ah, at long last, my kitchen makeover is about 88% complete! it’s taken some time, but we have new paint, lighting, flooring, kitchen countertops, fridge and appliances, and new hardware! voilà! i’m not sure if you ever saw the ‘before’ but we’ve lightened up the mood in here considerably. i liked the dark gray walls and subway tile with dark grout, but after i added the pergola outside, the room got a little less bright, so a lot of white was needed! i’ve partnered with some of my favorite go-to brands to complete the look: armstrong flooring, Caesarstone countertops, benjamin moore paint, schoolhouse electric for lighting fixtures and all modern for some dreamy smeg kitchen appliances and furnishings. check out all the details and resources just below!
my ultimate goal is to have french doors installed to exit to the outdoor dining space, and i’m still trying to figure out whether i paint the door frame white, or do i paint the window frame black? or simply wait for french doors and decide then — so many decisions! i’d also like to add one more dramatic lighting fixture in the center of the kitchen, so i’m still hunting for something great. but as i’ve posted before — what i’d really like to do is rip out this soffit ceiling and expose the wood beams like you see in the dining area. but on to what we’ve changed up thus far! partnering with armstrong, we ripped up the hideous beige tile floor and put in their Hickory Point Traditional Luxury Flooring in Copper Penny. it matches the hardwoods in my dining area to perfection and is so easy to clean and maintain. we stained the threshold to match, and it looks really seamless! the armstrong team was a dream to work with — from samples to ordering, and finally, their installation team was so professional and such nice guys.
next up, we removed the gray speckled granite and lightened up the whole feel of the kitchen with Caesarstone’s beautiful Frosty Carrina quartz countertops and backsplash. i love, love, love them! they don’t stain and are super easy to clean. and the look is exactly what i’d hoped for — much brighter and lighter feeling in here. and one very cool thing we did was create a Caesarstone countertop for my vintage farm table so now it’s like a large kitchen island and a huge new prep and cooking space. i’m so happy with how it turned out. we added a few of all modern‘s black delavan barstools so friends can have a comfy chat with me while i’m cooking.
we also lightened up the walls with benjamin moore’s Aura paint in oxford white (my go-to white color) and it’s so much fresher looking than the gray. it looks like an entirely different kitchen, and i love it. to the existing ikea cabinets i added new brass hardware i found on amazon — kohler’s Purist 3-Inch Drawer Pulls and Purist/Stillness Cabinet Knobs in Vibrant Moderne Brushed Gold. I also changed out my old faucet for Delta’s Trinsic Kitchen faucet in Brilliance Champagne Bronze. and lastly, for a bit of contrast, i partnered with all modern and added their amazing black smeg refrigerator, and smeg appliances — their blender, toaster and tea kettle — all in black which look smashing against the white countertops. i also added schoolhouse electric’s alabax surface mounted fixtures to the ceiling and their isaac sconce above the sink. and as i mentioned i may add a center fixture, as well.
another addition is my Castagnier 9 Drawer Dresser — which i originally had in my bedroom, but when i lightened things up in there, too i thought it might just fit perfectly as a buffet in the kitchen, and an excellent piece to store all kinds of serving pieces and cookware. eventually i think I’d like to add some open shelving above it, but for now, Rico Suave and Emma Lou are still keeping me company above the buffet. You might also wonder about the rather unusual placement of the quirky vintage portraits near the fridge — that’s where a hideous electrical panel is, which i need to move but to do so is quite a big job, so i’ve added that to my to-do list. but, we’re getting there!
remodel resources:
• Armstrong — Hickory Point Traditional Luxury Flooring in Copper Penny.
• Caesarstone – Frosty Carrina quartz countertops and backsplash.
• schoolhouse electric — alabax surface mounted lighting fixtures and isaac sconce.
• benjamin moore — Aura paint in oxford white.
• all modern — delavan barstools; black smeg refrigerator, and smeg appliances: blender, toaster and tea kettle.
• photography by lily glass for sfgirlbybay.
this post is in product trade partnership with armstrong flooring; Caesarstone; all modern; benjamin moore; and schoolhouse electric — all brands i stand behind and highly recommend and all words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep sfgirlbybay going with fresh content every day.
love love LOVE! Perfectly blend of stunning design, luxury and function – love that it looks equally useful and gorgeous!
where is the sink from??
i’m not sure, liz, as it was here when i moved in. but i *think* it may be from IKEA.
I love love love the look of smeg as much as the next girl, but I spent almost $200 on my beloved toaster and it totally died after 13 months for zero reason. Smeg refused to honor any kind of warranty, and they said the way it’s constructed it can’t be repaired by an appliance repair shop. I later discovered they have pretty awful customer reviews for their appliances, as cute as they look. Warning for anyone else who is considering!
oh dear! i’ve not had any trouble. let me see if i can reach out. did you buy it directly from smeg, or elsewhere?
This made me smile. So stunning. I LOVE the use of the vintage table with the new quartz top.
thank you!! i love how that turned out as well! :)
Bought it from West Elm sadly! Neither company could do anything :( Sad because they really are gorgeous appliances!
That’s not good to hear!
Oh my goodness! I love this! That island is perfection!
Looks beautiful Victoria – congratulations!
Love!
It looks lovely! The floor looks so much better.
Did you put anything to replace the tile backsplash you took out?
oh! i should have said – it’s caesarstone, too! same as countertops!
Victoria, love your new kitchen. The white with the ‘buffet’ cabinet is beautiful. Love the vintage paintings and the faucet, lighting and frig…golly I love it all. Such a great eye, Victoria!
On a very grey and wet morning here in England, these pictures are immensely cheering. I hope you have a lovely time cooking and pottering in this kitchen.
The island is everything! I thought your kitchen before was great but I’m really into this look. Looks like you’re moving in the right direction. I’m definitely looking into creating an island this way.
Amazing kitchen! I’ve just gone all white and haven’t started decorating yet becuz the rest of the House is still getting renovated but LOVE your inspiring touches to warm it up! But you need to vault those ceilings…people will say it’s not energy efficient but they are too beautiful to hide!
so cute!
Where did you get the island?
thanks! the island is a vintage farm table my mum gave me and we added the caesarstone slab of frosty carinna to it! :)
Lovely combination of materials. Thank you for sharing.
Do you know if the espresso maker is still available–love the design!
thank you! it’s DeLonghi Kmix 15 Bars Pump Espresso Maker:
http://amzn.to/2DvCrqv
Pretty!
just lovely & how very satisfying for you! kitchens, when done well, are one of my most favouritest rooms in the home to hang out in…
Absolutely love what you did! Now please come up here and help me with my small home
haha! you’re doing fine on your own! :)
Love the kitchen so homey. What are the items in the canister beside the lemons?
thank you! those are my sardine tins i brought back from Lisbon and can’t bare to open – i love the packaging too much! ;)
I love it all! There are so many similar things I want to do when we we finally rehaul our kitchen. Where did you find that lovely little wine rack?
Victoria, you have beautiful style. Your kitchen is stunning! I especially like the abundance of white with the not too shiny brass fixtures and the anchoring strength of the black chest and fridge.
I often want things so badly right now, but I know it takes time to build a place of your dreams. I’m renting right now but I insist on making my place beautiful bit by bit.
You’ve been a real inspiration, thank you!
Hi Victoria! Love the kitchen. How much space do you have on either side of your island? I have a narrow-ish kitchen and I’m considering a skinny island. Thank you!
The kitchen is stunning! I’m in the process of refreshing mine and am looking to change out my old hardware for new brass/gold hardware. I love the look of yours, but the reviews are iffy. How are yours holding up?
They’ve been just great! Still as shiny as when I ordered them! :)
Google found your article for me and wow! Very beautiful and very well done. It is also very similar to what my wife and I have been considering to do with a similar space. My question: how much space do you have between the sink and stove and how but is the table? I think I have the same table but fear it would be to tight to use as an island.
Hi Tom,
It’s pretty wide – about 8 feet and the table is 3 feet wide. I hope that helps!