What's Cooking? A Fresh, Clean New Look in the Kitchen.

I'm really starting to like our kitchen. Most of the house is either empty or a disaster area, but I get all warm and fuzzy when I look at this spot. With new paint, appliances, and hardware, it already looks completely different than it did the day we bought the house. Check it out.

Stella can't believe how it looks, either.
And here's how it looked when the house was on the market. Umm... yeah. It's JUST A LITTLE different now.

For anyone researching paint colors, we used America's Finest brand paint and color matched it to Benjamin Moore's White Dove (walls), Natural Cream (cabinets), and Black Beauty (trim). America's Finest is pretty much the cheapest paint you can buy, and our painters recommended it to keep our costs down. I think they were kicking themselves by the time they were finished, because I hear it didn't work well. FYI.
But I love the way it turned out. I originally wanted to paint the cabinets a soft greige color, but the kitchen is the darkest room in the house. At the last minute, I chose a creamy, warm white. It was a good decision; I love the way it brightens the room and plays off of the bright white walls.

Cup pull. Bin pull. Whatever you want to call it, it has a good vintage-industrial look. From Lowe's.
I like the way the oil rubbed bronze hardware stands out against the white cabinets, too. The cup pulls on the drawers are made by Sumner Street. They were five bucks apiece at Lowe's, and I love them. LOVE. The cabinet pulls are by Century Hardware, and they were just $2.69 apiece. You can't beat the price, but I think they look a bit small. The cabinets had holes drilled for 3'' center-to-center pulls, so we went with that size to keep things simple, but I wish I'd chosen something with a heftier look. But compared to what was there before? WIN.
The grayish-taupe concrete counter tops are just right. But the golden brown backsplash looks weird next to the counters. The gold undertones clash against everything else in the kitchen, and the pictures don't show just how weird it all looks. I can live with it for now, but I'd like to either retile the backsplash or put up vinyl wallpaper there in the not too distant future. I'm still not sure about that orangey terracotta floor tile, either. What do you think? Sometimes I like it, and sometimes I want to change it. I probably just need to put a durable indoor/outdoor rug down in the kitchen. Preferably one that has the same pretty aqua color as the Kitchen-Aid mixer.
Can we talk about that mixer? My thoughtful and generous sister got it for me last year as a bridal shower gift. Thank you, Erin! Sadly, it sat in storage for months because our old kitchen was so small. When I unpacked it, it was like being given a gift all over again. I LOVE IT. I keep walking by and grinning at it like a lovesick middle schooler.
The next thing on my to-do list (after I use that lovely mixer to whip up some cookies!) is to replace the lighting in the kitchen. I didn't show it in the pictures, because I didn't want to burn your eyes out with the ugliness, but there is a large and terrible florescent ceiling fixture in the middle of the kitchen. I hate florescent light. HATE IT. So that monster is coming down as soon as the replacement fixture arrives.