Willow Remodel

you know how i've been telling you about a kitchen remodel that i am working on. well in the last couple weeks, it's expanded from just the kitchen to the kitchen, dining room AND living room. since we are opening a wall from the kitchen to the dining room, it only made sense to redesign the dining room and because the dining room opens up to the living room..well that is getting a face lift too. 

i can't tell you how excited i am about this project. 

also in the last couple weeks, we've made a break through on the finishes. i sent my clients to a few local showrooms to select plumbing fixtures and appliances and 

to a few tile and stone places so that they could get an idea on what they liked.  

 i think it's so much easier for clients to choose finishes when they see them in person rather then from magazines or online images. 

 it paid off.

 at the plumbing showroom that i sent them to, they fell in love with a cabinet finish on one of the plumbing displays. unfortunately, the sales associates had no information on the cabinetry that was displayed. luckily, the wife sent me a picture so i could see the finish. after that, they went to a stone yard and 

really liked not one but two different types of granite. i love choices! 

they liked Antico Bianco and Black Galaxy. 

this gave us a starting point. 

i decided it was time to put a finish board together for them to help give them a direction. 

i chose a picture that featured a similar cabinet finish to what they fell in love with and went from there. i felt they needed to use the Antico Bianco granite they really liked for it's lightness but also because of the darker veining. it helps bring the cabinet's finish into another element. the current floor in the kitchen is a multi-colored dark tile and tends to be a little busy. i think the floor can stay dark or go light depending on the actual cabinet finish but it really needs to be of a more neutral palate. the one shown on the finish board is a light creamy brown tile to help them visualize something different from what they currently have. 

i kept the hardware dark so that it didn't take away from the beautiful wood stain and also to keep your eye above the countertop. i did however go light on the backsplash. i am in love with the texture of this creamy white glass mosaic tile. it's different then the typical subway tile everyone is using and i admit..i still really love the look but the glass will give the wife the "sparkle" she wants. the walls will be a creamy white and the lighting over the island should be some type of glass pendent. 

i think these pendants are beautiful. they can be used in either the aged brass or the nickle finish that's shown. 

i want to keep the lighting over the island open since the kitchen's ceiling is around 8' 

and the room will be open to the dining room. i don't want the island pendants to take away from the new dining room light fixture which will more of a focal point for that room. 

so once i was done, i sent it to them which happened to be this past Saturday and well..

they LOVED it! 

:)

some finishes will change based on the actual cabinet finish and the granite slab that is selected but at least we have a starting point and that makes it so much easier to move forward with!

next up will be elevations of the kitchen, finding a cabinet maker/contractor and making more decisions on the rest of the finishes to all three rooms.