The New Kitchen

photos, sources & inspiration

Hello friends!

This post has been a long time coming- this renovation started in the fall and I learned throughout the process just how many big, small, and impactful decisions go into a new kitchen.

I am so excited to show you these photos of my new kitchen, along with the inspiration behind it and all the little details! If you’re new here, thanks for joining!

The vision

Our house is an 1870s farmhouse, so I wanted the kitchen to feel true to the time period of the house, with a few touches to make it modern, fresh and functional.

In addition to being the place where we gather to cook and eat, my kitchen is my office, where I develop and test recipes, and capture photos and videos of my dishes. So, when it came to re-thinking the space, I tried to focus on functionality first. (You can read about my old kitchen, and its challenges, here!)

I wanted to lose the awkward corner sink, upgrade the appliances, and make sure I had plenty of good counter space for cooking. I also wanted to make sure I had enough storage to keep the kitchen neat and organized.

On the aesthetic side of things, I wanted to widen the windows to let in more light, ditch the two-toned cabinets and tile, and ultimately, just make the kitchen a more beautiful, more inspiring place to work, cook, and live.

Getting started

The cabinets are a simple shaker design, and I dressed them up a little bit with un-lacquered brass hardware. It looks shiny now but will age and develop a patina over time. For the countertops, I choose Danby marble, which comes from Vermont. I liked that the earthy, brown-ish veining gave it an already lived-in feel, especially on the stone backsplash. A brighter white marble might feel imposing there, but the Danby is subtle and doesn’t overpower the rest of the room.

Eliminating the upper cabinets (more on that later!) and adding the window above the sink made the room much feel brighter. The island, which my contractor built from two old tables we had in the basement, serves not only as a functional work table but a perfect place to sit and chat. The tabletop is longer on one side, allowing space for a large shelf underneath AND plenty of room for stools.