Kitchen
I want durable quartz counters around the stove and sink. I want maple butcher block on the display space.
I want white or cream colored Shaker cabinets. I'll need an 18" cabinet to the L of the stove and a corner cabinet to the R, then a 36" sink cabinet, another corner cabinet, 18" DW, and an 18" set of drawers.
I want maple floating shelves at the end of the peninsula for frequently used china and glassware. Open shelves can make a small space seem larger because they don’t restrict the flow of light the way that a cabinet does.
Stainless steel appliances bring a chef’s-kitchen appeal and help integrate modern features into a traditional setting. Plus, adding some strong metal elements offsets the organic character of wood floors and stone counters.
I want the kitchen and the living room to have a unified feel, with the same clean, coastal color palette and some of the same materials in both spaces. I like a combination of natural materials that age gracefully and develop patina with use and care. I also want a little bit of an industrial edge to give a nod to my chef past.
To make the best use o small space design with clean lines and limit your color palette.
A glossy finish will help to bounce the light around and keep things bright
Incorporate open shelving to reduce visual weight; choose floating shelves over models with brackets.
Direct the eye upward by incorporating patterns and visual elements that help guide the gaze toward the ceiling.
Do a thorough inventory and really think about how often you need every item (or if you use it at all).
1. If it’s something you use at least every other day, leave it out in the open. For example, everyday coffee cups, bowls and plates.
2. If it’s something you use once a week or less, have it in the kitchen but not taking up prime real estate in the most accessible areas.
3. If it’s something you use once a month, stash it in the pantry.
4. If you use it two times a year or less (turkey roaster, fondue pot, breadmaker), keep it in a storage area like the basement.
5. If you rarely use it and you don’t love it, donate it.
Once the PLAN AND LAYOUT is firmly decided.... 90 percent at least, this is the process I take my clients through. Painlessly!! For the entire kitchen start to finish.
1. Pick your "flavor"! A country kitchen? A sleek urbane environment? Consider the feel of the rest of your home. A super modern kitchen in a colonial spec build in suburbia... may feel too out of sync for the next person if you sell. Get the "pop" of modern from smaller choices within your kitchen plan.
2. Now choose your cabinetry, and your flooring. The style of door, and whether it is light, white, flat, trimmed, recessed panel, raised panel, inset door, or full overlay door, or open shelving... will affect feel, and PRICE. You don't want these to disappear into the floor, so consider them together with your floor choice. Most times, the floor will be the same hardwood you have in an adjacent room. Tile is fine, but cooler, and it creates a "break" from the rest. The more changes in flooring surfaces in a home, the more cut up a house feels.
2.5!! Sink, appliances, faucet etc!! Sizes affect your cabinet plan, so to the best of your ability, make those firm choices from the begining. A 48 inch professional range, will have different venting requirements than a 30 inch cook top
3. Choose your counter tops. Know that granite, often becomes a "color and pattern" so consider your adjacent rooms. If you want room for future change in adjacent areas... keep it light, and neutral, and low maintenance. Icy white Zodiaq looks super in a m
4. The backsplash: You CAN run a counter surface up the backsplash. The counter is the decider in any case. If you chose a "yogurt swirl" granite... you want a simple tumbled stone splash. If your "feel" is "high end Hamptons" white cabinets and a marble counter, a white subway tile, perhaps. Keep the flow and feel of the kitchen when you make your decision.
5. Lighting: Once you know how much, and what type, and where...pick all the low voltage such as under the counter, or any high style hanging pendants first. The electrician will need the specs, and the last thing you want is to have to chop up new drywall.
6. Cabinet hardware. The one place you can take your time. As long as it is there for the finish! And if you are torn, and can't decide a backsplash, also know it happens almost dead last.... and can happen any time. Do not make yourself nuts, if you prefer to wait and see your counters installed.
The more advance planning ... the smoother the re-model. No waiting for apps and counters that were ordered too late!!!
"Most kitchen remodels incorporate the refrigerator into the design by adding side panels that match the cabinetry for a built-in look. Standard countertops overhang base cabinet doors by half an inch. Be sure the depth of the refrigerator panel is slightly greater than the depth of the counter. Otherwise, the counter will jut past the panel instead of converging with it."
utensil rods are a great way to keep cooking implements handy while keeping your counter clear. The orange enamel cookware on the top shelf adds bright color to an otherwise neutral palette.
A mounted knife rack keeps your tools within reach — while at the same time tucked out of the way. Magnetic knife rack-Crate and Barrel.
Pot rack & magnetic knife rack- good use of space.
good use of a small space
Make the most of the available wall space with a rail system (this is Ikea Grundtal) and Magnetic knife racks. I like the way chalkboard paint behind frames the display, plus it hides scuff marks. Something similar would be possible in the area behind the door to the garage.
Pairing stainless appliances with a stainless sink provides a cohesive look. Despite all of the stainless steel and white tile in this kitchen the overall effect is still homey- why? Wood floor with a colorful rug and open shelving warm things up.
White 3" x 6" subway tiles appear again and again because they are a smart choice. They are reasonably priced and the look isn't tied to a particular period. Their reflective surface can help to keep the kitchen light and bright.
Black counters + gray grout + classic white subway tile = big graphic impact. For such a simple, easy change, replacing light grout with dark makes a huge difference; not to mention it’s easier to keep looking clean! The herringbone pattern is worth calling attention to.
Herringbone patterned subway tile with white grout; The herringbone pattern requires additional cutting of tiles at the borders, so it results in some extra material waste and is more expensive than a brick pattern.
Subway tile is accented with repeating bands of smaller tile. With a light grout this detail might go unnoticed; with dark grout it pops! If the height of the area to be tiled is not an exact multiple of the tile size, tiles at the top or bottom will have to be cut to fit. By including a slightly wider or narrower stripe, your tiles can add up to the exact height of the wall and avoid costly and unattractive cuts. They should have considered shelf placement before choosing where the decorative bands would go.
Colored grout can help make the transition between light wall cabinets and dark base cabinets a painless one. The gray grout here also relates directly to the light grey paint color on the wall. White tile walls can come across as looking clinical. Using a darker-colored grout adds warmth.
Subway tiles laid in a herringbone pattern w/ dark grout; a 2" x 8" tile which makes the pattern even more striking. The upper cabinets are white and bottoms light gray; the colored grout connects the two areas. .
The back splash is grey vein cut limestone. The glass inset tiles offer color and shine to the subway limestone. At the hood area, the pattern switches to herringbone, but maintains the glass accent. By using the same tile and simply changing the format, they added visual interest to the space without creating competing elements.
or I might be daring enough to do something a little more colorful.
The butcher block counter and wood floors warm up the stark white cabinets and tile and stainless appliances in this kitchen; bringing it from sterile to homey.
Love how they waterfalled the butcher block counters down the side of the peninsula cabinet- nice detail.
A more subdued but still colorful tiled back splash; blue and white is classic
These cabinets are painted with Benjamin Moore's White Dove, a white that comes up again and again as a designer favorite. Wall color is Glidden Water Chestnut. I like the tailored look of a roman shade in the kitchen; it adds color and pattern without any frou-frou.
Chalkboard is another way to bring the graphic impact of black into the kitchen. Putting a permanent calendar grid or lines for shopping list on the chalkboard would help to keep it looking neat. They make chalkboard paint with iron filings in it so that you can stick a magnet to it as well as write on it.
GRUNDTAL Spotlight, Nickel Plated - $24.99 2 a little under-cabinet lighting goes a long way in a small kitchen.
Task lighting puts the light where you need it most. In a kitchen the ideal place for task lighting is under the cabinet, where the light is in front of you, illuminating the surface and its objects, and not behind you, creating shadows. Opt for Xenon or LED lights for bright and warm yet accurate color rendering. Always make sure there is a diffuser or lens on the fixture itself to help evenly distribute the light and reduce any hot spots on the counter.
Instead of marring the back splash with outlets they installed linear power strips mounted on an angled block attached to the underside of the cabinet
Wall paint: Mayonnaise, Benjamin Moore
small size but workable
The Wallace. Great for shedding light in tight spaces. Available in multiple finishes with multiple shade choices. A couple of these behind the banquette would allow you to adjust lighting to provide task light for reading at breakfast, or ambient lighting at dinner with friends.
I like the shelf under the cabinet
I like the way the bottom of the upper cabinets line up with the hood.
The accent wall is composed of three Eastern Promise cement tile designs by Martyn Lawrence Bullard for Ann Sacks: Fez, Marrakesh and Tangier. Note also the blue-gray cabinets on the lower half, and white uppers.
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