Our Kitchen Remodeling Materials
Hi there!
As you know, I’ve been working steadily on our own home’s kitchen and family room remodel. Today, I’ll share some thoughts and inspiration with you.
I’ve been planning and sourcing materials and the final design for about 2 months. The storyboard below will give you an overall sense of what I’m creating.
Let’s start with the concept sketch in the upper left corner of the board (below). The blue island will house the sink, dishwasher, trash and bookshelves will be placed below a 12” overhang for barstools.
The overhang will project over one side and one end for ease of conversation.
I chose the Vadara Calacatta Oro quartz slab for both the island top and the perimeter counters because I’ve always loved this marble and quartz is a practical way to go. Until now, there really wasn’t a good representation of this marble so I was thrilled to find it!
I mentioned before that I’m a traditional girl at heart. But I don’t enjoy lots of “stuff” or “fussy” detail. I’d say I land somewhere in the middle-to-right of the contemporary-to-traditional line.
We’ll call it “Transitional Style”.
Do you see that ceiling treatment and ceiling fan in the top right corner (above)? That’s exactly what I mean. I’ve paired a clean-lined (contemporary) ceiling fan with a more (traditional) tongue and groove (or shiplap) ceiling treatment and crown moulding.
Just above, in the top left corner, you’ll see a small photo of my dining room drapery and wall . The panel moulding I used in our living and dining room areas will be also be carried into the family room TV and stair walls.
You can catch up on this room and lots more in my book Renovate Your Forever Home which is available on my website in the DIY Outlet.
In my book, I’ll walk you through Phase I of ALL our renovations. You’ll find tons of design insights and Pro tips for many rooms in your home.
On the board above, you’ll see a stone to the left of the fireplace sketch. That’s a limestone ledger tile for around the fireplace opening. I love creamy whites and this stone speaks to my very soul.
The fabrics shown are both my current blue (flannel) sofas and an inspiration fabric I may use for pillows. The windows will receive a woven textured linen Roman shade treatment much like what I’ve placed on the board.
We’ll probably add a black out roller shade underneath them for watching television.
As far as the sketches on my boards; I like to use SketchUp for 3D modeling and then bring it to my iPad to color it. This really helps me to “see” the finished results. The app I like for coloring in my sketches on my iPad is called “Paper.” Just warning you….it’s addicting!
Below, you’ll see a close up of my wood flooring and the quartz countertop. Also the tile I chose for the backsplash around the perimeter is shown in this photo.
It’s an uneven surfaced subway tile (left of the quartz sample) for the backsplash, and two colors which are blue and white, for the cabinetry.
The paint swatches represent the cabinet colors. And the black and gold swatches represent the faucet and the hardware I’ll be using.
It’s important to choose all your elements together before you push “GO” so that you ensure a nice blend of colors and finishes. The gold finish is light gold in a brushed texture. I’ll want to make sure the faucet and gold cabinet handles work well together before I commit to either one.
Here is the cabinet inspiration photo I used to decide on my cabinet door and drawer fronts.
The top drawers won’t be tall enough to accommodate the frame detail so, I’ll go with a flat front and a small radius curve around the edges instead. I’ll be using a frameless style of cabinetry (left). This means the frames (or boxes that the doors and drawers attach to) will not show.
In the inspiration photo on the right, the style of cabinet you see is called “inset”. Inset is usually the most expensive of the choices.
We’re packing up the kitchen and preparing to cook in the garage for a couple of months. Be sure to check out my last blog on Creating a Makeshift Kitchen if you missed it.
Next time, we’ll talk about appliances and plumbing. Thanks for visiting! ❤️
