Last weekend, we officially kicked off our kitchen project and I realized a lot of our plans have changed, so I’m due for an update!
Last weekend, we officially kicked off our kitchen project and I realized a lot of our plans have changed, so I’m due for an update!
For starters, this is the “before” of our kitchen. There’s nothing wrong with it aesthetically, but this is a small house, (around 1100sf) which means we need to consider every inch of functionality! The kitchen currently doesn’t serve the space as well it could. The left side is not being used at all, and the right side has cabinets that aren’t being used to their full storage ability. It’s not terrible, but it could be so much better!
I think the most clear renderings of how our new kitchen will function has come from the Ikea kitchen planner. Screenshots from that are in the carousel below. This step was so helpful in seeing exactly how our cabinets will function and made finalizing our order easier. But of course, it’s not the full design!
I drew the rest of the kitchen diagrams in Adobe Illustrator to visualize the finishes all together. I refer to the left side as the currently empty side with just one window and french doors, and the right side as the existing kitchen. I started the design by first drawing what we already had.
We had initially planned the project for early March, but it got postponed along with everything else in the world, and I’m SO glad we had more time to think on our plans. The plan hasn’t changed at all as far as functionality goes, and a few things have remained constant for the design. I knew I wanted:
- Contrasting wood pantry
- Apron sink
- Marble backsplash
- White cabinets
In the first set of designs, I felt very settled on the Cove cabinet fronts by Chris Loves Julia for Semihandmade. I really wanted to love them, but ultimately felt they were too rustic for our space. Our house is brand new construction and it’s hard to describe exactly, but these felt very country in our house. Like we were dipping our toes in farmhouse but not fully committed? It also didn’t go great with our floor and other wood finishes in our house, so we went back to the drawing board on the wood cabinets.
The left side of the kitchen plan always had the addition of lower cabinets, but the big question mark here has been our window. It is currently too low and would be blocked by lower cabinets, so we need to get it replaced to a smaller size. We had thought that there was potential for it to be moved up, but consulted a professional and they recommended a smaller sized window instead. Of course, we are still pushing the limits of what is possible, so we asked it we could do three windows (see below plan!) and they said that it was feasible! Bring on the window wall!
There were some steps in between my first design and where I ended up, but I’ll skip ahead to the good stuff.
We decided on red oak cabinet fronts from The Cabinet Face for the wood and the new Quarterline fronts by Sarah Sherman Samuel for Semihandmade in white. I feel like we got lucky on timing because the Quarterline cabinet line just came out and really are the perfect style for what I had in mind for this space. I wasn’t in love with shaker or slab, so this was the perfect in between choice!
The other big decision we made was to do DIY concrete countertops! We initially had marble countertops with a matching slab backsplash, but I ultimately couldn’t justify the cost. We likely won’t stay in this house for more than another couple of years, so I wanted to do a budget friendly option for countertops. The concrete countertops seem like a beautiful and approachable option with products from Z Counter Form. And that marble look that I love? We found a beautiful marble tile for a backsplash that I’m really excited about. It’ll look like a marble slab if you stand back and squint your eyes haha
The last big decision we made was to add beams to the kitchen! We have cathedral ceilings and wanted to highlight that feature. I can’t believe it has taken us this long to think of this idea, but that detail will bring so much character and charm to our space! The beams will highlight our pitched ceilings that we already love and add a little bit of vintage flair.
The other nod to the past that we plan on adding is a brick wall in the back of the room and on our hood vent. We used the same Koni Brick on our fireplace in the master bedroom. Carrying the same material into this space will make the entire house feel more cohesive.
The left side hasn’t changed a whole lot aside from deciding to do three windows. I love imagining what this will look like when it all comes together!
