New Kitchen Color Scheme!

We are in the midst of a huge home remodel. The new kitchen design is the reason we started this journey (read Why are We Redesigning our Kitchen here.) Before starting this massive undertaking, I spent a long time considering my goals.

3 Things I Considered for New Kitchen Design Layout

1. How do I cook in the space? Do I use a lot of spices and should they be near the range? How much refrigeration and freezer space do we actually need? What cookware is essential to everyday, versus the cookware used few times a year?
2. What do I want this kitchen to feel like when you walk in? Bright? Warm and cozy? Glamorous? Simple? Traditional? How would the kitchen fit into our existing home? We have decorating almost all of it already. We didn’t remodel the kitchen until we decorated the rest of the house, so it has to work seamlessly with is already decorated already.
3. Did I need more walking space, or could I deal with less space and add more seating? When friends, family came over and walked into the kitchen, what did I want our kitchen to convey about our family? Did I want everyone sitting or standing in the kitchen? If so, in what parts?

I settled on these answers

1. I cook family meals, not gourmet. Yes, I have moments where I get tricky but for the most part I keep it simple. So “stuff” could go somewhere else (like my roasting pan, my crock pot, my souvide machine – yes, my husband bought one for me for Christmas!) What I did absolutely need was a ton of refrigerator and freezer space. As the Mom to three, two of them growing boys, they eat all the time. I wanted to be able to double recipes and freeze extras to have ready when they bring their friends over.
2. In terms of design, the words I use to describe my vision are – bright, cool tones but warm feeling. I was adamant about not having an all-white kitchen. It didn’t feel like my style. I wanted a bright, happy, clean looking space but with the warmth of wood, fabric stools, hints of color, a bit of glam in hardware, and with soft lighting. My typical favorite tones of grays and blue’s all came to mind along with a soft wood to warm it all up. What can I say – I like what I like and am consistent!
3. I wanted the kitchen to be lived in. It’s where my kids will do homework. I envision their their friends eating food and watching TV in the kitchen, my friends sharing and passing wine sitting in the kitchen, but all a bit out of the way from my “working area.”

My Inspiration

I stumbled upon this photo on Pinterest and it was the closest I could get to explain the look I wanted. It had the perfect amount of class, elegance and warmth!

Color Scheme

The entire kitchen became centered around this La Cornufe 110 range in the color Tapestry from the Suzanne Kassler color collection. This range is a work of art and makes me happy just looking at it. It beckons me saying “come cook on me, and then keep me shiny and bright!” (I need incentives to clean – I’m actually super messy!

We decided to build a hood that matches. It will be in the same color (it’s most similar to the Sherwin Williams Rainwashed 6211 with brass straps. It’s going to be custom made and the focal point of the kitchen for sure!

The floors will remain wood but stained. Stain color is TBD but somewhere a bit deeper than the island color with no red and orange tones like we currently have.

All cabinetry will be painted Benjamin Moore White Dove. This is actually the same color as our current dining room table, and it’s one of the colors in the white family designers turn to a lot. 

The trim will remain the same as entire house – Sherwin Williams Divine White, another classic white color.

All hardware and plumbing will be gold, because this is easy to change as trends change.

One Island Versus Two

This has been a decision I went back and forth on a gazillion times. We’ve landed on having two islands. 

At first I thought I only wanted one large island, since in our existing kitchen I didn’t enjoy the two islands. But after thinking through it, it wasn’t the two islands I didn’t like, it was the way they functioned (read more about that here.)

In truth, I wanted a lot of space for kids to come home from school, do homework, hang out with friends or have my friends over to sit with wine and guacamole and enjoy the kitchen but out of the workflow area of the kitchen. 

After stumbling across the blog post of The House of Silver Lining’s Kitchen about her similar deliberation and she gave me a eureka moment – see bloggers really are beneficial, I don’t care what people say!) An island dedicated onlyto sitting! Four stools on either side. That way everyone can be a part of the kitchen, watch TV in it (we are mounting one about the freezer) yet be a bit out of the way as I use my gorgeous blue Tapestry La Cornufe! 

Had we not chosen two islands the space would have been massively vacant. And potentially awkward in its empty scale.

I worry a bit about clearance between the entrance to kitchen and coming down the staircase so I think bar stool choice will be very important. If they are too large it will feel crowded. This is the dilemma at hand. Le struggles, right?

Working with Existing Home Decor

We have an open floor plan so the kitchen absolutely needs to work with our current homes color schemes of soft blues, gray’s, whites with pops of cream and gold. In the nine years we began decorating our home I’ve never changed my love for those colors and only continue to ramp up my boldness in using them! 

Team Involved

• TS Adams & Studio, Architects
• Jessica Bradley Interiors
• Marshall Veal Custom Homes
• Kingdom Woodworks

Thoughts?! 

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