Hi
When we looked at this house April, 2011 we knew the kitchen was outdated. The mismatched appliances were very old except for the newish dishwasher. The cabinets were two colours, cream for the base and pale green for the doors and drawers. The counters were a weird beige/pink colour and the track lighting was from the eighties and huge. But it was a big bright space with lots of cabinets and opened to the living area which we loved. It just needed some love.
Now some may think a total gut is in order but we want to save money and we have done a few kitchen makeovers in the past so we thought we give this one a shot even if it was on a much bigger scale. Besides if we messed it up we could redo it later.
So I researched, made notes and pinned to Pinterest. Overall, I kinda knew the feeling I wanted. I wanted to have the kitchen to match the plan for rest of the house. I wanted simple, bright, and classic while keeping the foot print. And all on a DIY budget of course.
Here’s are the kitchen decisions.
Appliances
With mismatched outdated appliances anything would be an improvement. We had an almond gas stove, a white side by side and stainless/black dishwasher. Lucky for us we got a great deal on a brand new fridge from friends who were doing a house gut. The fridge was never used with the packing materials inside…score. My mom gifted us a new stainless and black gas stove for a housewarming gift. We then bought a matching black stove hood. With the appliances staying, along with the hardwood flooring we set out to make our kitchen work around that.
Paint
Paint is one of the cheapest ways to change anything. And because the kitchen cabinets were already painted, repainting them was a no brainer. I chose Simply White OC-117 by Benjamin Moore for the outsides in a pearl finish. It’s a great clean, crisp white. I am also using it for all the trim and doors in the house but in a semigloss.
For the inside of the cabinets I chose Pear Green another BM colour. It’s a cheery, bold, saturated colour. I was looking for something other than white that would be a backdrop for my white dishes and this colour I thought was perfect.
For the walls and ceiling we are going with White Chocolate also by BM. It is more creamy than the Simply White but should read nice with all the wood furniture, beams and leather that we got going on in the living spaces throughout the house.
Choosing Hardware
For the hardware we are going with these babies. Aren’t they beautiful? They’re from Hickory. They are nice and heavy with a pitted surface. They have a rustic feel which I love. They have these around town but I found them online for fifty cents cheaper and when you need forty-two it adds up quickly. So I’ll be ordering them soon. The hinges for the doors will be white.
Counter Tops
We or rather I have been “over thinking” the countertop for months. First I wanted concrete, then I wanted wood. But when we researched it and considered the amount of work we decided that it wasn’t worth it. And honestly I wasn’t sure if we could pull it off. By that I mean, sure we could build it but I was thinking of after. Would the wood hold up? Would the concrete stain? Because truthfully I would be very careful for a while and then I’d get all lazy and mess them up by cutting on them or putting something hot down. So we decided on laminate. Sure granite or slate would have been a nice option but our kitchen is really big so the cost was totally out of reach. Besides there are lots of awesome laminate out there. I was extremely impressed. Lots of patterns, textures, and finishes. But in the end we opted for plain black. It will look so nice with the black hardware and black and stainless appliances. I did look for a black with a small bit of grey or white pattern but I could not find anything so yes having a solid black countertop will show crumbs and dust but I guess I’ll have to be a better house keeper. Ha ha, yes, that is funny coming from me.
Here’s kinda what we have ordered after we measured four times. They’ll be here in three weeks.
Back Splash
Next is the back splash. Again I researched and what I was drawn to was plain subway tile. Not trendy, not colourful, not flashy. The reason for this is I know when this is finished it’s finished. I will not likely be redoing it. So I wanted something timeless and classic. Subway tile with white grout is both. When this will be installed is the question? We have purchased the tile. Delighted with our fifty percent off find at Kent Building Supplies. Right now I am so gone with just the cabinets I’m not sure if it will be done now or in the fall. We shall see.
kitchen inspiration
Lighting
The biggest thing to change besides the cabinets will be the lighting. This will require removing those ugly track lights. I’m sure they must have looked nice at one point but god they got to go. I swear it’s all I see when I look at the kitchen. They look like spaceships. And because they gotta go we need to figure out just how much light we need. Because these suckers put out some serious light. Those ten spaceships each have 120 watt bulbs. That’s a lot of light and heat. So while I don’t have this all figured out I have figured out that I don’t want track lighting put back. Which means some electrical work with some plaster and painting. I do want a light over the sink. Several lights above the peninsula and possibly a few pot lights. As for the style I am unsure but I’m thinking of using black. I do know there will be no cloth-covered or clear glass lights, I need something I clean easily.
So that’s the plan. Now I’m off to get a part for the sander which just broke.
Cheers