Before I dig into part 2 of our Kitchen renovation (view part 1 here), I wanted to mention a couple of specifics about our project.
Firstly, it is important to mention that we do not have an overly large kitchen space (I’d describe it as builder basic), and extending the the kitchen area by bumping out walls etc… was not in our budget. Therefore, For this renovation we did our best to work with the existing layout.
As you can see from the photos, the main cabinet area is an “L” shape for counters, along with a nice sized work island centered within. The refrigerator is on the opposite wall next to a small work area and pantry closet.
As you can imagine, the first day of installation was extremely exciting; seeing the base cabinets slide into place was like a dream come true! Thankfully we had a wonderful cabinet installation team, MW Construction & Remodeling, who were obviously seasoned at their job. Most of the installation went very smoothly.
The Ilve range was slid into place very early in the whole process, and as mentioned in part 1 of this series, this area of the kitchen was specifically designed to successfully accommodate the size of our new range. For reference, our old range was 30 inches wide, and the new Ilve is 36 inches wide.
The base cabinets were followed by installation of the upper cabinets and the large fireclay sink. You can read more about our fireclay sink in another post here. The new tile was carefully placed and all was fine until installation of the range hood vent. It turned out that the plumbing from the upper floor blocked installation of the exhaust tubing. This was very disappointing at first, but luckily our cabinet installer was clever and found a way to work around the plumbing. We were so relieved!
We ran into a few other problems during the project which thankfully were successfully remedied. As you can see in the photo (above left) the crown molding color and the cabinet color did not match. But the Medallion cabinet company, whom we purchased from, were wonderful in correcting the mismatched color. They sent in a paint crew (see above middle photo) and repainted all parts necessary. It was quite an ordeal to set up as you can see!
There other issue we had was with our counter top. The Montauk Quartz slab we received had some finish flaws, (upper photo, right). But again, the counter installation company quickly returned to install a new counter for us, and the new looks beautiful.
A job well done! Our completed kitchen (after photos)
Additional Styling
Mixing Metals and designing notes:
Bring the cabinet all the way to the ceiling was the best design decision we made. By bringing the eye upward it creates an aesthetic of spaciousness, making the kitchen appear larger.
Lighting the inside of the upper cabinets creates a beautiful display for my glassware and dishware. For this look I used white dishware, clear glassware, and few Pink glasses to achieve the unified appearance.
In choosing hardware/fixtures for the kitchen I chose to incorporate a mix of metals, instead of a single type. My vision was to include the beauty of brass, but not to the point of brass “overload”. The solution was to use polished nickel (I love its rich warmth and shine) for the majority of the kitchen, and French antique brass/gilding as accents. The two combine beautifully together as nickel has a warm finish that works well with the brass and gilding. In this kitchen the brass accents are on the Ilve range, chandeliers, passage door hardware, and a few accessories. Everything else is polished nickel (Drawer pulls, bridge faucet set, antique style latches, and cabinet knobs).
Future Plans:
To keep renovation costs to fit within our budget, we chose to keep our existing dishwasher and refrigerator. In the future as those need replacing, the plan is to replace with panel ready appliances.
Source List:
Note: some of the links below are affiliate links where I may earn a small commission, at not extra cost to you.
- Wall and trim color, Benjamin Moore – Chantilly Lace
- Cabinetry and crown molding trim by Medallion Cabinetry – shaker style inset doors, color: sea salt.
- Cabinet knobs are polished nickel and glass from Omnia Hardware, Prodigy Collection: 1 1/4″ Diameter Classic Glass Knob in Polished Nickel Lacquered.
- All of the drawer pulls are Emtek Traditional Spindle, in polished nickel. These are a variety of sizes, depending upon your drawer size and width.
- Upper cabinet door latches are the small oval cupboard latches in polished nickel from Rejuvenation, similar latch and this one from Amazon.
- The countertops are HanStone Quartz Montauk from Discover Surfaces.
- Signature Hardware Bridge faucet in Polished Nickel.
- Fossil Blu Fireclay 36″ farm sink.
- Signature Hardware Pot Filler in polished nickel.
- White tile Birmingham Bianco 3×12 polished ceramic tile.
- Ilve 36 inch combo propane/electric oven range white with brass accents.
- Darlana fancy Lantern chandeliers above kitchen island, medium Gilded Iron
- Boston Pendant (above sink) in hand rubbed antique brass.
- Goodman Pendant by Visual Comfort, white with brass, antique white with brass interior, medium.
- Emtek (most door passage knobs) French antique brass Providence door knobs.
- Emtek (pantry knobs) Dummy French Antique Brass square plate.
- Ballard Designs Constance Counter Chair ,weathered Oak
- White table and chairs are from Ballard Designs purchased years ago.
- Plate rack is handmade from Etsy.
- Breakfast area curtains, pure white or if you prefer pre-sewn pinch pleat curtains in Snow White.
- Bay window curtain rod, gold.
- Gold curtain rings.
- Kitchen Chair Covers (ruffled).
- KitchenAid Artisan Mixer (similar to mine) with white ceramic bowl (similar)
- Gold/brass finish counter clock.
- Anchor Hocking clear glass canisters.
- Stovetop Silver Teakettle.
- Staub Rooster Lid Dutch Oven.
As a reminder, here is a before photo. To view more before photos click here for kitchen renovation part 1
Up next are more details of the finished renovation, and all of my favorite storage areas we integrated into the design. Sign-up to be notified!
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