Kitchen Update is Complete - For Now

Hello, readers! I realize it's been awhile since I've checked in. While we're still in the midst of our master bathroom renovation in our home (getting closer), our kitchen updates are complete - for now - and ready to share. It's naked, not dressed or styled in any way, but still looks pretty good, and makes me smile over the decisions I made.

Without going into a lot of the before detail, this is the link if you'd like to backtrack and see my 1980s version of kitchen. My design board of updates shaped up as the following photo collage (the complete source list is at the end of the post, and can also be found on my Pinterest Board titled Kitchen Update Ideas):

My ultimate goals were as follows:

• Replace the following appliances: refrigerator, wall ovens, cooktop, vent, dishwasher, disposal, and eliminate microwave on countertop
• Replace formica countertop, eliminating built-in blender system on island
• Replace sinks (main and wet bar) and faucet fixtures
• Install backsplash on kitchen counters (main only)
• Retrofit cabinet above refrigerator, alter wine rack to shelves for display
• Replace 2 can lights over island with 3 pendants
• Add under-counter lighting on main kitchen counters and can light over wet bar
• Add electric outlet at wet bar and under-counter at island; separate electric breakers where necessary
• Paint

Mission accomplished. 

Most of these updates were checked off in one week, but not fully complete until 6 weeks later, due to the two cabinet retrofits. Those retrofits were subcontracted, and their lead time held up kitchen completion another 6 weeks due to that contractor's backlog. Painting was scheduled immediately following the two cabinets being re-installed, and the kitchen was completed the first week of April.

My selections for appliances, fixtures and stone were centered around these guiding principles:

• We were merely updating our kitchen, not gutting it or reconfiguring the layout at all
• We were keeping our cherry wood cabinets
• We were not replacing the tile floor
• I wanted to maintain as much light as possible within the kitchen area
• I wanted new appliances to blend cohesively, and without further alterations in the kitchen
• I wanted the kitchen to continue to flow smoothly with the rest of the open concept floor plan

I lugged around quartz samples for months, trying to find something to blend with the existing cabinets and tile, while maintaining light. My quartz choice (Viatera Aria) has a nice blend of grey, white and khaki-tan veining that helped me achieve the goals of blending and keeping things light, as did the sinks, which are a granite-blend composite by Blanco. The Delta faucets have a nice touch feature that allows the stop and flow of water by touching anywhere on the spout or handle (which you can opt to disengage).

The ceramic subway tile is Walker-Zanger's Fog Matte. The grout color is TEC's Sterling. I found a grey stone finish backplate that coordinated with my ceramic tile, and had all the electric outlets and switches changed to light almond. The paint choice for kitchen walls is Sherwin-Williams Creamy (SW7012), while ceiling and trim is Extra White (SW7006).  

Initially, I wasn't positively certain about replacing any appliance besides the refrigerator, but because we installed quartz, we did not want to risk future issues with keeping the existing cooktop set within the new quartz on the island. The tricky part, then, was finding suitable appliance replacements, given our layout and dimensions. 

We ended up replacing all appliances except the trash compactor. The cabinet above the refrigerator became an open shelf (to use as either a bookshelf or for decor). The top wall oven is a Monogram with Advantium technology unit, which replaces our microwave and also allows speed cooking, convection, and conventional baking. (Speed cooking can best be described as a blend of microwave and convection cooking). The cooktop now has a telescopic vent fan vs my previous downdraft vent. The tradeoff is I now have 5 cooktop burners, but lost a bit of my under cooktop storage for the down telescope vent position.

I went with a blend of black stainless steel (refrigerator and dishwasher), stainless steel (wall ovens, cooktop and vent fan), and the original black front compactor, which blends with the other choices.

As you can see, my wet bar is situated at the edge of my kitchen, in the adjacent space where we have our breakfast table. I chose not to tile the wall behind that faucet so it would look less like a kitchen in that space. My goal is to use the wall and shelves for display (there are additional peg holes and one more shelf for cabinet portion). By not having a tiled backsplash, this allows me flexibility in hanging a print or plate(s) on the wall, as well as leaning them against the wall. There's now an outlet in that wall too, allowing me to use the counter as additional space for a blender, crockpot, music, etc.

I was able to get everything I wanted in this kitchen update, and even scored a few deals. Once you decide on brands and models, it pays to Google your selection and then click on the shopping setting at the top menu bar of your internet open window to research your options.

The "for now" postscript on the kitchen being complete: I may or may not change the 57 hardware handles on the existing cabinets (the count was 59 until the cabinet over the fridge was reconfigured). The ceiling remains to be painted. We learned that our tub in the master bathroom upstairs will necessarily have to be plumbed through the ceiling in the breakfast area (just about where I was standing for the photo above), so there will be more mess before the final cleanup on this first floor. Lastly, I'm looking forward to styling the shelves and counters.

Kitchen Update Source List:

Quartz - LG Viatera Aria - Johnson Granite (Mt. Airy, NC wholesale distributor)

Ceramic tile - Walker-Zanger Fog Matte - Smith Tile (Charleston, WV wholesale distributor)

Grout - TEC AccuColor silicone sealant Sterling - Smith Tile (Charleston, WV wholesale distributor)

Backplates - Hampton Bay Stone Grey Finish; switches and outlets in light almond - Home Depot

French Door Refrigerator, Dishwasher with Waterfall Technology - Samsung - Home Depot

Electric Wall Oven, Built-In Wall Oven with Advantium Technology, and Gas Cooktop - Monogram - Ferguson Bath, Kitchen and Lighting Gallery 

Universal Telescopic Downdraft System - Ferguson Bath, Kitchen and Lighting Gallery 

Pendant Lighting - Hudson Valley Dalton - Build.com
Sinks - Blanco Siligranit Diamond series in White (Prep Sink and 40/60 Low Divide Main)
Disposer - Kitchenaid 3/4 HP Continuous Feed

Faucets - Delta Essa with Touch 2O Technology

Paint - Sherwin-Williams Creamy (SW7012) Emerald line in matte finish for walls; Extra White (SW7006) Pro Classic line in semi-gloss finish for trim, doors, and ceiling 

Thanks for bearing with me as I captured the details of my kitchen update project. If you have any questions about the timeline or experience, feel free to contact me. I'm not compensated for any of what happened here. I don't typically disclose expense details, but you can glean that by research.

(A special thanks to Linda at Coastal Charm's Show & Share No. 358 for featuring this post!)

Rita C. at Panoply

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