Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The Start of a Kitchen Remodel

Pinned Image
I like the overall feel of this kitchen...simple, not fussy, loved...
This is just eclectically cool.  It is the details and accessories that stand out; treasures collected over time and carefully placed...
Pinned Image
A Swedish kitchen...ahhhhh.  I have one item in this kitchen; the silver food dome.  I wonder how I can incorporate it into our new kitchen.  I love those double vintage refrigerators, but I don't think I can talk Rob into those!
My cousin Lesslie's kitchen
We have looked at hundreds of kitchens and my husband still likes my cousin Lesslie's cabinets and counters the best.  They are so beautiful with a hint of gray.  The walls are painted gray, too.  She completely remodeled the space in this uptown Atlanta home.
Pinned Image
I am hoping for this under mount apron sink with this exact faucet.  I like the mix of hardware on the cabinets, too.
Sally Wheat's gray kitchen
I love her eclectic arrangement of plates over the bar and the color of her cabinets with the dark floors.  We are refinishing the floors, too, which is why we started this process in the first place!
Pinned Image
I like this space; the mix-and-match chairs; the paint on the walls with the white cabinets and dark floors; the table and that chandelier.  This won't work in our space, but I sure do like it and hope I can achieve the overall look.
Pinned Image
This is probably the closest to the 'look' I am hoping to achieve.  I like several of the features; the dark floors, the white cabinets, the different drawer pulls; the apron sink and faucet; and wow, that frig!  Are the counters made of concrete?  I love that!  Husband? No, he wants granite or quartz.
Edit: Kim from Savvy Southern Style gave me the correct link, and gave me the answer to the counters.  Thank you Kim!  The counters are soapstone.  So lovely...
Pinned Image
Our ceiling looks very similar to this.  This has a nice overall look.  I love the center island that is probably a piece of furniture with an added, extended top. The barstools and chandelier are nice, too!  Always drawn to the details, I like the use of the silver containers on the bar, as well.  Silver plated bowls and vases are easy to find and relatively inexpensive.
Pinned Image
I would love these Swedish chairs!  We will keep the French ones we currently have, but they are in need of new seats and a fresh coat of paint.

I hope to recover some of the upholstery with a tan and off-white large check, similar to this one.  This fabric is by a Swedish company.  We plan to change the color scheme to a more neutral palate.  The black and green has been very popular at Houzz and here at TPL.  In fact, it is one of my most viewed posts.
Pinned Image
My kitchen
When I have posted my kitchen, I have had to fight the urge to shout out all the things that need changing!  There is a fine line between wanting to share the things I can't stand and also not wanting to seem ungrateful.  If we never change a thing in this kitchen, it works just fine; except that the refrigerator broke and leaked water on these old floors and the garbage disposal is held together with duct tape!  The appliances are about fifteen years old and need more repairs than we felt worth it.  We hope to change some of the layout, as the actual prep and cook space is pretty tight.  When the refrigerator door is open, it almost touches the bar!  We hope to solve some of these issues.
Pinned Image
The other side of our kitchen
Not to mention, the counters and brass knobs could stand an update!  The cabinets, sadly, are falling apart and do not close adequately, so they too will get an update.  I hope to install shutters around all those windows to go with the rest of the house, change the ceiling fan over the table to a pretty vintage-looking chandelier and paint the walls.

Why the neutral pallet?  I actually love the black and green in our kitchen, but Rob is not big on change.  For that matter, neither are my children.  They are not terribly excited about changing our kitchen.  We have lived here for eleven years and it is all they have known.  Kitchens have such memories.  Much time is spent around our table and I think it is a bit sad for them to see this space transformed.  They all just need a little vision!  If I keep the space neutral, I can decorate with pops of color in the small things around the kitchen; pillows, canisters, wooden containers, tarnished silver, etc...these are all easy things to change in a space.  This will allow me to still 'decorate' with many different colors long after the kitchen has been completed!

Bloggers: Help!

Do you have any suggestions on appliances?  I am not much of a cook, but do so out of necessity to feed my family.  I don't have a clue in this area, but do want the appliances to last a long time and grow with our family.  I have done some research, but the options are endless.  What works in your kitchen?
Want to follow my Pinterest kitchen board?  Click here!

I am sure my ability to blog will be delayed as we begin this project.  We have to pack up and move everything from the upstairs into a storage unit, so the floors can be refinished first.  Our powder room will also get a facelift, along with the kitchen.  I will photograph along the way!

Thanks for stopping by!
Pin It Now!

25 comments :

Courtney ~ French Country Cottage said...

Sounds super exciting- can't wait to see what you do!! Love your inspirations!

ℳartina @ Northern Nesting said...

Christie I love your kitchen and love all these images! Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Pat@Life At Lydias House said...

First off, I wanted to comment on your previous post. Every time I tried to leave a comment it would go to a completely blank page! Your post on marriage counseling was great! Having been married for 31 years and now having children who are old enough to be married I so appreciate your work with couples who are preparing for marriage. I certainly could have used some insight before I was married as opposed to the 30 minute session that we had with my pastor.
I, too am undergoing a kitchen reno.My personal preference is for efficient appliances that are quiet. For a number of years I have had a Bosch dishwasher. The last time I purchased a dishwasher, I purchased one that said it was a "quiet" model. I brought it home and hooked it up and it was anything but quiet. So, I prompltly unhooked it and took it back to Circuit City. The folks there walked over to the cash register and gladly gave me my money back. I was shocked at how easy that was. I then went to an appliance store that had everything hooked up. I was hooked on Bosch at the get go. It is VERY quiet and I have been very pleased.In my opinion, it is worth the extra cost. This weekend I did the same thing with a microwave (whick I posted about). I ended up with Whirlpool model WMH1163XVS and am very pleased with this purchase too.

Teresa@1800 Farmhouse Rd said...

Love them all, but the first one is my fave! We are in the process of a re-do also. We are putting down wood flooring, and because our cabinetry is so dark, I am dying for white cabinetry! It is so clean and fresh looking!

Noble Vintage said...

gorgeous inspiration pics, Christie!! You should check out Sara's kitchen at August Fields (if you haven't already) hers was inspired by Sally Wheat also. They installed a drinking fountain between their kitchen and back door for their kiddos! love that feature! :) Start looking at estate sales for the chandy. I got one just like the one in your inspiration pic for $99. Most vintage stores will sell them for 3x that much.
I really regret our refrig purchase four years ago. We wanted counter depth, and the one we really wanted that was counter depth we didn't want to pay as much for. It would have been soooo worth it! It was a freezer bottom Kitchen Aid. (not French door- just the large door) Loved it in our previous house. The only problem was constantly telling the kids not to lean on the bottom drawer when they were looking for goodies!! :/
Also, the Kitchen Aid quiet series dishwasher is worth every penny. Especially in an open space. loved it! Can't wait to see what you do, I'm sure it will be stunning!!

Unknown said...

A dreamy kitchen. Oh how I enjoyed looking through these pics over my morning coffee. So much inspiration.

Best of luck with you makeover...I'm sure it will be fabulous.

Best,

Cori

Allyson McGuire said...

Great ideas! I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Allyson
http://cupcakescandycanes.blogspot.com

Sunflowers With Smiles said...

Well I love Bosch appliances, have had them in my last house....Also upgrading them to my new home in about 1 month....We never had a problem with the brand at all...I would highly recommend it....Do you have electric or gas stove? I know that I have a friend that has Wolf and is very pleased with it.....

I like to stay neutral in my kitchen and decorate with pops of different colors. I am looking for subway tile for backsplash.....Yes I prefer concrete not actually granite....

Best of luck!

Amy @ 11Magnolialane said...

What a fun project! I love your pins. I just did my kitchen in my new home. I went with (for budget reasons--it was about $2K) a Kenmore Elite 36" range. (I will post on it soon, just waiting for curtains to show off my kitchen)...but I LOVE the stove. After much research--not wanting the price of repairs or wait for the professional appliance lines like Viking or WOLF, I am very happy with the way it cooks. Its a huge improvement over my former homes standard appliances and it looks great. Just my thoughts, feel free to email me for more info. Sears has a great website that you can read reviews on all the appliances--I read them for hours, you find both good and bad with everything but it was helpful. Good luck!
Amy
www.11magnolialane.com

Nothing But Blue Skies... said...

Wow! Your pictures today were just gorgeous, and so inspirational! Like you, my kitchen functions just fine, is fairly large, and also about 15 years old. I am DYING to replace our appliances! Unfortunately, my frugality dictates that I must wait until at least one quits! Ugh! -But, then since I want them to all match, I will go out and get what I really want. I have 3 family members that have a Bosch dishwasher. They all LOVE them, so I plan to replace mine with one too.
I have had my eye on Jenn Air refrigerator, double oven, and cooktop. I just like how they look, but I really need to research consumer reports to see how they rate.
I'm sure that your space will be gorgeous, whatever you do!! Can't wait to watch the room unfold on your blog!

xo
-Lisa

It's me said...

I can't wait to see what you are make of your kitchen darling........love from me...xxx...

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

I am sure whatever you do it will be fabulous. The kitchen that you asked if the counters are concrete is the kitchen from For the Love of a House blog and they are soapstone.

The Style Sisters said...

Gorgeous Kitchens! What inspiration...I can't get enough of the crystal chandeliers..one can never have enough! :)

Jane@Cottage at the Crossroads said...

We have so many of the same pics pinned! We plan to do a kitchen reno in the future, so I'll be happily following along with yours. Love those soapstone counters! By the way, I wanted to mention that I've had Jenn Air appliances in several houses. They used to be fantastic years ago, but something has happened with their quality control! A builder friend of mine always puts GE Monogram in his custom built homes.

Vintage Home said...

OH my I am very excited for you...Kitchens are a big hassle to transform completely, but so delightful when its done!
I too am crazy about your cousins kitchen job..WOW..Nothing not to like there!

Megan @ Restoring the Roost said...

I am in love with all of your kitchen inspiration images- they are beautiful! What a fun project- can't wait to see the progress!

Anonymous said...

We redid our kitchen a year ago and love it. I see many things we used in your pictures. The counter you were wondering about looks like soapstone to me. (vs concrete) It is so durable. We love ours.
We have GE Cafe series appliances - dual fuel range with 2 ovens which is great - I mostly use the little oven, the microwave and dishwasher are all great.
Come and visit my kitchen posts for more info. Oh, and we had wood floors that weren't so great, so my hubby painted them in a black and white checkerboard pattern that is quite the hit!

Tardevil said...

Wow, you are brave to take on such a project, but I can't blame you. Maybe you can eat out a lot! I will not suggest a brand of appliance. We bought our house new in 2007, and 2-3 years later, the microwave went out. As I found when shopping for a new one, if you open the inside of the door and read the inside (generally silver plaque), they are made overseas, and in my opinion, appliances are just not made as well as they were when made in the USA. I guess you get what you pay for, in terms of labor. Good luck w/ it!

coat stand said...

What a cool house that you are staying in, never seen one like it. Have fun

alex said...

Agree, the color combination is nice.

_____________
kitchen worktops

Ronald @ flooring said...

I've always loved wood flooring in the kitchen, and these look fantastic. Great job!

Claudia said...

Hello,

I am a new follower... Love all those pics for the kitchen. How exciting! Can't wait to see more!
Claudia

Katherines Corner said...

Love the photos!!! Hugs and smooches and wishes for a beautiful week ahead!

homesower said...

I had to laugh when I read about the water damage being the cause for your remodel. We tore up our carpet and refinished the wood floors after another of my projects resulted in a not-so minor flood.

I love your site, because it is so authentic. I would love to trade links with you. If you get a chance visit me at http://www.house-design-coffee.com and be sure to leave a comment.

homesower said...

Regarding appliances:

I installed a Bosch dishwasher. When I first started using the dishwasher I had to double-check that it was working because it was so quiet. It also clean so much better than any other dishwasher I have owned. It is a little smaller on the inside. That is the price paid for the quiet.

It is amazing.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...