Last week I announced that we’ll be redoing our kitchen for the One Room Challenge. If you’re expecting demo pictures, well, we moved back in yesterday for our winter as snow birds so we’re not quite there yet. But I’m going to share the mood board, inspiration pictures, and I need your help with a few decisions.
the current kitchen
Here’s the current kitchen. She’s cute, but this is IT. All the storage in one sad row. When we unpacked our stuff yesterday, I remembered how bad the functionality is. We normally have a dish dryer out (since there’s no dishwasher) and so we have one section of countertops to do kitchen prep. It doesn’t work. And the cabinets are chewed to pieces by termites.
So it’s got to go!
Then, as a reminder, here’s the floor plan. We’re moving the fridge around the corner and adding an L shaped bit of countertop. It’s little, but will be mighty. The cabinets will go to the ceiling so that’ll give us more storage too (goodbye scary fluorescent light!
If you’re wondering why we don’t take down the wall between the kitchen and living room, go here.
If you want to make a floor plan, I use the free software floorplanner.com and love it!
Yesterday we moved the fridge to what will be it’s new home. We wanted to see how it felt and if it would crowd the dining table. But everything feels good!
With adding a dishwasher and the extra little corner of cabinets and counters, we should have some usable counter space for prep. It’ll be a game changer!
beams
Here’s a (messy) view of how the kitchen flows into the living room. I don’t like it. Why? I want more differentiation between the kitchen and living room. So my plan is to put up a beam where the wall ends and have it go down to create a doorway.
This will create a clean line where the wallpaper ends and it’ll make it so I can do crown molding in here without having to add the molding in the living room (and hall) right now.
It’s a little hard to see, but we added a ceiling beam in our first kitchen renovation so that we could add crown molding and bead board to the kitchen ceiling. Back then, we put this in so we could make these changes without having to do the living room and hall at the same time. It’s actually a pretty similar situation. Except my first kitchen was bigger- lol.
hood
I’ve been wanting to add a range hood over our stove. My idea is to add an under cabinet hood so that the cabinet storage above the hood is still functional. I’d add scalloped trim and it’d be SO cute! To keep the storage functional, I’d do something like this.
BUT the issue is that our stove is right by a window and so we can’t have a range hood that’s wider than 16.5″ or it’ll cover the window. The smallest size I can find is 18″ wide. So it might not happen, but I sure want it to!
The other hard part is that my husband is NOT a fan of range hoods. He’s never really lived with one and so he doesn’t see the point. Do you like having a hood? I like how it looks. And I figure it get’s rid of smells and grease. Between the size and this obstacle, we’ll see if I get the hood.
what to put on the shelves?
In the corner where I’m adding cabinets, I’ve decided that I want to add L shaped open shelving. I just worry that too many uppers in that area will feel crowded and the corner ones won’t be very functional. Might as well as have a fun moment for displaying stuff!
Of course, I’m thinking this may be the one rainbow moment I might have in the kitchen!
Isn’t that kitchen fun?! I love that it’s all white on white and the rainbow accents add fun pops of color!
But what should I put on the shelves? I’ve been thinking of a few options. And by thinking, I mean obsessing. I love really thinking out these details out and finding special touches that really finish up a space. Help a girl out and tell me your favorite.
Option one is Blendo vintage 1950’s glass. It comes in pastel colors and has a gold rim. I’d LOVE to collect a bunch of glasses in different colors and arrange it in rainbow order. The only issue is that they are pricey. Plus shipping them is expensive since they’re glass. I think to do a full shelf of these would be a few hundred dollars (at least $300). So I’m not sure…
Option two is Bolero Therm-o-ware from the 1960’s. Again, it comes in fun colors. I love that there’s bowls in addition to the cups/mugs. But still- pricey! Probably a little less expensive then the Blendo.
The last option is to use latte bowls. Most (or maybe all) of these in the image are vintage from France (and are hard to find and the most expensive option). For this one though, I’d buy new and go with the beautifully colorful Anthropologie Latte bowls. That’d be a little over $150 to fill the shelves.
Which option is your favorite? I’m probably leaning towards the latte bowls unless I can find a good deal on one of the other vintage choices. Maybe I’ll stumble on a set in a thrift store!
mood board
Well, with all that rambling, let’s look at the mood board!
light / tile / cupcake pink paint / rainbow pottery / art / fridge / quartz / pink kitchen inspiration photo / faucet / sink / floor
I’m going for a vibe that’s light, bright, sweet, and soft. I want a combination of traditional and modern with high end finishes. For the lower cabinets, I still want to go pink with white uppers. A mint sink will coordinate with the retro fridge and stove. I’ll do quartz countertops, white subway tile with a fun twist and soft pastels. For the floor, I’m planning peel and stick tiles.
I’d love to redo the floors, but the tile goes from the kitchen to the living room to the bathroom. We just aren’t ready for that big of a renovation in addition to the redo of the kitchen at the moment. It’ll already be tricky to have the kitchen done in time for Thanksgiving. So after thinking hard on it, the tile floors will stay for now. I can’t wait to show you the peel and stick tile!
Inspiration pink kitchen / Inspiration rainbow tile floor kitchen / Inspiration rainbow shelves kitchen
Here are my inspiration photos. They go with the light and bright and colorful and fun and sweet look I want. These make me so excited! It’ll be such a cute kitchen. And I hope so much more functional too.
K- I’d absolutely love to hear your thoughts on the hood, what to put on the shelves, and if you like where the design direction is headed. Hopefully next week we can buy the cabinets and start on demo. Am I ready to not live without a kitchen? No. But I can’t wait to have a space that really works for us!
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So many cute ideas, Ashley. It’s going to be beautiful! I love the latte bowl idea. They would also be functional as well as cute. We use them all the time for cereal, Mac and cheese, etc.
That’s totally true! I definitely want it to be functional too. They sell the mini latte bowls too and I love those for having a side of fruit with a meal. The more we use what is on the shelves the better to keep them from being a dust collector. Thanks Mary!
Amazing cute planning Great colors My kitchen needs help so anxious to renovate Thanks for your great ideas and sharing
Thank you! We haven’t done a full kitchen remodel in our own house since 2017. We know it’ll be a pain, but hopefully worth it in the long term! Have a good weekend Linda.
I love having a range hood. We lived without one for the first 6 years in our house and it’s so nice to be able to suck smoke, grease, and smells away. You mentioned scalloped trim on it though, that sounds like a place for grease and dust and junk to get stuck. I’m a fan of a straight of hood vent with no decorative box or trim or anything around it so it’s super wipeable. Hope you can find one that fits your size needs!
April
Thanks April. That’s good feedback. Another design I’m looking at is a plain hood with brass trim. Which would be wipeable.
I love hearing your ideas and getting a glimpse of your vision for the space! When you said you’d like some more separation of the kitchen and living I wondered about maybe extending that wall that separates them by a little since it’s such a wide opening and it could give you a bit more counter space ? Whatever the end result I’m sure it will be amazing! Looking forward to seeing the progress 😊
A range hood or a microwave range combo with an outside vent is a MUST, for me. I’m a distracted mess of a cook, so I need a way to get the smoke and smells out of my kitchen. And not blowing right into my face, as our current combo does (and the kitchen is in the middle of the house, so things linger). Our old CA home had a vent to the roof and it was heavenly. I’d fight for it!
I don’t have an exhaust hood and the cabinets above can get drippy from boiling water from the steam and everything around the area just seems to get sticky from grease and dust. So I would prefer a hood and your idea sounds cute.
For the shelves I’d just find random items from thrifting or new that are a rainbow of colors, from bowls to canisters, salt and pepper shakers, etc. I like your idea for the doorway too.
Love your mood board and ideas. Great use of space. I love my lazy Susan corner storage cabinet! Suggestion for range hood – I have seen models that ” pull out” so they are 12 inches deep when not in use and pull out to 18 when turned on. It is actually the motion of pulling them out that turns on the light and fan. This way you could custom build the decorative part of the hood to the 16 inch depth you need and the functional part would only be past the window when in use.
Love the use of space. This is so exciting!
Lovely colours – this is going to be a beautiful room.
If it were me I would put the fridge opposite the cooker where the little shelves are (since you are having new shelving on the other side) and make an L shaped banquette seat under the window and along the side of the fridge. This would give you more prep space and easier access to that akward corner.
I agree with E about the fridge placement… more counter space and no “deep” corner cut from natural light due to the fridge mass. As for the range hood, I never understood why they’re so often “fake” in North America, actually not sucking smells out. I learned something new from Pat about pull out models (ingenious indeed) and it seems that could be the answer!
So many great colors Ashley! I can’t wait to see it all come together!!