After four years with our outdated, dark kitchen, we finally decided to remodel. I still can’t believe its ours. I may be working from my kitchen from now on : ) We dreamed and dreamed and pulled Pinterest inspiration (I have to thank Pinterest for almost all of the ideas we implemented). Bryan warily agreed to let me take the lead (while I assured him I was a designer and sort of knew what I was doing). While our kitchen, patio and pool were demolished and rebuilt Brady and I spent two wonderful weeks back home with my family in Pensacola. We had a blast and appreciate SO MUCH Daddy holding down the fort while we were gone. : ) I can’t imagine living in my house during a remodel. We’re STILL putting it back together.
Now, first things first. Why did we remodel our kitchen? It wasn’t us. It was dark and dated and difficult for 1) cooking and 2) storage. We wanted a kitchen we would enjoy spending time in. We value tradition so much and love big Sunday dinners, breakfast as a family and mommy-daddy-stay-home-wine-date-nights. We love the ENORMOUS amount of natural light our home gets. We also LOVE to entertain. We are blessed with some amazing friends here in Tampa and love having them (and all their little ones!) over to swim and play and relax. So we wanted something clean, white, bright, functional, traditional and personal. I took a risk with the granite choice (AND LOVE IT) and Bryan took a risk with EVERYTHING letting me do the picking : )
And without further ado… our new kitchen. I still can’t believe its ours : ) One of the first things I thought, oddly enough, when I saw it… was that I couldn’t wait to make it a big mess making cookies with Brady, having wine with Bryan and figuring out exactly how to make my mom’s lasagna.
YAYYYYYY!!!!! There it is! I think I might just pull up a sleeping bag and live here in this kitchen. It feels so natural and open and warm and cozy and enormous all at the same time. It feels like US.
We aren’t totally finished — tomorrow we’re having glass shelves installed inside the glass door cabinets in the corner and above the bar area. Ours came with wooden shelves that block the light from going all the way from the bottom.
So what’s what… Bryan and I scoured the internet to find things we fell in love with on Pinterest:
- White Shaker Style Cabinets (Our contractor was not fond of our white cabinet choice at first. He said he hadn’t done a white kitchen in seven years. When it was complete, he asked me for before/after photos to use on his homepage of his website : ) We love our contractor, by the way, he’s a family man and wonderfully kind and professional. If you’re in the Tampa Bay area and would like his contact info, please email me!)
- Silver knobs and cup pulls from Target
- GE Appliances (we purchased these on Cyber Monday last year from Sears)
- Visconte White granite (I was SO NERVOUS about this granite. Some of you may have seen my plea for advice on Instagram. We went with the gutsy choice and LOVE it. Times ten.)
- Whynter 32 Bottle Dual Zone Wine Cooler
- White subway tile (my personal favorite toucI love the little decorative details throughout the kitchen that really make it feel like home.
- Delta Faucet (thanks to my friend Becca’s recommendation)
Bryan and I have a very full wine cork jar : ) This photo of B with little B is one of my absolute favorites. Shot by the every amazing Gina Zeidler (PS: Tampa Bay friends: interested in a mini-session with Gina? She’s coming to visit us the second week of July and has two more session spots open. Email me if you are.)
Mint julep cup and peonies. Yea, they’re fake : ) White basket from Target.
I purposefully chose a lot of clear glass for accents so that the light would pour through them rather than being stopped at solid pieces. My friend Amy turned me onto these jars at Pier One. Love. The Great White Monogramed mugs are my favorite — from Pottery Barn. And that cutting board is Bryan’s favorite — from Home Goods.
The color of this pot is the color we’re carrying through the pots on our newly brick pavered patio. Photos once that’s finished : ) Turquoise and royal blue pots + terra cotta + coral flowers and greenery. LOVE.
I had to put this photo last : ) Bryan and I are headed out on a “work trip” to Sonoma Friday. I’m so excited I can’t even stand it. It’ll be our third vacation ever just the two of us : ) Cheers, y’all!
xo
Emily
** PS: MANY OF YOU HAVE ASKED ABOUT THE PAINT COLOR. I PAINTED MY OFFICE THIS COLOR AND LOVED IT SO MUCH WE PAINTED OUR WHOLE HOUSE! IT’S CONSERVATIVE GREY FROM SHERWIN-WILLIAMS.
