Hi! I thought it would be fun to chat a little bit about the design process on our latest project and our first infill!
A little background on the project...this home was going to be for us at one point so it was designed around our family and our needs at first. We were downsizing so we really wanted to make sure that our new home (this home) wasn't too much of a drastic change. The function of this home was our number one priority (which I believe should ALWAYS be #1) Secondly we wanted it to reflect our design style (well let's be honest...MY design style)
Throughout the design process, the pandemic started and life changed... we knew we wanted to stay put where we were and sell this home instead. In turn, some finishes were then chosen to appease more to the demographic of this home instead of our personal preferences... needless to say this project is near and dear to our hearts for a lot of reasons. Every time I open the front door I feel a real sense of accomplishment. There is nothing like being in a space that you have created and that really speaks to who you are... that's why I do what I do. ;)
For those interested here are some of the details and why I chose what I chose and some of the challenges that we were faced with! Hopefully, it will help you with any projects you have on the go, or maybe you will simply find it entertaining!
OK... now let's get to it.
THE HEART OF THE HOME (aka the kitchen obvs)
Details:
Quartz: Urban Granite LG Hausys in MINUET Cabinets: Kitchen Craft Camrose (White is Alabaster and Black is Black) Lighting: Chateau Lighting Paint Color: Chantilly Lace Benjamin Moore Tricorn Black - Sherwin Williams
As mentioned we were downsizing so we wanted to have a smaller kitchen with just as much function as we currently have. YES, this is possible. Bigger isn't always better.
A large island was a must and the kitchen needed to have as many cabinets and drawers as possible. I do 99% of my prep work at the island. I rarely use the other countertops for anything other than my small appliances or decor. So I took a risk and added the counter cabinet as well to balance out the black hood vent and to add some extra storage.
We waterfalled both the island and the countertop to add a luxury feel to this space. I wanted high contrast and clean lines and knew I needed black... I love black! I went back and forth on if we should do ALL the cabinets black or just the lowers... or just the island and then one night at 4 am I decided this was what we're going to do. I quickly drafted it up in my software and knew it was the winner. Hints of black... but mostly white to keep things feeling big and of course not everyone wants a black kitchen so we had to keep that in mind for our future buyers. We are really happy with the final look.
The Elevated Pantry
The reason we did this was mostly that I struggle when microwaves are focal points in kitchens... (ex. over the oven and sticking out like a sore thumb, yes this is very normal to have but remember we are going for a more luxury feel here...) I didn't want to take away from cabinet space or the waterfall island in the kitchen so I decided we should throw it in the pantry! This pantry is meant to be a mini butler pantry with plugins for extra appliances and lots of storage. This way mornings or evenings are a breeze... someone can make toast in the pantry while someone can fry eggs in the kitchen allowing people not to be stepping on top of each other! We used the most durable surfaces by Dekton. If you haven't heard of them stop what you are doing and google them now... I also wanted a bit of a change from the quartz look in the kitchen so figured a black countertop would be fun!
Now on to the Ensuite...
A little touch of brass was used in here to "glam" things up a bit and at one point this vanity was meant to be white... the morning after I signed everything off for the cabinets to be ordered I called my cabinet guy frantically and asked if it was too late to switch it to black...he said it wasn't too late - SO glad I called when I did. This bathroom needed some "OOMPH" with all of our interior doors being black and a lot of the other finishes in this bathroom being light I felt a statement was needed over here... I worried that the brass hardware would be a little blah in here as there wasn't as much brass to tie it into but I like it... it says "HELLO I AM HERE, PAY ATTENTION TO ME"
The arched mirrors were a bit of a bold statement when it comes to resale but I think the right buyer would appreciate the arches here and how we have a few arches on the main floor... tying everything together and creating that "COHESIVE" feeling is important to me. We got them custom-made at our local glass company and when they arrived on site I think it was more exciting for me than even the cabinetry or flooring... I just love them.
Ok... a few more fun features to point out.
The arched black painted area is a drop zone... right off of the back entry. It's an area meant to collect the junk before it arrives in the kitchen. I don't know about you but if clutter is in my sight I can't relax. I thought it would be cool to also feature artwork here so I chose a picture light to hang above... that casts light down and creates a really cool vibe at night.
This room was supposed to be our daughter's room... when we knew the window area was going to be cantilevered out a bit, Adam thought adding a bench would be fun. This bench allows for extra storage and seating, I added a light above with the switch neatly tucked on the one side of the bench, and VOILA, a cozy reading area... or a cozy Tik Tok area if we are really being honest here.
This is the loft... it's meant for relaxing and entertaining. We wanted to have everything you needed up here so you didn't have to run down to the kitchen if you were feeling "snacky" as Adam likes to say or wanted a cold refreshment. So... we have storage for glasses, a fridge for drinks... and even a pull-out drawer dishwasher to make life just a little easier. Across from the wet bar, there is a rooftop patio with a gas hook up so you can even BBQ up here and not have to race downstairs with all your dishes after.
This was left a little more "blank" than I would have liked it but the budget was spent and adding any tile or wallpaper just wasn't realistic at this point - so we figured this way someone can come in and add whatever they want to suit their style! I would have loved some texture here... whether it was textured wallpaper or even some brick but this way the new homeowners can customize it however they like!
The fun part is... the lights... check his out:
If you are interested in any other sources from this project! Comment below and I will try my best to get back to you!
Thanks for stopping by! xo
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