Jan 3, 2022

After a year of house building and a few months of respite, the New Year is here and so is our new to-do list. The biggest to-do that we have left to tackle is our kitchen (well, and our landscape but it’s currently under 6 inches of snow.) While our vintage-inspired kitchen is certainly functioning, a lot of finishes were put on the back burner – pun absolutely intended. I reluctantly gave in to putting up the stainless steel hood as a fill in and the backsplash is already making my eye twitch. So I’ll be using this blog post as not just a checklist, but also as a motivation to get used to being covered in grout and sawdust once again.

The To-do’s

Tile backsplash
Build stove hood
Install crown molding
Fix pendant light
Build out pantry shelving
Install vertical shiplap in the niche
Pull the trigger on curtains

Truthfully the majority of the to-do’s can be easily resolved in a weekend’s work or a couple of weekend’s work. It’s the large tiled backsplash and my never-ending ability to find highly detailed woodwork that has me hesitating.

Ever since the beginning of building, I’ve been adamant about our kitchen design resembling my favorite kitchen on Instagram. It’s been in the last few months that I’ve started to question my resolve. While my love for Jana’s kitchen will most likely never fade, I can’t help but feel like I’m copying and pasting a style that doesn’t reflect the rest of our house. I dream of a European-style home filled with arches and charming vignettes, whereas #lee leans towards right-angled craftsman details. Ultimately, an arched hood just doesn’t feel quite right for our space.

So without further ado here is my out-the-blue, yet possibly more-in-the-blue new vintage-inspired kitchen design plans.

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With a more straight-lined hood detail that compliments our fireplace mantel, our kitchen hood might not have the European charm I first envisioned, but I do think it will have the traditional style I always find myself leaning towards.

While I may have thrown us an audible #lee welcomed on the kitchen hood, I am still standing my ground on the 4×4 square tile backsplash. For sanity and budgetary reasons, we’ll only be extending the backsplash up 18″ from the countertops.

The answers to the few questions I get about our kitchen:

Yes – we love our black countertops! Nope, we don’t regret the dark countertops decision one bit. Our countertops are Absolute Black granite in a honed, leathered finish – a much thriftier alternative to the black soapstone countertops that are popping up all over Instagram.

Pebble Grey is the Kraftmaid cabinet color in a Shaker style. I think cabinet colors are the hardest thing to pick out. I gave myself borderline heart palpitations over ours.

There are, of course, a few other things that need to be added to our kitchen (that space in front of our sink is just begging for a run!) but for now, this list will do.

SHOP THE KITCHEN

Floating shelves || Antique Gold Hardware || Brushed Gold Kitchen Faucet || Sconces || Wicker Pendants