I can’t believe I am actually typing the words reveal when it comes to my kitchen. This used to be the room I hid away from the blog world and that I avoided in real life. Nothing about it was my style and, even once I decided to make changes, it took me forever to pull the trigger. For more of that backstory you can read this post and this post. I waited so long to makeover this room so every decision felt huge. I wanted to be sure that I was choosing things I would love long-term and not getting caught up in pretty things I’d seen on Pinterest or Insta. I wanted this room to be totally me.
If I had done my kitchen 5 years ago theres no doubt I would have done white cabinets. I am so glad that there was some lag because over time I really started falling in love with kitchens with painted cabinets. In particular I found myself coming back to these two kitchens…
via DeVol
via Heidi Piron
I could just imagine walking into a soft cozy kitchen like this and not tiring of it for years. I love how it feels a little aged and unpolished. So that’s where my plan took shape. As I mentioned on my Instagram post this week, the paint color was the biggest challenge. I had picked out several colors online that I thought were IT. But, once I saw them at home they were all wrong. I set out on a mission to find the perfect “putty” and that turned into sample after sample. Too grey, too white, too pink, too light, too dark. I finally found Intuitive by PPG Paints and committed. I pulled up after our painter had finished the first coat and….wrong. I could barely see the color. It was really white and washed out. I had looked and looked at this swatch in all corners of my kitchen but I knew as soon as I saw it it was not right yet. Needless to say my painter thought I was a wee bit neurotic but I was willing to pay to get it just right.
I had them darken Intuitive until the final formula was 250% (just in case you want to ask for the same.) And once I came in and saw that version on the cabinets my heart SANG!! It was perfect and exactly what I had envisioned. We also had the walls painted during this time for a refresh and went with Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace.
So with paint done it was time to move on to the fun details. But before that let me back up to the other major change that took place. We got rid of this useless half-moon bar and had a custom built-in banquette built. It is the smartest and best improvement we have made to our house to date. We literally live in this spot! I was nervous about losing the storage in the hutch but I was able to purge and reorganize and everything fits great!
Here’s a little in-progress action…
When the hutch was removed we discovered this original green wall from way back when.
Now, truly my favorite spot in our house…
I really wanted to save $$ and get the IKEA tulip table but it was slightly too small so I went with this one.
The light can be found here. I just swapped the bulbs for round ones.
I found some of the pillows at HomeGoods but the rust patterned ones are from World Market. It looks like those are sold out but, I also like these rust ones. And I would totally throw these in the mix! I also REALLY love these!
The art was a lucky score at HomeGoods as well but the artist has a website here.
The brass wall ledges are from this Etsy shop.
My favorite colors!
I used this fabric from Made of Cloth for the shade.
And now just for kicks let’s look back at the BEFORE:
And I even dug up the previous, previous version when the walls were painted blue…
Dear. Bless it.
Miracles can happen…
The countertops did a complete 180. We went from black granite to solid white quartz. It is Iconic White by Silestone. This decision was another that brought out my neurotic side. I shopped around for pure white and there was actually a good bit of variation. Some of them had a little bit of a speckled finish when you saw them in the sunlight. It was very slight and you could only see it when the light hit it just right but it bothered me. I wanted smooth, polished, solid white- no appearance of texture at all. Silestone is the only one that was totally white with a polished finish.
The faucet is kinda the showpiece of this kitchen.
So pretty and a fraction of what I thought I was going to have to pay for a pretty brass faucet! And speaking of brass I searched high and low for brass hardware before I stumbled upon these from Amazon! I also love these.
And how about that subtle herringbone backsplash?? I just love it!
It gives a little texture and pattern without being distracting or overwhelming for a small kitchen.
Here is the exact one I used (with white grout…dark grey would be pretty too)
Before you ask- the calendar was a gift so I can’t link it but I have seen them lately at HomeGoods!
And here is a similar version.
I debated taking down that center pole but then that brought up the issue of the arches and what to do. I love that the contractor who renovated our house before we moved in kept and mimicked some of the original 1930’s architectural detail and I just couldn’t part with the unique arches.
If I could have added one more item to the list it would have been a new range but the reality is we may still renovate one day and that wall would definitely change. I don’t know what my set up would be and I wouldn’t have anywhere for my microwave in the meantime. You can’t have it all and after painting the stove doesn’t bother me as much.
My small but mighty kitchen feels like a brand new space now. In fact, it made our whole house feel (and function) differently. I really feel like we are using and loving this room now and that’s such a satisfying feeling!
If you have any questions please feel free to ask! I am happy to share anything I can!
And for those of you who are wondering, “Wheres the fridge?” It is recessed in the wall opposite the sink next to a pantry.
You can see it in the background here…
Photos: Laura Sumrak