Hi Friends, happy Thursday! Today I’m sharing another kitchen update. Outside of work, our trip to Italy, and getting ready for the holidays the kitchen is pretty much the only thing I’ve been working on. We’ve narrowed in on the scheme and I’m feeling really good about it. And in terms of getting to work, at this point we’ve gotten quotes from Ikea, Home Depot, Lowes, and we’re waiting on one from a custom cabinetry maker. Once we have all four quotes in hand we can compare them and figure out who we’re going to go with. If we go with Ikea the project may wait until the spring, because we’ve been told they have a big kitchen sale in March, which could end up saving us a significant amount of money. If we go with any of the other options then we’ll probably get started as soon as we’ve finalized all the plans and material choices (hopefully late January or early February).

If you’re interested in previous kitchen posts you can read about the design development here, the scheme we’ve selected, and the most recent updates. Since I last posted, I’ve been working on kitchen inspiration mood boards so we can nail down the aesthetic. This is important because it will be the central place with most of our material choices. It’s a way for us to get a clear picture of what everything will look like together before we start building or buying. And, to be honest, I’m actually struggling with it a little more than I thought I would. I’ve had this vision in my head and thought it would translate very easily to “paper” but it’s a bit more muddled than I realized. So the plans are taking longer than I thought.  

I’m going for a more sophisticated look that also has a mix of materials, textures and colors which Xan and I both like in our home. I don’t want it to necessarily feel like it fell out of the pages of a catalog, but I do want a more glam and sophisticated look than we’ve gone for in the past.

Kitchen Inspiration Mood Boards

Right now I’ve got these two kitchen inspiration mood boards which are largely similar except for color and a few smaller details. When I started I was certain I wanted a grey and white kitchen. But then, not long ago, I saw a photo of a navy kitchen and for some reason it really resonated with me. I like that navy is a bit bolder, because bold colors and patterns are two of my favorite things. So I decided to make a mood board for both, in the hope that it would make a decision clearer. And you know what? It actually just made me want to make ONE more. Haha. It’s kind of feeling like this is having the opposite affect! But, let me explain myself. After visiting Ikea I came away feeling surprised at how much I liked the flush front cabinet options they have. And in terms of Ikea, the thing I’m struggling with the most is the cabinet face. I can’t get the shaker style I really want (a narrow rail) and so I’m feeling on the fence about it. Even though I really like the features they provide. So I think I’m going to do one more version with flush fronts as the cabinet style and see what I think. Stay tuned!