Our bright, white kitchen it is one of my favorite parts of our home! My husband and I moved out of our very first 1,400 square foot home and into our new house almost two years ago. We were just getting back from a vacation to the North Island of New Zealand, and immediately following our 13-hour flight and a little bit of sleep, we got the keys and started moving in! It was slightly chaotic and we were jet-lagged, but the excitement superseded the tiredness and we had a blast.

I really did love everything about our new home, but I was hesitant about the size of our kitchen. I am in the kitchen A LOT, and that was the one space that I just didn’t love. We both knew early on that this wasn’t intended to be our “dream home”and that was perfectly okay, but I still want to enjoy our space during the time that we call it home.

[line]

I love to entertain and I want people to feel comfortable – whether it be at a party or on a random afternoon where friends just walk on in. The kitchen was small and closed in — I prefer airy, bright and open (who doesn’t?), and the oak cabinets and formica countertops were a bit more dated than I wanted. We decided that after we had settled in, we would do a few upgrades!

The kitchen initially came with white appliances and we wanted to replace those as soon as we got our keys. We decided on the GE Smudge-Proof Stainless Steel appliances in Slate – primarily because I liked the darker color and my need for spotlessness seemed much easier to obtain. Two years later, I still love them and am a strong believer that they are all around much cleaner!

THE REMODEL

The setup of our house didn’t allow for me to extend the kitchen, so I made the most of the space I had. We lowered the counter area and made it into a bar which provides more eating space and allows people to hang out and chat (my favorite part!) while I cook.

*Before*

*After*

The antique bronze pendant lights from Wayfair were one of my favorite purchases! I love how they add contrast and an industrial feel to the space. Our electrician patched the hole from the singular flush light and re-wired it to add the second pendant. The galvanized wood top stools are from Target – you can find them here.

RE-FACING CABINETS – FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE?

We decided to have a carpenter re-face and extend the cabinets to the ceiling rather than purchasing new ones. A shelf was built to the top of the cabinets to add more storage and he built new doors to fit.

Looking back, this is the one decision that I would change if I were to do our renovation again. I researched quite a bit and came to the conclusion that re-facing was a happy medium between solely painting the cabinets and buying new cabinets (in regards to cost effectiveness and quality).

However, I now strongly believe that the quality of brand-new cabinets would have been worth the additional $1,000-$1,500 price tag. There are issues with our current cabinets that I didn’t foresee- for example, there are nail holes from the previous cabinets that have remained visible, paint is already chipping off of the panels and doors, etc. These are relatively small things that are really only noticeable to us unless we point them out, so if that wouldn’t bother you, or if you have a really great cabinet guy, a re-face will save you some money!

PAINT

I couldn’t be happier with the color of the cabinets. I chose Benjamin Moore’s Cloud White which has the perfect gray undertone with a bright white finish. After choosing the cabinet color, I quickly realized that white-on-white is harder to do than I previously expected. I struggled to find a perfect white for the walls.

The exact same paint color washed the cabinets out and many other whites looked slightly blue or pink next to the cabinets. After I went through what felt like one hundred swatches, I decided upon Brilliant White by Benjamin Moore. The two colors go so perfectly together and drastically open up and lighten the room!

I had our painter include a very light gray on the archway in the kitchen just to add slight dimension. This color is Revere Pewter.

FLOORING

We chiseled out the old tile and added a thick laminate wood flooring. If you want wood floors, this is the best type of flooring to choose, as damaged planks can be easily taken up and replaced. Real wood will warp quickly with spilt water. With a dog and a new baby, that will be inevitable in my kitchen! We went with the Toasted Chestnut Wood Planks and I loved it so much that we put it throughout our entire downstairs area.

This flooring is durable and the darker color offsets the white tones in the kitchen without showing every speck of dust on the floor. I also love the gray “faux wood” porcelain tile that is becoming more popular, but because our kitchen, entryway and living room all flow together, I wanted our flooring to look as if it were one solid piece.

COUNTERTOPS & BACKSPLASH

We decided upon a granite countertop called Bianco Antico (the lighter version) which is a combination of light grays, charcoals and shimmery white. I appreciated the “busyness” of the granite up against the simple cabinets and backsplash.

I went with a taupe/gray subway tile called H-Line Glossy Pumice with a white grout. The denim subway tile was too blue for my taste and the pearl was too dark for what I had in mind. In the lighting of my kitchen, the Pumice looks like a pretty, light gray.

THE FARMHOUSE SINK

I. LOVE. THIS. SINK! As a stay-at-home-mom who loves to cook, I would consider it one of the best purchases I’ve ever made! Dishes are no longer stacked up all over the countertop and the space makes it much easier to wash. I went back and forth on the single vs. double basin and after talking to many people with this sink and reading tons of reviews, I went with the single. It is perfect! I love that I can fit ALL of my dishes into the sink (large pans included) at once. I’m a lover of the dishwasher so it’s not often that I fill my sink up with water to wash all of the  dishes. However, if you’re having trouble deciding for washing/drying purposes, you can always purchase a metal basket like this one to separate the dishes out in the sink.

You can find the same farmhouse sink here. I purchased the Bridge Faucet in Brushed Nickel from Wayfair.com. If you haven’t yet noticed, I’m a Wayfair addict! About 90% of the decorations in my home are from that website. It’s basically an Amazon for home decor.

THE DINING NOOK

This nook has become my favorite place in the house! It is feminine with a rustic feel and just oh-so-cozy.

The table was built for us by an amazingly talented friend of ours. I sent a variety of pictures from different tables and asked for “this top”, “this bench”, “this leg design”, etc. from each picture, and needless to say, he combined them perfectly! The color also turned out exactly how I wanted – with just a hint of gray. I was thrilled! Not only do they build amazing tables, they also do hutches, headboards, wall decor and more, so make sure to check them out at www.farmhouse-chic.com!

The chandelier is from West Elm and you can find the white version here. The galvanized hanging buckets are currently showing as Out of Stock from Magnolia Market, but they are pretty good about restocking quickly!

The curtains are a sheer white (doubled up) and are so feminine and dreamy with the perfect amount of “crinkled” texture. They hang beautifully and (added bonus) I have never had to iron them! The fringed Jute rug is from rugsusa.com. Side note: I will never shop anywhere else for rugs. They always have the BEST deals! I got this rug for 65% off and my most recent purchase for our living room was 80% off!

I also love the look of our two Bistro Chairs – although my husband has requested that I add some cushions to make them a little bit more comfortable?. They are currently on sale – you can find them here.

Overall, we are super happy with our choices and the color scheme and I LOVE trying new recipes and baking my banana cake over and over and over again in our new kitchen!

Have you made any changes to your home lately that you love!? Let me know in the comments section!

Home Sweet Home!

With Grace,

Lindsey

If you liked this article, please make sure to Subscribe Here so that you don’t miss out on any future posts! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!