Today I wanted to talk through my kitchen inspiration, our finishes and material selection. Kitchen renovations are typically the costliest component of a home renovation and we went into our renovation and kitchen planning anticipating unexpected expenses but also setting realistic goals about what we could afford. I searched the internet for hours, upon hours, looking on Pinterest, IG, blogs, home magazines, everywhere! to source kitchen inspiration. Here is our dream kitchen inspiration:
White Kitchen Cabinets
This is important to us because we feel that white kitchens, when done well, are timeless and do not age. They are also great for resale value (we’re not selling, but it’s something I always think of).
Our kitchen floors are darker wood and we don’t have a tremendous amount of natural sunlight but we have high ceilings. White cabinetry will make the room feel brighter. It also allows us to add character and personality through fixtures, hardware, and tile.
For cabinetry, we went with RTA (ready-to-assemble) cabinets from Cabinets.com in white classic shaker. I will break down our full order and the pros/cons of RTA in a separate post. We ordered samples and are so glad we did because we were oscillating between two comparable companies and the samples made all the difference.
Black Range Hood
I love statement range hoods. Anyone else with me? These hoods add depth and personality without overpowering the room. Interestingly, I decided on a black hood before we made the decision to paint many of our accents black (living room faux fireplace, soon: hallway stairs, soon: pocket doors).
I would like to add brass accents to our hood or plaster texture. Still undecided but this will be one project we DIY.
Marble Tile + Countertops
Our backsplash will be 3×6 marble Carrara tiles in a herringbone pattern. Regardless of the popularity of subway tiles and standard stacks, I find herringbone to be very classic and traditional. Ultimately, Mike and I are traditionalists at heart. The backsplash will also continue beyond the standard 18” to about 42” instead and include a bullnose marble trim.
This stunning high backsplash was our main inspiration:
Our countertops will be made using Stone Coat Countertops epoxy materials. We will DIY and transform ordinary MDF boards into marble Carrara with deep veins. I will detail our process DIYing the countertops separately and review their endurance but after doing a lot of research, they provide the highest-grade materials. The countertops will be 1.5” thick and hang over the edge of the cabinets at least 1-2”.
Brass Accents
Complimenting the white, black and marble kitchen will be brass accents. This creates consistently and cohesiveness throughout our home and combines the feel of rooms. One of our biggest concerns was using materials that are too “trendy” because we don’t want our kitchen to be dated within just a few years.
We are only going to use brass accents for the kitchen hardware and the light fixture. Here are our cabinet pulls, which just came in yesterday!!
We are using 6” cabinet pulls for the 18” drawers and a long 10” pull for the 27” drawer. The upper and lower cabinets will have smaller 1” knobs in the same finish (these have not arrived yet). The hardware has clean lines and is very traditional in an aged/antique brass rather than a super polished finish. L
I searched high and low for quality pulls and ended up purchasing these champagne bronze pulls from The Home Depot. Other knobs I considered were from Rejuvenation and Pottery Barn but we couldn’t justify the cost!
Lighting Fixtures
The kitchen ceiling is an original tin discovered under the drop ceiling. We want to preserve the character of the ceiling and cannot add in recessed lighting as it would tear the tin and might risk replacing the entire ceiling. To avoid this, we decided to use one larger fixture from the main junction box.
Mike does not want the kitchen to have a farmhouse feel so he picked an adjustable chandelier pendant light with clear bulbs and a black and brass finish. We opted out of two pendants since our island will not be truly centered and a 7-light modern sputnik chandelier will be more forgiving. The light comes in a few different finish options from Amazon but we’ll go with black/brass.
I would like to install 2 sconces above the open shelving. There is currently no hardwire for sconces but there are very easy hacks for remote operated sconces. This might be overkill but zone lighting is very important – the sconces will serve as prep lighting and ambient light at night.
Kitchen Island
We decided to add an island to the kitchen for more storage and prep space. I wanted 3 drawer base cabinets on the outer walls but they are more expensive so we opted instead to add drawers to the island as a cost saving measure so that I still get drawers. The island will be approximately 48”x55” with 2 stools facing the direction of the stove. The island will have 2 sets of 24” drawer base cabinets (3 drawers in each) and a 21” cabinet for the pull-out trash can from Rev-A-Shelf.
We have decided to DIY our kitchen island cabinets from pre-assembled off-the-shelf Home Depot cabinets from their Hampton Bay line. The cabinets are shaker style with full cover fronts (means there’s no gap between drawers and doors).
I want to paint the island black so that it ties into the range hood and black kitchen faucet. The hardware will still be brass.
We already purchased our stools – very simple upholstered grey mid-century inspired stools. They were on sale for $21/each from Target so I bought four. They have since been discontinued.
… and a BIG kitchen change!
The pantry door will be refinished and likely sanded to a natural wood with a new frosted glass. I would like brass gilding on the door that says “pantry” or “mudroom” – not sure yet. The large window in the kitchen will actually be swapped out for a door… crazy right?! I think the door might be a double door but there are a few things to consider if we move it (namely structural and electrical changes).
Adding a patio door for direct access to the backyard was the smartest decision for us since we want more storage in the mudroom/pantry. Removing the door in the mudroom/pantry means we can wrap even more wall to wall cabinetry/built ins.
I can already see the patio door open, Penelope playing in the backyard, me in the kitchen watching her, guests flowing in and out – it just works for us!
Here are our materials! Greenery, wood butcher block accents, and pops of color will complete the look! I’m so, so excited! What do you think??
This is a mock-up of our white and black cabinetry with the herringbone marble backsplash. The countertops on both the perimeter and island will be Carrara marble. The wood floors add much needed warmth to the kitchen!
Our kitchen inspiration is simple: timeless, classic, and clean. Here’s to hoping we pull it off! Let me know what you think below!
Tiarra
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