Kitchen Planning

Let me wow you with beautiful, inspirational pictures before showing you my less-than-photogenic space (my kitchen and 7th-grade-me have so much in common): LOVE: Subway tile, open shelving above the sink, corbels and trim beneath the cabinets LOVE: Shiny backsplash (it makes the room feel bright and reflects the light so well), rustic open shelving, white shaker cabinetry, mix of metal finishes

LOVE: Mixture of modern and rustic cabinetry, gold faucet, industrial shelving above cabinets, oven vent

When we first moved into our home, this is what our kitchen looked like: cheap (plastic) cabinetry with basic silver hardware, stainless steel appliances, and honed granite. I wish I knew who decided to “update” the kitchen with expensive appliances and granite on top of plastic cabinetry…

When we first moved in, I spray painted the hardware gold to match my style more, painted the backsplash area black to match the granite, attempted to install under-cabinet lighting (that failed), exchanged the faucet for a new brass one (my birthday gift from my husband), and built a pantry in the laundry closet (located in the kitchen). Countertops (Although I’m not a huge fan of granite, it is great for its heat resistance and low maintenance. Plastic, white cabinetry (It’s bowing in spots under the weight of my dishes, and the interior has bubbled and scratched from use.) My original plan was to purchase nicer cabinets off of Craigslist and make them work for our space. In other words, unless we wanted to splurge on a full kitchen makeover (we don’t) removing the cabinetry wasn’t going to happen.