OUR KITCHEN
As a long time subscriber of Food Network Magazine, I was thrilled to see an Instagram post for the #FNMKitchenContest. It was finally the push I needed to take some long overdue pictures of our kitchen! Click on the slideshow for more pictures.
We bought a gas range for the first time and I love it! I had originally planned the kitchen around a 36" Bluestar gas range but as we approached our move in date I was having problems with having it shipped to our house (small city problems). So in a bit of a panic I lucked out and found a beautiful 36" Fisher and Paykel range that was not only on sale, but ready to take home that day! It was fate and I'm so happy with my purchase. The hood fan on the other hand was a bit trickier, but after many months of waiting we finally have it!
During the planning stages I knew that I had to have a full size fridge and freezer in the kitchen. We ended up choosing the Electrolux Icon Series set with the double trim kit. (Tip - pay for delivery....they are insanely heavy!) I also splurged and ordered the Icon microwave and dishwasher. The showroom did not have any of these available to see, so I was ordering it based on the brochure. I was so surprised to find out the dishwasher has a light inside and a light up display that shines on the floor for the time left in the wash cycle and it displays "end" when the cycle is complete. I've had many questions about the microwave built in below the counter. It's so handy being down lower, removing food at the lower height is no different than using your oven and the kids are able to use it. They can reheat leftovers, make their own pizza pops and popcorn - it's been fantastic for my budding chef. Overall if I had to plan a new kitchen, I would not hesitate to purchase the slightly more expensive Electrolux Icon series again. They have a more high end feel than some of the similar models I saw in store and there are so many little things like the lighting in the fridge, the professional handles or the metal shelves rather than plastic that I appreciate every time I open the fridge.
The cabinets were custom made and painted Benjamin Moore Chalk White, (and I love the furniture style kicks!). We selected Super White granite again, and opted for a commercial prep table in lieu of a cabinet style island. The prep table is large enough to fit 4 stools, which is so handy for casual lunches or snacks when the kids have friends over. In the future if we want to change up the look of the kitchen we could easily change the island for a new custom wood table or a traditional cabinet style island.
We love white subway tile and have used it in so many projects. It's inexpensive, easy to match and I am yet to get sick of seeing it! We designed the kitchen to not have any cabinets around the window are requested no trim around the window. After we took possession of the house (and before we moved in) we hired a tiler to tile the backsplash up to the ceiling in the kitchen (and also another project in the kids jack and jill bathroom). By completing this project after possession we were able to save a lot of money.
For lighting we installed pot lights around the main work area and 2 large pendants over the island. In hindsight I wish I would have installed an extra pot light over the sink, but other than a couple of months over the winter I'm rarely doing dishes after dark.
