Designing a Home | Kitchen Selections

When it comes to finishes, it's probably no surprise that we've gone for a very white and neutral scheme. Here's a breakdown of our kitchen choices and some of our inspiration.

After many sleepless nights and countless naysayers, we pulled the trigger on a Venatino marble surface for our 9 ft island. Not only am I over the moon about this decision, but hubby is more than on board! Once he saw the samples and the depth and life that marble has over other surfaces, he was sold. It is such a beautiful stone and I know it will be my favourite part of this house. Hubby keeps seeing marble surfaces on TV and in restos/cafes and is almost as excited as I am. The perimeter counters that flank the cooktop are a snow white quartz that will be durable and also a nice break between the marble island and the marble backsplash. 

We chose maple wood cabinet doors painted in Alabaster (similar to the style above but a tad different and little bit creamier than this white) and charcoal vinyl plank floors. We chose a luxury vinyl plank (looks like laminate or wood planks but is made out of very durable man made material) because we have lived with both laminate and hardwood and wanted a more durable option. Our laminate floors were horrible, all three sets that we've had. Any amount of water made the seams swell, which means cleaning without water is a tedious task. Hardwood isn't great for our dogs (unless it's really rustic and grooved) because it's slippery for them and with the back issues we just didn't want to risk it. This vinyl plank is perfect - it's durable, waterproof, and if there ever were damage the individual planks can be replaced fairly easily. But best of all, there's a grippy texture that will help loads when our pups want to run around and play. It's about the same cost as laminate and some entry hardwoods at an upgrade cost to us of about $6500 from the standard lino sheet flooring that is included in the base price.

Our lighting is still in the works, but I'm hoping to go for this style of pendants over the island (This kitchen layout is VERY similar to ours) with 6 pot lights overhead and under cabinet lighting.

Via

We also plan on having a built-in hood fan constructed after we move in (DIY project via father-in-law) but until then we have a sleek stainless steel hood fan that isn't bulky or obtrusive.

Hardware will be classic with small shiny chrome knobs on the doors and a classic chrome pulls on the drawers.

Backsplash will be done immediately after we move in because I am far too indecisive to make that decision now (because obviously I will change my mind). We are going to go for a marble tile (likely a 3 by 8), I just haven't decided whether I want subway or herringbone ala this dreamy kitchen.

Via

We are very excited about the fridge, going with an all fridge, all freezer option. I'm sure it seems excessive as we are just two people, but if you saw our fridge/freezer you would understand. We spend well over $200 a week on produce alone, so you can only imagine how full our crispers must be. I also freeze loads of meals and ingredients since my vegan dishes are often far too large for one person. Freezer storage is my saviour and allows me to make healthy meal and snack choices when I don't have a lot of time. If there is one appliance we need to be above and beyond the everyday, it's the fridge.

We thought long and hard about our stove top. In our rental house here we got to experience gas for the first time (a really nice GE profile gas range). I love the look of a gas range, I love the feeling of the flame...but, after a year with it I just didn't love the maintenance (funny, considering I'm willing to take on the maintenance of marble countertops!). I just found that under the grills got dirty every single day, and it wasn't an easy clean up. The little black disks where the burners are also got splattered/stained easily.  It looks pretty from afar, but far from pretty up close. I also didn't see any difference in cooking time from any of the other stove tops I've used in the past. So we are going with a modern looking Samsung glass cooktop and I'm happy about the choice.

Our facet looks similar to this style, with an oversized, undermount rectangular sink.

Micro will be built in under the counter in the island along with the dishwasher. 

And what about a pantry you ask? Being the pantry freak that I am, I have THREE pantries. We selected two wall pantries to flank either side of the fridge, and then we have a walk-through pantry connecting the kitchen to the mudroom (think butlers pantry style, although smaller and without cabinetry and a sink). I can't wait to replace the wire shelving in the walk-through with solid wood shelving, and to organize and label all of my jars. It might take me a week, but it will probably be one of my favourite things!

I will try and get a floor plan up so you can see everything in context - and will post about the other finishes sometime soon too! If you're building or re-decorating, how's it going?

One, Two, Three, Floor!

Most things we do involve weeks/months of forethought and planning and decision making. What we did this weekend did not. If you follow me on Instagram you may have gotten a sneak peak.

In less than a day, we ripped up our entire main floor, and started the process of installing a new laminate floor. No thanks to me, however, because I would have waited. The hubby, on the other hand,  knew that if we didn't get er done asap, we might never. Fair point well made.

What prompted us to rip up our 2.5 year old laminate floors to install new laminate floors? Well, we've never particularly liked the ones that came with our home. The colour was more of a reddish brown (not cherry, but like a warm brown) and they just weren't our style. The boards were the kind of laminate planks that look seamless, with one board "faking" the look of multiple planks. Long story short, smooth surface, no grooves, and very laminatey looking. No likey.

After our experience with these floors, however, we did know that any future upgrade would be laminate. There is certainly some sort of taboo associated with laminate, however with two dogs and a lot of furniture relocation, we've come to appreciate the durability of laminate flooring. Granted, water is NOT its friend (same goes for all wood type flooring, mind you), but nothing seems to stand against scratches like a laminate product.

Even with all that said, we would not have made the couple thousand dollar investment for new floors for a home that we might not be in for more than a couple more years, nor to change something that was purely a matter of preference and not something that needed to be done. But, when the flooring is free, and you spend $40 in supplies, how can you say no?

How did we get free flooring? I happen to have a pretty amazing job and am surrounded by some of the most stunning interior design in the city. I get to look at pretty homes on a daily basis, and sometimes, when they decide to change something, I luck out.

Recently, they decided to change out the colour schemes of the homes we sell, and so the floors, cabinets and countertops were ripped up and replaced. Nothing wrong with them, just a new colour scheme about to go in. A BUNCH of flooring was on its way to the trash, so something had to be done.

I decided to give them a new home, and after 3 trips of loading and unloading the vehicle, we had a garage floor of almost-new laminate planks. We had to take double the flooring that we needed (from two separate homes) because of the amount of breakage and wastage. Even then, we were ALMOST short (only two usable boards left at the end). Trying to sift through the piles for good boards was a task, and installing even more tedious. I'm sure had the boards been straight from the box, the install time would have been half what it was.

My rock star of a man put in a good 40 plus hours as he worked away, used a hand saw to cut all the detail pieces for around the edges, and totally kicked his own butt. He was, and still is, completely exhausted. Every bone in his body aches. His hands look like decrepit claws. I feel so bad for him.

But, after all is said and done, our floors look AMAZING! A massive improvement from what we had before. I had always wanted light grey flooring if we ever were to upgrade, but I must say, I'm really liking the moody dark brown.

We are STILL working on finishing up. Last night we put our wall unit back together, and this week we'll be putting the baseboards back on, and touching up the walls by the baseboards, and then we will be DUNZO!

I'm excited to share the before and after photos with you. I had no idea how much of a difference the new floors would make. Slowly but surely, this townhouse is starting to feel so much more like home.

Have you ever installed flooring before?