One Room Challenge: The Kitchen Reveal
It’s week 8, or more like…almost 9, over at the One Room Challenge. We got a couple extra days added on the end, and I’m taking all I can get. I thought the Kitchen Reveal for this challenge would rest on the timeline of the materials, and boy…was I right. We are patiently waiting in “renovation limbo” as our countertops make their way, which is holding up appliances, sink installation and flooring. I say “patience” as I sit here…fingers drumming, leg shaking, eye twitching. The light is at the end of the tunnel…it’s just a really long tunnel.
Update: Kitchen photos are here!
How It Started VS How It’s Going
We moved into this house at the end of September. By October, we had started working on the design plans.
This kitchen renovation was a huge undertaking, bringing in a team of professionals to make the vision come to life.
9 Weeks Later
(Still *In Progress* by the end of the ORC)
12 Weeks Later (or More…Who’s Counting???)
Can you believe it’s even the same space?
We changed the layout from this peninsula “U” shape, and we brought a huge island into the space.
The 9 Week Mark
The Final!
The Original Kitchen
It didn’t take long for us to realize how inefficient this kitchen was. I don’t know if you like peninsula-style kitchens, but for me, they end up feeling like a galley kitchen…not enough room for more than one person, and only one way out. We also love having seating in the kitchen, but there was no overhang on the peninsula to make that easy. Anything the kids would normally drop or drip onto the counter just went on their laps, onto the floor, or down the backside of the peninsula.
Another big layout problem was the double door that was installed here. It took away from the usable amount of space in here. We ended up putting our kitchen table here, but we normally eat meals together in the dining room since we are a family of 5. Since we have a door going out to the back of the house just on the other side of the kitchen wall, we decided to get rid of the door altogether, choosing to add more windows to bring light in.
Best. Decision. Ever.
Two-Toned Cabinets & Mixed Metals
When it comes to design, I trust my gut. Don’t get me wrong, all white kitchens can be stunning. But, I am not an all white gal. I knew I wanted a little contrast, a little character. By bringing in the wood grain look for the island, it warmed up the space. The white cabinetry to the ceiling definitely makes the kitchen feel taller and brighter. The white cabinets are Reading “Painted Linen” from American Woodmark.The island is “Maple Latte” from American Woodmark.
9 Week Mark
For the design elements in the kitchen, I started with the concept of matte black accents for the lighting, fixtures and hardware. But, as time went on, I decided that I wanted to do mixed metals, featuring the plumbing fixtures in matte black and the design elements in brass.
The Hardware
With brass accents, the kitchen is soft and dreamy. The hardware is from Emtek. These pulls are from the Trinity Collection in Satin Brass. And, yes–they are different sizes based on where they are placed. All of the upper cabinets feature cabinet pulls with 6 inch centers. All bottom cabinets doors feature cabinet pulls with 4 inch centers. When it came to the drawer pulls, I chose pulls that were close to a third of the size of the drawer. For example, the 15 inch drawers feature 4.5 inch pulls, and the 30 inch drawers feature 10 inch pulls.
For the trash bins, I chose a distinct pull to allow guests (and my own children) the ability to know where to throw things away. This pull is aModern Edge pull in Satin Brass.
Layout Changes
If you’ve seen the previous articles (scroll down to “Weekly Progress”) during demo, or checked out my story highlights on Instagram, you’ll know that we changed the layout of the space slightly. But, no layout changes are ever just slight when walls are moved. We got rid of the pass-through to our office…a hallway that was used when it was the dining room. That area was made into the walk-in pantry. That hallway had also housed the doorway to the powder room. The powder room got shifted all the way to the other side of this middle kitchen section, with the new doorway in the entryway hall. Between the pantry and the powder room, we recessed the fridge. After everything was primed and painted, we attempted to put the fridge into the nook. No such luck. Our carpenter had to come back and remove the drywall, adjust an old wonky stud, and redo the drywall with a thinner piece. What a relief.
The Pantry
In week 7, I showed off a sneak peek of the building of the pantry, which I was able to finish, and then even begin to make it pretty. The stencil was a huge pain–I did one section, and then realized I did it wrong. It took me four coats of paint that night to cover it up. I swore I wouldn’t be using it again. But, after a decent night’s sleep, I tried it again, and this time, it was successful. But, I could only get so far with the time I had left, so the rest of the stenciling will be out off to a little while down the road. The trim work I ended up adding took me longer than I’d care to admit, so when I put the blog post together for this space, I’ll have all the pointers for you!
I haven’t really even begun to figure out the organization of it, but the baskets we have been using for food storage are great, so this is as far as I am getting right now.
The Powder Room
This is coming! I have added a wallpaper mural, green paint, and a bunch of pine boards that are hoping to become a slat wall! Hubs installed lighting for me, after I spent way too much time scouring the internet for the perfect color brass to match the Moen faucet I chose. Art prints are on the way. And, fingers crossed that the green vanity I picked out looks good. Stay tuned!
I plan on updating this with new photos after each project is completed, so check back in when you can!
See the Weekly Progress:
Week One: Kitchen Planning (Mood Board & Before Shots)
Week Four: Inspections and Details
Week 6: Kitchen Design Details
