After we moved in, I did a few painting projects, skim coated Jack’s walls and had our entryway flooring replaced with the most gorgeous herringbone tile. We were ready to move forward on our basement next and our contractor bailed. I got frustrated and then a little burned out and just stopped all projects for a bit.

But, after a little break, the itch is back and I’m excited to jump back into some projects. I’m planning on finishing our entryway—we still need to caulk the new baseboards and then paint them. I’m debating hiring the painting out because it makes me a little nervous! I can do walls, but baseboards seem a little more intimidating to me. And, last week we had a new contractor come take a peek at the basement!

Next up is a little kitchen love! Don’t get me wrong, I actually love our kitchen! The layout is perfect, the cabinets are light and bright (a creamy ivory-white) and our countertops, while dark, are really beautiful.

Which is exactly why I’m calling this a “mini” renovation!

Inspiration & Ideas for Our Kitchen Renovation

My goal with this project is to work with what we have. Sure, someday I would love lighter countertops and maybe to paint the cabinets (some have some markings from the previous owner), but for now and the next few years, that big project just isn’t a priority for us….unless I win the lotto.

So, I’m working with what we have and making easy cosmetic changes to make it a room I absolutely LOVE. Here’s our inspiration and our checklist below!

Black & White Kitchen Inspiration

I love the wood elements, brass touches in the hardware and lighting and the bold slab backsplash! So gorgeous.

I love the wood accent on the hood! We’re planning on doing something like this and I love the contrast between the color of the beam and other woods in this room and on the floor.

Something I hadn’t really considered—window treatments. We only have one normal sized window in our kitchen and I’m not sure I want to hide it with anything, but loved these.

I love everything about this room! The marble on the walls, the gold accents, the wood! I think it’s the mix of it all that really makes my heart pound.

When I first saw this hood, I thought THIS is what I need to do with ours! This photo was really the jumping off point for me.

This kitchen is a little more retro with the fun backsplash, but just proves that black and white is truly so dang classic! Love the brass accent and faucet in here.

I mean, just amazing! I love this unique tile behind the stove and I’m still thinking about it! My only hang up is that if we do end up doing a lighter countertop in the future, I know the backsplash will get destroyed.. so do I fully commit to this countertop? Or do a cheaper tile?

Kitchen Renovation Checklist

Fix the Hood

It’s currently arched and the ends are very low—eye level and sharp, which has resulted in a few bonks on the head. We want to bring this up and ditch the arch and just make it straight across for a little more modern vibe. In my inspiration pictures above, you can see what I’m going for!

Backsplash

The current backsplash is dark and since I’m leaving the countertops, I want to lighten up the backsplash with white tile. The backsplash will get damaged with the hood project, so this was going to have to happen either way.

I love the look of these Zellige tiles SO much, they’re gorgeous, but definitely an investment. These subway tiles have a similar feel and are more affordable. Lastly, you can’t go wrong with basic subway tile! So affordable and so classic. Ahhh, how will I decide?!

Hardware & Faucet

We have shiny silvery hardware everywhere in our house right now. I want to swap these for brass! So I ordered a few samples to test out: these cup pulls, these knobs and these more rectangular cup pulls.

I might look into a new faucet too because our current one will only work on the spray setting and has a rip on the rubber button on top.

Lighting

We currently have 3 pendants and our island isn’t that big. I’m hoping to take one out and just stick with two and update these lights. I’d also love a new pendant over our breakfast table—the current one is too big for our table and we end up hitting our heads on it.

I’m not sure what I want above the island—white or brass? I think black will be too close to the countertop color, but maybe I’m wrong. I also love the idea of a rattan pendant like this one over the kitchen table.

Paint

Lastly, I’m planning to paint the walls my go-to white paint color, White Dove, to brighten up the space a little bit more!

This project will start in February—we have the carpenter booked to fix the hood (he’s also doing shelves in our living room), and once that’s done it’ll really all come together after that! I can’t wait to see it come along and will share as we go through the process!

Which inspiration picture is your favorite?

BTW, how to make your cheap throw pillows look expensive, and our guest bedroom update.