I’ve been obsessed with interior design since… well, forever. It’s always been a fun passion. I love how pieces fit together and tell a story: Drama. Cozy. Moody. Functional. I’ve painted every apartment I’ve ever rented… and designed kitchens, bathrooms, and whole houses for ex-boyfriends, friends and family. But I’ve never done my very own kitchen. Until now.
In February, 2020; right before the world discovered exactly what we were in for, I met a wonderful builder who came highly recommended. But to say that he was “just a builder” is not a fair statement. Dustin Christian of Focal Point Carpentry in Milwaukee, WI, was a co-creator. A true “maker”. I was excited to collaborate with Dustin and wanted to engage him on what would be fun for him to build… and of course, what would be fun and beautiful for me to live in. Then Covid hit. And the world shut down. Except… the world of home design kicked into hyperspeed… and so, he got buried in work. Like buried. I waited more than a year to work with him because I believed that he was “the one”. And he was! The upside of working with a person instead of an entire company is that you only need to tell one person what you’re looking for. The downside is, that person is not scalable. He is only one guy. Lucky for me, Dustin is super talented!
I’ve been inspired by so many great interior designers. I’d say my kitchen is a mashup of the styles of Jean Stoffer, Joanna Gaines & Leanne Ford. I love their simplicity and elegance. Lots of HGTV designers are waaaaay too blingy for me. I like understated and functional (hey, what can I say? I’m a Taurus) with clean lines and maximizing every square inch with purpose and intentional delight. As Jean Stoffer said on her show, The Established Home, we like As British As Possible! #ABAP
The following photos shows what we did. Images are what *really* matter — everybody (including me!) loves images of beautiful kitchens… and the notes matter, too. All the many choices that I made and why. The many, many, many choices!
A British-inspired kitchen
10 lessons I learned remodeling my kitchen
- Start with a To Do list of what’s important to you
- Let’s be clear here. I don’t mean a list of what brand of stove and farm sink you want, but a list of what really matters. To me, I wanted my kitchen to feel like a ship’s galley. Well-appointed with thoughtful touches. Unexpected delight in every nook and cranny. Translation: I wanted every beautiful thing to have its place.
- Lazy Susans are lazy
- I had a dirty little corner. Or I should say… a future dirty little corner… See, I have a blind corner. 24″ deep, 24″ long where the countertops met. What do other people do with this space challenge? They put in a lazy Susan where oddly-shaped vases and dusty old coffee grinders go to die. I didn’t want a rickety old lazy Susan. So instead, Dustin busted a hole through the wall so the contents are accessible from the other side. Voila! Now, that’s just good space-planning. In my case, it’s accessible from the stairway. So instead of some totally wasted, inefficient space, I have a cabinet that works perfectly to store my dog’s raincoats, boots, leashes, etc. Exactly where I need everything, as I’m dashing out the door… perfect.
- Get that stuff off the counter
- Your “countertop garages” aren’t fooling anybody. I knew I needed a good place to stash “the stuff”. You know “the stuff” that is what people see that sits on the countertops. So instead, I have an open bookcase with my microwave, toaster and electric kettle (see photo below). Works perfectly.
- Buy good appliances (on sale)
- I understand that buying stuff on sale isn’t always possible. Especially with covid wreaking havoc on our supply chains, etc. But it is possible. I purchased my Viking range at Best Buy at the end of the season — whatever that means, as a floor model. It was $2,500 vs. $7,000+ brand new. That’s a substantial savings. I still had the same great customer service from Viking (the stove wasn’t heating up properly, and even though the stove’s warranty had passed, they agreed to repair it because I hadn’t make any other claims — so it’s definitely worth asking!) Good companies stand by their products.
- Old floors vs. new floors
- I poured over lots and lots of british kitchen porn before I settled on what I was going to do in my kitchen. So when the floor refinishers told me that “pine floors don’t take stain well, and pine floors are soft and not ideal for dogs nails”, I questioned my design. But ultimately, I still opted to refinish the original 1925 floors in the kitchen for a few reasons:
- It was cheap! Removing the linoleum was the wild card. Would we found asbestos? Nope! We didn’t. So we removed the linoleum that covered up all that pretty original hardwood floors and gave them their day in the sun. Literally.
- I made the pine floor look like a conscious design choice. I told the floor guys to leave all the nail holes so they look authentic and rustic (Joanna Gaines taught me well). I knew I didn’t want to remove the perfectly good floors just to put in new oak or maple, so I stained them a light/medium color to warm them up as well as balance the industrial look of the concrete countertops and stainless steel appliances and light fixtures.
- Over time, these floors will patina (just like the concrete countertops) so they will get marks and scars and that’s part of the design look. They aren’t supposed to be perfect.
- I poured over lots and lots of british kitchen porn before I settled on what I was going to do in my kitchen. So when the floor refinishers told me that “pine floors don’t take stain well, and pine floors are soft and not ideal for dogs nails”, I questioned my design. But ultimately, I still opted to refinish the original 1925 floors in the kitchen for a few reasons:
- Lighting. Lighting. Lighting… Oh yeah, and don’t forget about lighting.
- Lots of great designers like Jean Stoffer, Joanna Gaines and Leanne Ford talk about good lighting design. Well, it’s all true. And in my 1925 house, the kitchen lighting was basically a center ceiling light. One light for all of your baking, chopping, cleaning needs. One light.
- I searched for a showstopper center pendant, and found a super cool and unique vintage light on eBay made by Holophane in the 1940s for factories and warehouses (I had to buy a set, and only needed one… so let me know if you want one!). My kitchen light actually came out of an airplane hangar… I know because I went to the airport and purchased them from the pilot who was changing over his lighting. Even better… a light with a story.
- I also put some of the other lighting (less task-oriented, more mood-enhancing) on smart switches.
- Lots of great designers like Jean Stoffer, Joanna Gaines and Leanne Ford talk about good lighting design. Well, it’s all true. And in my 1925 house, the kitchen lighting was basically a center ceiling light. One light for all of your baking, chopping, cleaning needs. One light.
- This is your kitchen. Period. Full stop.
- I don’t live at your house so don’t follow this guide. Don’t follow anyone else’s prescription for a beautiful kitchen. I lived in my home for almost 15 years before I embarked on this kitchen remodel so I knew everything that didn’t work well. I scoured Pinterest for images that inspired me and gave me warm fuzzies. Use search terms based on the styles you love, “Farmhouse” might be too generic… so be creative. I searched for “British kitchen design modern” and found a lot of what inspired me. Looking at an image for a cutting board cutout made me weak in the knees. And now, when I walk into my gorgeous kitchen, I look at my beautiful exposed cutting boards and my heart does a little backflip.
- Fresh flowers win the day
- I get it. Freshly cut flowers feel decadent. Because… you know, nobody needs flowers for survival, but hey, we also don’t *need* music or art. Flowers are 100% extra. But I am also extra, so I need some fresh flowers in my kitchen. It could be a $5 bouquet of daffodils (spring is coming!) to remind you that this is a special place that you want to be.
- Flip it and reverse it
- The original kitchen windows were almost 100 years old along with the original hardware (metal hinges). The pair of windows above the sink opened horizontally which was problematic because if one was unloading the dishwasher, when you stood up quickly, you could easily whack your head on a corner of the window frame. Ouch. So, we rehung the original windows on hydraulic strut so they could pop up vertically overhead (see photos)
- Garbage isn’t just a band
- I really like smart garbage solutions 1) I have a dog and I don’t want any opportunities for scavenging shenanigans when I’m not there, and 2) because we use our garbage cans ALL THE TIME so why not make it work well? So I designed the concrete countertop to have two accessible lids for garbage and recycle so that I don’t have to constantly open a giant drawer everytime I want to throw away a scrap. I can also chop something close by and just empty the contents right into the garbage from the counters. Genius.
Space-saving kitchen ideas + breakfast nook POP of color
Before & After photos
Before (left): Removed the reddish “Tuscan” ceramic tiles. Removed the doorway on the left (to the hall). Ceiling fan was too low in the room and not necessary. The only things that are the same are the two doors 1) to the back bedroom and 2) to the pantry/spice cabinet on the far right
After (right) Wowza! Big change! 1) We removed the doorway on the far left so we could install a substantial row of cabinetry. Next, we added trim/drywall to finish the wall between the exposed cream city brick and the new cabinetry. Added flush lighting for additional task lighting. Cabinets on the left also contain slide-out pantry shelves.
Before (left): The east wall was an entirely a wall of cabinets. Good for storage, but not great because most were really impractical to access. Two of the lower cabinets were for “feed bags” so they louvered out, not ideal. Also, the windows felt remote/encased because they were.
After (right): We opted to stash the refrigerator in the far right corner. It’s a much more practical place for it. The fridge cabinet is HUGE because it’s a full depth refrigerator (the counter depth would have looked good, but I didn’t want to lose the capacity I need, so we built the box around it).
During photos
I realize that most people don’t “show their work” but I think showing the during is an important part of the process because every decision begets another decision. The design is always changing and adapting to the challenges of the day.
Resources
Paint colors:
- Sherwin Williams SW2848 Roycroft Pewter
- This is the best color of deep green that looks different in different lights
- Sherwin Williams SW6385 Dover White
- This is a beautiful warm and modern white
Decor:
- Stendig calendar (https://us.stendigcalendars.com/)
- Loteria artwork (also in the breakfast nook) from etsy
- Custom bench cushions made with oilcloth fabric purchased here (love this site!)
- Vintage oriental tribal rug – eBay
- Braided rug – eBay
Cabinetry
- Custom made by Focal Point Carpentry in Milwaukee, WI
Sink + Countertops
- Sink is not a big brand, bought on Amazon. Simple and inexpensive. Opted to invest in a nice faucet instead.
- Rohl faucet bought on eBay. It was $800. Gulp. But so worth it because cheap faucets (are pretty expensive, too!) and fall apart within a couple of years. I opted for a substantial faucet. Retail would have been $1,200+.
- Walnut butcher block purchased at LL Flooring
- Custom concrete countertops
Appliances
- Viking range purchased at Best Buy (the one I purchased isn’t available, but this is similar)
- Maytag refrigerator (chosen because of its sleek lines, towel bar handle and affordable price tag
- Bosch dishwasher
- Insinkerator disposal
- Reverse Osmosis Water system (tankless) made by Waterdrop
- Range hood insert
Hey! Can you tell how much I love my new kitchen!? Thanks for reading about it! Let me know if you need help with your project! 🙂
betsyrowbottom 