Okay, so we may not have come up with 639 concepts for the kitchen layout, but it sure does feel like it. Before we placed the order for the kitchen cabinets a few weeks ago, Greg and I sat down and went through every single detail with a fine-tooth comb. We wanted to make sure we were thinking through every aspect of our everyday. We even turned to my mom and Grandma for advice. They’re a lot more “kitchen savvy” than I am. After a few hours days of kitchen-planning, we finally came up with the final final final kitchen design.

If you’re just tuning in to the whole kitchen-planning process, a while back we came up with the original concept using the Ikea kitchen planning software (see that design here). After way too much thought, we decided to check out Lowe’s. When we met with the Lowe’s Kitchen Designer (a cool guy named Gaylord), we took him our original Ikea design. Once he got an idea of our wants/needs, he was able to polish our original design into something perfect for us (see that design here). Since then, we’ve gone back and forth with a bunch of details and last week, we finally settled on The One. We took those decisions back to Gaylord and he plugged them into the design and then placed the final order. Finally!

Without further ado, here’s the final layout – or as we’ve affectionately been calling it, “Concept #639″…

1. This cabinet previously consisted of drawers, but after a quick consultation from mom and grandma, we deciding we would have more need for base cabinets. So we switched it out. We also upgraded all of the base cabinets for the dual pull-out shelves. This will help us utilize every single square inch of storage. I know I’ve said it before, but I cannot wait to FINALLY unpack the kitchen stuff!! I’m going to feel like a kid on Christmas morning!

2. Another small yet noteworthy switcharoo is the chimney range hood. In the previous design, we had a cabinet-ish enclosure. We like the look of a chimney range hood much more – it’s something I’ve wanted in our kitchen since day one but now it’s finally final on paper. Holla!

3. Okay, so this is probably the one aspect of the final design that took us the longest to come to a decision. We wanted the tile to go from the backsplash, around the window to the ceiling. However, because of the cabinet sizes, the cabinets could only butt up right against the window frame. Knowing we weren’t striving for a cookie-cutter kitchen, we were open to doing something a little out-of-the-box. So we decided to shorten the cabinets on the right, so there would be 3″ from the cabinet to the window frame. The only thing was, because of the available cabinet sizes, that would leave 9″ on the left side of the window. Not good. So, why not install some floating shelves? Who doesn’t love open shelving? Then I found this photo here on Pinterest…

That’s exactly what we were thinking about doing! Each shelf will be 6″ wide – perfect to display small bowls, my favorite white ceramic cow creamer, and such. Kraft Maid actually doesn’t offer floating shelves this small, so we’re going to have to DIY it (or find a cabinet-maker-friend to help us out). We ordered a quart of the cabinet paint so we can paint the shelves to match the cabinets perfectly.

4. Some of you might remember in the last design, there were some top-hinge cabinets here. After thinking it over, we decided with the style we were going for (classic, Martha Stewart meets Sarah Richardson), it would be best to go with the classic side-hinge cabinets instead.

5. Aside from the floating shelves mentioned above, this is my favorite addition to the kitchen design. I’ve always wanted a place to store cookbooks out in the open. With our small cozy kitchen, I knew it would be difficult to find a place. Until I came across yet another Pinterest inspiration (found here)…

Perfect solution! Yes, it’s going to take up a smidgen of what would be cabinet storage, but I’m totally willing to part with a little bit in order to have a home for cookbooks and whatnot. The shelves are 15″ deep – deep enough to house other things like recipe boxes, bowls, tea boxes, and even the stand mixer if I wanted to. Again, cannot wait to unpack!

Gaylord also gave us a overhead view of the kitchen…

We’re so pleased with the overall layout. And check out the 85″ peninsula! I was shocked we had so much room for such a long work surface. And there’s still room to spare for the pantry door directly across from it – 41″ to be exact.

Lowe’s is coming on Wednesday to deliver the cabinets, but they won’t be installed until the first week of December. The suspense is killing us! After almost an entire year of skillet-cooking, using the grill outside and Outback takeout, we’re more than ready for a full-functioning kitchen. Just a little bit longer!

Have you entered in the $100 Bronner’s Giveaway? Click here to enter!!