It's Done! : The Full Kitchen Reveal
Wow, this day has been a long time coming! Truthfully I thought we'd be here a couple of months ago...but I have learned so much about the realities of renovations through this kitchen renovation which I could write a whole other post about. But, we made it here so let's get to the good stuff!
First, a trip back down memory lane to see where we started. When we first moved in we thought we could make the kitchen work for a while and had plans to focus on the basement renovation. But after living in it for a few weeks we realized that the kitchen and main floor should probably be a priority. The kitchen flow was not working for us and you could barely have one person cooking or cleaning at data time. The drawers were original, and most wouldn't open or close properly. We decided the kitchen and main floor would be easier to renovate before adding furniture and living in the space since we wanted to change the flooring too.
If you missed the whole house before tour check it out here. And now for the big reveal! I can hardly believe it's the same house!
Green kitchens may be trending right now but I have been dreaming of a green kitchen for years and in my eyes they will always be in style! :) And if you've been here a while you'll probably know olive green is my favorite color.
The design style of the kitchen is a mix of traditional cabinetry and mid-century modern details. The main living room in our home has a vaulted ceiling and mid-century architecture so I've decided to lean into that for some of the design throughout the house. The lighting, hardware, and stacked modern tile add the perfect modern touch to the traditional shaker-style cabinets.Gold has always been my metal of choice and the gold hardware pairs seamlessly with the green cabinets. The cabinet color is "Peale Green" by Benjamin Moore.
The hardware is from Richelieu in a Satin brass finish.The faucet is from Pearl Canada. I love the luxury the gold finish adds, and the black Blanco sink gives the perfect touch of anchor to the room. The countertops were a splurge but once I saw them I couldn't settle for the cheaper option. They are quartz in the color Matterhorn from a Canadian company called HanStone. I searched high and low to find a quartz that looked like real stone and this was the only one that came close! Most quartz has very fake-looking veining and has a repeat in the pattern that you can tell is man-made. HanStone is changing the industry with their products and I'm so happy I found them. The stone I chose is made to look like quartzite stone and even the installers had to double-check if it was real or not! The tile is from Silestone and is the EC coco tile in white. I wanted a handmade look but most were very expensive. This one is porcelain tile made to look handmade so it was right on budget. I chose to do a stacked vertical pattern to bring in the mid-century modern details. It feels a bit unexpected next to the traditional cabinetry but the soft white tones make it blend effortlessly. The biggest change we made was changing the U-shaped peninsula layout for a long island. My husband jokes that we used our entire loan to turn the cabinets on an angle but it seriously has made a world of difference!
Everything flows 1000% better than before. Everyone can be in the kitchen simultaneously, and there is so much more prep space with the island in the middle. Another must on my list was space on the island for at least 4 stools! I reworked the size of it with our cabinet guy probably 4 or 5 times to make it the right size. We even had some mid-project panic before countertops and almost changed the size again, but I stuck with my gut and it turned out so good! The harder part was finding stools that were narrow enough to fit. I snagged these simple modern ones on Amazon. My kids love having their breakfast or evening snacks around the island.
The flooring is a Luxury Vinyl plank from Shaw floors in the color Alabaster.
Along the window, I added a bench with storage. I love a spot to sit down while I wait for things to cook and my kids love to be able to hang out with me while I'm in the kitchen. It just felt like this was exactly what this wall needed and I love having a spot to sit down in the kitchen while I wait for things to cook. Shout out to a good friend who sewed this cushion cover me! The fabric is from Spoonflower.The window section already had a ledge in it so it makes the perfect spot for a few plants. The artwork was reused from the bathroom at our old house. The colors already fit perfectly since the bathroom was green too. They are free downloads from art archives.
We cut into the wall and recessed the fridge about 3" (the most we could on an interior wall) but it made all the difference in the design. I wanted the fridge to feel seamless with the cabinetry and allow room for someone to pass by even if the fridge was open. It's all about those small details! I saw this art tea towel in a fellow blogger's room and had to add it to my kitchen. I literally say this to my kids 10x a day when they whine for snacks. I'm not a "fun-food" mom but they will thank me one day. An apple a day is how we roll. Another detail that just felt right was under-cabinet lighting.
Our electrician- Lee Meyer of Future Electrical Industries was the MVP of this kitchen with all the reworking of outlets and lights he did! The results speak for themselves! It was so dark in here before so I will say it again and again that lighting is WORTH. EVERY. PENNY! You can have incredible design but if you don't have enough light it will fall flat every time! If you're local and need some electrical help give him a call. Here are some shots of the kitchen at night showcasing all the lights. The pendant lights took a few months of searching to find but they are like the jewelry in the room now. Finding something within my budget and the right width was so hard. I fell in love with these ones from Mitzi but they were out of stock, over budget, and I couldn't wait anymore. Luckily I came across these pendants from Bed Bath and Beyond and I love them so much. They have similar ribbed glass detail and are a perfect mix of the traditional and midcentury styles I wanted to evoke in the kitchen.
