In my family, there is always something in everyone's house that the people who live there want to change but don't seem to get around to tackling. In my uncle's house, it has always been his attic. In my in-laws house, it is their kitchen, and in my mom's house, it is also her kitchen. But she is now finally ready to go for it.
My mom has been talking about remodeling her kitchen for years. I mean years: possibly even a decade. It has been an ongoing process for her to pick things, budget, and find the time to actually do it. Now it seems like she is!
My mom has been talking about remodeling her kitchen for years. I mean years: possibly even a decade. It has been an ongoing process for her to pick things, budget, and find the time to actually do it. Now it seems like she is!
She has been making small changes gradually for years. She got rid of the beige and painted the kitchen yellow, and has already replaced nearly all appliances for something more suiting to her style and needs: She switched the refrigerator for one with a freezer drawer on the bottom instead of a freezer on top model. It makes it a lot easier to get to what is needed instead of having to reach down to the bottom shelves. She got a microwave with a convection oven, and she got a new dishwasher. All of these are white and match the stove too.
The first thing she's been wanting to change - and has explored with all of the appliance switches - is the counter tops. Right now, she has four levels to the counters: a small desk, a counter height island with a bar height section, and a space behind her sink that is just a few inches higher than the rest of the counters. She plans to bring the island down to one height and to shorten the section behind the sink - keeping the desk area.
She's always leaned toward quartz for its glossy finish as opposed to the hardness of granite and for its softness so things don't break on it as easily as with granite. She's decided on this Silestone Coffee Brown. She's probably realized this, but she has decided on these counters before. I can't wait to see them in!
The first thing she's been wanting to change - and has explored with all of the appliance switches - is the counter tops. Right now, she has four levels to the counters: a small desk, a counter height island with a bar height section, and a space behind her sink that is just a few inches higher than the rest of the counters. She plans to bring the island down to one height and to shorten the section behind the sink - keeping the desk area.
She's always leaned toward quartz for its glossy finish as opposed to the hardness of granite and for its softness so things don't break on it as easily as with granite. She's decided on this Silestone Coffee Brown. She's probably realized this, but she has decided on these counters before. I can't wait to see them in!
One of the other big changes is going from an over-mount stainless steel sink to an under-mount stainless steel sink. That will make getting any spills or drips a lot easier to keep in the sink as opposed to dripping behind it or onto the floor. She has a very traditional kitchen, so it will help it be a bit more modern too.
That means she is also going to need a new faucet. She has a very nice one right now with a high profile which makes filling things a lot easier (at my place, ours is a low profile, so we have an aquarium vacuum to fill things that don't fit underneath like our water jug for the dog and cat). This one, Brantford by Moen, is my current favorite. It has a spout that can be mounted on the left or on the right side, it has three spray functions, and it has the integrated spray function within a single spout. The hose is weighted to keep it secure as well. And it comes with a limited lifetime warranty. I have nothing to argue with on this one. And it's pretty.
She hasn't decided on anything for the faucet yet, but this one seems promising. Aesthetically, it's a favorite. With the weight system and the warranty I love it. Add in the three spray functions, and I'm thinking we might have a winner.
That means she is also going to need a new faucet. She has a very nice one right now with a high profile which makes filling things a lot easier (at my place, ours is a low profile, so we have an aquarium vacuum to fill things that don't fit underneath like our water jug for the dog and cat). This one, Brantford by Moen, is my current favorite. It has a spout that can be mounted on the left or on the right side, it has three spray functions, and it has the integrated spray function within a single spout. The hose is weighted to keep it secure as well. And it comes with a limited lifetime warranty. I have nothing to argue with on this one. And it's pretty.
She hasn't decided on anything for the faucet yet, but this one seems promising. Aesthetically, it's a favorite. With the weight system and the warranty I love it. Add in the three spray functions, and I'm thinking we might have a winner.
The last big change in conjunction with the new kitchen is adding a backsplash. This is turning out to be the most complex and requires more decisions than the others. She really enjoys this glass tile from the Tile Shop, and she has already found some that are similar but a bit more local. The colors in this one are nearly perfect, since she has decided to try to keep the backsplash and counters dark. Honestly, I'm thrilled and surprised at how dark she is taking these surfaces in the kitchen.
The bigger decisions come in how to do the borders around the tile. We've both seen capstones on the backsplash where it meets the wall instead of the cabinets, but I've also seen borders along where the backsplash meets the counters. Personally, I love it. Done well, it can add just a little interest and visual separation between where the patterns in the tile meet the patterns in the counters. I like it both ways, so we'll see how that decision goes.
I would love to see all of her handles and knobs get an upgrade, but with 31 throughout the kitchen, there are a lot of handles to consider. So, that decision will have to wait for now.
The bigger decisions come in how to do the borders around the tile. We've both seen capstones on the backsplash where it meets the wall instead of the cabinets, but I've also seen borders along where the backsplash meets the counters. Personally, I love it. Done well, it can add just a little interest and visual separation between where the patterns in the tile meet the patterns in the counters. I like it both ways, so we'll see how that decision goes.
I would love to see all of her handles and knobs get an upgrade, but with 31 throughout the kitchen, there are a lot of handles to consider. So, that decision will have to wait for now.
Sources:
Silestone Countertops: http://www.silestoneusa.com/colors/
Moen Faucet: http://www.moen.com/brantford/chrome-one-handle-high-arc-pulldown-kitchen-faucet/_/R-CONSUMER%3A7185C
Backsplash Tile: http://www.tileshop.com/glasstile/glass/Copper-Mix-Glass/240.aspx
Silestone Countertops: http://www.silestoneusa.com/colors/
Moen Faucet: http://www.moen.com/brantford/chrome-one-handle-high-arc-pulldown-kitchen-faucet/_/R-CONSUMER%3A7185C
Backsplash Tile: http://www.tileshop.com/glasstile/glass/Copper-Mix-Glass/240.aspx
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