas off of the AZ “Beam Team”. I really wasn’t sure what size to get and how many would look best. They suggested exactly what I needed and hit the nail on the nose :).

  43. I love exposed wood beams. The home I grew up in had exposed wood beams in our living room and a big vaulted ceiling. I have always wanted to have beams in my home too. I have a client that has these in her home office and I had to touch them to actually believe they were not real wood. Your kitchen looks gorgeous, and I LOVE the beams. That is quite the transformation. So fun to see what a bright coat of paint can do to open up a kitchen. My home is very open concept, but when my kids are a bit more mature and we make our upstairs playroom more like a media room, I am putting them in there!

    • Good idea Karen! In many ways we have outgrown our current home. The design is getting trickier as the boys get older. I wish I had a “tv room” to send them to. I’m actually thinking of how to make that happen with the space we have available upstairs. Do I really need a guest room? 🙂

  44. Love love LOVE them!! Ahhh dying over how beautiful they look in your kitchen…its like they just complete the space & tie the whole room together!!

    • Thank you Christina! Even my husband said, “Wow, they actually look like they have always been there.” Ch-ching!

  45. Hey Girl! I came over to check out your beams, and I saw the links to mine AND our video! Thank you so much for including them. 🙂

    I LOVE The way the beams look in your kitchen! Aren’t they awesome?! Like you said, I love the way they define your kitchen space. They really do add so much charm to your kitchen.

    Woohoo!!

    • Thanks for introducing me to a fab product Traci! I am in LOVE with how they look :). Thanks also for letting me use your video (without asking your permission). Ha! It was perfect and explained exactly what we needed to do to hang them.

  48. Super pretty Beth. We had beams in our last house and I miss them. Yours look great. They really do make a nice delineation between the space. Enjoy 🙂

    • With a “bowling alley” floor plan in our home, I’m so glad to have he beams separate the space a bit. Thanks for visiting me :).

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