Kitchen Inspiration Board
HHello, friends! I hope your week is off to a great start. As I mentioned in my previous post about new kitchen wall sconces, I’ve been finalizing a few decisions and now I’m basically waiting for a single replacement cabinet to arrive—once it’s here, the kitchen plans can really move forward. Waiting isn’t my favorite, but it will be worth it.
Plenty of readers have been asking for updates. One wrote, “Please let us see what you are planning for your kitchen… this is taking too long!” I completely understand the impatience—me too. To bring everyone up to speed, here’s the inspiration board I’ve been working from. Visualizing everything together has helped me refine decisions, and I highly recommend creating a design board if you’re planning a room makeover. I assembled mine in Polyvore.
Before we go into details, remember the floors are existing hickory hardwood, similar to the floors shown on the board. Because I’m keeping the floors, their pattern and color are a primary, non-negotiable element in the overall design.
Do you consider your floors as one of the room’s patterns?
The grain or movement in flooring and countertops often becomes a defining pattern in a room, and my hickory has a lot of character. The distinct grain helps narrow choices for finishes and colors. The floors are a light tone with deeper brown grain, so I’m factoring that into every decision.
In my previous home I used wood countertops to balance tiled floors. In this house, most of the natural wood will be on the floor, though I’m still considering a wood-top island if the budget allows. I’ll discuss how the floors influenced other choices in a future post.
I decided on classic white subway tile for the walls. Subway tile is an economical and timeless choice. I could have chosen glass, color, or a bold pattern, but simple white tile feels fresh and unlikely to date quickly. For that reason I’m confident it will remain appealing long-term.
My cabinets will be two-toned. Upper cabinets will be white, and most of the lower cabinets will be a medium brownish-gray (you can see a sample on the inspiration board). I may still tweak the exact shade, but the two-tone approach provides balance and interest without overwhelming the space.
The subway tile will extend as a backsplash all the way up the wall and wrap around the kitchen area. The upper white cabinets will sit above the baking counter and refrigerator, while the lower colored cabinets will occupy most of the base cabinetry.
For my sink and faucet, I chose a modern-traditional apron-front sink with a matching-style faucet. It leans a bit more modern than traditional but keeps the classic feel I like. The faucet is similar in style to what I used in my last kitchen, just a different brand.
The ventilation hood will resemble the one in my previous kitchen, though slightly smaller in scale. I’ll share specifics about the hood in an upcoming update.
The hood is the only new “appliance” planned for now; the existing stove and dishwasher will remain due to budget constraints. I’d loved updating appliances before, but for this renovation the focus is on finishes and functionality rather than replacing major appliances.
You’ll notice colorful dishes and a compact coffee brewer on the inspiration board—those are practical touches to brighten the space. I’m hoping to include an open shelf to the right of the sink to display dishes and create a dedicated coffee station on the counter there, freeing up the baking area for more prep space.
What about countertops?
I won’t reveal the full counter details just yet—more on that in the next kitchen update—but I’ll say they’re in shades of white and I’m very excited about the choices. I’ll share photos and samples as soon as I can.
So can you picture it so far?
Thanks for following along—more updates and photos are coming as the project progresses. I can’t wait to show the next steps once the cabinet arrives and we begin installing the pieces that will bring this inspiration board to life.