Kitchen/Lighting Inspiration.

Today was tile shopping day. I have successfully chosen the tile for the front entry, mudroom and powder bath. The remainder of the main level will be wood...so my floor tile selection is complete (more to come on that in a future post). The only other tile I need to pick out is the backsplash tile. We have VERY little backsplash because so much of the kitchen is occupied by either floor to ceiling cabinetry (like the pantry and built-in hutch) or is open to the new family room or dining room. There is just a small portion over the stove that I need to occupy. All along my plan has been to do authentic subway tile (different from the typical porcelain 3x6" tile you see by companies like American Olean). Authentic subway tile does not have beveled edges, it is completely flat...and it's actually ceramic, not porcelain. Check out www.subwaytile.com for the authentic goods.

I'm at a crossroads where the material selection takes the kitchen down a certain direction...and once I go that way, there's no going back. Jeff and I both really want to do honed (matte) black granite countertops. I think that selection takes us down a very classic, traditional path of subway tile, school house pendants, white painted cabinetry, etc. But...I found a picture of a kitchen that I can't get out of my head. Am I gutsy enough to paint my cabinetry a green/gray? Look how FABULOUS it looks with the chrome:



I showed the images to Jeff to see what he thought and he was not as googly eye'd as me. I showed him a few other images...and he said these were a much better representation of how he wanted the kitchen to look:

I love how they mixed the honed black countertops with the white carrera marble on the island.

How romantic is this cozy little kitchen nook?


I was comparing this image above with the one above it to see if we want to do a stainless steel vent over the stove or a hood that is paneled with cabinetry...I'm leaning towards paneled simply because our kitchen is so small and all that stainless steel might be overwhelming.

I love the style of this paneled vent over the stove above.

This image was the inspiration for the brackets that will go under our upper cabinetry. I love this classic look.

I am LOVING the sweet cut out detail on the front of this buffet. Proof that the smallest details can have the biggest impact.

I saved this image as lighting inspiration. I also thought it was interesting that they did an oil-rubbed bronze finish on the lighting, but chrome for the hardware and fixtures. Perhaps proof you don't have to do everything the same in a space?

I love the turned legs under the lower cabinetry that make the cabinets feel more like furniture pieces.

So...where does this leave us? At a crossroads. How do we marry everything that is so beautiful about all of these kitchens...especially with an impending deadline of demolition looming over our heads. I am the type of person that likes to consider ALLLLLLL of my options before making a decision...therefore making educated decisions...and therefore being haunted by the other millions of possibilities I could have chosen through all of my extensive research. My mom likes to remind me that there is always something out there that I will like more...so I have to just make the best decision I can and enjoy the fruits of having a finished project. Look forward to sharing those decisions with you soon!

Finally, a shout out to my dear friend Christy and her little family tonight who are happily settling in to their new hardly-humble abode (a beautiful new home in Farmington!) Congrats Roach family!