They say that the heart of every home is the kitchen. So when we decided to build our next house, I knew that I wanted to put the most of our efforts and budget into that part of the house.
When I started thinking about designing our new kitchen, I knew I wanted white. There's something about a white kitchen that feels so clean and crisp and open. I've always loved a white kitchen, so that was the one thing I was certain about. I began to do some research for ideas, and, while all of these inspiration kitchens are different, they all have the clean, white lines that I love so much. Here are a few of my favorite designs that inspired me the most.
When we went to the design appointment to choose our house basics, I immediately chose white, Shaker style cabinetry and slim, silver handles.
Our next decision was countertops. I adore the look of white marble, but I have heard that it can be difficult to maintain. And with two small kids and a husband, high-maintenance is not currently on my wishlist. So I ended up choosing a carerra marble-inspired quartz for the counter. With this option, I get the look of the marble with the low maintenance of quartz; it's a win-win for me.
When it came to choosing floor, we had to decide on what we wanted for the entire downstairs. This house has an open floor plan, so the living room, breakfast nook, and kitchen are all one room; and the kitchen flows into a butler's pantry, which leads to the dining room. So the flooring needs to be consistent throughout the entire downstairs. We knew we wanted the look of wood, but we weren't sure if we wanted hardwood, laminate wood, or tile. Because we have destructive children, we ended up choosing wood tiles in a whiskey oak color that is half-rustic brown and half-grey.
The backsplash was the most difficult decision for me. I knew I wanted something that was light and bright to make the room seem as large and open as possible. Although I do love the look of clean, white subway tile, I ended up choosing a smaller mosaic backsplash in a pearlescent color. I think it'll add a little bit of interest and sparkle to the kitchen. To finish the design process off, we chose a white wood hood vent.
I think it all "works" when I put it together like this, but I really hope it comes together nicely in real life! That's the scary thing about designing a home...you never know for sure until you actually see it all done!
When you are building or renovating a home with a partner, things can get hairy. I've heard that a lot of people nearly get divorced when building a home! It wasn't too difficult for us; it really just came down to giving-and-taking and willingness to compromise with each other. My biggest concern was making the kitchen look awesome and functional; Alex's biggest concern was doing it as inexpensively as humanly possible. (LOL). So there were several things that Alex gave in about (like extending the cabinets all the way to the ceiling), and there were a few things that I conceded (like glass cabinets). And then there are times you have to compromise on. For instance, I really wanted the island to be a rustic grey color, but Alex really wanted it to be black. I finally decided that I was choosing so much on my own, and he was letting me get a lot of the things I wanted, so I owed it to him to let him have his black island if it was that important to him. It's all about compromise!
Next will come the really fun part--choosing lighting fixtures, bar stools, and a breakfast table. You know, the things that make a house a home. Stay tuned!
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