Now the exciting part begins! If you follow me on Instagram, you know my style is feminine with soft colors and a mix of old and new home decor. When designing the kitchen, I wanted to make sure it was a soothing palette that feels both comforting and stylish. Here I’ll walk you through my thought process and each step we took when picking out the materials for the renovation.
Step 1- Design Meeting with the contractor: We had an in person meeting with the contracting company in August before our project was set to start in early October. We went through all of the top line details like design direction, window & door styles, door handles & knobs and which vendors we would need to see by date.
Step 2 – Tile, Backsplash & Countertops: During this trip we were planning to pick out tile for our mudroom and look at countertops and backsplash for the kitchen. Going into this project I had visions of a light blue kitchen with marble countertops and brass hardware. I’m not usually indecisive when it comes to design decisions for my house but this trip had my head spinning. It was like a puzzle to figure out what backsplash would go with the cabinet color and countertop. We were about to pick out a pretty gray and white tile for the mudroom that will be a diagonal checkerboard. We decided it would be best to go look at cabinets next and sleep on the countertop and backsplash. After doing some research on different stones we decided to go with the quartzite which is a natural stone & heat resistant. We picked a pretty white and gray slab that had hints of blue and brown in it. It wasn’t what I had initially thought I would like, but the slab looked like a work of art and I liked that it was somewhat out of the ordinary! We also landed on a light blue subway tile that pulls the colors beautifully from the countertops and will really pop with the white cabinets.
Step 3 – Cabinets: Going into this meeting I thought we would do light blue cabinets in both the kitchen and the mudroom. What I didn’t realize was the cabinet company had stock colors we could pick from and if we wanted to do a custom color it would be 20% on top of the cost of the cabinets! We weren’t in love with the light blue stock color so thought we could just use it in the mudroom and the kitchen island. We picked out overlay cabinets (inset was considerably more), the face of the cabinets and the molding. (I really wanted dental trim but it was a hard no from my husband). The cabinet company mocked up our kitchen and we went in for one more meeting before the final sign off. We decided to change the entire kitchen to white and only do the mudroom lockers in the light blue color they offered. We also picked out the knobs and handles for the cabinets.
Step 4 – Appliances: This selection also took us two trips to think about and do a bit of research. We looked at some open box appliances but none of them fit into the new space. We considered KitchenAid, the GE cafe line and Bosch. We eventually settled on the Thermador brand and took advantage of their one-two-free promo.
Step 5 – Flooring: This was probably the easiest selection we made! We stayed within budget and got a dark brown hardwood that was a similar match to our original hardwood.
Step 6 – Light Fixtures, Sink & Faucet: These selections took a bit of thought. We needed two pendants for above the island, one pendant for over the sink, one mudroom flush mount, two scones for the dining room, one chandelier for the dining room and three outdoor lights. You can see which light fixtures we were considering in the design boards. Stay tuned to see which ones we picked! I wanted to make sure the faucet, soap dispenser and drink dispenser matched our hardware. We went to Ferguson’s for the faucet and farm sink. They had so many different brands and we were able to find a close match. I was also able to order a few light fixtures through Ferguson’s.
Design Boards – I made all of these in canva and it really helped me visualize the space! I made about 30 different slides. The light fixtures are really what I struggled with but I cannot wait for you to see which ones we went with! I know you will love! I’m not an interior designer and was worried about sizing for the island and over the sink pendants. I reached out to the vendors and they were happy to help me figure out which sizes were right. I hope you found this helpful! DM me if you ever have any questions! xo Emily
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