The Plan
Over the years I have figured out more and more who I am, what I love and what my design style is. Of course it is ever changing and evolving but the foundation has for the most part stayed the same. I favor neutrals but love to add texture, interest, and small pops of muted color with different materials and natural elements.
Our home is very “open concept”. From the front door you are able to see the living room, dining room and kitchen. Having a cohesive space is very important to me especially because it is essentially one giant room.
So here is what we plan to do with this space. Basically a look inside my head:
- Replace all of the cabinet doors and side panels -The current doors have chipped over the years and since we used a lacquered finish it is much harder to refinish. The doors are also solid 5 panel wood and have shifted due to the constant climate changes we have, thank you Midwest weather! With the new doors we opted for an MDF to avoid warping and fluctuations in the wood. We decided to stick with a shaker style cabinet since our house style is very craftsman with the rest of the cabinets and trim.
- Paint the perimeter cabinets BM White Dove- We love this color! It is the color of all of our trim and the current cabinets as well. It is such a soft white. The last thing I wanted was a blindingly white kitchen and this color has just enough warmth without looking yellow or dingy.
- Paint the island cabinets SW Pewter Green- This was a decision that I went back and forth on. Color is such a commitment to me especially when it is something so permanent. I’m all for pops of color but usually reserve it for accent pieces around the house that can be changed easily and affordably. We toyed with the idea of staining it the current color or a new lighter color. The problem with staining was we would have to build new doors since I wanted new hardware. It would not look good to patch the current hardware holes and stain. It would also be really pricy to get all new wood doors and panels for our island so we went with the MDF route there as well. MDF cannot be stained so I had to pick something. I initially wanted to paint it black but I happened to come across this color on Emily Hendersons blog and instantly stopped my scroll. It was perfect. I was still scared but as my husband would say “have you ever picked something that didn’t look great?” The answer is yes I have, but he is my biggest supporter.
- Build new cabinet boxes for the uppers so we can take them up to the ceiling- The current boxes are too short to take directly to the ceiling with crown alone, but too tall to add a second row of cabinets to them. Hopefully that makes sense.
- Replace crown molding- The current crown is a little small for the space and the height of our ceiling. I wanted something more substantial and layered to add dimension and interest. Below is a little inspiration for what I want the trim to look like.
- Replace the hardware- I have really been liking the look of knobs and just wanted a change from the linear pulls we have. The other thing I like about knobs is that the are easy to switch out since you only have to account for the one hole. I really wanted hardware that had a little bit of a throwback vibe with exposed screws. I wanted to go with brass since it would pair nicely with the green island as well as other aspects of our home.
- Remove upper cabinets on each side of the vent hood- This was another big decision because we would be losing storage, especially for the kids dishes (they aren’t the best display) but I think it will really open up the space! It will also really make me get rid of the items I don’t use or need.
- Add sconces- I have always wanted sconces in my kitchen. I think it is a beautiful way to add function and interest to a space!
- Build and install floating shelves- I love the look of our floating shelves in the basement bar and wanted something similar for this space. I want them to be deep and sturdy enough to hold dishes. I intend to used them for function and fun!
- Add an outlet to the other side of the island with usb charging capability-This was a Brandon request so he can charge his devices. I agreed.
- Remove backsplash and re-tile taking it all the way to ceiling- The current tile was a thorn in my side. I hated it and I picked it haha. I told you I don’t always make great design decisions! The problem I had with it was that it put off a green hue and not a pretty green. When I picked it out at the tile store it looked more taupe and very similar to our wall color Revere Pewter. Once it was installed I noticed that in my house it pulled green vs taupe but there was nothing we could do unless we wanted to pay to have it re done, so I lived with it.
- Cover corner pantry in shiplap and refinish pantry doors to match- Our current pantry is covered in wood that is stained the same color as our island. Since we are now painting our island, it only made sense to change up the pantry. I initially thought that doing a thin brick tile and german schmear would look really cool especially since that was what we did to our corner fireplace and they face each other. Although I think that would be really beautiful and interesting to look at, I was worried it would be too bulky. My other thought was add shiplap to it. At first I wasn’t in love with that idea because I was worried it wouldn’t work well in my space. Traditionally shiplap has been used in farmhouses and my house is more craftsman/modern. I ultimately decided to go with the shiplap and if it wasn’t love I could change it much easier than if I had it covered in brick. Below is a picture of the fireplace with the brick that made me consider doing the same to the pantry.
- Paint shiplap and pantry doors BM White Dove- I momentarily thought that this would look really good in the pewter green, but then remembered that I wanted to brighten up the space a little more and so decided on good ol’ white dove.
What Remains the Same
Our floors are hardwood and flow throughout the entire main level and will stay. We also decided to keep our current counter tops although I would love to change them. It’s just not in the budget or necessary. We are also not altering the footprint of the space or getting new appliances/faucet. We changed out the pendant lights last year and plan to keep them for now, unless I decide that they don’t work once this is all done.
The First, Well Second Step
After deciding we were really doing this we had to meet with my brother to draw up my vision. Here is a rough draft of the CURRENT kitchen vs the NEW kitchen
Current Kitchen Rendering
New Kitchen Design Plan
Follow along next week as we go through the fabrication process!
Modern Midwest Nest 