SHARE
Last weekend we moved into our new house. Finally! I know, I know. Lots of people are saying ‘That was so fast!’ It sure didn’t FEEL fast when we were living through it. (And to be honest, we are not FULLY in yet, The basement is still under construction and there are certain parts of the upstairs that aren’t quite done yet either. For that reason I’m going to take you on a room by room (or area by area) tour instead so you don’t have to wait.
Let me start by saying that we worked with Howe Construction to do all this work. David was really great to work with. He is very conscientious and wants everything done just right. He has some amazing subs that he brought in. He is very conscientious and wants everything done just right. For example, Tim, his tile guy did that AMAZING herringbone tile backsplash in the kitchen. There were so many cuts and it took many many days but it’s perfect! We learned about him by chance (he fixed the floor in our old house the week we put an offer on this house) and the poor guy had no idea what he was in for!
I also enlisted the help of Candace Powell, our awesome designer. If you know me then you know how much I like home design and how opinionated I am. That would lead one to think I would not consider using a designer. But one would be wrong! While I knew many of the finishes I wanted (I.e. gray herringbone backsplash, white shaker cabinets, white-ish quarts counters) I didn’t know where to find it, how hard it would be, or how to do it. In addition to helping me source all of my crazy ideas she designed the whole kitchen layout and knew exactly which cabinet company (Encore Cabinets) to use. She made excellent suggestions (like not painting the island gray because it would highlight how narrow it is), brought me samples to see ahead of time and helped me get the kitchen of my dreams.
Lets start with how this kitchen USED to look. We basically kept the same footprint but made some key changes. Namely, we converted the butlers pantry to a big walk in pantry and instead of having a desk space we did a wall of cabinets that included some key must haves.
Here’s where we started. These were the real estate listing photos so they make it look nicer than it was.
And here are some progress photos…
And now the finished product! Look how light and bright it is! Look at those beautiful cabinets and intricate backsplash. Sigh. I adore it!
One thing that doesn’t photograph well is the huge double slider we put in. This was Allen’s one must have and I so agree. This is where all of that beautiful light is coming from to light up the rest of the kitchen. So excuse the dark looking picture! (The exposure is right for the outdoors but wrong for the indoors.)
Finally, take a look at the two biggest changes we made to the floorpan. One is this amazing pantry. It was a pass through butler’s pantry before. We closed off the door at the end and had a closet company come in to complete the pantry of my dreams. It is easily double what we had in our last house and has cubbies and things in it specific to our needs. (And the light goes on automatically when you go in and the door closes automatically when you go out. A Mom’s dream!)
Instead of a desk we had two cabinets built for specific needs. One was for our coffee maker and blender. Two things we use almost daily but don’t want to see. There is a handy plug built right in and easy to clean counters inside. The other cabinet is right next to it and it is our ‘desk’ area. All the stuff like device chargers (we have a plug that is just four usb plugs), pens, slots for bills, etc. All the ugly stuff you need all the time but again, don’t want to see. And I’m not even going to show you that one!
Specifics – The counters are quartz that look like marble. The backsplash is gray subway tile from Daltile set in a herringbone pattern. The floors are wire brushed oak willow by Naturally Aged Flooring. (It’s engineered hardwood which is great with the dogs!) The fridge came with the house but the dishwasher and range are Kitchenaid. This sink is a double bowl (Keep your groaning to yourself. I love two deep sinks because I’m too lazy to put my hand washed dishes away right away!) silgranite sink. The island lights are from West Elm. The table chandelier is from Build.com. The kitchen table is from Cost Plus. The chairs are from Wayfair. I think that covers it!
We are thoroughly enjoying our new space. Stay tuned for future posts featuring the living room, master bedroom/bathroom, deck and entry. So excited to share…once we finally get some things finished up!