The Heart of the Home
It’s a space of nurturing, gathering and joy. A space that our family holds dear, and like a lot of families out there, one that we find ourselves spending countless hours in!
When it comes to designing a kitchen, we feel that it’s so important to take into consideration lifestyle factors such as...
How do you want to feel in this space?
How many family members are living with you?
Do you love to cook?
Do you love to entertain?
How much food do you typically store?
Do you have pets that you feed in your kitchen?
Are you a coffee drinker or wine lover?
What are 'Must Have' features and what are 'Wish List' features?
What has frustrated you in the past about a kitchen space?
As we began to analyze our own lifestyle, we envisioned how some of our “Wish List” features would add value to our daily lives! For example, we are coffee and wine lovers; we thought how cool would it be to have an AM/PM bar area in our kitchen? Once we had a general idea for our space, we were then able to work with our preferred vendors throughout the selection process.
Let’s be honest, balancing a budget is always stressful, but there are ways to simplify the process so that the design experience can be fun and exciting! This is where we find that having a team of professionals to guide you through your selections is so helpful. You simply express your vision, and your design team can support you with optimizing your budget. We’re grateful for all of the support that Marvel Cabinetry, L’aporte Surfaces and Alberta Hardwood offered us in sourcing & installing our personal selections.
Now let’s review a few of our ‘Wish List’ items that we were fortunate to install, and have come to love and enjoy...
Built-In Coffee Maker
Wine Fridge
Pot Filler
48” Range Gas Stove with Griddle
We are HUGE cooks and pasta is a frequent dish in our household (hence the love for our pot filler!). We also love to start our day with coffee and to end our evenings with wine, so if you’re a foodie at heart, I’m sure these items will be on your wish list as well!
We find that it’s the little things in life that can offer you so much joy. I’m totally aware of how cheesy that sounds, but in our case, it's so true!
When it comes to ‘Storage Extras’, we feel that these built in options are key (again, if budget allows!)...
Garbage & Recycling Pull Out Cabinet
Double Layered, Click Storage Drawer Inserts
Knife Storage Drawer
Spice & Pan Storage Racks
Pantry Roll-Out Cabinets
We definitely understand the desire to create a beautiful space, but when it comes to the kitchen, you don’t want to be sacrificing comfort for style! Anything that makes life easier while keeping clutter off the countertops is a win.
As we incorporated several of our ‘Wish List’ features, we also had to compromise in some areas of design in order to balance that lovely budget. We’ll offer you a few examples here…
1. Dacor Standing Fridge & Freezer
Don’t forget to browse through Sale items! We saved significantly here due to finding a product where the fridge and freezer were paired in the reverse direction. In terms of retail, this is a compromise warranting a sale price, but to us it made no difference.
2. Kitchen Backsplash
The original plan was to go with a uniquely crafted, hand painted tile, but we compromised and did a machine produced, textured tile instead. This provided a relatively similar look for a fraction of the cost.
Keep in mind that there is an ability to balance your budget in all areas of kitchen design; from finishing features to the appliances that you select! As we mentioned in our IGTV, the kitchen sink is an essential component to every kitchen, that can be elevated with all budgets in mind.
At the end of the day, we were able to design a timeless kitchen that was custom tailored to suit our family for years to come! It’s made all the difference for us personally, and this is an experience that we love to pay forward to our clients that are entering into build, renovation and design projects with us!
Cabinets: Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore painted from Marvel Cabinetry
Custom Island: painted in Coventry Grey by Benjamin Moore
Cabinet Hardware: Richelieu contemporary metal pull in polished chrome
Countertops: Mauntauk by HanStone, installed by L’aporte Surfaces
Backsplash: textured white subway, brick installed by Alberta Hardwood
Sink/ Faucet: apron front white ceramic by Kohler, traditional bridge faucet in polished chrome finish by Riobel
Flooring: engineered hardwood (brushed white oak in frozen lake) installed by Alberta Hardwood
Door Hardware: Weiser Halifax lever in matte black
Island pendants from Wayfair
Paint:
Trim in Super White by Benjamin Moore
Walls in Balboa Mist by Benjamin Moore
Garden door in Black
Appliances:
48" Dacor range
Dacor fridge/ freezer cabinet panelled
Miele dishwasher cabinet panelled
KitchenAid wine fridge
Bosch built-in coffee maker
KitchenAid refrigerator drawers
