Wednesday, May 2, 2012

A New Kitchen

It is probably no surprise that the room I'm most excited about in our soon-to-be home is the kitchen. I won't post any pictures until we actually close in NINE DAYS, but I thought I'd give you a glimpse at what's to come for the most important room in my home.  We'll be tackling several DIY projects. I warn you in advance, this blog will probably explode with house projects. Get ready.

The kitchen is in great shape already, but isn't really our style. So, we plan to make a few inexpensive updates to spruce it up. Here's my plan. 

1. Have cabinets painted white. If you are in STL, we have a friend who is a great painter and has great rates. I'd be happy to pass along his info. 

2. Get new hardware from IKEA, and hopefully their dark wood-esque counter tops.
 
3. Install a subway tile back splash with gray grout. We also have a tile friend. 

4. Send that subway tile all the way up the wall in one section where we will remove the cabinets, and install some open shelving to match the counter tops. 

5. The ceiling is already slightly coffered, and I think original to the house. I'd like to add breadboard in the existing squares, and perhaps paint it just the palest robin's egg blue to channel my inner southerner. To be determined. 

6. Paint the walls out light gray. 

Have you tackled any similar projects? Do you have any tips, suggestions, or words of wisdom? Let me know! If you're interested, you can track all my "New Old Home" inspiration on my Pinterst board. 
 
I'm really anxious to show you all pictures, but for now, here's the inspiration.

Clockwise from top: 1, 2, 3, 4

10 comments:

natalie said...

I have absolutely no tips or wisdom... but that sounds gorgeous! do you read Young House Love? they've recently done a very similar look in their kitchen.

TI said...

That all looks great!

Miranda and I chose white subway tile and gray grout for our shower surround. We really like it.

Congrats on the new house!

Kate johnston said...

Can't wait to hear about and see this new house! Excited for you guys!

Allie Peach said...

I have one tip!
Don't buy the kind of grout that is specifically colored. It's crap. Most grout is grey already, so you should stick to that. And make sure you get sanded. We went with unsanded grout in our kitchen (so that we could get the tiles really close together... which you probably aren't concerned about). The unsanded grout flakes and cracks, while the sanded plain (not colored) grey grout in our bathroom has held up like a champ.

Jessica said...

The mint door could be really, really nice looking. It's a little trendy (the color, not necessarily painting the door that color) so just make sure you love it.

Sophie Heinicke said...

Congratulations on your new home! How has it been adjusting to your new place? Anyway, light gray sounds like a good color for a kitchen. Make sure, however, to bring in some additional colors to avoid monotony in your color scheme. In your case, gray would look nice with some splashes of green. :)

Robbie Marinero said...

I do believe that accessorizing your kitchen area will also help make it look fabulous, just like in the lower left picture. Regardless of the design of your kitchen, arranging your kitchen accessories in such a way that they are made into displays and not mere utensils plays a vital role making the area look better, livelier.

Chase Conely said...

Dark wood-esque countertops are a great idea! I can’t wait to see how your renovation will turn out. We also have a dark wood countertop in our old house. I loved being in the kitchen because of it. Looking at it made me feel at home and surprisingly more eager to cook. Anyway, don’t forget to post the after photos. I really want to see how your renovation will turn out. =)

Randell Jeffries said...

Nice inspiration! Next to kitchen cabinets, countertop has an enormous impact on your kitchen. But choosing the right countertop for your kitchen can be confusing, considering the variety of choices in the market. In light of this, you need to determine first your budget. Second, decide your kitchen theme. From there, you can explore different options, and with that, you have to consider the durability, upkeep, and aesthetic quality.

Elinor Haswell said...

The idea of having a barn style kitchen always fascinated me. Our kitchen is far from being barn-looking, but I kind of want to achieve that look even though most of my appliances and furniture are all pretty modern. Hmm…maybe I’ll start by changing the colors of our kitchen wall and paint it white just like the one in your photos. =)