It has been a difficult couple of weeks over here since Chris’s surgery hence my lack of posting, but we are trying to focus on when he’ll be fully recovered and able to lift more than five pounds. While there isn’t a lot of reno going on, there’s more planning than ever–which is helping to keep us in good spirits and motivated. As soon as Chris is in the clear, we are going to hit the ground running. Watch out!
We have spent the last year planning a kitchen renovation and that’s not even an exaggeration. We went back and forth on everything from finishes to layout. I am happy to report we have the layout nailed down and most of the finishes we’re leaning toward too.
We did a very cheap nearly all paint revamp since moving in, but in a couple months the real thing is going to start. Here’s what our current layout looks like:
And here’s the new layout:
Almost everything is changing or shifting in the kitchen and behind the walls, too. We’ve talked a lot about moving our laundry area to make room for a walk-in pantry. But hopefully this floor plan gives you an even better idea of what that will look like. The walk-in pantry will have plenty of shelves for goods, but also an ice machine (hopefully pebble ice! :) and a chest freezer tucked away in there, too. We use fresh food and produce more than pantry goods and way more than anything frozen, so this is what really makes the most sense for us. Moving into the kitchen area, you’ll see we’ll be bumping the wall where the all-refrigerator will sit back so the fridge and cabinets accompanying it will be recessed and flush with the wall where the sliding door is. We actually made one additional change on that wall, instead of narrow cabinets on either side of the all refrigerator, we opted for tall cabinets to the right which will house a built-in microwave.
Looking straight into the kitchen, we’re adding twin windows on either side of a 48″ professional range and hood (although we’ll probably build some sort of surround for the hood). Not pictured in these floor plans is, well, a lot–we drew them up using the Ikea kitchen planner sooo–but the wall sconces that will hang above each window will really make that wall a feature of the great room for sure.
The left wall will be the new home for our sink. The dishwasher will almost stay in the same place and a huge window will be framed by cabinets on all sides.
The island will have an overhang on the side closest to the dining room, instead of to the right where it is now. We can tuck a couple stools there for overflow seating when we have dinner parties or casual snacking while Chris cooks–something we’ve become accustomed to.
We decided to go with Ikea for the cabinets. We have heard so many great things about Ikea cabinets (although you might have heard us swearing at our computers when using their kitchen planner…right!?) and can’t wait to use them for our new kitchen. While we’ll be saving on cabinets, professional appliances are definitely a splurge, but something that, again, makes sense for Chris who has a degree in culinary arts, a passion for food and perhaps most importantly–cooks for us every day of the week.
range | wall sconces | island pendants | cabinets | hardware | stools | faucet | pot filler | fridge | perimeter countertop | island countertop | runner
Finally, here’s a glimpse at where we’re headed as far as finishes go. Dark cabinets with light countertops around the perimeter and a chunky walnut butcher block for the island. We thought that clear glass pendants for the island would provide light without visually interfering with the dining room chandelier. And those wall sconces for above the window pair so well with the hardware. Ooo. I just can’t wait! We hope it will feel sophisticated but cozy, too, and something we’ll love for decades to come.
You can check out more of our inspirations for the upcoming reno here.
This design is so great, I really want to do something similar but I need to incorporate tile floors. Do you happen to have any suggestions, what tile would you choose for your kitchen if you needed to go that direction? Thanks in advance!
Hi Kirsten! Our floors are actually tile – they’re faux wood ceramic. You can see the finished kitchen here.
The new layout makes so much sense and it’s amazing! Thank you for sharing.
Hey! I love the way your design for the kitchen/dining area came out. It looks amazing and I’ll certainly be referring back to your posts for our own inspiration. Wondering what the dimensions are of your kitchen/dining area? (Not including the laundry room or pantry). We have the same exact concept in our proposed design, but it’s part of an addition so it’s hard to visualize what it’s true size will be. Thanks! -Libby
I love the wooden appliances in my kitchen. also love the big island.
The plans are awesome! We are also doing a reconstruction of our kitchen and right now I’m really excited about kitchen remodeling! Thumbs up for the plans! Good luck! :)