Renovation

Martha said it best when she observed "Every woman has three kitchens:  the kitchen she dreams of, the kitchen she is planning, and the kitchen she actually has."  I don't know about you, but I have been working on my dream kitchen for at least a decade.  And of course, you've seen my current kitchen...all 5 by 8 feet of it.  So as you can imagine, I am enthralled with planning the kitchen in our soon to be Nola home.

However, as a first time homeowner, I desperately need your help and would love some advice from all of you kitchen vets.  In this spirit, I have turned the comments on and cannot wait to hear your opinions.  So please, blast away.

Here is the kitchen in the current state, as you enter from the living room.

Not too bad, really.  Of course, in my dream kitchen I would be replacing the black dishwasher and fridge with something stainless or cabinet covered, replacing the stovetop oven with a Viking range and probably adding some sort of built in wine cooler.  But, I'm getting off course.  What we are doing to the kitchen is replacing the counters (a white kitchen was not negotiable), adding a backsplash, installing a new sink and faucet, and finally, a window treatment and new lighting for some personality.

The Mr.'s parents have carrera gold counters and I absolutely love them, so that was a no brainer.  Pictured below is our slab.

The first time I saw a farm sink ten years ago, I knew that I had to have one some day.  The Mr. agreed.  So when we found a good deal on Overstock.com, a farm sink it was.

Who doesn't love the idea of a big sink full of flowers?

So, those are the decisions that have been made... now let's talk about what's left.  First, the faucet.  I've had recommendations on Grohe, love the idea of the less expensive number one seller on Amazon and am open to any other ideas people may have.  It has to be a pull out with the spray and flow options, other than that we are pretty open.  What do you love in your faucet? What do you wish it had?! Help!

Next up, the backsplash.  An all white look is what we're going for (if you can just ignore the fridge and dishwasher).  Should we backsplash just over the stove? Or, over the entire L-shape wall?



Should we also backsplash the sink wall?



Once we figure out where, we need to decide with what.  So far, our ideas are to use a white subway tile or a marble.  The best looks are probably solid white, gray toned or warm toned.  Here are some pinterest images for inspiration.

Solid white

Gray Tone

Warm tone

And finally, my favorite - a mix between warm and grey tones (Aunt Cathy's kitchen, which also happens to have carrera gold counters).  

Lastly - hardware.  I really don't like the chromatic silver look and am thinking about doing a pewter, a brass or possibly a gold (which I didn't like originally, but look how good the gold looks in Aunt Cathy's kitchen!)  Recs?  Does Restoration Hardware have the best selection? Can you get the same thing for a bit less somewhere else? Here are some pinterest pics for hardware inspiration.  

I am so excited to hear all of your ideas!! And of course, I will be sure to keep you updated throughout the process.  Maybe we'll have to start a weekly Makeover Monday?!  

Biz!