When we decided to go through a kitchen remodel, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I’ve designed a lot of kitchens in my life. I used to be part owner of a kitchen and bath business and while I didn’t sell or install them, I definitely did a lot of designing! It can be an overwhelming and very expensive project and to try to take it on as a DIY can be really intimidating.
I love so many styles and I knew that honing in on a design style was going to be really hard. Being on a budget (aren’t we all!) I knew that was going to help direct some of our decisions with this kitchen design, but in the end, I love all the choices we ended up with. Since we just moved into our house, I wasn’t sure how we wanted it to function so we decided to wait a little while and live with it a couple months to get a better idea.
The Before
Here is what were we started. The house was built in 1963 but the previous owners had made some updates in the early 1980’s. Well, it’s 2018 and it was time for a change. The colors needed to change, cabinets lightened up and reconfigured into a much more usable layout with more flow. Lighting needed to get updated and we definitely needed to add more storage. 
The Inspiration
The first thing I did was look at all the inspiration I could. I started with my ultimate favorite kitchen photo, and the main object of desire, black cabinets. Besides the black cabinets, the wood counters, warm brass hardware, floating shelves and white subway were all decisions I was drooling over.
As much as I loved the black cabinets, we were on a budget and we were buying RTA (ready to assemble) cabinets from a local company. Sooo, I kept looking for more information. These images below include some beautiful designs all in cabinet colors that were available to me and looks I could really use to inspire.
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So basically, the things I had to have in my kitchen were:
Mixed metals – I love having a slightly eclectic look in my house, for me, that meant mixing in brass, nickel, and touches of black.
Brass hardware – While I love brass, I really wanted unlacquered brass and have that slightly antique look that was natural and not a new finish.
Subway backsplash – Some might find this boring, but not only is it classic, it was a neutral backdrop that I can accessorize in front of it to add the personality and texture that can be changed through the year(s).
Mixed cabinetry – I love having the option of a warm gray and creamy white.
Warm wood – I HAVE to have butcher block of some sort somewhere in the kitchen.
The Plan
Here is the mood board that I came up with. My husband had to have a double bowl sink, and since he does most of the cleanup, his wish is my command. Mixing it in with the apron front gave him the function and me the classic look. Floating shelves made out of the same walnut that our island countertop would seem like the perfect balance of warmth to the modern quartz perimeter counter. Balancing the wood island with a white quartz not only gives me some durable surfaces but also will help the kitchen from feeling too white and stale. I love everything on this mood board so much!!
So, remember that awkward layout that was previously in the kitchen? Having one empty wall, a tiny pantry, and a peninsula that halted traffic flow just wasn’t working for our family, so I came up with the below changes. The first thing I had to do was center the sink under the window and move the dishwasher to the left instead of the right. Before the sink was pushed to the left and the dishwasher was shoved in the corner so it wouldn’t even allow the cabinets on the right wall to open.
I then took the cooktop from the peninsula to the outside wall and we switched it out for a gas cooktop instead of the electric. Moving it to an outside wall allowed easier installation of the new gas line since we are on a concrete slab. Adding a large pantry was the last major change that we wanted to add.
When doing any design, I start with a scaled drawing so I can make sure that I get everything in at the correct scale. Because we were using RTA stock cabinetry we had some set sizes that we were working with. Laying this all out to scale in the kitchen design helped make sure that we not only had a functional kitchen, but also one that worked with the cabinetry.
When designing the kitchen also, you have to remember the standard measurements to stay within. Somewhere between 36″-48″ for walkways. Keeping a 48″ distance in areas where there are multiple cooks is a must. We would have loved having more space on the sides, but to allow for as much storage as possible and 3 seats at the island, we had to shrink the area to a minimum of 36″ and 39″.
Also, keep the work triangle in mind. Our space isn’t that big, so this wasn’t that hard to figure out but the main thing you want to make sure you don’t do is have your island cut off traffic. Keeping a direct line to the main cooking, fridge, and sink makes for easy meal prep and cooking. If you have to have an island in between, that’s when adding a sink on the island becomes an easy fix.
The Materials
White cabinets, walnut butcher block, creamy white quartz, unlacquered brass. LOVE IT ALL! Here are all the final finishes that we landed on.
Next week I can’t wait to show you where we ended up and the result of our hard prep work! Then, I’ll have all the DIY’s that we did in this space. It was A LOT of hard work but SO worth it! Our family and friends have loved this and it has really become the heart of the home.