For YEARS I have been planning this nonexistent room on Pinterest and in my head. I took Facebook polls on weather or not to have wood floors in my kitchen. I got a subscription to Consumer Reports to make sure I knew what the best-rated appliances were. I researched sinks and lights and vent fans and what the best grayish wall color would be. So when it came time for these meetings, I was ready, to say the least. My vision has always been an updated farmhouse feel with some shiny things thrown in for a modern twist. Try telling a plumber that! :)
Ready for the rundown? Here's what our kitchen looks like on paper. It's basically an "L" with a large rectangular island in the center, completely open to the living room. There's a small butler's pantry on your way out of the kitchen, heading toward the dining room. A good-sized walk-in pantry is built in behind the wall of cabinets that house the fridge. And, a nook is off to the side, which one day will have some builtin benches and a large table.
Starting from the ground up, I chose to have wood floors in my kitchen. Since the kitchen is so open to the living room, I didn't want a floor break with tile. Also, I chose light gray walls and white cabinets and I felt like tile would only make everything feel sterile. I needed something dark and warm on the floor. The floor is an engineered hickory in a medium brown with some distressing and runs through all of the main rooms of the house. The guys from Shaw were extremely helpful when I was trying to chose a floor without going broke. I basically brought a sample to my builder and told him to match it. Funny thing about building contracts... you can't always use the suppliers/installers you want. But that's a story for another day! :)
Next, (or simultaneously I should say) I chose white shaker-style cabinets with brushed nickel cup pulls and simple knobs. I was nervous about getting white white cabinets (ahhh, so harsh!) but the creamier color looked too yellow. And (spoiler alert) the cabinets have arrived and I love the color. Here's a sneak peak from my Instagram. I chose a mix of solid and glass uppers along with cabinets and drawers for the lowers. Also, since we have tall ceilings I got a price for doing double stacked cabinets (you know, those little square, usually glass ones above the regular cabinets?). Let's just say the upgrade charge was a little too steep for a "that might look nice" add on.
The countertops are a bit off a pain point ya'll. You see, we are at the very tail end of this project and we are Out. Of. Money. Of course I would love gorgeous soft white and gray Carrara-looking slabs of quartz everywhere but unless I suddenly win big on Wheel of Fortune or stumble upon some treasure, I think a mid-level granite is where we're sticking. We actually still haven't officially bought a slab of anything yet, but "Colonial White" granite is looking like the winner at this point. Who knows. That could change. This is the picture I took of the actual slab at the granite yard. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty. Just not the picture I've had in my head for the past year.
Above the island will hang two large pendant lights. I can't even remember when I started looking for the perfect lights (years ago). They're going to hang right in the center of the house so I was a little nutty (the hubs might say "a lot nutty") about getting the perfect ones. Lamps Plus has a major selection of pendant lighting (of any lighting really) but I think I narrowed it down. These are Possini Euro Arlo 15 3/4" Wide Chrome Pendant Lights from Lamps Plus. I. Love. These. I love that they are sleek yet slightly industrial. I also love that the bulbs don't stare you in the face and they have a diffuser so I don't suffer permanent cornea damage while scrubbing peanut butter off spoons. The scale is great for our large island and I cannot wait to hang them.
The sink and faucet will be in the island and right in the center of the kitchen. I debated for a while getting one of those large restaurant-style faucets with the big spring thing that moves all over the place. While I do like those, they are huge and ultimately decided against it. I think it would be way too in your face right in the center of the island. So, instead I'm going with the Hensley faucet from Moen. I think the slightly squared details compliment the farmhouse feel nicely without standing taller than I am off the counter. :)
And for the sink I definitely wanted a farmhouse-style sink (or apron-front). And again I debated between white and stainless steel but ultimately went with the more practical choice. I know a couple people with white sinks and it takes some effort to keep them white. So stainless it is. I'm going with the double bowl option also since, in our last house, we had the "one giant sink" variety and it just doesn't work for our family. I'd love to say I never have dirty dishes in the sink but I almost always do and I need a way to keep them off to the side. haha This is the 1800 Series Double Bowl sink from Moen also.
Our appliances will all be stainless steel as well. We kind of got a hodgepodge in this department. Our cooktop was in the "scratch and dent" section because it didn't have a box or something ridiculous so we got that for a steal. Our dishwasher was the same story. (Save money where you can, right?!) The oven is where I splurged. Full price for a Kitchenaide double wall oven with the shiny blue interior and fancy handles. :) I cook every night so the oven was a priority for me. And we just bought our Samsung fridge on Labor Day taking advantage of the sales. We chose Samsung because it was the highest rated (and least likely to leak on my new wood floors!). I'm not huge on all of the appliances being the same brand. We went with best rated and what we liked... not weather or not the labels matched.
And last, the pretty stuff starting with barstools. The island is fairly long so I'm thinking at least 4 stools are going to fit. I've got my eye on this weathered wood backless option also from Lamps Plus (that's the "plus" part). I think the contrast between the natural wood finish and all the other shiny things I have going will be perfect and warm it up a bit. This will be an "after we move in" purchase though once our bank accounts have recovered. :)
The rest of the room will get filled in with fun, colorful antiques and thrift store finds. If you're ever in Orlando and headed to LegoLand, Bless This Mess is minutes from there and a hidden antique/thrift store gem. The teal cash register in the mood board picture is from there :)
So that's it. My kitchen plan. So far it's on track and I've heard a rumor that the floors are being done today so I'm about to go out there and
Heads up. I'm working with both Moen and Lamps Plus to make this farmhouse chic kitchen a reality.
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