Our Home Kitchen Tour

I can’t believe we’ve been in the new house for 7 full months.  The time has flown by and we’re enjoying it so much, and we’ve got some great neighbors! Now it’s time to think about Spring cleaning and entertaining, and thanks to a partnership with Granite Gold these past couple of months, I’m ready for it.  I’m excited to give you our home kitchen tour and tell you about some of my favorite features and how I’ve created a space that’s conducive to parties and entertaining.

As you may remember we built this model and had the chance to pick finishes but no major “customization” so to speak.  No big deal – this was already a great upgrade from our first house that we lived in for 15 years.

• Let’s start with the floor which was our big upgrade and we decided on hardwoods throughout the entire downstairs {except my office which is behind closed doors}.  We chose the darkest finish they had, without going up to another upgrade level.  I LOVE them!  They look even better than they did in the showroom.
• I HAD to have light cabinets {another upgrade}. It’s my thing.  I love these creamy colored cabinets from Timberlake, and all the shelves in the base cabinets roll out so it makes it easy to grab things in the back.
• The only area that I’m still not sure I made the “right” decision about is the back splash.  My initial choice was a classic cream subway tile which would have given the whole space a bit more modern feel.  However, my husband and the lady at the design center both urged me to go with the more natural looking tiles, saying it would be timeless.  I’m happy with the outcome but I have to admit I feel a little yearning every time I see a subway tile back splash…
• Two things I was so glad to get in our new kitchen were stainless appliances and granite counter tops.  When we built our first house {16 years ago} stainless appliances were just starting to hit the kitchen design scene, but we didn’t choose it because we didn’t know if it was just a fad.  You know what they say, hind site is 20/20.   Here, we were able to get a double oven on sale at Lowes, and took the regular oven that came with the house, to our old house which is now our rental property {we also upgraded the refrigerator & dishwasher over there to match}.
• The granite we chose is called Tropical Brown and it’s a pretty standard pattern.  I’ve always liked it and I thought it would tie in to the floors beautifully.  It also has silvery gray flecks that pick up the gray used in the family room decor.  When we moved in I wasn’t even sure how to care for the granite but I knew instinctively that you shouldn’t use ‘regular’ cleaner on it or you can dull it.  I was thrilled to have the opportunity to use the Granite Gold 3-step system {clean, seal, polish} to keep my natural stone looking like new – it shines like a mirror!
• Finally, I never knew a sink and faucet could make a person so happy.  Our old sink was not very deep and although we had a goose neck faucet it was pretty standard otherwise.  I love my Moen faucet with the pull out sprayer – like, seriously love it! It just makes cleaning up in the sink so much easier, not to mention it’s pretty! The sink is much deeper too so dishes can get ‘hidden’ from view.

• I don’t think you can tell from the pictures but the center island is pretty huge at over 3 feet wide and 10 feet long.  It’s the real work horse in our kitchen with tons of storage underneath. The kids sit here for all their snacks, and it’s where we do all of our food prep. I wish I had thought to put in pendant lights above but I can still do that later.  I have a pot rack from our old house, that I’m thinking of hanging at one end so we’ll see.
• I found counter height stools at IKEA. That was such a difficult thing to find because everything I saw was either super modern or super traditional.  I would have loved something with an industrial-contemporary look but these work well for now.
• The walk-in pantry is in the walkway between the kitchen and dining room {which I actually use as a studio space}.  On the plain wall I’ve hung a cork board to hold all the kids activities and important dates to remember at a glance.

• We have a tall bar on the side of the morning room {which you can see some of here}, that I’ve kind of turned in to a wine bar with my favorite wine opener at the ready.  A small silver dish holds a paper seal cutter and a couple of bottle stoppers.
• The bar stools are from our old house and I’d like to upgrade those soon.

• Finally, the plain wall I turned in to a chalkboard wall, inspired by these, is a major focal point.  I use it to write lists and menus, and to write fun messages on occasion.
• A couple of small shelves add some much needed height to the wall, and the collection of white pottery pops dramatically against the dark wall.
• An old rustic table holds decorative items, a basket of spirits, and the mail caddy, and doubles as a bar or serving area for entertaining.  This is also one of the only areas I’m able to showcase lots of color in this mostly neutral space.
• Speaking of color, after we have our 1-year builder touch ups taken care of I want to focus on getting some paint on the walls throughout the house. For this kitchen and family room area I’m thinking of a light gray. What do you think?

Well, there’s the kitchen tour.  It may not be the  lifestyles of the rich and famous but I feel truly blessed and grateful, and I hope you enjoy taking a look inside our home. There will be more rooms to share soon.

A big thanks to Granite Gold for their sponsorship of this post and for literally teaching me how to maintain my granite.  I’ll be able to protect it and make it shine for years to come, and if you have stone counters I hope you’ll visit their site as well.

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