We moved into our home, here in Grapevine about 16 years ago. We have done so much to the house inside and out. We pretty much purchased the home for the lot because it is fantastic and really met all our needs. The rest of the house has been updated, however, the kitchen not so much.
BEFORE
The week we moved in, I actually did a faux finish on the cabinets using shoe polish, if you can believe that? That was when that was a trend, definitely not now! We added the terracotta porcelain tile and lived with it this way for about 10 years.
About 5 years ago we repainted the cabinets with the lowers being a darker (SW 7674) color than the uppers (SW 7003). I had a faux artist paint over the granite triangles on the backsplash because they made the backsplash look too fussy for my taste. It was a temporary fix and nobody ever knew they were painted. We both knew it wasn’t the final kitchen we dreamed of having but were happy with the change.
BEFORE
I actually loved the terra cotta tile floor and wanted to keep it in my new kitchen plan because it adds character and goes well with my global aesthetic. However, we mainly just needed a larger space on the island and wanted it to feel fresher and more modern. The brown granite was very durable but it just made me feel like I was living in a cave.
Our home is not an open concept floor plan, which is why I like it. It has a British feel to it and you know I have British roots. It would be nice though to have the kitchen flow better with the formal dining room. We got quotes to open up walls, add on, etc. and it just wasn’t something we wanted to spend right now (I have lakehouse dreams). We decided to update what we have and not tear down walls and pull up flooring, etc. We knew if we waited then nothing would get done.
Colorado White Marble from bdg@eburlington.com
I knew that I wanted to use marble because I absolutely love the natural movement. I needed to have some of the “terracotta” veining within it to work with the existing flooring. Marble is a little more high maintenance than quartz but I was okay with that. The slabs are beautiful.
I was certain that I wanted to work with Burlington Design Gallery because I absolutely love their customer service and they have such a great selection of slabs, tile, and wood. Their showroom is MASSIVE. It was a fun process being the client for once!
I chose a fluted marble backsplash, and fell in love with it the moment I saw it.
Drum roll for the after photo…..
AFTER
I wanted a waterfall countertop because it just looks so sophisticated and why waste the slab, right? We took it down to the floor on all three sides. You have to buy the entire slab whether you use it or not. The fluted backsplash is a show stopper, right?
We purchased new cabinet hardware, lighting, fan, faucet and sink. For lighting, I like soft lighting where the bulb isn’t glaring in my face. We have some of the lighting on dimmers so it can be more moody if needed. We put the undercounter lighting on a switch so they no longer plug in which was an eyesore.
The @Kohler faucet is fantastic and I LOVE LOVE my @Bosch Dishwasher.
The sink can be found here. My previous sink was stained all the time and I had to use bleach daily to make it look clean. This one I have now is so delightful because it doesn’t stain!!!
My school of thought is if the kitchen functions well for your family then work with that and update accordingly. Not every kitchen has to be gutted to be updated beautifully!
I love styling shelving and you know I collect pottery of all kinds so getting to display those collections makes me thrilled and their colors tie in the kitchen floors so well.
The beam above the window is special to me because my hubs and the girls made them for me for a birthday when they were 5 & 6. I have one over each of my doors in the kitchen!
We had the rattan blinds and the tulip table, I just had the existing chairs recovered in a graphite stripe and I love them so much more now. They were a gray velvet before and didn’t have much personality. I knew that they would look so sharp redone, kind of like a sharp dressed man but a chair, lol.
Once we got the waterfall countertop installed, my previous rug runner no longer fit. I looked and looked and finally found one that fits perfectly between the island and the oven which is where the size problem was. It has a boho flair to it and the colors are so happy.
I found this mid century china cabinet at a resale furniture store about 4 years ago and have enjoyed it for storage for my vintage glassware collection.
Hope you enjoyed the tour of my new kitchen here at Casa Roca.
Photo credit Nathan Schroeder Photography