#kitchenrenovation Archives

Mashup Monday: 16 Inspired Kitchen Rangehood Vent Surrounds That Will Make You Swoon

Posted on January 28, 2021February 2, 2021 by admin

We are in the middle of a kitchen renovation, which is sure to last through the next century (the renovation part, I mean). However, the pace of said renovation gives me the time to make sure that EVERY detail is correct. As I have been researching the perfect forever kitchen for the last five years (who am I kidding, it’s been more like forty) I absolutely fell in love with the concept of rangehood surrounds.

Since I have smoked the house out searing steak on a weekly basis for the last decade, I already knew that we needed a kitchen exhaust fan, or more specifically, a rangehood. Having a kitchen hood vent is imperative for people who actually cook. We were living in a kitchen with AN UNVENTED microwave over the stove. Also see: “why bother” in the dictionary. That is the worst ever possible solution to sucking smoky air out of your house and is honestly something builders like because it’s cheap and easy. Well, I’ve got their number.

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

Anyway, have you seen all of those delicious British kitchens? Well, they’ve had this figured out for… well, I think forever. Duh, if you’re cooking, you need a hood. Even if theirs are a bit more understated than their more extravagant American counterparts, the idea is the same:

A command post, at the center of the kitchen, from which you rule your house: where you sing to obnoxiously loud mom music and shout back at kids from across the house “I can’t hear you” as you prepare something you weren’t sure what it was going to be until you started adding ingredients (or on rare occasions, trying to follow a recipe). Read: the maternal-Zen-zone from which location you create foods made of pure love and chubby mom sweat.

These spaces must be both beautiful and functional, so I have a few rules:

I absolutely must have counterspace on either side of the range. Seriously, the enclosures I see where it’s only the stove would in no way be conducive to actual cooking (but they sure are pretty). I recommend AT LEAST 24 inches of countertop on either side of the surround- we’re going with 30 a side.
Use materials that can’t get scorched. If you’re cooking so professionally that you need one of those gigantic hoods that you have to keep the cat away from (lest they are sucked into the intake like a runaway tornado) don’t you think you might risk some cabinet scorching? What about grease splatter? There shouldn’t be ANYTHING THAT CAN GET BURNED within the surround. (We are doing a mix of copper sheet backsplash with sealed marble tile, METAL UPPER CABINETS, and a copper hood. Everything will be safe from harm.)
It must be able to do whatever I want it to do. If I want to cook hibachi and make three-foot high flames, the hood better be able to handle it. Even though adding a hood that is anything over 400 CBMs requires an air exchange system, it is absolutely worth it. I usually get the most powerful ANYTHING that is offered, just to be sure.

(Speaking of which) Quick story: When I was researching hoods, I had the most appalling experience with an HVAC tradesman. I called him to get a quote on installing ducting in our kitchen for a range hood. He asked me how many CBMs my hood was going to have. I told him it was 1200 CBMs and he said, “Oh, you don’t need one with that many CBMs.” Please play that back in your head with the most absolutely misogynistic Eastern North Carolina accent you can conjure.

I took a deep breath, and said, “I’m listening.”

He proceeded to explain to me, in the most demeaning manner possible, how EVEN HE only had a 600 CBM hood and he had a big house made for entertaining, unlike mine, which he had never seen.

Now, I have strict rules about phone etiquette. I have taught my children by example that it’s very important (and almost ALWAYS works in your favor) to be kind to anyone on the phone. This applies to calling ANY CUSTOMER SERVICE ever. They deal with complaints all day, right? So, when you call them be the most patient customer they’ve ever had and be the one little bright shining light in their day! I have literally had customer service folks send me free stuff and thank me profusely for being nice to people whose fault it WASN’T that whatever problem it was happened. Catch my drift? Now here’s this guy, who I am about to ask to do a job for me, and I know that griping at him or complaining is not going to get me anywhere.

Well, I can tell you, I was two more condescending comments away from breaking my own phone rules. If I could’ve reached through the phone and grabbed him by the neck, I would’ve been unmoved by him choking on the gum he was loudly smacking in my ear between patronizing tidbits of advice.

He ACTUALLY said to me: “your husband’s going to be pissed at you if you’re running that fan in the kitchen and he can’t hear his football game.” I almost fell over.

So, after this man had given me his dissertation on why women like me don’t know jack or dog-poo about ducting or machines in general, I politely asked him, “So, say I wanted you to install this AND an air exchange system. Could you do it?”

“Well yeah, but it would be more money.”

“Okay that’s fine.” After he complained for a few more minutes about me wanting something I clearly didn’t need, he stopped short and told me if I was getting a rangehood it absolutely HAD to be a Wolf and nothing else would do (and I was being cheap if I decided to go with anything else), and pointed me toward “his” appliance salesman buddy in the next town.

By the time I got off the phone I was bewildered and… well…. I was PISSED (which is a relatively unnatural state of being for me). My husband got home from work and got a half an hour recount of the conversation I had with this… well I’ll leave out what I called him.

So Rainman politely asked me, “So, why don’t you call someone else?”

To be honest, this thought had not occurred to me. I was so wrapped around the axle I wanted to meet this guy so I could beat him at his game.

But I slowly deflated… and used a lifeline. I called my friend next door that had just had a beautiful new house built, and she gave me the number of their HVAC contractor- who came to the house, asked what I wanted done, devised a plan, and gave me a price. Oh, and he didn’t treat me like I had recently come to our world from another planet. They will have my business until I die.

Pro tip: The one thing that kept coming up over and over again during this discussion is that anything over 400 CBMs empties your house of air very quickly and that air is replaced by OUTSIDE air via the air exchange system (you know, the one Captain-pompous-pants didn’t want to install). I was warned that if that happened my home would be suddenly muggy in the summer or suddenly freezing in the winter. That is true, and it’s a concern. But it is also true that every time I sear meat it smokes my house out and we have to open all the doors and windows (and wrangle cats and a dog). You know what this does? You got it! Muggy and hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter. I hope you can see me rolling my eyes from here.

But I digress. Here are a few neat ideas for rangehood surrounds I think you’ll enjoy:

Via @edwarddeeganarchitects and @karenloffing on Instagram

Via @thebrittanyhouseatoakhill on Instagram

What do you think? Could you see your space with a rangehood surround? I’m dying to show you ours!!!

Check out more of our design inspiration and high-end DIYs over on the blog!

Cheers!

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How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets

Posted on October 21, 2020 by admin

For those of you that follow along with us, you already know that we’ve been in the middle of kitchen planning, designing, and installing on a kitchen in another state. I am in North Carolina and the kitchen that I designed for my mom’s forever home is in Vermont. Luckily for me, my sister and brother (who is our “contractor” and carpenter) are in Vermont and have done almost all of the heavy lifting themselves. My sister, who owns the home, has painted more than she ever wanted to paint in her life.

When we began talking about this project (when the property that adjoined my sister’s farm came up for sale), I think it was sometime around February (2020). When we started actually planning it, the idea was for my brother to have everything ready for me and my husband to drive up and help with the installation (especially because he thinks some of the design choices I made are a major pain in the butt). But, then this weird thing happened: a pandemic. Our trip obviously got delayed. But, on the positive side, my sister and brother were able to continue working on the rehab and the kitchen just about full time since everything was closed due to Covid.

Sneak Peek (the AFTER):

Before and After Pictures of Grandma's New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest. — Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.

*This post may contain affiliate links and is sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

The Before

I was able to get a decent idea of the space from talking to my sister and lots of pictures and video chatting. I came up with a preliminary design that would save her time and money by leveraging the existing layout. We agreed it would be a nice kitchen.

In addition to detailed wall measurements, locations of lights, switches, plumbing, etc, I was working from the following before pictures:

Before and After Pictures of Grandma's New Vermont Cottage Kitchen — Before and After Pictures of Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen: Sponsored by Lily Ann Cabinets and designed by @callsigndesign on Instagram and @slavetodiy on Pinterest.

The Design Style

I talked to my sister at length about the intended style of the house (she was doing a complete renovation, not just the kitchen). The house was, at the time of purchase, sort of a bad mid-century look. We agreed that “Vermont Cottage” was a good style to strive for, throwing in some modern conveniences, and some new cabinetry. Trying to save her money on the reno, I had suggested we try to paint and re-use some of the cabinets, but it would not have been as polished of an end look.

Now, I am absolutely an advocate of reusing what you can in a kitchen. If your kitchen is solid but just needs a facelift, we have a great post on The Best Ways To Transform An Outdated Kitchen On A Tiny Budget.

However, if it’s a total tear down, I have some great tips to save you money. The main component of a kitchen remodel is the cabinetry. There are so many cabinet options and they can run from $100 each to thousands of dollars each.

Thousands of dollars. “For a CABINET???” you ask. Oh yes, for a cabinet.

Anyway, here is the original “Vermont Cottage” mood board that I made for my mom’s forever kitchen to give my sister an idea of how I wanted the finished space to feel. You may notice that it has some polished elements, some rustic elements, and some commercial/industrial level elements also.

For my mom and her husband, we had some specific design considerations on top of the usual desire to create a timeless kitchen:

Her husband cooks greasy steaks on high heat almost daily: Although a dedicated hood was not in the budget, we chose a microwave that was capable of venting to the outside. We also planned a stainless steel sheet as a stove backsplash to make clean-up easier.
Her husband is a mechanic: If any of you have a mechanic in your house, you know that black fingerprints are a fact of life. We chose dark stainless for the appliances and beefy black hardware to minimize smudges.

My preliminary design had options to use the existing layout and cabinets, add some cabinets and move the sink under the window, and to add some cabinets and bridge shelves from IKEA to the wall that was blank in the kitchen. This design was the most budget friendly.

Then my sister brought my brother in to look at the space before we agreed on a design. He said, “let’s open it up.” Read: please scrap your entire layout. We’re doing this differently.

The problem was: inbetween the closed off kitchen and living room were two walls and a staircase that went to the basement. Apparently, for carpenters that wear superman capes, this is a non-issue. He informed us he was going to move the staircase to the other end of the living room, frame the hole in, build a new staircase with kneewall, and we would have one BIG, FANTASTIC, open living space.

So, I revised my plan, which doubled the cabinet space we would have in the kitchen, plus the overall aesthetic was going to be awesome!

The Design Plan

I got out my graph paper (yes, I am old school and I still use graph paper for my designs) and was back to the old drawing board. I put my wall measurements and locations of fixtures, etc (including appliance measurements) down onto graph paper and then proceeded to start filling in standard size (non-custom) cabinet sizes to see how much of the space I could use. It turns out, I was able to use almost every inch of the back wall and create a nice big kitchen.

While I was designing I was also researching pricing for cabinets. YIKES. There are a lot of options, and some of them, even their off the shelf prices (non-custom cabinets) are pricey. I’m always trying to find a good deal, especially when I’m spending someone else’s money. I found a company that was running a sale that has good reviews and had a cabinet style I liked. They also offered design services, so I figured getting a pro to look at my design couldn’t hurt, and I was curious to see what they would come up with.

This is what I sent them (I also told the designer we wanted to do an island with four base cabinets on each side):

How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Graph Paper Design for the lower cabinets

Fancy, right? Ha.

Tip: You don’t need anything near as detailed as what I sent to the cabinet company. You can send them basic wall dimensions with locations of outlets, plumbing and light fixtures, and doors and windows, and they will design the kitchen for you!

Well, this is what they sent me back (and why we ultimately went with the company):

How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Lily Ann Cabinets Design Files

I was super impressed with the designer’s knowledge, and they have a whole tech team dedicated to rendering 3D images of your kitchen so you can easily visualize EXACTLY how it’s going to look.

I think it was about this time that I asked the company if they would like to sponsor our kitchen (we received a discount on the price of the cabinets), so we teamed up with Lily Ann Cabinets for the cabinets, and decided to go with RTA to save my sister some money on the ever-growing budget for the project. (Pssst, don’t tell them, but we were going to use them anyway because they were already the least expensive manufacturer I could find).

Ready to get started? My readers can use the code SDIY2018 at checkout to get 5% off your Lily Ann Cabinets order!

RTA cabinets are “ready to assemble” and my husband and I had previously installed some in our old kitchen, so the RTA thing didn’t scare me at all. My brother, on the other hand, flat refused to assemble them (and when he’s adamant I just go with it), and insisted we do it when we came for the kitchen install. We agreed and we moved forward with our planning.

Except, remember that whole COVID thing? The entire design and ordering process was accomplished by Lily Ann employees working from home, and the order assembled and shipped by a skeleton crew in their warehouse. Our planned working trip over the kids’ Spring Break was smack in the middle of the lockdown. And our ability to plan another trip was completely on hold with really no end in sight.

I sent the designer my sketch on Feb 28, 2020 and the cabinets were delivered April 14, 2020. The whole process, from starting the design to delivery of the cabinets, was less than seven weeks and that was during the pandemic lockdown.

Tip: Don’t hack up the old cabinets with a sledgehammer like the TV shows do. Why?

1) It’s super messy. Instead: you just need to remove a few screws to pop the whole thing off the wall.

2) You can either re-use the cabinets in your garage for extra storage or you can donate them to the Habitat For Humanity Re-store and get a donation slip from them that you can write off on your taxes (they’ll even come pick up your donations!).

Cabinet Assembly

By this time, the cabinets had been delivered and were sitting in a neatly packed palette in the garage. I think my brother started getting antsy, because he was going to put the flooring down after the cabinets went in, and we were still on a travel lockdown. So, suddenly I started getting pictures of cabinets going together and up against the wall.

I was a nervous wreck at first… I was holding my breath waiting for my brother to deliver the verdict that the cabinets were junk and were a nightmare to assemble. But, guess what? That didn’t happen. My brother, the wood snob/very talented carpenter was SUPER impressed with the quality craftsmanship and how easily the RTAs went together! I breathed a sigh of relief. Whew!

Not handy? It doesn’t even matter. Check out the following two videos from our build that show the complete assembly of an RTA cabinet box (which takes about 3 minutes total):

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww5rPkfC4bA&w=560&h=315]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS6nUGTuGbU&w=560&h=315]

Of course, after the RTA box is assembled, the doors and drawers are attached, which takes a few minutes longer, but is still very simple.

Is it really that simple?: Yes! Here are some more photos of the cabinet assembly:

How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: RTA Cabinet Assembly Pictures

Installation

My brother quickly assembled all of the cabinets and started installing them. He was able to do this without me there, because he had a detailed layout guide from Lily Ann. With exact measurements he was able to do the entire installation.

Remember these?

Following the detailed layout the designer provided: they started tying them into the walls and the kitchen was really starting to take shape!

How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: RTA Cabinet Installation

Using the design, he had the electrician put in all new can lights, outlets, and receptacles for the other fixtures.

The Rest Of The Kitchen Installation

My sister immediately got going on painting in the main living spaces, including the kitchen. She very carefully covered the cabinets and went to work.

Later, the floors went down and lights went up. My brother also installed the decorative panels on the sides of the cabinets so that the countertop people could measure accurately.

Next, the countertops went in (except for the kitchen island, which my brother had wood curing for).

How To Measure For, Design, Order, and Install Your Dream Kitchen From RTA Cabinets: Countertop Installation

They were finally ready to bring the appliances up and it was amazing how it ALREADY looked, even though it wasn’t finished. And we had a little problem coming up… We were supposed to do the “reveal” on my mom’s birthday in July. But, we were still unable to travel north because of COVID.

So, my sister and brother did a mini-reveal to show her the progress, knowing that we would be up soon to finish the space that still needed: molding, an antique for a spice rack, the stove backsplash, the backsplash above the counter, the cabinet hardware, the hanging herb garden, and the open shelving to the left of the sink. But, the before was still pretty awesome and my mom was blown away. Here’s what it looked like on her reveal day with my brother’s custom island top he manufactured from wood on his property and his wood mill:

And who doesn’t love a good reveal video? Warning: it makes me weepy every time.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYK1UD7tQXY&w=560&h=315]

Want to see the whole reveal after we finished all of the projects (backsplash, hardware, open shelves, crown molding)? Check out our Before and After: Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen.

What do you think? Would you use RTA cabinets for your renovation? Let us know in the comments below!

Ready to get started? My readers can use the code SDIY2018 at checkout to get 5% off your Lily Ann Cabinets order!

Thanks again to the team at Lily Ann Cabinets for making our build possible, to my sister, brother, and brother-in-law in Vermont for all of their hard work, and to my favorite Rainman for doing working vacations with me without a single complaint!

Cheers!

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.

How To Stage Your Kitchen Like A Pro

Posted on October 2, 2020October 22, 2020 by admin

I have officially reached the end of Pinterest. I have saved every kitchen that I love in my kitchens folder. I AM NOW READY TO START RENOVATING MY KITCHEN. (Do you think he heard me?)

As you already know: I am ALWAYS in design mode on my own house and looking for ideas for clients. I’m also sort of a real estate junkie and I make it my business to know the local market and am always scouting for real estate deals! What do those things all have in common? KITCHEN OBSESSION. (Yes, I love that million dollar home but the kitchen… IS… AWFUL).

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

Yes, I am obsessed with kitchens. Recently, as I was staging for photographing our project in Vermont, something occurred to me: STAGING IS EVERYTHING.

Check out the before and afters on our Vermont Kitchen Project!

Whether you’re entertaining or showing your house that’s on the market, staging is the make it or break it of beautiful (or even MEH) kitchens. If you sift through your Kitchen board on Pinterest, what you’ll discover is that the ones you REALLY love are staged really well (which is why you saved it, whether you realize it or not!). They have been tricking you all this time… You saved a beautiful flower or branch arrangement that happens to be in a kitchen. But, you saved it, which is the important take away!

Don’t believe me? I’ll show you!

This kitchen, though probably stunning in person, would be a washed out BLAH in photos without the greenery and fruit. Notice how the big tin bucket with branches anchors the right side of the photo.

Just like the photo before, this kitchen is stunning. However, it has the potential in photos to appear too monochromatic and kind of cold. The branch arrangement, once again, anchors one side of the photo.

Look carefully… If you removed all of the accessories, would this space be very memorable? It’s not that it’s not an amazing kitchen, it’s breathtaking. But, in photos, it really needs some visual interest to look like a DREAM kitchen… which it certainly does here. They have arrangements on both sides here providing an interesting frame.

Would you save this photo? Of course you would!

And, wait, if you saved it… SO WILL YOUR FUTURE BUYERS! They’ll save it to their Pinterest board and obsess about it until they make you an offer over asking price and want to move in, like, yesterday!

So, how do we do that, Campers? Well, I’m going to tell you. I promise.

Step one: take everything off the countertops. Take everything off the shelves. Then add a few, specific things and shop your own stuff!

It’s really that easy: I’m going to show you how and provide links for everything we used here! Altogether, we spent $350 on staging, not including dishes (shhh, don’t tell!!!) and here is how it turned out:

A mirror in a kitchen you say? I say YES. A blank wall in between two windows was begging for a mirror. Mirrors brighten small spaces and reflect light. Win, win. Scale it BIGGER! (Unexpected can be GOOD and in this case, it’s kind of awesome). If you have a tiny kitchen, or a dark kitchen, I’m talking to you.

This mirror we found on Craig’s List for $60. (“If you stalk long enough, you will have success,” I always say!)

Kitchen Herb Kit from IKEA: The Complete Kit For Staging Your Kitchen Like A Pro

Don’t judge me. I have a thing for herbs in the kitchen, and this one wasn’t going without! The rails and bins are from the Kungsfors IKEA Collection. They are both beautiful and functional, and make the kitchen feel that much more cozy. The window is wider than the rails so we used scrap lumber and a Kreg Jig to install them.

Fresh herbs in the kitchen say, “There is some serious professional chef level cooking going down in this kitchen. You must buy this house.”

Don’t want to deal with hanging all those spice racks? Some fresh herbs tied with ribbon on the counter (in front of the chopping block) serves the same purpose for photos.

HOW CUTE IS THIS???

Demijohn: I’ll admit, I’m a little bit of a demijohn snob. What is a demijohn, you ask? I’ll tell you: What is a demijohn and how to use it in your decorating… I like them enough I wrote a whole post about them, because I’m an obsessive nerd. We found this perfect little demijohn at Hobby Lobby for around $20 and it’s perfect for this application!

Candlesticks: Also shown here, these TOTALLY AWESOME real Iron Candlesticks from Hobby Lobby are about $20 each (which I just went on and purchased more of because they’re on sale). Score!

Tree branch: Scalped right out of the woods on the kitchen property. FREE! (Visualize the clients AND Rainman looking at me sideways on staging/photo day walking toward the woods with pruning sheers in hand… “Where are you planning on putting a branch that big, Griswold?” But, I’ll leave it there, and keep it PG).

And that’s all you need for the corner of the island! As the photographer moves around, move your arrangement around so it’s anchoring the outside frame of the picture.

For this next corner I borrowed some items that belonged to the client (shop your own house!)… The little silver tray I used to hide the cord from the lamp. The little vases and tiny plant were also hers, and they look adorable in the spice cabinet!

And that lamp? I looked at about 500 lamps before I found this one with just enough fancy and just enough cottage-style to be convincing. And after I spent hours looking… I finally found it no place other than Amazon: The Perfectly Sized French-Style Countertop Lamp for around $30. (Some of the other sites are REALLY proud of their lamps and I’m just trying to be reasonable here).

The little oil paintings with gilded frames were a bit of a splurge and I found them on Ebay. I’m pretty sure there are some fairly convincing knockoffs at Target if you don’t want to be too extravagant and you’ll ultimately achieve the same look.

Notice how we moved the demijohn and candles for this shot? We moved them just enough so they’re anchoring an uninteresting side of the room and creating balance.

Every time we changed the camera angle, we repositioned the candles and spun the branches so they looked nice and full, but also just wild enough to be wonderful and daring.

Another angle for good measure! (Aren’t those fat candles just the coolest? Also on Hobby Lobby, if you’re looking).

Now, if you haven’t mastered the art of the shelfie, here’s a quick crash course:

Arrange in threes and in triangles. Okay, so we have a couple “twos” but it’s all about balance.

Here, everything but the new blue stripe dish towels and the White Pantry Soup Bowls and Plates from Williams Sonoma the client already had! It’s just a matter of arranging them in a pretty, uncluttered way.

There is a triangle of “tall items” and a triangle of bowls and a triangle at the top of crocks and teapots.

Believe it or not, those shelves used to be the temporary stair treads to the basement. You can find the black metal shelf brackets here if you’re looking to open up some space on your own wall!

Is your kitchen atrocious and preventing your house from selling? Check out our ideas on The Best Ways To Transform An Outdated Kitchen On A Tiny Budget.

Butcher block, cutting boards, and charcuterie boards, (Oh My)… How To Stage Your Kitchen Like A Pro. Designer: @callsigndesign (Instagram). Photographer: @loganbspring (Instagram). Cabinets @lilyanncabinets_ (Instagram)

The perfect cutting/charcuterie board corner: every one of these the client already had!

The Cambria Stoneware Kitchen Utensil Holder was from Pottery Barn but I think they may have been discontinued in that color. We displayed her wooden spoon collection in them and I think they look perfect!

Shades of blue created perfect, subtle pops of color in our staging. Wouldn’t you like to do some cooking in this kitchen?

If you’re in the market for quality RTA cabinets go to Lily Ann Cabinets and use offer code SDIY2018 to get 5% off! (The cabinets pictured are Grey Shaker Elite).

Have a house on the market? Download The Ultimate Home Showing Checklist FREE on how to get ready for and nail your real estate showings!

Can you think of some other important parts of staging a kitchen? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks for hanging out today! Cheers!

*All photos by @loganbspring on Instagram

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.

Before and After: Grandma’s New Vermont Cottage Kitchen

Posted on September 27, 2020October 5, 2020 by admin

Who doesn’t love a good before and after reveal??? We teamed up with Lily Ann Cabinets to do this awesome project for my mother’s forever home and I’m super happy with how it turned out. We used their RTA Cabinets, Lily Ann’s Grey Shaker Elite (and you’re going to love them!).

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

The kitchen turned out beautifully and the carpenter was super impressed by the quality of the RTA cabinets. That helps a LOT when the carpenter happens to be your brother AND he’s a meticulous and dyed-in-the-wool wood snob.

Quick story:

My family has been playing musical houses for almost my whole life (I’m an army brat). So, when my mom finally decided to pick a house and stay in it, my sister reached out to me to help with the kitchen design (they were really busy renovating the whole rest of the house). The place had great bones, but was really ugly. One little problem: I am in North Carolina and they are in Vermont. To any lesser team this would’ve been a problem (working with family and from a different state… what could go wrong???).

I sent my initial design which was nixed by my incredible carpenter brother who wanted to knock down walls and move stairs (who am I to argue with that?). So, I worked up a moodboard and completely new design and sent it to my sister and brother.

Then there was the issue of finding a cabinet company that wasn’t going to break the bank. I looked and looked, but everything I liked was super expensive! And since I had added a huge island, the cabinet total had about doubled. Then I stumbled across RTA (ready to assemble) cabinets. I found them on sale (even though they were already significantly cheaper than the other cabinets I had found before the sale), and I sent the company my design. My brother said, “that’s fine, but you guys are putting those cabinets together.”

Almost ALL of this was carried out without me physically at the property because suddenly there was a pandemic. Yup. Perfect timing. I corresponded with a Lily Ann kitchen designer in Michigan that was working from home and had the details and 3d renderings in just a few weeks. A skeleton warehouse crew got our order out and it was delivered about a month and a half after we first contacted them.

Back to the house: imagine my delight when my brother (who had said NO WAY was he assembling RTA cabinets) called me to say he had assembled and installed them and the quality was amazing. Oh, and they went together super fast. I was in shock. I will save the rest of that story for another post. This is a simple before and after, remember?

If you love this look, you can find these cabinets from Lily Ann Cabinets. My readers can get a 5% discount by using the offer code: SDIY2018 at checkout!

Grandma got to see her almost finished kitchen on her birthday in July and I think you’ll appreciate the video (it still makes me cry every time):

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYK1UD7tQXY&w=560&h=315]

All that was left (after the first reveal) for install when we arrived in Vermont (two months later and on re-scheduled trip number three) was hardware, the backsplash, the shelves, and crown molding. Still, five full days of install while trying to persuade my six year old to do her virtual school independently was a bit challenging. And, to be perfectly honest, my brother had told me the quality was good, but the cabinets were even better in person. The finish was beautiful and I quickly realized there was nothing “discount” about these cabinets other than the price.

The after photos were all taken by @loganbspring on Instagram, so give him a follow! I think you’ll love his work as much as we do!

Drumroll please!!!!

This is looking through the front door at the door that went down to the basement:

Here is the front door now:

This is looking from the corner of the kitchen back at the front door:

We couldn’t REALLY get this “before” shot because of the wall, but you can see where the new front door is now (the wall started roughly where the island begins):

This is standing by the front door, looking at the kitchen.

And here is the after:

This is a shot of the space after the walls came down, but before the staircase was moved:

And after:

And just for fun, here are some more detailed shots of the kitchen we took during staging:

This was quite the journey, but it was all worth it to see how happy my mom was at the end. What do you think of our design and renovation? What is your favorite part? Please let us know in the comments below!

Once again: If you love this look, and want to pay less for awesome cabinets, you can find these cabinets from Lily Ann Cabinets. My readers can get a 5% discount by using the offer code: SDIY2018 at checkout!

Special thanks to my brother and sister for all of the hard work and making it so easy for us to look good!

Thanks for joining us on our adventures! Cheers!

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I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is a paid affiliate for Lily Ann Cabinets and received discounted products to provide this review. As always, our opinions are honest and we promote only quality products that we use ourselves.

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Kitchen Crush: Things That Will Make Your Kitchen Feel Dated in 5 Years Or Less

Posted on July 24, 2020 by admin

Are you planning a kitchen renovation? One of the fears many people have when they’re planning a big renovation is the concern that the kitchen will feel dated soon after they complete the renovation. It can be very daunting to lay out the money for an extensive renovation and then consider that you might be doing it again in just a few years.

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ikea hack (1)

To help you in your planning and design process: Here are the top things that date your kitchen:

A Trendy/Patterned Backsplash: Don’t follow backsplash trends (trust me here… this is THE FASTEST way to date your kitchen). Both material and pattern date the backsplash. Unless you’re flipping a house, skip the trendy stuff. Plain white subway tile is a safe choice, as is brick. Ignore me at your peril: if you do something trendy, you’ll be updating this every couple of years.

Kitchen Backsplash from Hawaiihomemag.com — Kitchen Crush: Things That Will Make Your Kitchen Feel Dated in 5 Years Or Less, Backsplash from Hawaiihomemag.com

2. Arches and Busy Woodwork. If your thick, wood doors have an awful 80s/90s era arch on them, there is simply no fixing that. If there’s an arch/bridge over the kitchen sink, just take the whole thing down. As for the cabinets themselves: If you stick with basic rectangular doors you can always update those, but you can’t undo an arch. Also, if you MUST have fancy woodwork on your cabinets, adding appliques that can be removed later is your best bet (anyone who has those grape inlaid cabinets is giving me a silent high five right now).

Inlaid Grapes — Kitchen Crush: Things That Will Make Your Kitchen Feel Dated in 5 Years Or Less grapes from Kitchen-Design-Ideas.org

3. Trendy/Patterned Floors: You’ve seen it: The vinyl planks, the wood-look-alike tiles, etc. None of them stay in style very long. Instead, think of classic materials: travertine, limestone, brick, wideplank wood floors, terra cotta tiles. Any of these are classic choices that last! Try them in herringbone or antique formations (travertine) that will make them look as if they’ve always been there and are forever chic. As a rule of thumb, I avoid anything that has the word “faux” in front of it (remember the original Corian? It cracks and melts under abuse). If you go with authentic materials and shapes, you’ll be happier in the long run.

Busy Patterned Floors — Kitchen Crush: Things That Will Make Your Kitchen Feel Dated in 5 Years Or Less, Patterned Floors from Tileoutlets

4. Shiplap. Skip it. (Trust me here, there are going to be oodles of ladies cursing Joanna Gaines in a few years when they have to undo all that faux shiplap they put up). Don’t get me wrong, even though we have VERY different design styles, Joanna Gaines is a design superstar, and if she’s anywhere close to as cool as she appears on her media, I’m a big fan of her as a person. I’m a little bummed that she singlehandedly ruined shiplap. Shiplap was a classic element in coastal homes (especially on the East Coast), with a white wash or watery white wash… it was beautiful. Now it is faux farmhouse and COMPLETELY overdone. It is dying a slow death from over-popularity. It’s going to be the 2010s equivalent of seventies porn panelling in a few years. Just trust me!

Shiplap from "This Old House" — Kitchen Crush: Things That Will Make Your Kitchen Feel Dated in 5 Years Or Less from “This Old House”

5. Trendy Appliance Finishes: This can be tricky, because we all remember when white appliances were the ONLY thing, then black came along, then stainless, dark stainless, copper, etc. If you can’t decide on a finish, choose a commercial-kitchen-looking option (stainless, stainless, stainless). Stainless was introduced to the residential arena a LONG time ago and the most expensive brands are still sporting the look. Why? It’s what commercial kitchens use, and when we’re designing kitchens, everyone’s a wannabe chef/foodie. We want what the pros use. (The exception: If you have a retro or mid-century house, the sky’s the limit… you can do colorful or plain, and it all works).

Kitchen Crush: Things That Will Make Your Kitchen Feel Dated in 5 Years Or Less, Copper finish from Kitchensource.com

6. MDF Painted Cabinets. Do you remember when painted cabinets weren’t a thing? Solid wood cabinetry was very popular once (it was sort of the only game in town) and is still around. It’s very versatile… if you don’t like it you can paint it. Want it to be stained again? Strip the paint and stain it again. I know they’re cheaper, but, if you opt for MDF painted cabinets those can’t be stripped and stained. You’re going to have to replace the cabinets, or at least the doors if you tire of painted cabinets.

Kitchen Crush: Things That Will Make Your Kitchen Feel Dated in 5 Years Or Less, MDF Doors from Thefrugalhomemaker.com

7. Any cabinet style that is not inset or full overlay. For all of you that painted your 80s or 90s cabinets, the appraiser can tell that you did a very “mini” flip on your kitchen. How? The cabinet style. If you can see the frame around the outside of the cabinet doors, the cabinets are old. Full overlay is the cheaper of the two timeless choices and you can get away with it… probably forever. For a pricier option: Inset cabinets were found in historic homes and have stayed in style for cottages and period homes for the duration. This is my choice for something that may NEVER be dated. Less expensive that completely replacing your cabinetry? Try a cabinet door company. With careful measurements they can help you build a full overlay look that will look like you’ve done a complete gut on your kitchen.

Kitchen Crush: Things That Will Make Your Kitchen Feel Dated in 5 Years Or Less, Traditional overlay from secondsandsurplus.com

8. The Wall and Cabinet Colors. Seriously. Just paint it! Is your kitchen still stuck in a deep red faux Tuscany phase? It’s time. Go on Pinterest and search for kitchen paint colors. There are some really talented ladies that will tell you which wall colors best complement your cabinetry (if you’re planning on painting your cabinets, skip the paint brush and check out our article on How To Use An Inexpensive Paint Sprayer For Painting Cabinets or Furniture).

Kitchen Crush: Things That Will Make Your Kitchen Feel Dated in 5 Years Or Less, Red walls in the kitchen from pinterest.com

9. Your window treatments. If you’re looking at them right now and pondering, chances are they need to come down. Heavy, dark window treatments, broken blinds, vertical blinds, and valances (unless you live in a multi-million dollar home, take it down) need to come down. You can thank me later. Every one of your windows is better off naked than with outdated window dressings.

Kitchen Crush: Things That Will Make Your Kitchen Feel Dated in 5 Years Or Less, Dark Valance from Prioritywindowvalances.com

10. That weird soffit over the cabinets that serves no purpose whatsoever. First, please check to make sure that it’s not housing plumbing, venting, or electrical. Then, rip it out! For some great ideas of what to do in that newly opened up space, check out our post on The Best Ways To Transform An Outdated Kitchen On A Tiny Budget.

Kitchen Crush: Things That Will Make Your Kitchen Feel Dated in 5 Years Or Less, Soffit over cabinets from Pinterest.com

That doesn’t mean that your new kitchen has to be boring, it’s just that if you keep the bones of your kitchen neutral-ish and classic, you’ll avoid design mistakes that will end up costing you money again.

Trendy things you can purchase for your new kitchen (that are easier and inexpensive to swap out later):

Kitchen faucets and fixtures
Hardware
Pendants/lighting

But, as for the rest of it… keep it classic, keep it in historic home color families, and you’ll never have to do a full renovation again.

What are some kitchen elements that date your kitchen?

Cheers and check out more of our great content over on the blog!

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I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

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Mashup Monday 13: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials

Posted on May 19, 2020May 19, 2020 by admin

I’ve been super focused on kitchens lately because I am perpetually in designing-my- forever-kitchen mode and I just finished designing my mom’s new kitchen. One of my favorite inexpensive, quick updates in kitchens is adding either a permanent or rolling island to the existing kitchen layout. My favorite way to do this? Thrifted finds that you can pick up super cheap on Craigslist!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

You may not realize it, but some of the most loved images on Pinterest for kitchen islands are repurposed, and relatively inexpensive, thrifted finds. I just did a massive kitchen island out of cabinets for my mother (I’m not co-located so I was unable to do a repurposed island) and even with my blogging discount the cabinets were $1500, and that doesn’t include the top.

Some repurposed islands are great if you’re strictly looking for additional counter/prep space and don’t need more storage, others provide both. This antique sewing machine base is a really cool idea for one with no storage. They’re sturdy and you can find these pretty cheap if you wait for a good deal (stalking Craig’s list is a hobby of mine).

Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials: Source Unknown

Although I have no idea where it came from, I’ve seen this image about a million times of Pinterest and it’s one of my favorites. It has limited storage plus lots of counter space.

I know a lot of people that don’t love antique dressers that they are handed down from relatives… but they are absolutely LOVELY and functional repurposed as islands! Storage and counter space, win win! And, oh by the way, pretty cost effective, right?

I ADORE these architects cabinets! They are perfect for a wide variety of kitchen storage items and I have saved searches for these in my local area. I wish I knew where to find them!

This is another image I’ve seen a million times but have yet to find a source for. It is the PERFECT island, produce storage bins and I’m pretty sure it is a reclaimed General Store Counter. I’ve seen these for sale online upward of $10k but I’m sure there are some hiding in barns in different places. Keep your eyes open and you might accidentally stumble across one!

This wine barrel island is super cute if you’re looking for a small countertop space. You could cut out a door and put a shelf in if you wanted to include storage (or if you’re really handy put in some wine storage cubes)!

If you’re looking for something a little edgier, this industrial cart is about as cool as it gets and offers lots of styling opportunities.

Here’s another cart that came out very cool!

Here are two more great examples of dresser conversions: Inexpensive, lots of storage, and the opportunity for ample counter space!

This next one is my MOST FAVORITE ISLAND EVER and has me on a perpetual search for antique pianos (under a million dollars). This is on victoriaelizabethbarnes.com: She is my FAVORITE BLOGGER EVER and I recommend checking her out. She shares my passion for all things old and fancy and making her husband repurpose impossible projects: see the incredible piano re-work below!

Below are two additional piano/island conversions that are also awesome (where in the world are they finding these pianos???).

Have you done any cool repurposed island projects? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

Thanks for hanging out with us and check out more of our design inspiration and projects over on the blog.

Cheers!

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.

Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens

Posted on May 13, 2020May 13, 2020 by admin

Welcome to the first installment of our kitchen inspiration and design series: Kitchen Crush! I am working on an impossibly difficult and involved task: simplifying kitchen design. I soon realized that although I could probably get the design guide down into a bite-sized checklist that people could use without a designer, I really wanted to provide an explanation for a lot of the recommendations and ideas I offer as kitchen options so there are visual aids for each section.

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

Watch for our free printable kitchen design guide/checklist, coming soon!

One of the concerns I hear from every client is being afraid that an investment in a shiny new kitchen will result in a dated kitchen in less than ten years (ten years used to be the guideline for remodeling dated kitchens). That is a legitimate concern! I usually point out that it happens a lot faster than that now, because of platforms like Pinterest and easy visual access to what the pros are currently doing. It’s easy to feel sad when you sink a fortune into a beautiful kitchen and then start seeing that the pros are doing something new, something cooler, and you’re already regretting your design choices just a matter of months into the process.

We have a simple solution for that: don’t chase trends. Period. (Watch for our design post on trend chasing, coming soon!)

Pro tip: if you MUST chase trends (we know, you can’t help it that Pinterest keeps showing you that new cool tile shape for backsplashes), follow trends in areas that are cheaper and easier to replace than the bones of your kitchen, including: cabinet color, hardware, counter stools, light fixtures, and, yes, backsplashes. I promise that if you like your existing layout, cabinet style, flooring, etc, with the mini changes I just listed, you can have a whole brand new kitchen for a relatively miniscule investment if you’re itching for a trend change later.

However, back to my point. I advise against trend following. What does that mean? That means use authentic materials, they never go out of style. Rethink what the cabinet companies are telling you that you need to have a beautiful kitchen, and design a kitchen you’ll love forever.

One of the items I talk to my clients at length about is the concept of how they really live, how they really cook, and how they interact from the kitchen on a day to day basis. Do they entertain a lot? Do their kids do homework at the kitchen island while they cook dinner? Do they have multiple family members cooking together on a regular basis?

One of the biggest laments I have regarding the modern kitchen is that the family kitchen table went away, and the table was moved either to a corner or to a completely different room. So, mom cooks in a space far away from everyone and doesn’t get to join in the fun.

So, to start: rethink your space.

What if you had a long space that was an eat in kitchen, plus kitchen, plus dining room? Get out some graph paper and draw the footprint of your kitchen AND dining spaces. What would it look like if the family table was in the middle of the kitchen and the surrounding space held kitchen furniture and cabinetry that holds the things you need for that area?

Think outside of the box, and I don’t just mean the cabinet box.

The kitchen table is just ONE timeless component of your kitchen design, but check out these inspiration images that feature the dining table as the central hub of the kitchen, and tell me what you think!

Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens: From lameredelamule.canalblog.com

Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens: From Minacciolo Kitchens: Minacciolo Country Kitchens with Italian Style

Black French Range, Mary Evelyn Interiors — Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens: From Mary Evelyn Interiors (Black French Range)

French Industrial Country Kitchen Kathy Kuo Blog — Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens: From Kathy Kuo Blog (French Industrial Country Kitchen)

What do you think? Could you see your family living with an informal, in-kitchen table? Are you casual or formal when dining? We’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Thanks for hanging out with us in DIY land and check out more great DIY and design inspiration over on our blog.

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.

Mashup Monday 12: Where To Find The Best Deals On Butcher Block Countertops

Posted on February 24, 2020February 27, 2020 by admin

We are in the middle of a super exciting project! My sister purchased a fixer upper for our mother’s forever home and I get to design her kitchen! The thing is, my mom watches way too much HGTV and is a perpetual renovator (I come by it honestly), so I know she will be bummed if it doesn’t look like a designer kitchen. So, no pressure, right?

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

One of the reasons I’m designing it is that I’ve done kitchens before and have done a lot of research on it (read: obsessively planning our current kitchen reno)… plus, I’m generally good at bargain hunting and finding cost efficient ways to do things.

Any kind of high end countertops are a MAJOR expense in the kitchen planning process and I need to find ways to make it cost less. So, the first thing I’m looking at is alternatives to solid surface. Guess what I super, duper love? Butcher block.

Here’s a quick look at some of my favorite blogger kitchens and their awesome butcher block:

Butcher Block Countertops, via Remodelista — Remodelista.com, From: Remodeling 101- All About Butcher Block Countertops

Via sincerelymariedesigns.com our butcher block counter top review - one year later — Sincerelymariedesigns.com: Our Butcher Block Counter Top Review – One Year Later

Via beckiowens.com Best of Pinterest BECKI OWENS — Beckiowens.com, Best of Pinterest : Becki Owens

domesticimperfection.com My Butcher Block Countertops, Two Years Later — Domesticimperfection.com

The first place to ALWAYS look is for places that carry off-the-shelf sizes. Producers offer standard sizes to consumers much more cheaply than semi custom or custom sizes. The best way to save yourself money is to find inexpensive products and sizes that will work and plan the design around that. I found a few places that have reasonable offerings. I looked for four foot lengths for purposes of comparison, but several stores only had longer lengths.

*Please note that prices are current in February 2020 and are subject to change.

Lowes Home Improvement

The Baltic Butcher Block, Natural Straight Butcher Block Birch Kitchen Countertop: 4 feet long (48 inches), About 25 inches deep, and 1.75 inches thick. Baltic burch. Unfinished. $119.98.

Lowe's Butcher Block — Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse: Butcher Block

The Home Depot

Hardwood Reflections Butcher Block Countertop in Unfinished Birch: 4 feet 2 inches long (50 inches), 25 inches deep, 1.5 inches thick. Birch. Unfinished. $109.00.

IKEA

Karlby Countertop, Oak, Veneer: Veneer thickness : 1/8 inch, 6 feet 2 inches long (74 inches), 25 5/8 inches deep, 1.5 inches thick. Oak veneer, foil, and particleboard. $149.

Overstock

Forever Joint Hard Maple Butcher Block Top: 4 feet 2 inches long (50 inches), 26 inches deep, 1.5 inches thick. Maple. $252.89.

Forever Joint Hard Maple 26 x 50 Butcher Block Top 2 — Overstock, Maple Butcher Block

Lumber Liquidators

Williamsburg Butcher Block Company, Maple Butcher Block Countertop: 12 feet long (144 inches), 25 inches deep, 1.5 inches thick. Maple. Unfinished. $399.99.

Obviously, what size the sections are that you are working with are important. I will let you know what we decide and definitely show you the finished product!

Have you used butcher block from any of these stores? Have you found them in precut sizes elsewhere? We’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Thanks for hanging out with us in DIY land and check out more great DIY and design inspiration over on our blog.

Cheers!

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I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.

Mashup Monday 7: Inspired English Kitchen Details from Tom Howley

Posted on July 24, 2019August 6, 2019 by admin

I stumbled across Tom Howley sort of by accident. I kept pinning these gorgeous kitchens to my Kitchen Crush board on Pinterest, and then I started noticing that the ones I really loved were from just a few different cabinet makers. There’s a catch, though, Tom doesn’t make cabinets in the US, which is probably why I’d never heard of them before. But, maybe if we spam him with requests, he’ll open a cabinet design store here just for me. Check out the awesomeness they put into every detail and design.

*This post may contain affiliate links (I am not a Tom Howley affiliate). Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

All photos are from tomhowley.co.uk

I’m just showing you these, so you too, can dream of a fantastic English kitchen. One of the details I love most is that the cabinets are all installed like builtins. I ADORE this detail. There is no recessed toe kick like American designed kitchens. Doesn’t it look clean and wonderful? (Imagine not needing to sweep out from underneath the cabinets every time you cook). The other main difference seems to be that there is nearly as much attention paid to the surfaces that you don’t immediately see as the exterior finish on the cabinets.

The inside of every drawer and cabinet is beautiful. Underneath the cabinet. The toe kick. Everything. Gorgeous.

Tom Howley Kitchens, Base Molding in lieu of recessed toe kick

Below you can see the builtin dish pantry that is just gorgeous. Real wood liner, interior lighting, and glass shelves highlight serving ware. The knobs are gorgeous and the glass is perfect. How perfect is the curve on the island seating (in the foreground)???

The combination of open shelving (cabinets without doors) and pantry style hidden storage in different depths really gives the kitchen character. You’ll notice with all of the designs that they alternate the depths of the cabinets, not just the height, to add interest. Even in one color, this kitchen is far from uniform and totally stunning.

Built in drawer organizers are just exquisite. No IKEA here, just perfectly crafted organized kitchen-ness.

Spice nooks built into the range alcove in the same color as the cabinetry, protected from heat, but handy while cooking. Sigh. That’s definitely on my list.

Top notch, professional cooktops, in an easy to clean finish: check.

You can see the quality and craftsmanship of the drawers and the detail in the finish and design. I also love that they added a mini backsplash in the same quartz. It’s all incredibly clean.

The mantel top look is very classic, and it’s a beautiful blend in the same hue.

Close up of the details around the inset drawers and awesome hardware.

Not only is the built in beautiful, but it has strong wooden shelves on the bottom (the lower part without glass doors) for everyday dishware and use.

One of my favorite things about Tom Howley kitchens is that they’re designed for real, actual cooking. I don’t think I’ve seen one without this very functional design that ensures cabinets are not exposed to the cooktop heat. The cooktops are fully enclosed with well vented hoods. I LOVE it. It makes so much sense.

Close up of hardware details.

This is such an amazing shot. The built in pantry/dish cabinet is completely framed in and just appears to have always been there, on that wall. Beautiful. And I love the color against the light floor.

Another shot of total dish pantry awesomeness.

What I really dig here, again, is the variation while it’s still uniform in color. There is molding variation, missing doors, glass doors, depth changes… but all still cohesive and lovely. Did you happen to notice that even with the cooktop on the island, there is still a vent above, flush with the ceiling?

Exquisite details in the drawer for organization and integrated dish drain on the countertop.

The finish doesn’t get much better than this, does it?

These open shelves achieve the same look as open shelves, except I’m betting this is way more usable space as there’s less concern about falling dishes and they’re a bit more protected from dust build up.

Open shelving at a different depth integrated into bank of wall cabinets.

Even the wine rack integrated into the island is awesome.

It just so happens, this is totally our plan for building in our fridge and freezer, except we’re going to take it all the way to the ceiling. But, yes, fridge and freezer flanked by pantries. It’s gorgeous.

But, I’ll bet your pantries aren’t this beautiful inside. Know what I’m saying? There’s no beautiful wood finish with built in organizers on the doors. Tom, are you listening?

No detail is overlooked. Seriously? Check out the side of the pantry. Also, don’t miss the string of task lighting perfect for this work area.

But, the details just get better. Carved labels inside your pantry??? Yes, I mean it. And, oh yeah, I can have a usable workspace, with the stupid toaster and crumbs, that can be closed off from view the rest of the time? Yaaaaaaas.

Favorite. Kitchen. Detail. Ever. Tom, you had me at mouse door.

You can see more labels here (I don’t know that I’d go this far, because I like to move things around so other people in my family can’t find them). But, I love the idea. and that it’s an available option.

Okay, so the next few are just to show you how amazing the interiors of the pantries are. I’m just blown away because we just don’t do this here. It’s next level.

Aren’t they just amazing??? I’ve considered a trip to the UK just so I can visit a showroom.

Tom, if you’re reading this, please come to America. We love you.

As for the rest of you, read more of our awesome blog here. Cheers!

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Mashup Monday 2: 14 Inspired Kitchen Banquette Benches

Posted on December 17, 2018January 9, 2019 by admin

Over the Holidays, Specifically in time for the annual sale, I have requested a trip to the magical land of Restoration Hardware. For those of us who don’t live anywhere near one, this is a big deal, so don’t judge me. We are going so I can touch and feel a sideboard that I’m planning on using as a base for our breakfast nook/island with banquette seating. So, of course, in anticipation of my big purchase, I am trying to decide which type of banquette seating I really want to do that will serve the look and functionality I’m trying to achieve.

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*Update: soul-crushing disappointment: the sideboard is not on sale. We’ll still go at some point so I know if I like it, for when it DOES go on sale. I will take LOTS of pictures to share.

In case you haven’t figured it out, this is how I passive aggressively start projects. I buy the pieces I want to use, then leave them in the middle of the room until Rainman reluctantly asks what’s supposed to happen with them. The bench will need to run the length of the wall under the windows (backless so we don’t limit visibility to the pool and backyard) and have the ability to house small appliances that will be homeless when Rainman reclaims the pantry for an office closet.

Here are some ideas for banquette seating:

The banquette above is a very nicely done seat. I would definitely do cushions, but this is a solid concept. Unfortunately, I don’t think using premade cabinets will work for us as they open from the front and we’ll have an island in the way, making it more difficult to get things in and out. I love the stained finish, though.

The DIY one above is a very clean look and I love that it has the flip-up bench seats. I think we may want more detail than this one, however. It is fantastic for the nook it’s in and I love their heat register solution. We also have one to contend with in our future bench seat.

The blue roof cabin banquette is a super simple and attractive design. I really like it but I would want to have the squares centered vertically whereas here the base molding covers much of the bottom.

This is a neat idea also, but I want a solid flip top instead of the cushions mounted on wood.

With some caulk and paint this could be a very nice bench. If your plan is to have a painted piece, MDF really makes anything more affordable.

This is very nicely done, although aesthetically I think I prefer the base bumped out instead of recessed as it is here- especially since I have some small appliances that are wider at the base.

This is a very basic, clean design. Once again, I think these are pop off cushions, and I would really prefer a hinged lid.

Here’s that beautifully crafted hinged lid. I love that the cushions are separate for wash-ability.

I love the thickness on these cushions though I question their longevity on a kitchen banquette. If they are washable slip covers that would be awesome. I can’t imagine trying to cut the base molding on these angles. Ugh.

Like most things in Veranda magazine, the next one is impractical, but breathtaking. They should just rename it “shit-you’ll-never-have-because-you-have-kids magazine”. I’m telling myself, willing myself to walk away. (My sister asked me why this is impractical: the pretty little knobs will become footrests and get ripped out. The light-colored fabric will become immediately stained.)

Once again, Veranda, I admire you for your optimism. Breathtaking and unrealistic.

Any DIYer could be proud of this simple, little build. Add some quarter round and cushions, and voila, you have yourself a pro level bench.

I love this whole space, except the face of the bench. Just a few pieces of trim will make this space varsity level.

Once again, if you’re using stock cabinets and want drawers, these are very nice.

I think we’ll eventually settle for a basic board and batten style, with a hinged top, and removable, leather cushions (for easy cleanup).

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