Kitchen Design Decisions I Don’t Regret

You all have asked, so I am finally putting pen to paper and sharing my kitchen design decisions that I don’t regret! This kitchen has been a labor of love. I spent a great amount of time planning and laying out just what I would want in my dream kitchen and I am sharing the ‘must haves, don’t do’s and that’s a big ol’ YES from me’s’ below! Some of it may be a bit of a shock!

1. First up is our marble front under mount sink with the polished nickel bridge faucet and RO (reverse osmosis) water system. It purifies our water throughout our kitchen removing all of the minerals and salt. Leaves us with the cleanest, purest water. I love polished nickel for plumbing hardware because it’s a timeless finish that never goes out of style. It also lends to mixing metals with its slightly golden undertone.

2. Panel ready appliances are a MUST! This fridge, freezer, refrigerator drawers, and dishwasher are all panel ready-so they remain hidden behind my custom designs!

3. Double pull out trash cans with a cutting board on top that makes dinner prep and clean up incredibly easy. Chris and I both couldn’t live without this one. Seems so small, but it’s huge when you spend a good amount of time in the kitchen!

4. Our pass through pantry with the aged mirror design and fully enclosed storage is stunning and keeps the ‘not super cute’ stuff, hidden! Our Kohler work station with integrated cutting boards, dish racks and straining bins all stay tidy and neat. Utilizing our pantry as a pass-through rather than a walk in gave our kitchen and living space so much extra room. And the work station has made big dinners a breeze.

5. The white oak arched entrances are a big fan favorite. I love how they make everything look luxurious and welcoming. So regal and cozy at the same time. The arches are cased with white oak proud jambs.

6. Our dedicated baking station with bi-folding doors is incredible. It allows me to easily cover up the mess and clutter without having to move each individual item from pantry to counter each time I bake. Below the bi-folding cabinets are drawers full of all baking ingredients so everything is in one place. It’s so organized and efficient. I also love how it’s center kitchen too. This is truly where I want to be baking with or without my kids help.

7. Double islands for extra cooking space – providing a place for the kids to craft and do homework without getting their projects all over the cooking area. The second island was made to look like a furniture piece and even features a docking station for all the household phones and iPads. A must if you have the space!

8. My first pot filler! I was so excited for this. It’s so convenient when cooking for a family and I have been loving it!

9. The pull out spice drawer right next to my cooking range – little things you may pass over in planning but I use and appreciate every single day! I showered the Internet looking at reviews a few glamorous cooking ranges. This one had great reviews and I must say it lives up to every expectation. I swear roasted potatoes have never been so good before!

10. Our custom marble hood that just ties everything together and is such a beautiful centerpiece in our kitchen. It’s a gorgeous focal point and is of course, functional and a major need! It is made from Calcutta Borghini marble. No regrets here.

Other design decisions I love:
– We have multiple built in docking stations in the drawers with outlets and charging ports so we can hide all the cord clutter and keep all the random gadgets and iPads tucked away. This has been a GAME CHANGER for the overall look and feel of the kitchen! Truly a clutter free kitchen tip here!

– The built in dish hutches with lighting are both beautiful and functional. I love being able to display our plates and glasses in a pretty way that makes use of the storage space they would otherwise take up. To get this look we mounted LED strip lighting on the fronts of the cabinets. I love the way they glow.

– We have a 2 refrigerator drawers in the walk through pantry. These house all the grab and go sodas, protein shakes, and juices for lunch. This way, we always have cold drinks that aren’t taking up space in our regular fridge. One drink drawer is mom and dad drinks, and the other is grab and go for the kids.

– And whew, the under cabinet lighting and accent lighting in the built ins are *chef’s kiss*. It gives the kitchen such a warm, welcoming glow that feels so homey!

I don’t have many design decision regrets about our kitchen, but there are a few things I would change if I could start from the beginning again…

– On our second island, I did a dank porcelain countertop. While I love the look and durability of it, there are some fabrication limitations. I could only do a thin cut slab with rounded edges on this island. Unfortunately, that just isn’t my favorite look.
– I used the same dark porcelain in the pass-through pantry (again for durability and kids) and as soon as I saw it finished I knew I should have used a dark natural stone. I realized that the mitered seam was much lighter than the countertop and didn’t have the smooth finish I was going for. Porcelain is basically a printed stone look that is only on top. So when you go to miter you can see the veining doesn’t carry through.
– I forgot to mention it to our wonderful stone fabricator before they cut holes for the outlets in the backsplash. In retrospect, I would have done pop-out outlets from the countertop. Luckily, I was able to source a natural Calcutta marble electrical plate that matched the Calcutta of the hood. So I was able to get a pretty seamless look! So, they are still functional and not as visually abrasive as I expected.

But other than these small things, I am in love with how our kitchen turned out!

Going forward I still have some work to do. I plan to use the same natural stone we used on our fireplace as a backsplash in other butler pantry and will add lighting above the windows.