Ok it’s time, it’s time! I’m so excited to finally be sharing the kitchen moodboard for the new house. In true Lauren fashion I’ve gone back and forth a few times before landing on final decisions, but I feel so good about where we’ve landed.
In our current home, we did a quick facelift which included painting the cabinets, new countertops, new backsplash, new fixtures and open shelving. It was a perfect solution at the time, but we kept things fairly basic knowing this wasn’t our forever home. Plus, I think now as a first-time mama with endless bottles, pump parts, snack containers, sippy cups and everything else, it’s time to embrace closed storage. I also can’t tell you how excited I am for an island, which was never an option in our small city home.
My design style has also shifted since we renovated a few years ago – it’s become a lot more English inspired, with timeless finishes yet still transitional elements. Think modern meets cottage with a bit of vintage styling.
Cabinetry
You’ll notice we’ve kept the cabinetry timeless in creamy “macadamia”, but jewelled them up with beautiful hardware – a mix of polished nickel and oil-rubbed bronze (move over, brass). Our appliance handles are champagne brass, which were chosen a year prior to material selection, so it was important to opt for hardware that felt different vs. looking similar but not quite the same. Our plumbing fixtures also match the polished nickel hardware, which I’ll spill the deets on below. Mixing your hardware metal and/or shape in your kitchen may feel overwhelming and confusing, but when done right, it creates such a custom and elevated look. Gone are the days of matchy matchy! I’ll soon be sharing a post all about mixing metals and how to do it like a pro. We’re doing polished nickel knobs and bin pulls, and oil-rubbed bronze latches some of the cabinet doors. Another tip for a custom look — opt for lowers with drawers instead of cabinets. It also provides more functional storage, so it’s a big time win-win.
Countertops
This might be what that I’ve gone back and forth the most on, but oh my goodness I’m swooning over the final decision. I knew I wanted a honed/natural look (aka matte and more organic looking) instead of polished, which captured that relaxed yet elevated English-cottage feel. Dark soapstone-like quartz will feel so moody and sophisticated against the macadamia cabinetry.
Tile
I wanted to keep it simple but also timeless here, so I opted for a beautiful zellige-inspired tile that’ll be installed in a brick pattern. It’ll provide a bit of texture and interest, as each tile will have a slightly different tone, mimicking a handmade look (for less ;)). For a more modern look, you could do a horizontal straight stack, which I love as well. When it comes to tile, you don’t always have to splurge on the most expensive material (although sometimes marble is just so worth it, right?). Consider different ways to lay the tile – vertical stacked, horizontal stacked, alternating sizing, creating a band with a different colour, darker grout, there are so many possibilities. I’ll create a separate blog post about this soon!
Fixtures
Ahh, this is where we can chat mixing metals. As I mentioned above, I also think this topic warrants it’s own blog post, as it’s something you can easily do to elevate your kitchen or bathroom look. Consider mixing a polished or unlacquered brass with a polished nickel, or even a matte black. I like to choose a dominant metal (in this case, the polished nickel) and then pepper in accent metals, like the oil rubbed bronze latches and the brass on the appliances. Once you have a dominant and a secondary, a third (the appliances) is acceptable however I’d stop there. We want it to look intentional, not random! I’d also caution against mixing metals that are the same in different finishes – I knew I couldn’t exactly match the champagne on the appliance handles, so I kept that as the third level and only brass in the room.
Lighting
Aren’t these pendants stunning? I think they might be one of my favourite elements of the space. I typically suggest two pendants vs. 3 in a kitchen, but scale is important. Go bigger than you think! You don’t want to end up with too-small pendants over a large island – unless it’s intentional and the scale makes sense. If you have the counter space, a lamp is also something I’m seeing in English-inspired kitchens these days. So so cute.
I can’t wait to share how this kitchen comes to life over the next few months. Then we’ll get into all the other juicy stuff – decor!
What’s your favourite part of the kitchen plans?! What questions do you have about building a kitchen? Share ’em below!
