Home Tour – Kitchen

Hello Friends,

My kitchen has made an appearance in a few of my prior furniture photos, and I have received several questions about it.  So, I decided to share it with you, along with the sources (listed at the bottom).  I remodeled my kitchen a couple of years ago, after living in my home for 8 years.  Hands down my kitchen is the place in my home where I spend most of my waking moments (aside from my shop where I paint furniture), and I had given a lot of thought to how I wanted to improve it.  I had a very clear idea of what was working for me and what was not.

I made some unconventional choices when remodeling that I will tell you about.  If you are reading this post because you are researching carrara marble, I give my two cents on the topic.  I also was remodeling my kitchen for me and the way I like to cook – not with a future owner in mind or resale – and this was the primary driving force behind all of my choices.  That and budget, of course.

I also got to thinking that I should continue to share photos of my home to show you my DIY projects and how I have furnished my own home with my restyled vintage furniture. I hope to periodically write blog posts featuring different rooms in my home.  So here goes, installment number one of my home tour – the kitchen.

I recently attended Haven, which is a conference for DIY bloggers.  This is a must do if you are a DIY blogger, by the way.  Amazing.  One of my take aways was to include more photos of my kids and pets.  So, here’s a two for one. That’s my daughter Sadie and my dog Kiko.  They spend a lot of time in the kitchen, too.  As soon as Kiko hears the dishwasher open, she runs in to help “prewash” the dishes. . . Gross, I know.  She’s also very camera shy, so it’s a miracle that I actually got a photo of her looking at the camera.  This was a total photo bomb.  Sadie on the other hand, happily models for the camera.

I love to cook and bake and the most important piece of equipment in my kitchen is the range.  Before my remodel, I had a small cooktop on the island – which I not so affectionately called my “camp stove” because of its diminutive size.   There were double ovens just behind where my daughter is sitting in the photo above.  Now, most people probably add double ovens when they upgrade their kitchens, but I really did not use mine much.  Other than the twice a year or so holiday meals, the lower oven went pretty much unused.   Those wall ovens took up a lot of real estate in my modestly sized kitchen.  For my remodel, I opted for a 36 inch range with 6 burners, instead of a separate cooktop and oven.  I use large pots and pans when I cook and this gives me the space, and BTU’s, I need.  Having a huge single oven suits my cooking needs more than two small ovens.  If I ever do need a second oven, I have a huge Cuisinart toaster/convection oven that I can pull out.  It’s large enough to fit a pie or casserole, and works out just fine.

The other problem with the island cooktop was ventilation.  I had a downdraft vent and it really didn’t do much to remove the smoke, steam and heat generated by the cooktop. Because my kitchen is open to the entire first floor, that meant cooking smells quickly filled my house, and that isn’t always a good thing.  I needed better ventilation, so I moved the range to the outside wall and installed a chimney style vent hood above the range to vent directly outside.

If you are considering a pro style range, proper ventilation is a must.  There are formulas to take into consideration involving the total BTU’s of the range and the necessary CFM’s of the vent hood.  Something you will want to research.

I also wanted to get my microwave off the counter – it was taking up precious countertop real estate.  Let’s face it, microwaves aren’t the most attractive appliances.  I added a drawer microwave to the island just below where the old cooktop had been. It’s great because my kids can reach it now and it is hidden from view from the rest of my home.

Rather than adding small cabinets on either side of the range, I added some open shelving to store my salts, oils and small plates and bowls.  I love the openness and they are so handy.  Even though they are directly next to the stove, they have remained relatively dust and grease free.

I keep the items I use less often on the top shelves.  I’m pretty short and need a step stool to reach them.

Probably the most controversial choice for my kitchen was the carrara marble.  I love honed carrara marble.  I mean really love it.  Not only the look, but the smooth buttery feel and the sense of history it provides.  I’ll just say it – I’m not a fan of granite.  Prior to my remodel, the kitchen had highly polished Ubatuba granite countertops, and I couldn’t wait to rip that stuff out. Actually, they were fine, and really not as ugly as some granite out there, but shiny black countertops just aren’t my thing.  If you follow kitchen trends, you know that the “kitchen authorities” have declared that granite is on the way out.  Whatevs.  If you like granite, go for it.  It is durable as all get out.

Before my remodel, I obsessively researched the pros and cons of marble countertops. Countertops are a huge investment, and I wanted to get it right.  If you Google it, you will find an endless supply of info, and it does seem to be a polarizing topic.   People love it or hate it.   Well, I can honestly say, after living with it for over two years, I love it.  I do not regret my choice one bit.   Here’s the thing, marble is a soft stone and it does etch. And scratch. If you drop vinegar or an acidic juice like lemon or lime on it, it will leave a dull spot.  Pretty much instantaneously.  Now, if you are the type of person that wants to have your countertops looking perfect, marble probably isn’t the choice for you.  I went in knowing it would etch and that is something I can live with.  I use my countertops daily and don’t mind the etching or a few small nicks.  I am actually letting them patina, so I have not even tried to prevent the etching.  All the little dull spots that are developing (which you can actually only see when the light hits a certain way) are all blending together, and are now starting to look just fine.

I reached a compromise with the marble and only used it on the island.  For the perimeter of the kitchen, I used Caesarstone in a medium gray color.  Unlike granite, which usually has a lot of variation in color, this is basically a solid color and coordinates with the deeper gray tones in the marble.  It’s much less prone to scratching and staining as compared to the marble, so it’s a good choice for the areas around the sink and stove.   If you are here because you are considering Caesarstone, I will say this, while it is way more durable than marble, it’s not indestructible.  It does scratch and leave shadowy-like stains.

One of my splurges, was the kitchen faucet.  I had collected and pinned photos of kitchens for many years before my remodel, and I kept coming back to this bridge faucet by Rohl.  I was pretty much drooling over it.  But the price?  Not so much.  I searched relentlessly to find a deal, and ultimately pulled the trigger when I found one for about $1,000 on sale.  I know, that’s a lot of money for a faucet, but I have no regrets.  It acts like a sculpture in my kitchen, and better yet, it’s a workhorse.    Form and function, the golden ticket in my book.  Oh, the little “mini me” next to the faucet is my instant hot.  Also nice to have especially when a recipe calls for hot water, or for a quick cup of tea.

Another somewhat divisive choice was the farm sink.  The preexisting sink was a standard double sink.  I hated it.  Neither side was big enough for large pots and pans, or bathing small children.  🙂  By the way, farm sinks are fabulous for bathing babies.  I knew I wanted the biggest sink I could get.  And this sink is 36 inches wide.   (I freaked out a little when it first arrived thinking, “OMG it’s going to look like a bathtub in my kitchen!”   It doesn’t, thank goodness.)   The problem was, I was reusing my existing sink base cabinet.  Most farm sinks require a special sink base cabinet.  That’s when I found the Kohler farm sink that can be retrofitted into a standard sink base cabinet.  It’s not as deep as some farm sinks, which was the compromise in retrofitting into a standard sink base cabinet, but it works just fine.  The cost to install an entirely new sink base just wasn’t worth the couple of extra inches of depth for me.

The pre-remodel kitchen also had a counter depth refrigerator, which seem to be coveted in kitchens at the moment.  Not by me.  It was just too small for my family.  I was constantly juggling to squeeze in groceries and left overs.  And something like a large party platter? Forget about it. Not gonna fit.  I thought about options like a second refrigerator in my garage.  I don’t have an attached garage,  which in Seattle, would mean braving the rain and cold when I needed to access it.  Not the best option for me. I also considered adding an under counter refrigerator to my island.  That would have meant giving up cabinet space.   Also, if you have ever shopped for an under counter refrigerator, you know there aren’t many options, and they are expensive.  So that idea was out.  As you can see in the photo above, I don’t have much space between the wall and the window, so expanding sideways also wasn’t a great option.

I finally settled on a standard depth refrigerator which was way less expensive than counter depth and provides considerably more storage space.   I had my cabinet maker build a custom cabinet to fit the refrigerator and hide the sides, giving it a built in feel.   I cringe when I see those black refrigerator sides sticking out of the cabinet.  It’s just one of those details that totally bugs me.

I purchased the counter stools many years ago.  They are a cheap knock off of a very expensive design and have become quite popular.  They have held up so well and are wonderful with kids. They are light, stackable, and easily wipe clean.   I like that they don’t have backs because they don’t take up much visual space in the kitchen.  And, they are surprisingly comfortable.  All good.

I loved the white shaker style cabinets in the previous kitchen.  They were in good shape, and I reused as many of them as I could.  My cabinet maker made a few new ones, and they blend seamlessly with the old.  Reusing cabinets is a huge cost saver.

The previous cabinets were topped with a small standard crown molding that went across the top of the window and cabinets in a straight line.  My ceilings are 9 feet leaving a huge gap between the top of the cabinets and the ceilings.  It’s basically wasted space.  I considered adding an additional row of small upper cabinets to the ceiling.  That wasn’t exactly a cheap option, and while it would have created more cabinet space, I really doubted how often I would actually access cabinets that high up. They would have been more for decorative effect than functional storage.  In the end, I decided to add a taller molding that matches the window and door trim in my house. It give the standard shaker cabinets a more custom look.   I also varied the elevation of the molding over the window and cabinets to break the straight line and add some interest.   There is still a gap between the cabinets and the ceiling, but I’m happy with the solution the molding created.

Another design detail with a fair bit of internet chatter is grout color.  I’ll admit, I spent a good deal of time considering this as well.  I knew I wanted to go with white subway tile. It’s a clean, fresh and timeless look. I have been using subway tile in my kitchen and bathroom remodels for many years and I have never tired of it.  Bonus, it’s super affordable. I decided on 2 x 4 size because I liked the scale of it, and it’s something a bit different than the standard 3 x 6 size.  For the grout color, I chose a very light gray silver color.  It has just enough color to make the subway tile patten stand out, but not too dark to get overly busy – which could easily happen with this smaller size tile.   The light gray also picks up the gray tones in the marble.

If you are embarking on a kitchen remodel, I hope this helps.  I truly love my kitchen now.  Sure, if money and space were no object, there are some things I would change. Like maybe a 48 inch range or an enormous perfectly organized walk-in pantry.  While we’re at it, throw in a personal chef.  Who wouldn’t want those things?  Pipe dreams aside, this kitchen is one of my happy places and it is just perfect for my family and me.

Thanks for reading.

Susan

Sources:

• Cabinet Paint – Custom (but close to Benjamin Moore Cloud White)
• Wall Paint – Benjamin Moore Pale Smoke
• Island  – Cararra marble
• Perimeter countertops – Caesarstone in “Concrete”
• Range – BlueStar
• Vent hood – ExtremeAir
• Microwave – Sharp
• Refrigerator – Samsung
• Sink – Kohler Whitehaven
• Pendant lights over island – Shades of Light Clear Glass Globe Industrial Pendants
• Tile – Daltile Rittenhouse Square in white
• Grout – Laticrete in Silver Shadow
• Faucet – Bridge faucet by Rohl Perrin + Rowe
• Silhouette plates over sink – Christopher Jagmin Design
• Barstools – Overstock
• Kitchen contractor – Keystone Kitchens, Woodinville, WA
• Cabinet hardware – Sutton in polished nickel by Atlas Homewares
• Blue cups and carafe on shelf – vintage
• Green pot on stove- Le Creuset
• Milk pitcher – TJ Maxx
• Glass canisters – Target

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