Kitchen Talk

Hello there! I found my camera cord! SCORE! So, since I have several topics to update you on, I think I will spread them out over the week instead of vomiting them all today in one long conglomerated post. So, today's post will focus on the KITCHEN!!!

*Disclaimer: If you are easily bored with mundane details, you should probably quit reading now. I know kitchen renovations are not at the top of everyone's list. And that's OK. I will be back with more of what you really want to see very soon. I just needed to get all these details out there for those that care. No more kitch reno talk after this post, promise.

Here are a few details. I did actually hire an interior designer to come over and give me ideas about what she thought would be best as far as placement, cabinet style, flooring, etc. I feel like this is a wise idea if you are planning on embarking on any major renovation, just so you don't mess things up. They are experts in their field and have had lots of experience and ideas you may not think of yourself. So she came over and I paid her for her time, about 3-4 hours (not a huge investment!), and Jeremy and I implemented the rest. We definitely didn't do everything she suggested, mainly because we had a budget, but we'll get to that.

One of the things I was certain of was that I wanted to use arabescatto carrera marble. I loved the look, and it is much cheaper than some of the other, more popular marble choices. It's more of a creamy white with brown and gray veining, and it is delicious. Our kitchen used to have an L-shaped bar area on the left side, and we ended up taking that out to open things up. This cut down on the counterspace, therefore I needed less marble- a good thing for our budget.

With the exception of a few new cabinets on the side where the L was taken out, most of our cabinets just got refaced, which means they got new door fronts. This is a great way to quickly update your kitchen without spending a fortune. We went with a simple shaker-style front, which I am typically drawn to when flipping through decorating magazines. And listen, if you ever want to consider doing this, I have a great cabinet guy, Barrie. (He's actually a member of my family and does great work- holla if you need his info!). The designer suggested several different paint colors for the cabinets, but I just wasn't in love with any of them. So, I conferred with the color genius at Benjamin Moore, Waldo. Any time I need help with a paint color, I always try to talk to Waldo. We picked a much lighter color, Benjamin Moore's Natural Cream, and I was thrilled with the outcome. It's a beigey-gray without being too gray. I love it.

OK. Back to that left side where we took out the L shape. The designer suggested we move things around a bit and shift the stove down a few inches to the left so it would be centered. I was like...um OK that doesn't really matter to me- but Jeremy, his dad (a contractor- score!), and Barrie all agreed that we should move it down, so we did. We also added a huge hood above the range that we didn't have before. Across the hood, Barrie installed an old cedar beam to add a little somethin' somethin' to the hood. I LOVE it. So glad we did this!

Also, there used to be a microwave above the range, and we moved that. It is now beside the refrigerator, built into the cabinetry. This is another tip for anyone who is looking to update on the cheap. You can but a microwave trim kit (about $100) to fit any microwave, and when you install it, it looks like a custom built-in microwave. We just bought a standard stainless steel countertop microwave, and achieved the built-in look for much less.

I got our pulls and knobs on ebay for a fraction of the price at Lowe's of Home Depot. These can really add up if you're buying for an entire kitchen, and the pulls I wanted are over $10 a pop at these stores. I found a hardware supplier on ebay, where I got the same pulls for $2.49 each and the knobs for around $1 each.

Also, some of you knew that our washer/dryer used to be in the kitchen, in a closet, which was OK for a while. But we took that sucker out during this reno! The space feels so much bigger without that closet sticking out. Also, on that wall (on the right side), we opened up the doorway into the dining room by about a foot. It's amazing what a difference this makes. We are hoping this will make us actually use the dining room, instead of it being a room we use a few times a year. And so far, it has!

Two quick notes: for the backsplash, we used white subway tile with gray grout. I am sure you can get these at any tile specialty store, but ours came from the bathroom tile department at Home Depot. They are CHEAP (I think 20-something cents a piece). Now onto the faucet. Jeremy really wanted one of those pull-down faucets, and I did not. I just didn't think I liked the look of them. Man, am I glad I gave in. I love the pull-down feature. Jeremy wins again.

Oh yeah, and the flooring. Our kitchen is attached to our den, which used to have carpet. Jeremy has wanted to pull up that carpet since the day we moved in, but I was reluctant. Well, I finally gave in. We decided that the flooring needed to be consistent in the den and kitchen, and we initially wanted to install hardwood. And of course, hardwood would have been AWESOME. But, brick is much cheaper, and we both liked the idea of it because it will last forever and it is super durable. So, we decided to put down brick floors, which was challenging because there were already brick floors down before, and we had to tear those out first. (I know what you're thinking...why couldn't you just use the old brick that were under the carpet? Well, when the previous owners put down the carpet, they had to put tack strips onto the brick, therefore ruining it- ugh!)

So anyway, like I said in a previous post, we still need some things- a functioning island, an armoire/wardrobe for storage, rugs, lighting, etc.- but we will get there. Right now, we are thrilled with our new kitchen! A HUGE thank-you to Jeremy's dad, who worked tirelessly to get this finished for us. He is the bomb.com, and we are lucky to have him, and not just because he's a home improvement guru.

OK, here are some pics:

Be back soon!