our kitchen reno (5 years later)
When Eric and I bought our home in 2015 it needed a TON of work. One of the most rewarding projects was the kitchen, which we were blessed to share on my previous firms’ blog, Elements of Style. (Check out the full reveal and all our sources here!). Five years later I thought I’d do a little recap of what has worked well for us and what I would do differently…
Things I still love (and don’t regret):
MARBLE. We chose honed carrara for the counters and it still makes me happy everyday. There are etches, scratches and imperfections, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful (in my opinion). I’ll have it restored and resealed before we sell, or when my kids are less likely to smash tomato sauce and oranges all over it.
GREY CABINETS. We lucked out with the color of our stock cabinets. Warm with just enough depth, the color feels timeless vs. trendy (even though grey cabinetry has been trending for a while now) and I still love how it looks against white and a mix of brass and polished nickel. A bonus is that it’s really forgiving with the kids and their sticky fingers.
SMALL ISLAND. Part of the renovation included taking out a wall between the kitchen and dining room, which made the space feel bigger and gave us the option to add an island. Because of a tricky layout with our side entry door the island had to be small (with a shallow overhang) and I had to cheat it closer to the sink and range than I would have liked. I obsessed over this decision, but am so glad we went for it. By far the most used surface in our house.
GLASS UPPERS. We decided to do two glass upper cabinets on our sink wall and I love the open feel and asymmetry they create. Most of our dishware is simple and white making these practical (and pretty) for everyday use. Surprisingly when I asked Eric what he likes/dislikes about the kitchen today this was one of his favorite details.
PULL DOWN FAUCET. So, so functional with little kids.
Things I would do differently:
APPLIANCES. They’re fine, but could definitely be better. We saved money here and it’s a good lesson to invest more the next time around.
STORAGE. We didn’t have the budget to build-out the little entry next to our kitchen when we renovated, but would have loved to rework that space to include a small closet, bench, etc. to make it more functional. If we decide to stay here a while longer this is definitely high on my list.
Overall, this little kitchen has been great for us and is hopefully the first of many that Eric and I get to do together. :)
photo by Sarah Winchester