The During...

Once we talked to our contractor about start dates and what we were really trying to do, we had to start making some actual decisions. I usually spend a lot of time on Pinterest anyway, but I was pretty much on overload at this point. There wasn't a kitchen that got uploaded to that website that I didn't know about. You would think there would be too much to choose from. Not true. We are pretty good about knowing what is our style and what isn't. We both really like dark colors. Dark rooms, dark furniture, anything that comes in black. However, we don't have any natural light in our kitchen, and it's long and narrow, making it not very open. We knew that dark cabinets would make our kitchen look even smaller, and probably hurt us when it came to resale. With that thought in mind, we were looking at really light cabinets, and adding dark elements when and where we could. Here is part of our color palette.

I think our biggest struggle was the floor. I am just not good with flooring that isn't wood. We went to Floor & Decor in Roswell (also one in Atlanta and Kennesaw) to get ideas. They had these travertine tiles we just fell in love with. We didn't want anything too close to white since our cabinets were going to be true white, but didn't want anything too close to brown since we wanted to add elements of gray and black in the backsplash. Jay actually picked out the backsplash at Floor & Decor on the same day. They had 6 sheets left, and that is exactly how many we needed. I feel like it was design fate! I had to go to a tile and granite store in Suwanee in order to find the subway tiles that went with it. Another design fate was waiting for me there. They actually didn't have anymore of the sheets of tile, but had the dark grey glass tile in a subway tile. They matched perfectly. Clearly meant to be. They also had the right color grout that Floor & Decor didn't have. I would suggest if you are looking for flooring or bathroom tiles, check them out. Their inventory is constantly changing, but they have some great deals. We got the flooring at a third of the price that we would have paid for the same thing anywhere else. Floor tiles and backsplash can really eat a hole through your budget if you aren't careful, and this is a great way to save.

I also wanted to add some construction pictures. I clearly am my father's daughter about this. I think there is nothing better than taking a sledgehammer to a wall and starting over. I feel like it is a bit of a rebirth for the space, and definitely makes life less stressful. When designing for a new space, my dad and I have never let a wall stand in our way. Everything can be moved for a price! The top left is a picture of where the sink and bar top will eventually move into place. The top right is a picture of the cabinet we picked to fill that weird tv cabinet space in the bottom left. We also got rid of that awful curve in the top of that wall. EWW! We found this great granite at a local granite warehouse. Cheaper than Home Depot or most advertised granite retailers. The middle right is a picture of the new laundry room cabinets. Such a nice day when one day you come home to the bottom right, and two days later you see top left. 

What's next? Paint dilemmas!