Kitchen Inspiration Board
HHello, friends! I hope your week is off to a great start. As I mentioned in my last post about my new kitchen wall sconces, I’ve been finalizing decisions and am now just waiting for a single cabinet to arrive — once it does, the kitchen plans will finally start coming together. Waiting isn’t my favorite thing, but it will be worth it.
I get plenty of messages asking for updates, like this one:
“Please let us see what you are planning for your kitchen… this is taking too long!” – an anxious reader
Totally understandable. To help bring everyone up to speed, I pulled my ideas into a visual inspiration board so you can see the direction I’m taking. I recommend creating a design board if you’re doing a room makeover — it makes decisions easier and gives you a clearer picture of how elements will work together. My board was assembled in Polyvore.
First, keep in mind that the existing hickory wood floors are staying. Because I’m not changing the floors, they’re the primary pattern in the room and a non-negotiable element.
Do you ever consider your floors as one of the main patterns in a room?
Floor and countertop grain — often called “movement” — plays a big role in defining a room’s style. My hickory has pronounced grain and a light base color with deeper brown streaks, which helped narrow my choices for finishes and colors. In my previous home I used wood counters to soften tiled floors; here, most of the natural wood will be on the floors, though I’m still considering a wood-topped island depending on budget. I’ll go into more detail later about how the floors influenced other decisions.
I chose classic white subway tile for the walls. It’s economical and timeless. I could have picked something more decorative like colored glass tile or a bold pattern, but simple white subway tile will stay fresh longer and fits the style I like. The subway tile will be used as a full backsplash and wrap around the kitchen walls.
The cabinets will be two-toned. The upper cabinets above the baking counter and refrigerator will be white, while most of the lower cabinets will be a medium brownish-gray (you can see the sample on the inspiration board). That color might shift a bit as I finalize choices, but the two-tone approach feels right for this space.
The plan includes open shelving in places for display and function, and the subway tile will continue behind those areas as well. I’m hoping to sneak in a shelf to the right of the sink above the dishwasher to show off colorful dishes.
For the sink and faucet, I chose a modern-traditional apron-front sink with a coordinating faucet. The style nods to classic design while feeling a touch more modern — similar in spirit to the faucet I had in my previous kitchen.
The ventilation hood will resemble the one from my old kitchen, but on a slightly smaller scale. I’ll share specifics on the hood in a future update. It’s the only major new appliance I plan to add; the existing stove and dishwasher will remain for now due to budget limits.
On the inspiration board you’ll also notice colorful dishes and a compact coffee brewer. I plan a new coffee station on the counter to the right of the sink to free up the baking zone, and I’d love to display a few favorite dishes on an open shelf nearby.
What about countertops?
I won’t reveal all the countertop details just yet — I’ll cover those in the next kitchen update — but I will say they’re in shades of white, and I’m very excited about how they’ll look. More specifics are coming soon.
So can you picture it so far?
Thanks for following along — I’ll post more as decisions are finalized and pieces arrive. I appreciate your patience and can’t wait to show the finished look.