We celebrated my husband turning another year older over the weekend. One of the things he wanted to do on Saturday (his actual birthday) was to go check out a tile store so we can wrap up what we want to do with the kitchen. We visited a really cool showroom in Omaha, Sunderland’s. The tile selection was insane and they even had some really gorgeous concrete tiles like I was looking for in this post. It got me motivated to start moving forward on this project!
This weekend, I also worked some more on some online courses I am taking through Shoot Fly Shoot. I have learned so much about how to use my camera much more effectively, but this weekend I focused on Layla’s Photoshop Room Makeover Course. I still have more of the course to get through, but as you can see below, I think I’m definitely starting to get the hang of it! The first image is a ‘before’ of our kitchen and the second is an Photoshop-ed ‘after’ with the look we are going for.
I also made this one, trying to add in the remove of two of the cabinets to fit a large built-out range hood in the space, like I mentioned doing in this post.
I feel like the range hood alone completely changes the look of our kitchen, making it so much more custom. Not sure if I mentioned this previously or not, but after several consults, it sounds as though our existing exterior cabinet doors can’t be painted. I got a bid from a local carpenter to build all new doors (a simple shaker style) and the range hood and the entire project wasn’t much more than what I expected to pay just to have the existing doors painted.
There is also a very strong possibility, as I mentioned in this post, that we’ll move the microwave permanently to the pantry. We’ll then have two full-length doors built in place of the microwave cut-out. This one you have to squint a little more to see, but it still gives you a pretty good idea 😉
The countertop decision is still stressing me out a little. I would really love Carrara marble but my husband has vetoed it for durability purposed. Which is understood, but I am really struggling to find anything with a similar look. If I go with the Moroccan white backsplash, I worry the Frosty Carrina Caesarstone (which was originally my favorite) may be a little too white to go with. I am also worried the Caesarstone London Gray may be a bit too muddy (although I hear its the closest lookalike). This decision in the kitchen is the one that has placed me in paralysis over the past year so I need to get it figured out!
Because the space butts up so closely to our living room and dining room, I’m okay with there being very little color in the space. Â I also know it won’t come across as stark white since there are no direct windows in the space, only the accompanying living room and dining room. I think the gray island and the white Moroccan patterned backsplash will give just enough depth to make it not feel like a totally flat, white space. I plan to add a fun, colored runner in front of the sink and add a blingly faucet (likely this one), plus I know I’ll be changing out the pulls on the cabinets and drawers (likely a mix of knobs and pulls). So many decisions!
Regardless, of the decisions, it will be so much closer to my lighter, brighter style from the time we walked into the house for the first time. It’s will hardly be recognizable as the same space! I’m definitely getting excited for the possibilities.
Here’s where we started:
Updated to add that here is where we are in 2016:
As you can see, since we moved in, we changed out the lighting, painted the walls, found some affordable linen barstools, added some striped runners to the space and styled things closer to our beachy style.
Shop our current kitchen:
I’m excited for this before and after to be a reality!
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Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
Yay! I’m so glad you got to check out Sunderlands. Isn’t it awesome? I’m so excited to have a house one day, but for now I’m really enjoying apartment living. 😀
Sarah says
It was seriously SO good. Thanks again for the recommendation!
Anne says
Try White Kashmir granite for your counter top.
Erin@Suburban Bitches says
Sarah the renderings look fantastic! I love the custom range hood and totally think moving the microwave would be worth it. In my opinion the less exposed appliances the better. The other day we got these arabesque pillowed Ann Sacks white tiles in and I have to say- these pillowed tiles mixed with regular arabesque flat tiles would be amazing in your kitchen. Mixing the two gives you more depth than just a regular arabesque pattern. I can always send you samples if you want to see in person.
Rebecca says
Great pictures! I too have been getting nervous about making a final decision on our countertops. We love Carrara but don’t want to use it for the same reason your husband has. Have you looked at White maccaubus quartzite? There is a vein cut and non vein cut option. It’s not Carrara but it’s pretty darn close and it’s not as light as some of the quartz I’ve seen. We’re using white subway as our backsplash and also worried about our kitchen looking too white. Good luck with your decision and your remodel!
Nina @ Everyday Enchanting says
I love the design plans, Sarah! I’m sure whatever you do will be beautiful! 🙂
I had the very same stone dilemma when we were designing our kitchen. You should check out honed superwhite quartzite for your countertop- it looks just like Carrara Marble but is as durable as granite. We ended up using it as our fireplace surround and we love it!
Stacy Tucker says
Larger range hood is a definite MUST!
Kathysue says
Counter tops are such a hard decision, I agonized over mine as well. I did so much reading about the options and I will say there is nothing man made that can duplicate Cararra marble, however there are other beautiful options. Here is a blog post I wrote that also has many referrals of post to read about the selection process, Good luck…..http://goodlifeofdesign.blogspot.com/2014/06/marble-vs-manmade-q.html
Erin says
Wondering why you can’t paint your existing cabinets? I have cabinets Ai would also like to paint and was just curious.
Taylor Adams says
I’m a new follower and am trying to get caught up on some of your most recent posts. I just wanted to tell you that I agree with your husband’s decision not to get marble. I would also recommend quartz. It’s harder than granite, non-porous, maintenance free, and generally cheaper than marble. You might like Cambria Quartz – they have a color called Torquay that is similar to Carrara Marble. Your photoshop skills are super helpful for kitchen renderings 🙂
Julie says
Your kitchen is gorgeous either way, Sarah! I love the island black or grey, and I also love both tiles. Win win no matter what you do! Thanks so much for joining us today!! XO