{New House} The Kitchen Inspiration
Yesterday I shared the Before pics of our new Kitchen, along with our plans for the renovation. Those updates will help with the efficiency of the space, as well as make it more aesthetically pleasing...but the design is what will give it warmth and personality. And that's the hard part for me.
You know decisions aren't my strong-suit, so I was really struggling to keep up when we first started the renovation (thank goodness for talented friends on speed dial)! I mean, it's not like I've been planning my dream house for the past two years, pinning ideas for a future home. I've only ever pinned ideas for making our current home the best it could be. We literally had no intentions of moving before stumbling on this house, and until the closing December 31, we weren't quite sure it would actually happen!
We are fortunate to have a month to work on the house prior to moving in, but given the unexpectedness of it all, I don't have the luxury of mulling over options for years months at a time, per my usual! And to be honest, this house was intimidating me a little. There's something so grown-up about it, so permanent, like I should take it more seriously. More Elle Decor, less Sugarplum Style, you know?
The counters are white Corian, and the floors will be dark hardwood (that's another post!)...so my Pinterest board quickly filled with gorgeous spaces that included painted cabinets, white counters, and pretty, yet subtle, backsplashes.
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Our counters are a bit off-white, so I ruled-out white cabinets so I wouldn't have to worry about the counters looking yellow next to them. No one wants to eat food prepared on pee-pee counters. Then I switched gears to gray cabinets, with a marble backsplash to marry the two.
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I settled on this marble subway tile, with pale gray cabinets, and polished chrome hardware. Then breathed a sigh of relief for actually making a decision. And even though I knew it would be beautiful, my heart wasn't racing with anticipation to see it come together. Mr. SP kept questioning my choices too, insisting he loved the 'wow-factor' of the glass tile backsplash we have now. I assured him repeatedly that the new Kitchen would be stunning, timeless and classic...and so it was settled.
Then we moved on to discussing the tile I was considering for the Laundry Room floor (lots of things happening over here!), and I showed him this image to give him an idea of what the tile looked like.
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"Whoa, cool! But why don't you use that tile in the Kitchen instead!?"
His question hung suspended in the air, like a speech bubble, while my mind raced with the possibility. And so opened a whole can o' worms! I quickly texted the pic to Kristin, and she immediately responded, "That kitchen screams Cassie!!!" Now the worms are spilled out all over the table.
So I went back to my Pinterest boards, and found image after image of glorious patterned tile. The look has been making my heart race for years, and my love affair for it exploded after seeing it all over the vacation home we stayed in Puerto Rico, but I was afraid to use it in such a prominent way for this new 'serious' and 'grown-up' house.
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My aunt once told me the only decor decisions she regrets, are the safe ones. And I realized that's what I was doing...making safe choices out of my fear and self-doubt. There's a difference between smart choices and cautious choices...and we won't create the home we want, the home that feels like us...unless we follow our instincts and be fearless. The style may not be everyone's cup of tea, but no one lives in this house but us.
You'll have to wait to see all the choices and details, but I will tell you it's a combination of several of these images. And my heart is positively racing with anticipation to see it all come together!
P.S...the renovations are moving fast, so I'll be posting real-time updates on InstaGram and Facebook...follow along if you'd like!
