But we need MORE! We’re still collecting my personal favorite kitchen design elements I seem to repeat no matter where we land. The fun began HERE.
Part 2: Hello Lovely’s Favorite Kitchen Things
Bosch Stainless Appliances
Our former Fixer’s kitchen needed all new appliances, and I loved the modern European look of Bosch and hoped they would perform well.
They worked well for my needs so I bought the exact cooktop and wall oven for our current kitchen to replace the used up existing appliances.
I was tempted to look at those beautiful European statement ranges…
But I wasn’t ready to commit to something fancy that may come with surprises. I stuck with the tried and the true and love the modern layer of tension it brings in a sea of traditional.
Cooktop vs. Traditional Range
There are moments I long for the look of a traditional range, but an added bonus of a cooktop? Storage underneath the cooktop’s cabinet for pots and essentials.
I’m the type of organizer who likes everything hidden including the microwave. So in the new kitchen, the microwave is on a cabinet shelf below the cooktop. Below that shelf is room for very unpretty pots and pans.
Light Toned Wood Flooring
The white oak hardwoods an artisan installed in our former home played a starring role in the entire house design, and they were wonderful to live with.
But our next kitchen came with a red ceramic tile floor that was too hard underfoot and too bold for the tranquil look we wanted. Our first choice was a wood floor, but we were curious about LVP since it can be comfortable underfoot as well as durable and good looking.
We also liked that as DIYers, we would not have to deal with the mess or added work of refinishing more hardwoods (if you have not done it yourself…just don’t!). So the verdict is still out as far as our opinion of LVP. While I like the look it, it’s a little too perfect for my taste. I also appreciate the comfort and how we don’t have to baby it, but still miss authentic wood floors that develop patina and character. So, yep, if we stay here, we can imagine RENOVATION 2.0 down the line.
Viatera White Quartz Counters
I love this brand and was willing to pay top dollar to use Viatera white quartz once again in our current home. I chose a larger scale veining pattern this time around called MUSE.
Muse has a similar if not more modern feel than MINUET which I put in our former kitchen:
A crisp white background characterizes both of these Viatera white quartz options, but Minuet’s veining is busier and more delicate than Muse’s bold broad strokes. In the image of our current kitchen below, you can’t detect the veining since natural light is washing it all out. However, it isn’t a solid white mass by any means.
Despite a few scratches on the Minuet Viatera white quartz after 7 years of heavy daily use, we never seemed to notice them! I still field questions about how our counters are holding up or if I would do them again. And, I actually did! (No one paid me to say these glowing things – we have simply become loyal customers).
Belgian Linen Slipcovered Dining Chairs
I devoted a whole post to the topic of Belgian linen and how I like to live with it HERE and also HERE.
We have owned these Belgian slope arm slipcovered linen dining chairs for ages, and they are too comfy to change! I moved them around from time to time in our former house. Sometimes they were in the breakfast nook, and other times they were in the adjacent dining room.
Woven Textures
Along with nubby Belgian linen upholstery on chairs and cushions, I also like a bit of seagrass, jute, sisal, or any number of natural materials for interiors where a sea of white and neutrals prevail.
I don’t tire easily of accents that are natural and neutral. These placemats are summery but work with seasonal dishes of all colors and styles.
We had a window seat in our former kitchen which was another opportunity to introduce natural texture.
If you have a window seat or banquette area, what a bonus to be able to add softness with pillows!
Who knows? We may add a custom banquette at the windows of our new nook since we got so much mileage out of the last one:
Romantic Chandeliers
I was excited about the higher ceiling height in our new kitchen since it adds a sense of spaciousness and means there are more options when it comes to lighting.
The romantic gilded quartz chandelier I found adds a layer of elegance and opulence in an otherwise understated kitchen.
In our prior kitchen’s breakfast nook, a petite antiqued silver chandelier I collected years ago was small but mighty. This one’s similar:
Are you torn between choices of metals for your kitchen?
It didn’t take me any time at all to get used to the gold-toned lighting in our new design. (And just a reminder, I chose gilded iron lighting fixtures, not brass – not sure if I would feel as satisfied with brass options.)
White Paint for Walls
The new kitchen’s paint color was not one I chose – it was already freshly painted, just right, and waiting for us.
I didn’t intend to keep this color initially. Remember, the kitchen was a sea of dark brown cabinets, dark brown trim, darker brown counters, and red floors…see the before here:
and AFTER:
But after painting the cabinets, I loved the way it worked with other elements.
In our prior home, I painted all of the walls, trim, and ceiling BM White OC-151, and side by side, you can see how much more warmth Eider White has.
I think this bright white appealed to me in 2015 when I designed our former kitchen after living with antique whites for many years.
It felt more modern and youthful.
And today, I’m in more of a greyed-white, plaster-white, and even pink-tinged-white phase.
Creative Kitchen Design Inspiration
So many creative kitchen design ideas from Nicola’s Home:
Don’t you love the mix of light toned wood and white? Here’s another example from Nicola:
Thanks so much for tuning in and taking time to leave comments – I love hearing from you!
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
Thanks for shopping RIGHT HERE to keep decor inspiration flowing on Hello Lovely!
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