Kitchen Design: Cabinets, Countertops & Tile – Oh My!

Now that the floor plan is finalized, I’ve been able to dive into the kitchen design in a lot more detail. Last week, I sat down with a kitchen designer at Friel Lumber and went through the plan for the space. As luck would have it, the cabinets I want actually work within my budget! This was a nice change of pace because I usually fall in love with things that are waaaaay out of my price range.

I’m looking at you, $31.88/ft2 Marble Chevron Tile.

 

Swoon! Stunning, but too pricey to be part of my project.

Anyway, the second awesome thing about meeting with the kitchen designer is that I came away with pretty pictures of what my kitchen will look like! It’s so satisfying to have an actual visual for one of the spaces in my new house. Everything else is just design boards and mental pictures at this point.

The picture of the kitchen isn’t exactly what the space will look like, of course.  It doesn’t include my backsplash tile (more on that in a moment) and details like the light fixtures and stools will be different.  But you can definitely get an idea of what the cabinets will look like. Here’s what the kitchen will look like as you walk into the space:

 

Isn’t it lovely?? It looks bright, clean, and roomy – but not too big. There’s a generous amount of work space and plenty of storage. For me, it’s perfect. Actually, it will be perfect when floating shelves are added in the corner on the right side in the back. I’ve seen some lovely rustic shelves on Etsy, and I’d like to work with a shop that can make a set of three shelves to wrap around that corner.

Here’s a look at the kitchen from another angle:

 

I’m going with a counter-depth fridge for a nice clean line down the back wall. The tall cabinet by the window will serve as a pantry for food storage and small appliances.

Here’s an angle that shows my favorite part of kitchen – the bar!

 

It’s a little hard to see the bar area back there, but hopefully you can get the idea.

Finally, here’s a closer look at the kitchen island:

 

I love that the microwave will be hidden away in the island. The cabinet on the left side will hold the trash bin, and the large 42″ drawer unit in the middle will be great for pots and pans.

I’m going with a simple Shaker style cabinet that has a bit of a beveled detail on the interior profile. The cabinets are by Omega and the door style is called Blair. Here’s a closer look:

 

I’m actually going to go with a slab front for the top drawer on each base unit throughout the kitchen. I’d like to use cup pulls for the hardware, but they wouldn’t fit well with the five-piece configuration. For lower drawers, it’s not an issue because the panels are wider. The kitchen designer told me that going with the slab drawer on top will save about $40 per cabinet, so that’s a nice bonus!

The color I’ll be using for the cabinets along the walls is pearl, which is a nice not-too-bright white. I’d love to go with navy blue for the island cabinetry. In the images above, the color of the island is actually pretty close to what I have in mind. However, in real life, the blue color that Omega offers is a lot brighter. This photo from Omega’s inspiration gallery is a lot closer to what the blue really looks like:

 

There’s a 10% upcharge to custom paint the cabinets, and I’m seriously considering it. Since the island is the only cabinetry that would be custom painted, it doesn’t add too much cost. It’s even easier to justify because switching to slab-front top drawers will save enough to cover about half the cost of custom paint.

The specific shade of navy I have in mind for the island is Benjamin Moore Newburyport Blue (HC-155). This photo from the Involving Color blog shows swatches of all three navy colors I considered:

 

The Van Deusen Blue is probably going to make an appearance as the wall color for the kitchen and dining room. There’s not actually much wall space in those two rooms, so I’m not concerned about it looking too dark. The floating shelves in the corner of the kitchen will be filled with white dishes and pitchers, which will really pop against a deeper shade.

My original kitchen and dining room design board incorporated a deep charcoal gray paint color, but I’ve gone in a different direction with the backsplash tile. I’m actually using the same Faventie tile, but instead of black and white, I’m going to use the softer blue option:

 

This tile is going to cover the entire back wall of the kitchen, from the counter all the way up to the ceiling. It’s also going to be used in the bar area between the counter and upper cabinets. I think it’s going to be absolutely stunning.

The cabinetry plan may be tweaked slightly but the final result should be pretty close to what you see here.

 

One thing that will definitely change is the hood over the range. I’d like to incorporate a wood tone there to warm up that wall. I’m concerned that the white cabinetry and blue tile could feel a bit cold. The floating shelves in the corner will have a warm wood tone, but a wood hood would help extend that warmth even further.

Another way I’m thinking of incorporating warm wood tones into the space is with a butcher block countertop on the island. This photo from Decor Pad shows how a butcher block island can add interest and warmth to a kitchen:

 

Gorgeous.

For the countertops along the walls, I’m leaning toward quartz that has the look of marble. These are a couple possibilities:

Ella Quartz Countertop by Cambria

 

Ella Quartz Countertop by Cambria

 

Brittanicca Quartz Countertop by Cambria

 

Brittanicca Quartz Countertop by Cambria

 

And there we have it! My dream kitchen… I can’t wait to see it actually come together!