Style ideas for a sleek modernized kitchen

In it’s current state, our kitchen is the stuff of nightmares. From the faux stained glass plastic cabinet inlay to the stick-on flower decal on the avocado green backsplash, it is a design that time gladly forgot. What it does have though is a ton of potential due to the space and layout.

Ours is not your typical Victorian-era kitchen. It was renovated, we believe, in the 1960’s when an addition was added on to the back of the house (see diagram below). Because of this, we have a partially-open floor plan that creates a much bigger kitchen that flows into the living space of the addition.

We plan on carrying the same flooring throughout those two areas to make the space feel bigger and more unified. We also want to keep the space somewhat neutral so that we can easily incorporate eclectic pieces into the living room and kitchen. Since the kitchen is in such bad shape and isn’t the original design, we decided to completely modernize it, while still choosing stylish and elegant elements that keep the design rather timeless. The mood board below lays out these current design ideas for the kitchen.

Kitchen Mood Board

1. I’m not a fan of stainless steel appliances so we are thinking of using the beautiful White Ice appliances from Whirlpool. They have a streamlined contemporary feel and they’ll balance out our darker concrete floor tiles and countertop. Whirlpool White Ice Gas Stove (c/o Home Depot)

2. I’m so excited to have a window over our sink! I plan on creating a window herb garden that will bring some green into the space, act as a window covering, and provide tasty spices for my Michael’s cooking (he’s the chef in the family).  Cilantro (c/o Home Depot)

3. I had this faucet at my old house and I loved it. It also has interchangeable handles that can be either black, tan or white. Kohler Malleco Vibrant Stainless Faucet (c/o Lowes)

4. I also had this sink in my old house and it was great. It is the easiest farmhouse sink to install and, unlike cast iron, you don’t have to worry about chipping or staining enamel.  Kohler Vault Top Mount Stainless Steel 36 in sink (c/o Home Depot)

5. We have some lovely lines to our current countertops but they are a not-so-lovely avocado green, and they are also scratched. We plan on using Ardex Feather Finish to create concrete countertops over the existing ones. Concrete countertop detail (photo by: Chris Oatley c/o Flickr)

6. Once again, the White Ice appliances are so stylish. We also wanted a fridge without a water dispenser because we will be installing a filtered water faucet in the sink. This is perfect!  Whirlpool White Ice Side by Side Refrigerator (c/o Home Depot)

7. I just love hex tiles. If I could, they would probably be on any tiled surface in my house. Okay, I realize that’s a little nuts. I do want to put them on our backsplash though. These gorgeous marble tiles make me so happy. I can’t wait to put them up.  Greecian white hexagon 12 x 12 marble mosaic tile (c/o Home Depot)

8. These pulls will look beautiful on our newly-painted white cabinets. I can’t wait! Richelieu 108-mm brushed nickel bar pulls (c/o Lowe’s)

9. The facets of these knobs will add just a hint of sparkle to the kitchen. Brainerd Serafina nickel octangular cabinet knob (c/o Lowe’s)

10. We are keeping the bulkhead over the cabinets and I plan to frame a chalkboard and hang it over one section of cabinets. I could write a monthly quote from my favorite books, or feature recipes, or even draw some cute pictures. (Photo by: Jake Liefer c/o Flickr)

11. We have one area where there is a substantial gap in between our base cabinets. What better way to fill that gap than with a beverage center. New Air 19 in. can cooler (c/o Home Depot)

12. Just to keep things fun, we will mount this vintage-inspired bottle opener next to our beverage center. Mint green cast iron wall-mounted bottle opener (c/o Nevermore Gifts on Etsy)

13. These lamps give off a warm glow and will work well to frame the space over the bar.  Minut pendant lamp (c/o Ikea)

14. This warm grey concrete-inspired tile is neutral enough to go with any decor and will flow seamlessly from our addition, which will be used as a living room, into the kitchen and hallways. MS International Beton concrete 12 x 24 floor tile (c/o Home Depot).