Before we dive into today’s post about kitchens, let me just tell you about a fun giveaway coming on Monday. I’m partnering with an exciting online decor company that you’ll be reading about then AND they want to give a little something to my readers! So, don’t forget to stop back by on Monday to sign up for the giveaway. You’re gonna love it!
Kitchens are such an important part of a home, the center of living, where all the food preparation and lots of hanging out is done, so isn’t it nice to have a pretty and functional kitchen? While I would be very happy to have any of the kitchens below, mine does not resemble any of them, however, I’ll be happy to do a little facelift in there and have it a bit more functional.
(Southern Accents)
I think this one above is my favorite. So classic and traditional.
(Southern Accents)
And of course, I just love all the open shelving on this one, even though it’s probably not all that practical. Anyone have open shelving and do you like it?
(Coastal Living)
This one is so pretty and inviting too, with the warm walls and the large island. Dreamy!
(South Africa Black) Not sure where this came from
I adore the above black kitchen, take a look at how much light comes in and how open it feels. Ahhh, that is so pretty! And so we come to my kitchen. The one getting a little bit of a makeover that I’m jumping up and down about.
Our kitchen is not all that big. It’s a galley style with cabinets on both sides.
This side has an L shape with a curved corner. We’re getting ready to do a little facelift in here and looks like I’ll finally be able to get granite countertops. The previous owner put down tumbled marble tile over the old laminate and after 3 years, the grout is looking pretty dirty. Tumbled marble is also not a great idea for a countertop, as it has so many pits in it. I never feel like it’s clean. It looks pretty, just impractical to live with. So, hubby says we can do this and I’m so excited to get a little update.
It’s a functional kitchen and it gets lots of use, since I’m in here cooking every single day. I’m really loving the new tracklight in here too. The bright white light is great shining on the counters.
The eat-in breakfast area. Not one of those large and spacious kitchens, but it works for us and I’m grateful for it. Someone will ask, so I’ll tell you the paint color in here is Laura Ashley Olive 4 (from Lowes).
Do your counters look this cluttered? Real life here!
See my little shelf area? I’ve got a little something planned for that too, so can’t wait to share that with you.
I also hate my white sink and faucet. Would never pick that for a kitchen, so I can’t wait to replace these too. I’m looking at the granite composite sinks (black undermount) and it will be so nice to have everything seamless and get away from a dirty white sinkbowl. This one shows every pot mark and is impossible to keep clean. Now, should I get an oil-rubbed bronze faucet or a brushed nickel one? I’m debating that one. I’m leaning towards oil-rubbed bronze, cause I like that look so much. Any of you with the ORB, have you had any problems with it turning colors on you? I want something that will stand up to years of use. I had brushed stainless in my last house and it was easy maintenance. This will never be a true dream kitchen, but it’s just fine with me and I will be tickled pink to get a new countertop. I don’t sit around dreaming of new houses or dream kitchens anymore. I’m just thankful to have the one I’ve got.
This is the granite we are looking at. It’s called Napoli and I like the colors in it. We are keeping the backsplash we have, so I need something that will work with it. I was thinking about going dark with my white cabinets, but from what I’ve heard, dark granite shows every fingerprint and spot and it’s a nightmare to keep it looking good. Anyone have experience with that? I’d love to hear it all. I even got feedback from the granite people that they had so many complaints about the shiny dark granite and he told me that honed was just about as bad. Honed is pretty too, but more expensive and my hubby really didn’t like the looks of honed, so this is what we settled on.
Close up of the granite. This was very similar to the granite tiles I had in my old kitchen and it never looked dirty, so I don’t think I can go wrong with this. It has enough black and white mixed that it brings out the white in the cabinets, yet the black and gold gives it interest and ties it into the backsplash. So, I think this is the one!
Here’s the granite sink I’m looking at, Blanco Silgranite undermount. Home Depot also has a version by Pegasus that is less expensive, so that might be an option too. Anyone have that one?
And this faucet was a favorite of mine from my old kitchen and I had it in brushed stainless. This time I think I’m going for the oil-rubbed bronze. This is the Marielle by Price Pfister.
Also, have any of you bought kitchen knobs on Ebay? I bought some matte black ones 2 years ago that are already changing colors. The black has worn off especially on the knobs we use a lot. So, I’m going to get oil-rubbed bronze ones to replace. Do any of you have any favorite sellers or sources for knobs that won’t turn for a good price?
Can’t wait to do it in the next few weeks! I’d love to hear from all of you who have granite countertops. What color do you have and do you love it?? Do tell, let me hear all about your kitchens, what you have now that you like and what you’d love to change if you could!
Edited to ADD: In case you’re new to my blog, I posted last year about the kitchen renovation we did in my OLD kitchen in Georgia, so this little kitchen update is small compared to that one. You can see the pics here. I was really proud of how that one came out.
Birmingham Girls! I have just found out that the flea market is NOT opening this month, so we will have to reschedule that for another month. Apparently, they are doing construction at the fair grounds, so I’m hoping May will work out if they have it open again by then.
You kitchen plans sound great. I have the Blanco Silgranite sink in black and love it (4 yrs). I have the same or similar granite as you are choosing. My favorite thing about the granite, besides not showing any crumbs/fingerprints, is you can put any color with it. I’ve used turquoise, red, lime green. Any accent color will work!
Oh sigh…. it’s all beautiful. I’ve had cabinet painting on the brain for weeks now and only have a few more weeks to do it before the outside temps become unbearable… I live in AZ. Rhoda girl, it’s going to be fabulous! Can’t wait to see the finished product.
Pretty Organizer
Rhoda – talked with Wayne and he said go with the Blanco. Pegasas is really cheap – will scratch, stain and is not as heat resistant as the Blanco. Also – if you have alot of browns in your granite – Blanco has their sinks in Cafe Brown instead of Black. You can see a sample at Southern Pipe on 35th Street downtown. Just his thoughts.
Rhoda, I thank you for admiring my kitchen. My granite is called Amber Fantasy. There are alot of different color variations to this stone and it took me a little time to find the one I have which has more red and rust tones with some black (light sage green) grey. It also has movement to the stone. Some stones have movement and some are a constant pattern. My backsplash is a combo of tumbled marble and ceramic. We did grout all the holes and then sealed it with an enchancing color sealer. (three coats) This brought out the rich color. (tumble marble color is rojas) The black sink is good but again will show dirt more easily. I would have to see it with the ORB. Maybe the brushed stainless would be a better match for the sink. Let me know your thoughts Sofia
Hi Rhoda, Wonderful post about kitchens and always enjoy seeing your lovely home. We are close to remodeling our kitchen and have picked a similar granite. I laughingly call it the bread crumb granite because I wanted a granite that when my husband or other family members leave their breadcrumbs on the counter, it would blend in with the granite! lol! I’ve considered the silgranit sink too, but I’m stuck on the Shaw farmhouse sink and just have to have a clean white sink whether I have to scrub it daily or not. I would be like havingn a black bathtub for me. I just couldn’t do it in a dark color. But I have seen the lighter color and could possibly live with that one. A great resource for product advice is http://www.gardenweb.com on their home forums under Kitchens. They also have a “finished kitchens” blog showing great photos listing the products used in the remodel. It’s very addictive and extremely informative as to what works and what doesn’t. I also just want to tell you how refreshing it is to hear you say that you aren’t dreaming of a bigger house, newer kitchen, but are thankful for what you have. I wish more of us could adopt this attitude, including myself! lol!
Blessings,
~~ Victoria in Texas
I loved all the pictures of those kitchens. I am doing mine too. I have to tell you, I have that granite sink and I love it! Have fun with your project!
Hi Rhoda, love the ideas for your kitchen update. A little change can make a room feel completely different. I re-did our kitchen in our previous house where we had white cabinets. I used black appliances (I’m the only person in the world that HATES stainless steel), black uba tuba granite, oil rubbed bronze pulls and I had the same faucet you have pictured in the oil rubbed bronze. I didn’t get to enjoy it even a year before we moved to Alabama! When I was choosing my kitchen “stuff” here, I again went with uba tuba, black appliances and oil rubbed bronze. I have never had any problems with anything showing on the granite and I love the contrast of the black. I have stained cabinets now, but they will be painted white before long. Let us know. And have fun!
I have that faucet you like in stainless instead of orb. We built our house in ’04 and last year the handle mechanism “popped” off. Our plumber had me call the company and they mailed replacement parts the next day for free and it worked fine. We have hard water, so sometimes it will stain/build-up, so we just have to make sure we do a quick wipe down every now and then. Make sure you keep all your paperwork for the model #’s etc, because that is how they were able to get something quickly to us and have it be the right part. If dark granite shows every spot, wouldn’t a dark sink also show spots? Our builder’s opinion lead us towards stainless sinks because they hold up so well and clean up well with no maintance, but I haven’t had them long enough to verify his claim. Our other house had the same white sink as yours and I’ve never hated something in a house so much!!! I can’t wait to see your remodel even though I think your house is just beautiful now!!!
Oh Rhoda so many decisions and so many choices.First I would not go with a black sink.I think it would look like a big black postage stamp in a soft looking room.I know you like touches of black and you know how much black and white I love but in your kitchen it is black in touches and an entire sink in black would be one step too far. I am a nickel girl but I love the shiney for me but for you with the stainless appliances I would go with the satin or brushed.The color of both finishes really vary so choose one with more golden than the blue undertone.I know you know what I mean. I can’t tell if your tumbled marble has any pink undertones in in or if it is golden.If it is golden the granite choice is perfect.I always do the squint test to see what color base pops out at me.I don’t mind the orb knobs on the cupboards even with the brushed nickel faucet.it is just your touch of black and keeps the room from being too matchy. I am sure whatever you finally decide will be wonderful,you have marvelous taste.Remember enjoy the process,miss talking to you,hugs Kathysue
Rhoda,I think you would really like the ORB faucet,I have that exact one in my home,we also live here in the Birmingham area and I have not had any problems with mine.I am so glad to have found your blog,I hope one day you can give me some tips on my home.I have a few problems I don’t know what to do with.I will be checking back!
I’m having fun catching up with all of your posts today. Don’t know how I got so behind! I’m excited about your kitchen makeover. I want to give mine one so badly–maybe I’ll just live vicariously through you for awhile until we get the money saved for new countertops.
Your kitchen is already so pretty–can’t wait to see how you improve it!
I have a sink that is e-granite and I love it.
This is so very beautiful article. I'm so very impressed with this thank you for sharing…
Hello,
I’m new to this site. I stumbled onto it while searching about stains on Giallo Ornamental Granite. My husband & I are replacing our kitchen countertops & we love this granite. I did a little test with Olive Oil & also with Lemon on the sample piece & both stained it dark :-/ Now I am wondering if we should choose something other than granite! Does anyone know anything about Giallo Ornamental Granite…. Staining….. Scorching… Any problems associated with granite & especially this type? We have not chosen it for sure as yet, but are going together to check out some slabs the first of the week. We don’t want to do something we will regret! We are messy in the kitchen. We live organically & use a lot of berries, olive oil, lemons & the like…… Please give any advice you have! It is MUCH APPRECIATED!
Deborah
Hi, Deborah, I had a similar granite in my old house and didn’t have a lot of problems with staining. I think as long as you keep a granite sealed once a year, that they likelihood of them staining is much lessened. That is my experience with granite. I have a lighter granite in my house now and as long as you wipe up as you go, it shouldn’t be a big problem.