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Our Kitchen Renovation: Material Selections

Jan 2019

We are happy to introduce a Pacific Northwest girl with a huge heart and a little home, Joanna Hawley is a Seattle-based blogger, stylist, digital influencer, wiener dog lover, and tiny-home hype girl. Follow along with her renovations at jojotastic. 

 

Our Kitchen Renovation: Material Selections

Our kitchen renovation is rolling right along. Currently, we’re working on updating the electrical work and removing the old knob and tube wiring, then comes leveling the floor. But let’s talk about something a little bit more fun and way prettier: material selections! Sarah, aka Room for Tuesday, has worked really hard to narrow down the finishes, textures, and materials for our kitchen remodel and they are truly stunning. Today I wanted to share some of our thinking about the choices and give you a glimpse into how it’s coming together so far.

p.s. be sure to follow me on Instagram because I’ve been sharing soooo much behind-the-scenes footage of our renovation.

Cabinetry

You may remember from Sarah’s Design Plan that we decided on a Tuxedo Kitchen. This means that the upper cabinets will be white and the lower cabinets will be black. I cannot get over how sophisticated this combo feels… like a real live, grown up kitchen! We chose MasterBrand Cabinets’ semi custom line called Diamond for the designer-inspired finishes, wide array of styles from which to choose, and the incredible durability that the line offers. The reason I am most excited about the Diamond line, however, is the innovative storage solutions they offer! After dealing with our horrible kitchen for 2.5 years, I have been nerding out in a BIG way with the MasterBrand Cabinets design team as they help me decide what type of organization features we need. Pullout spice drawer? Yes, please. Tiered cutlery drawers? Yup, need that. Pots and pans organizer? Yup. I think you get the picture. I cannot wait to take you on a tour of my kitchen when everything has a place.

As for the door and drawer style, we chose the Sumner for it’s wide rail, Shaker style frame. I absolutely love the clean lines of this combination and how it will provide the perfect backdrop for our hardware (ahem, once I actually choose some…). It was important to me that our cabinets are chic and timeless, so a Shaker style door front really achieves that goal.

Countertops & Backsplash

I actually have a secret to tell you: I knew what countertops I wanted before we even talked design plan. MARBLE. All I have ever wanted is a kitchen with marble countertops. So when I saw the range of marbles from Polycor, I was like a kid in a candy store. There’s just something so romantic about marble and it’s old world charm. Plus, I absolutely love the unique pattern, called movement, of each stone slab. This means my kitchen countertops will be truly unique!

In terms of choosing a specific marble, I wavered between White Georgia, White Cherokee, and Pearl Grey for quite sometime. Ultimately, the White Cherokee won because it has a really nice mix of light and dark tones, plus that super-sexy movement! I also wish I could show each of you the sample in person because this marble has the most subtle iridescence to it that is beyond dreamy. Also, we’re going to go a little non-traditional and use the same marble for the backsplash!

Floor Tiles

Sarah showed me tons and tons of flooring options because I was really indecisive about making a choice. Some felt too busy, too specific or trendy, or too much for such a small space. Definitely be sure to check out her post on the flooring options she presented to me.

I just about lost my mind when Fireclay Tile signed on to be part of this renovation, too. I have been a fangirl of these handmade, recycled tiles for years, but in my mind there was only one pattern that I wanted after I saw it: the Chaine Homme. This H-shaped, interlocking geometric design was inspired by the links found in vintage watches. However, to me, it was the perfect homage to my grandfather, Harvey, who helped me buy my home. Not only is the scale of the tile perfect for the space, but it also is a subtle nod to the role he played in guiding me into homeownership. I will be forever grateful to him and this is the most fitting tribute I can think of.

Faucet & Pot Filler Finish and Kitchen Sink

I had one requirement when it came to choosing a sink: it must be an under-mount! I cook a lot and all I want to do is to brush crumbs into the sink and forget about it. If you’re thinking of remodeling a kitchen, do yourself a favor and get an under-mount sink. With that prereq out of the way, Sarah and I chose the Bradstreet II Fireclay sink from Sinkology. The style of the sink feels like a modern twist on the classic farmhouse, which I love. Plus, because it is made of fireclay material, it is very durable, easy to clean, and features the SureFire Finish (an extra-thick protective shield on the sink).

The final decision we’ve made is for the finish of the faucet and pot filler (!!!). We have decided to go with the Delta Faucets Trinsic single handle pull-down kitchen faucet with Touch20 Technology in matte black. I’ll be sharing a lot more about the tech features of this faucet once it’s installed, but suffice it to say I fell in love with the clean lines and matte black finish while visiting Delta Faucet HQ last year.

These materials are where we’ve landed so far! Our selections are:

  • Fireclay Chaine Homme tile in Slate Blue
  • MasterBrand Cabinets Sumner white uppers and black lowers
  • Polycor White Cherokee marble with a honed finish
  • Delta Faucets Trinsic single handle pull-down kitchen faucet with Touch20 Technology in matte black

Kitchen Materials and Finishes Still to be Determined:

  • Appliances — I am leaning toward a finish, but I want to check oooone more time to make sure my gut feeling is right!
  • Lighting, drawer pulls, and cabinet hardware — Our sponsor, Rejuvenation, has SO many good options that I am feeling kind of overwhelmed. Sarah and I need a little more time to wrap our minds around what time of hardware we want to pair with the Shaker-style cabinets, so more to come on this front.
  • Paint colors — We will mostly likely paint the kitchen the same white as the rest of the house (Greek Villa  from Sherwin-Williams), but we need to determine what to do about the navy blue wall in the dining room since there is no longer a wall separating the two rooms.

I’m really excited about how well the renovation is moving along. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but seeing all of these beautiful swatches and samples together is getting me even more pumped for the reveal!

We’re going to share tips for appliance shopping and our lighting selections in the next posts here on my blog and on Sarah’s blog. So be sure to stay tuned!

photography & styling by Jojotastic. 

If you have any additional questions during your search for the perfect copper, fireclay farmhouse sink or granite sink, our Sinkologists are here to help. Contact us or follow us on Facebook, Houzz, Pinterest, or Instagram for more helpful tips and design ideas.