As we shared a few weeks ago, we’ve officially decided to move forward with using IKEA cabinets in our kitchen reno… er… let’s use one of Greg’s computer geek words here and call it a “reinstall”. I have to say, I’ve been totally obsessed with the IKEA Kitchen Planning software since we decided that we really liked IKEA’s cabinets. For the “non-professional” who is reasonably computer savvy, with no formal training in kitchen design/architecture, the software is pretty easy to maneuver.  I am ecstatic that Greg and I are actually getting to choose the cabinet sizes and types that will go in our very own kitchen, and IKEA’s software makes the visualization of those choices extremely easy.

Though it’s been fun playing kitchen designer, a few things are really bugging me about the plans thus far. We’re still in the process of working out the kinks (what you’re about to see is a very rough draft), but since we’re all about sharing the “real story” behind our home renovations (and reinstalls!), we’d thought we would share a few screen shots of how the plans look right now.

As for the things that are bugging us…

• The wasted space between the cabinets and the windows. Some space there is expected, but it seems that’s a pretty substantial gap between the window frame and the cabinet — to the point where it may look odd. It looks like a left over cabinet hanging on an awkward-sized wall rather than a custom kitchen install. We would like to find some way to tie that set of cabinets into the rest of the kitchen a little better.
• I want to add a subway tile backsplash to the rendering. I know it’s not necessary, but I just want to be able to really visualize the kitchen with as much detail as possible. As of right now, we only have subway tile on the far left wall in the rendering, and it covered the entire wall rather than just the backsplash area. Sure, it might look cool like that, but I’d like to try out some other options in that respect before we get too far.
• We’re shopping for a counter-depth refrigerator, and we want it to look built into the cabinets. Therefore, the shallow cabinet above the fridge isn’t as “pretty” as I’d like it to be. If we could find a top cabinet that was the same depth as the counter, we would be set! We also want to add a panel on either side of the fridge to give it a built-in look. We’ve been told IKEA has both of those things — we just haven’t been able to find them on the software yet.

• The two cabinets left of the hood look weird to me. Greg noticed it at first, too, but couldn’t put his finger on it. The one on the far left is about 3/4 of the size of the one next to it because it’s the only size cabinet that will in that space. Hopefully Greg and I can put our heads together and find something that will work a little better up there.

With all of these little frustrations with the software comes some natural doubt… Are IKEA cabinets really the way to go for our kitchen? I still think the answer is, “Yes.” We just need to spend some more time tweaking our design and getting it just right.  Then, we will probably take our plans and thoughts to the experts at IKEA so they can shed some light on our dilemmas. I’m sure our kitchen isn’t the first one they’ve seen with odd-sized walls. Fingers crossed!

We’re still making some kitchen decisions here at the Brown house. We’ve got the big picture and majority of the details planned out but we’re still contemplating a few touches here and there. For instance… next the the refrigerator (see the kitchen floor plan here), we want to do some sort of display shelving… either open shelving or glass front cabinets.

In order to help visualize both options in our kitchen, I drew a kind-of-almost-to-scale rendering of  both options. First up, here’s the glass front door option:

…and our second option, open shelving with a wall of subway tile as the backdrop:

On “paper”, we’re loving the idea of glass front cabinets. But then there’s the wall of subway tile with the open shelving. Yes, subway tile makes me weak at the knees and Greg thinks it’s “really cool”. Therefore, even with the renderings, we’re still torn between the two. So we decided to round up some cabinet eye candy to hopefully push us in the right direction…

Sally Wheat Interiors

Brandon Barré Photography

Erin McLaughlin

Nathan Egan Interiors

Molly Frey Design

Country Living

Urban Grace Interiors

Martha Stewart

The eye candy didn’t help the decision making process much because we love them all! On one hand, open shelving has a more modern look and in some way, it adds a little more personality to a kitchen. On the other hand, glass cabinet fronts are slightly more practical and keeps the dust out. Which do you prefer… open shelving or glass front cabinets?

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We did it! Since last week’s post, Greg and I hunkered down and made some real, bona-fide decisions about the kitchen. Boy, does it feel good! The next natural step in this process is to measure the existing space and come up with a detailed functional layout (shelved cabinets vs. drawers, etc). Before we get to that though, we decided to put together a mood board complete with some of the details and features we would like to see in our kitchen. Having this mood board on hand when making decisions during what we’ve heard to be the looooong process of laying out a kitchen will help us keep focused on the “big picture” and not get overwhelmed with the little things. Being overwhelmed just takes all of the fun out of projects, and we like fun.

1. IKEA’s Adel Kitchen Cabinets. We’ve been toying with the idea for a few months, but we’ve officially decided to go with IKEA cabinets. A few weekends ago, we made a trip to the nearest IKEA (which is about an hour and a half away) and were blown away with not only the quality, but the endless customizable details. In making our decision, we also took into account everything you guys have been telling us about IKEA’s cabinets. (Remember Emily’s IKEA kitchen renovation? That was awesome!). Once we looked over all of IKEA’s options, we finally decided on the off-white Adel model.

2. Carrara Marble Subway Tile. We have always loved the classic look of subway tile. After reexamining our collection of kitchen inspiration photos, we noticed most of them had marble subway tile rather than ceramic. Carrara marble has the stigma of being super expensive. However, after doing some research, we found that you can purchase Carrara marble subway tile at a very affordable price — especially for a cozy-sized kitchen like ours. This will be a great way to bring in a luxurious material without breaking the bank. Not to mention we are super excited about getting our hands dirty and tiling our own backsplash.

3. Oil Rubbed Bronze Hardware. Though these particular hardware pieces are a little on the pricey side (as far as hardware goes), we are going with these based on the idea that upgraded hardware will give the otherwise affordable cabinets a more substantial and “expensive” look. We’re trying to “class it up a bit,” if you will. Also, the fixtures will tie in with the doorknobs throughout the house.

4. Monochromatic Color Scheme. The adjoining living room is painted a nice, medium gray (Martha Stewart’s Cobblestone). This will be a really nice contrast with the off-white cabinetry. Though we haven’t made a final decision on the countertop material, we are leaning toward using something dark in order to “ground” the space. (Something in the black/brown family would be nice.) Overall, we are keeping things pretty monochromatic, so some of you are probably thinking, “Where’s the color?”. Well, the cool thing about having a monochromatic kitchen is that you can accessorize it with color through dishtowels, flowers, a bowl of fruit, etc. What’s even cooler is the fact that you can change it out seasonally or whenever you are in the mood for something different.

5. Reflective Accessories. Utilizing reflective accessories (like these glass jars from Crate & Barrel) will help bounce some light around the room and bring a little extra bling to the kitchen.

6. Open Shelving. In our opinion, if you are looking for an airy vibe in a kitchen, open shelving is a must. I can’t wait to unpack our collection of white serving dishes and display them. It will feel like Christmas morning.

7. Stainless Steel Appliances. With our choice of cabinetry, black appliances would stick out like a sore thumb, and white would get completely lost. And who doesn’t love stainless steel appliances?

8. Window Treatments. We have been searching for a place to use this fabric from Dwell Studio for a while, and we think the kitchen will be perfect. The dark gray tone in the fabric will pull out the darker veins in the Carrara marble backsplash. It will also tie in to the adjoining room’s wall color.

I love the feeling of being armed with a plan. All (okay, almost all… we are human, after all) of the second guessing and doubts go out the window when you’re armed with a well-thought-out plan. It’s a truly great feeling to get this ball rolling… faster.