When we built our house back in 2004…cherry wood and dark floors were all the rage. We were excited to get to pick all the things that we love. Dark stained cabinets (they are actually Maple wood, stained cherry)…tropic brown granite…stainless steel appliances…dark walnut floor.

It all looks very good together and it is a very complete package. The walls are sage green, painted trim in a toffee color, valances that match…. But that was back in 2004…now it is 2012 and I would like to brighten things up a bit. I know that it is going to be work…and I also know it will be soooooo worth it!

We already took out the pantry that wasn’t working for us. (and when I say “we” I mean my fabulous handy man Bob…if you are local to Louisville and need a trustworthy handy man I have his number) I have a post coming soon of that whole process.  It visually opens the room up without it being there! I love it already! We are planning on replacing the fridge (when ours finally dies….it hums often..and I often send it bad thoughts..in hopes of putting it out of it’s misery…) but we don’t want to spend the money until it can’t be used anymore. We would like to replace it with this counter depth fridge—like this one from Frigidaire

It will save us about 8 inches of space…which in this tight kitchen is a big deal. It will allow someone to sit at the bar and not be bumped with the fridge in their back it it needs to be opened.

This is the “storyboard” (it is actually a board…as in 2×4…as in I had zero poster board laying around…so I used a board…moving on ;) it is a work in progress…and I think I am just about settled with it.
The wall paint will be a half strength of the foyer paint that I love so much! The foyer is Light French grey by Behr and is has a lovely blue/gray tone…I truly love it. I think the half strength will be perfect in the kitchen. I am thinking about using the light french grey on just the island for a little dimension.
Where the pantry was we will be doing a base cabinet with storage baskets. I had originally thought to maybe do the same base cabinets and wall cabinets as the rest of the space. But after some searching I found that we can build one for a lot less…and it can be the exact dimensions we want. I would like it to have more of a “furniture” piece feel. Maybe some fun trim on the bottom.  And above will be some open shelving. The counter top will be the same granite which is tropic brown or possibly some stained wood like we did on the coffee bar.
As for the cabinets and trim…I am thinking White Umber by porter paint. It will be the same as the trim throughout the house.
A couple new lantern pendants (oh I love these sooooooo much….)

Some new window dressings and it will look like a new kitchen!
The floors will remain (even though they are needing a refinishing). We are going to wait on that. I of course will be snapping pictures along the way to share in case you would like to tackle this project in your house.
The last thing for me to figure out will be the black granite back splash. I am thinking it too will need to go….But I am going to paint everything first and then take care of that. I know that may seem a bit backwards….but we are just going to tackle one thing at a time. I would like to do that tile demo and re tile myself…and I feel it is something that can wait.What do ya think?!?!