Kitchen Ideas

now that you know i'm a long time sufferer of two traumatic and dramatic conditions (see yesterday's post if you have no idea what i'm talking about), it will come as no surprise that i'm lobbying to make a few changes in our kitchen. ;) but seriously, we are putting a lot of effort and funds into improving and personalizing our home through the projects that will be starting very soon. once those are complete, i really want to be able to step back and "wow. this rocks. i love it." so i'm not just changing things for the sake of change. i really do want to make long term decisions that will be timeless.

just to backtrack a little (longest post ever, i know)...when we moved in, we quickly changed out the pendant lights over the island and sink. they were bad in all respects - proportion, color, style. just bad.

i had my eye on oversize, industrial pendants that you see in lots of white kitchens. so i found these and they did the trick.

then we added window treatments and a backsplash (both of which are here to stay!) and finally got rid of that yucky yellow paint!

it's very pretty for sure but as i've lived with it, i've realized that it's a little boring and expected. i'm craving some more unique and interesting with more texture as opposed to color. so finally getting to the point...here's what i'm dreaming up.

what makes this design interesting to me is all of the different materials and finishes. the black gives a punch (and also ties into the existing perimeter counters), the leather and brass keep it warm, and otherwise it's neutral. not boring or matchy but still cohesive. one thing that wouldn't have occurred to me not even that long ago is mixing metals - three different ones in this case. i have polished nickel knobs and pulls that i wouldn't change, the light fixtures above have aged brass accents, and our fridge and range are stainless steel. another detail that i think is important is choosing a different fixture for above the sink (the clear glass one) rather than adding a third pendant.

a little context...currently we have the most heinous tiffany blue painted metal, vintage-style counter stools. they were a cheap fix when we moved in and needed a quick fix. besides the color, another awesome feature is that as they inevitably get banged into the counter by the kids, the blue finish comes off and the metal shows underneath. it looks so good. so yeah, new stools are a priority. what is definitely staying is the counter bench at the end of the island which we love.

also when i put in that backsplash i pretended that our island counter was not a beige/brown/cream granite. but unfortunately it is. so another item on the project list is changing out the granite to either marble, quartzite, or possibly quartz. hence the large slab in the design above. another small detail thing are the counter supports at the end of the island which are strangely ornate and carved and not in keeping with the rest of the space. they gotta go. the perimeter counters are honed black granite which is not the easiest to maintain but they're really pretty! because of the counter and stool situation, i've never taken or shared a full on picture of my kitchen! here is a pic from before we moved in so you can get a sense.

it makes me proud that we've turned our house into a home through everything we've done so far and i can't wait to make it even more "us" in the near future!