Hi friends!
Well this post has been a long time coming. Of all the rooms in the house, the kitchen has been the most time consuming and stressful. I am astounded by how many decisions need to be made for just one room! Benchtops, drawers, cupboards, handles, appliances, flooring, splashback, sink, taps, lights, kickboard, layout… the list goes on.
BUT, I am very pleased to tell you that the pain has been worth it. We spend months drawing and re-drawing our kitchen design, choosing fittings, picking appliances and waiting for our kitchen company to ring us back (!)
And now we finally have the beautiful hamptons style kitchen I dreamed of…
CABINETS: We used a Dulux colour for our cabinets called “Antique White USA”. I chose a simple profile for our cabinet doors and drawers, I didn’t want anything too tizzy but I did want the doors to have some detail.
SPLAHBACK: Since all the cabinetry is white and we have light coloured bench tops, I wanted to go with a contrasting, dark splashback. I chose these basic grey subway tiles from Amber Tiles. They bring a slightly industrial feel to the kitchen, which I love. P.S Subway tiles are super cheap!
FLOORS: We installed genuine hardwood timber floors, the same ones we used in the living room as well. We went with “Bluegum” as I love the warm tones in this timber. Timber can warp with constant contact with water, so we just need to be careful of any leaks or spills.
BENCHTOPS: I love the look of marble for this style of kitchen, however it is not very family-friendly as it stains easily and shows up water marks, so we went with Caeserstone instead. The colour we chose is called “Carrara” which is a similar look to marble, but has lighter coloured veins throughout.
SINK & TAPS: Our sink and taps are built into our island, which means they are right in the centre of our living room. For this reason they needed to be beautiful. I chose a double butler sink, chrome federation taps with a gooseneck spout and white porcelain handles. I can’t tell you how many people comment on these taps when they come over – they were expensive, but well worth the splurge!
LIGHTS: I absolutely adore our pendant lights, but I can’t take credit for them. Matt found these beauties on Etsy! We had them shipped over from the UK – which still ended up being a lot cheaper than any lights we found in Sydney. The grey matches the subway tiles perfectly, and also brings out that industrial touch, which I love so much.
APPLIANCES: Gas cooktops are all the rage at the moment, and for good reason. They give instant heat and lower the price of your power bill. We didn’t have gas connected in our house but we knew it was in our street as several neighbours used gas. We had to ring the gas company to come and connect it. FYI – this takes 6 weeks!
We bought a Meile oven and cooktop, (mainly for re-sale purposes as many foodies look for quality appliances when they are buying), Meile is top of the line and pretty expensive. We went with a mid-range microwave (Panasonic) and fridge (Fisher and Paykel) to make up for the expensive items and I’ve been really happy with all of them so far!
I truly believe the kitchen is the heart of any home, so I wanted ours to be warm and inviting! I’m not a fan of the current trend of stark, modern kitchens where everything is hidden behind flat cupboards. I’m so thrilled with how our kitchen turned out, the pain was well worth it.
I’m off to boil the kettle!
