How I Would Design My Dream Kitchen on a Limited Budget

I have had a lot of time to think about how I would design my dream kitchen. I am in kitchens all over the Nashville area almost every single day of the week. I also spend countless hours a week studying kitchen design and following the nation’s top interior designers and taking note of the elements they are using in kitchen design. I have​ “pinned”” and taken screen shots, and made notes of all the things I would want to use in my kitchen re-design. So, here are some of the things I would love to see in my new kitchen. 

Cabinets:

If budget was not a factor and I could order all new cabinets, I would choose a shaker style cabinet. Since I am limited by budget and trying to creatively stretch my money I will be using cabinets from an existing kitchen. We have a client who is replacing everything in her kitchen and we are in negotiations to buy all her cabinets and possibly some of her appliances. Here is a photo of her current kitchen.

We are going to repurpose these cabinets in our kitchen

She has raised panel doors, lots of decorative panels and tons of cabinets. Best of all- SHE HAS LOTS OF DRAWERS!!! My #1 tip to anyone designing a new kitchen is put in as many drawers as possible. They are so much more practical for storage and accessibility than doors.  We will deconstruct her layout, remove the countertops and reposition everything in our space. Here is a photo of our current kitchen. 

Tucker’s current kitchen

ISLAND:

What I hate most about our current kitchen is our teeny tiny island. It’s really hard to prep a meal or serve a meal in such a tiny spot.

Our teey tiny island

My daughter loves to help me cook and I would love for us to be able to work together at the same space on one big island instead of with our backs to each other. I am just starting to learn photoshop, so please excuse this rudimentary first attempt, but I mocked up a layout with a large island and just pasted it right on top of our current floor plan. I LOVE the way it opens up the kitchen. 

I’d love a big island like this.

In my research on finding the perfect island, I read something that said if you plan on eating at the island with your whole family that you should consider making space for barstools on the side too so you aren’t all lined up where you can’t look at each other and have a conversation. I love that advice because that is exactly the way I feel with our current set up and we eat every meal at the bar stools. So, I’m considering something like this from Chelsea Construction :

Seating on back and sides. Kitchen by Chelsea Construction

I want to try to keep my island free of a sink or cooktop that would eat away from the usable surface space. I’m hoping to keep all those pieces in their current locations so I have a huge prep, serving and eating surface on the island. 

CABINET FINISHES:

We will be using our new kitchen as a showroom. I get customers asking me every week if they can see our work in actual kitchens. So, it will be nice to be able to handle those requests without having to reach out to previous customers and asking them to let me bring people through their homes. So, because 95% of the cabinets we paint are white or cream, I feel like I need to showcase one of those colors on the cabinets. We are going to get a little creative on the island and I am considering something like this finish I have admired for years by amazing Kitchen Designer, Heidi Piron.

Kitchen designed by Heidi Piron

COUNTERTOPS:

Ideally, I would love to do a butcher block countertop on the island and marble on the perimeter counters.

The 2017 HGTV Urban Oasis House has almost everything on my wish list.

Another more budget friendly idea would be to install a leathered black granite that looks like soapstone like our client did in this kitchen. 

Black leathered granite was used in the kitchen update.

LIGHTING:

I love a lot of light in a kitchen. I would install two pendant lights over the new island at least 14″ wide. I would love to do a woven shade if I could find a light that has at least two 60 watt bulbs. I don’t think this light exists! If not I would really love to do a brass finish. Here are my two favorites. 

The Hicks Pendant designed by Thomas O Brien

The Lettie Pendant from Wayfair

In addition, I love the idea of using these library sconces in a couple of different places. 

Brass sconce

TILE:

Tile is a big investment and it is difficult and expensive to change. I preach to my clients all day long about the merits of simple subway tile in white or cream. It is timeless, clean, and beautiful. BUT…. If I’m being honest, I’m kind of really LOVING something like this from Devol Kitchens. 

This tile from Devol Kitchens is my dream!!!

HARDWARE:

I’ve written about my hardware favorites HERE. If I go with brass lighting, I will also go with brass hardware. Probably something like this from CB2. 

Brass Pulls from CB2

STOVE HOOD:

I love the idea of a stove hood over the range where a microwave sits now. Our customer has a stove hood that will be perfect.

Stove Hood in my client’s house

We will either paint it the same color as the top cabinets or create a faux brass finish like the real brass finish on  my friend Colleen Locke’s kitchen from Trot Home. Her kitchen is in my top 3 favorites of all time:

This black and brass hood!!! This whole kitchen!!! I might just copy cat the whole thing!!!

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I know this is a long post but I’ve been dreaming of a new kitchen for so long– I have a lot to say on the subject. I’ll be sharing more ideas and progress as we move along this renovation journey. If you’d like more information on a stylish and affordable kitchen update starting with painting your existing cabinets, please click on the button below and we will be happy to provide a free estimate.

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