So since we listed our house and sold it in 24 hours, we’ve been on the fast track to getting everything picked out for the new home. For the most part I knew what I wanted in colors: dark walnut stain on the staircase spindles,
But the one thing that kept me up at night was the kitchen. Mostly the cabinet color. While I simply love the white in our current house, I was wondering if I should switch it up. Our kitchen in the new house is smaller, cozier. So should I go with wood cabinets?
Or since I only had the white cabinets for basically a year and I love the look, is it ok to basically copy my exact kitchen color scheme?
Well, the decision was made earlier this week. We are sticking with the white cabinets! I decided to switch it up a tad and do painted cabinets rather than the thermofoil like we currently have. At first I was worried about chipping, but with the thermofoil you can’t really paint the cabinets without peeling off the plastic coating first if I ever did change my mind about the color.
One other small change we made to the cabinets was to keep the kitchen island in a dark wood stain (kinda like the photo below). I’m loving the contrasting look these days… even if it is a fad. I figure if I hate it down the road, I can always paint it to match the cabinets, or a different color completely.
We going with the exact same laminate countertops we have in the old house. I hope to upgrade to a hard surface down the road, but I need to do some research first. Taking suggestions too!
This time around we chose to do hardwood flooring on the entire main floor. I really loved my vinyl in the last home; it was easy to keep clean and affordable. But for this house I wanted to start off with the hardwood floors that I always dreamed of, oak in a dark stain. I love seeing the natural wood grain in floors so of course I feel in love as soon as I saw it!
We finally decided on the exterior colors as well. We’re going a little similar to our current home, but a little more neutral. More natural colors in the brick, plus brown shutters and door this time around.
The last decisions we had to tackle were the appliances. I went with stainless steel again, but this time I went with an electric smooth top instead of gas. I’ve had gas in the past 2 homes and thought it was a pain to keep clean. I’m not the biggest chef in the world so I don’t care about having a “luxury kitchen”. But if you guys have any input, please advise!
OK, next week I go back to focusing on the last house. I’ll be sharing my laundry room makeover next week, then the dining room and living room. Yep, I was busy before the sold the place! Can’t wait to show you the last minute improvements we made!
Emily says
I love your color choices for the new house! We are currently remodeling our 1940’s home (slowly) and I have dark hickory hardwood flooring throughout. I love the contrast of the dark flooring with white cabinets in the kitchen. Can’t wait to see everything come together in your new home.
Lynn says
Be sure to check out induction cooking. Better to clean than electric as it doesn’t get real hot (heat is from magnets not electric coils) I opted for propane in my new kitchen and am having a hard time getting a low simmer. I do not like electric as it’s hard to regulate and remains hot for a while. Reviews of induction cook tops indicates LOVE. So I suggest you investigate before you go with electric.
howtonestforless says
Thanks for the tip, Lynn! Will do!
Anne says
Love your kitchen! We’re currently building and our kitchen is going to look very similar to yours. We won’t have the real hardwood, though. Maybe one day… 🙂
Jenny says
Great choices!
Lauren says
Ive had gas and electric stoves in all colors and finishes. I never liked the electric glass top, never looked very clean even if it was clean, showed every smear and smudge, both my mom and best friend have them, my house cleaner I think was begging for one Hahahah, but we just bought a gas kitchenaid range with the streak free stainless steel under the burners and a gas convection oven. Looks like it will be much easier to clean than what I’ve had before. Plus as a home buyer (obviously you don’t have a problem selling houses there!) but gas appliances were really high on my must have list, because gas is so much faster and easier to cook with!
On the countertops, we went with granite, quartz was a little pricier and granite you just need to seal every year. I think it was $3300 for 50-60 sq ft. We visited a granite yard, seeing full slabs really helped. I was originally going for Lyra Quartz and I just didn’t love it in a full slab. Good luck!
howtonestforless says
We actually just switched back to gas today, hah! Too many friends and family steering us away from the smooth top!
Bree T says
Strongly support the decision to go back to gas! I had gas for a year while in one of my places in college. We went back to electric when my husband and I moved in together. I hate it.There are hot spots on the burners and it makes for both uneven cooking and uneven wear on my pans.
howtonestforless says
After living with my brother and having electric for the past month, I couldn’t do it in the new home. Gas only for me!
Melanie Franceschi says
Beautiful! What are the names of the color choices for interior?