Time for change, Kitchen edition

It's been a loooong time since I've been on here doing what I actually love, and in that period you could say that allot has changed. To sum it up for you I'm pregnant! With twins!!! I am close to 7 months along so with one daughter graduating, one daughter starting high school next year and two more girls baking in the oven things have been a little cray cray at The Casa Perez.

With that said, things tend to get a little wacky when you're pregnant. I'm not quite sure why I thought it was a good idea to build a pool, remove the entire back wall of my house and install a wall of doors, AND completely remodel our kitchen but that's exactly what I did! These decisions practically sent me to the looney bin and divorce court, but in the words of Gloria Gaynor I will survive!

I will share more of my mom-ster moments with you down the road I'm sure, but for now let's talk kitchen instead.

If you are on any kind of social media these days it would be impossible not to fall for some of the major design trends that you are seeing in kitchens. I'm talking about the stunning white cabinets, white quartz and grey marbles and all of the mixed metals specifically brass, gold and rose gold that are storming the pages of both print and Pinterest.

After doing these kitchens for clients and loving every single inch of them I decided that I wanted and needed to have one of my very own......and now I have one!

 

 

Not completely finished, but isn't she a beauty?

Now you'll have to note that on the "To Do" list are a new counter depth fridge (we are open to suggestions on brands???), replacing our old faithful ugly little coffee maker, the missing cabinet panel for the dishwasher and under cabinet lighting. We are also in consideration for a possible waterfall edge on the island, so before you think "WTF" those changes will be coming one day:)

This image demonstrates how the fridge stands out from the hallway, the counter depth will eliminate that. You can also see how having a cabinet panel on the dishwasher will blend it in. These little details go a long way and should not be overlooked in kitchen design.

They are also cost considerations so take mental note.

Let's take a peek as what we started with in our "kitchen before" shown below.

The main issues we had with our kitchen were that it was outdated, did not have ample storage, had a terrible and inefficient layout and in no way went with the rest of our house. It was a complete bust.

When I demanded convinced my husband that we were replacing our kitchen, I knew we needed to make choices that were functional and could stand the test of time.

Kitchens are expensive, and messy and are the hub of the house so if you do it then make sure you do it right! Even if that means waiting until the budget allows and taking longer I suggest that you really do your research and make sure you cover your own personal needs bases. In the long run this will save you money and aggravation and gives your designer and kitchen designer what you specifically want.

Our top priorities were function, layout and style.

In the new design and layout we moved our fridge over and changed the pantry to an unused closet. This enabled us to move our stove and sink over and to create an island which is my dream come true!

We also maximized storage by taking the cabinets all the way to the ceiling and capped them with a clean edge molding. This is an absolute "do" and is something you will most always see in designer kitchens. It also makes your house feel instantly larger.

As per the color and finishes, I knew I wanted white and bright.

I have a small home and my old outdated kitchen did not help with this. I chose shaker style cabinets because they are timeless and chose marble as the backsplash which is a splurge but one that I wouldn't need to replace down the road.

For the counters we gambled and went with white quartz. I love it, but will do a post one day on what we have learned about quartz and it's maintenance.

I suggest when designing your layout to also work with a couple of kitchen designers. These are the pros who know and think of what you may not, so be open minded and you might find that you are pleasantly surprised. We were able to get our garbage in our island as well as a large spice rack for my husband and all our interiors are a nice light wood with soft close brackets. Little details, but ones that you will live with daily in your kitchen so make sure you don't overlook them.



As far as cabinet pulls, faucets and lighting I knew I wanted brass/gold/mixed metals. I also knew that I wanted a clean and modern space, but not too modern. Brass and my traditional pendant lighting warmed the space up and kept it from being too contemporary.

It is good to know when shopping that not all "gold" is created equal, so make sure you know what you are getting yourself in to. I rushed and ordered and returned many a kitchen pull until I got it right. Oops! I wanted a more "champagne bronze" look for our kitchen which is a nice way of saying a softer gold.

For the faucet I chose the Delta Trinsic collection in "champagne bronze" with the touch technology and have been extremely happy with it.

For the water dispenser this line did not carry one so with my anguish and shopping I found that Newport Bronze has a water dispenser in "antique bronze" that actually looks exactly the same. I got lucky here because they have a ton of finishes available and I guessed hoping for the best.

For the handles I went with Altas Hardware's Successi Series in the "champagne" finish. I found these to be affordable, and are a beautiful soft gold color. They were also readily available which was a challenge in these gold obsessed times.

As per my sink I found an extra large 32" industrial sink from Miseno which is stainless steel and fit in my standard 36" cabinet base. I love it! It is deep and can hide and fit anything including deep large pots. It also answers the question "can you put a stainless steel sink with a gold faucet?". Yes, yes you can!

The rest of the kitchen I will update once completed, and I will include a buyers guide for you as well. For now I am staging and finishing things and really just enjoying the heck out of our new space!

 

Would love to hear what you think and am happy to answer any questions about our kitchen and kitchens in general.