Now that the living room is coming together with only a few “big” projects left to do (like upgrading the staircase and finishing the trim), I’ve started working on a game plan for the kitchen. This one has probably been the most difficult for me because it needs the most work. Especially because if I’m not busy with my day job or entertaining a preschooler, I’m most likely in the kitchen whipping up something for my friends and family. So, it definitely needs to be functional. Which right now – it is not. At least not for me.

I wasn’t quite sure when I was going to start the kitchen renovation, but after needing to replace the refrigerator because the previous one was leaking into the basement, I decided the best time was now. The refrigerator that was left here when we purchased the house was far too large for the space, resulting in the previous owners removing the door to the half-bath that sits right off the kitchen. Now that my new refrigerator fits the space, I can finally hire someone to re-install a door.

Once I get the door up, and move the light switch back into the bathroom, I can start working on the walls. My townhouse isn’t the biggest of places and currently a lot of the wall colors are on the darker side, which makes it feel even smaller. My idea is to brighten the room up with a pale “greige” like Agreeable Gray, Wintersweet Gray, Alpaca, or Repose Gray.

But I also want a “wow” factor – kind of like I did with the fireplace that’s currently in my living room. So, when I saw one of my favorite bloggers do an entire subway tile wall in his kitchen remodel, I knew that I also wanted to do an entire subway tile wall in my kitchen remodel. However, his subway tile shimmers in the sunlight, which is absolutely stunning – but doesn’t really go with the rest of the set up in my house. So, when I found this ceramic brick subway tile I just knew this was going to be perfect.

Another thing I need is a kitchen island. I currently have an L shaped kitchen which is broken up with the stove and the sink, leaving limited space for food preparation. This will also add additional storage for the over abundance of kitchen tools I own. So, I’ll be calling in an electrician to run electric through the island and to install some pendant lights above the island. Hopefully the door installation and the electric are the only outside jobs I’ll need to call in.

I also plan to pour concrete counter tops. I’ve messed around with the idea of using a quartz that looks like concrete, but I just keep coming back to a bright white concrete that I’ve seen all over the internet. Replacing the countertops will also allow me to install an undermount sink and replace the broken garbage disposal that’s been there since we moved in last year.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I just need my kitchen to function for someone who loves to cook and bake as much as I do. So, not only do I need more counter space, I need functional storage space. My goal is to extend the cabinets to the ceiling prior to painting them my favorite Sherwin William’s extra white and add cabinet storage accessories to existing cabinets – such as a spice rack, a pull out pot and pan rack, and a mixer lift. I also want to add open shelving to one of the walls to house pantry staples and open up some space in the Ikea Pax system I bought to use as a pantry.

I hope the final touches really bring some extra character to the room: installing rose gold cabinet hardware to play in with the mixed metals I have throughout the living room, painting the island a sage green, changing out the doorknobs to an aged bronze, and changing out the flooring to a luxury vinyl wood plank which will match the rest of the house. Aside from the flooring, I hope to complete this project by the holiday season this year (I need a goal, or it’ll never happen!)

One thing is for certain: I can’t wait to show progress photos!