There aren’t many things I would change about our kitchen remodel. But there are a few things that either we chose in our design or happened accidentally that have been a little bit, well, not what we’d hoped.
I think it’s important to know that sometimes you don’t know if you like something until you’ve lived with it for awhile. Fortunately, none of these are monumental or urgent issues. So while we’re not feeling pressure to make any fixes soon, it’s nice to know we can make a change when we’re ready.
1) Range Hood Blower
Shop the Kitchen
One of the few pain points in the kitchen, but probably the biggest, is something that is our own fault: the blower for the range hood.
Out of a desire to make things easier, we opted for a blower that is attached directly to the range hood. Why does that matter? It’s loud. Like, “when it’s on we have to raise our voices just to hear each other” loud.
The main times we turn it on is when Chris is grilling inside, which is pretty rare during warmer months but common through the winter. We talk about looking into swapping for a remote blower. Maybe we will some day.
2) Location of Latch Hardware
Cabinet Hardware | Copper Bowls | Glass Canisters | Brass Pepper Mill | Copper Canisters | Tangine (similar) | White Dutch Oven | Black Dutch Oven | Scallop Bowl (similar) | Glass Cloche
We love how all of our hardware looks! It really is so beautiful. Unfortunately, we’ve found that the latch-style hardware is not the most practical from day-to-day.
The cabinets are soft close, and don’t have enough “oomph” behind them for the latches to close on their own. Also, you have to close the two doors their specific order, the one first, then the other.
To keep the charm, it probably would have been better to keep knobs on the doors we use daily (sink, drink station) and leave the latches for the higher cabinets we only access every once in a while (above the fridge/freezer, above the book shelves).
I don’t think about it too much until Chris points it out — as a “function-forward” guy, it bothers him quite a bit. And I can understand why, where he’s in the kitchen the most.
3) Pantry Door Hardware
Closing the pantry doors is a bit obnoxious, and I think it’s due to the latching hardware used. The doors don’t have knobs that you turn to open — it’s just a pull-to-open and push-to-close deal, with pressure latches on the top.
Unfortunately, getting the tension right has been a problem, and they seem to open much easier than they close. This leads to a lot of accidental slamming of the doors and having them often sway open even if you happen to bump the knob as you walk past.
Chris thinks it’s something that can be fixed. We just need to take the time to fine-tune the adjustments and perhaps swap out some of the components.
4) Range Hood Trim
Pendant Light | Sink Faucet | Sink | Mirror Sconces | Pot Filler | Spoon Rest | Wood Pepper Mill
One mistake we made that we can still correct is the range hood trim.
Looking at the original kitchen plans from Jean Stoffer, the trim on the range hood (the crown) was supposed to be the same color as the cabinets. Without checking the design we instructed the plaster guy to apply the plaster to the trim as well, to match the plaster finish on the hood itself.
While it doesn’t look bad, I do think it would feel more special if painted to match the cabinetry. I also want to paint the window trim to match – wouldn’t that be so pretty??
One thing I wouldn’t change is anything about the appliance garage. It’s still so amazing! What do you wish you had done differently with your kitchen upgrades?
Mirror Tile | Toaster | Electric Kettle | Blender | Bar Faucet | Brass Pulls
I have the same regret about my range hood. I don’t know if there was ever a good solution though, as high-CFM insert hoods in a 30″ width are hard to come by, and I need 800+ CFM for functionality in my specific cooking habits.
We remodeled our kitchen about six years or so ago. I love my kitchen but like you there a few things we would do differently. I wish we would have included a appliance garage!!! I hate the clutter. I wish we put in an induction stove top. They were new and expensive so we declined. Oh well. On to the next project. Two bathrooms back to back. Not sure if that’s a good or bad decision.
We’ve moved a bunch of times due to the military and jobs etc. There’s been a total of 6 different kitchens as a result. We were creative each time at utilizing space wisely but one thing we could never seem to have enough of was counter space. I have more than enough storage in my kitchen currently, but I could use a larger slab on my island. Someday we will upgrade and make it larger.
Kitchen looks phenomenal. Could you explain the range venting a little more in detail? What blower insert did you use and which replacement would you choose to quieter?
Julia!
We have a remote blower under our house. So now if we use the blower, we smell dinner in our master bathroom for quite a while. Like a full day.Arghhhhh