Thursday, January 18, 2018

Friday Favorites

We've had lots of people over to our new home this past year and most all ask what are the things we love the most and what is something we would have done differently.  To be truthful, we could not be happier with our decisions and choices, and for that we are VERY thankful!  I feel so blessed to live in a home designed just for us but all of the decisions were based on lots of input from family, friends, Pinterest and the many decorating blogs I read.
I thought I'd dedicate a post every couple of weeks to the things we like best in our new home and why they work for us.
I would say my favorite room is our kitchen/dining room.  When we first sat down with our architect, he asked how we wanted to feel in each space.  My vision for the kitchen/dining room was to be light and airy. I also wanted the two rooms combined.  We would use our old dining room furniture so he worked their size into the design.
The nine foot ceilings and transom windows help to make this a bright, cheery space.  The cabinet color also helps to keep the space light.  Our cabinet maker used a commercial grade paint and it didn't have a name, just a color number.  When compared to the white trim used elsewhere in the house, it has a little bit of grey in it.  I didn't want a bright white for the cabinets, just something softer.  I am also pleased with how they look with the wood floors and our existing dining room furniture.
 
We've had lots of discussions about the counter tops.  We chose quartz and I've been so pleased with the two different colors.  Several family members have granite and others have solid surface and each love their choices. This was a hard one.  There are many different options and in the end, you have to decide how you cook and what will be the best for that. I'm pretty messy and wanted a surface that was low-maintenance and durable.  We set our budget and did a lot of looking around but I am so happy with my Silestone! It's easy to clean and has held up well with multiple spills and messes. I cook a lot and can veggies from the garden so the island size and built-in deep sink have come in handy.

Another thing I love about our kitchen that I'll share this time are the pull-out drawers.  Whoever thought of these should be a billionaire!  (I know it's tacky to show the inside of your drawers but... this is truly how they look EVERYDAY!  In our old house, my 'tupperware' space was a lower corner cabinet.  It was large and my stuff got lost in there!  Many times, I would be on my hands and knees looking for a lid to an orphaned container.  NO MORE!  Here they all are!  And I'm not crawling around after dinner looking for anything!!
 The wide space allows me to keep everything where they can easily be found.
 The little cut-out in the drawer below accommodates the gas fixture for the stove.
Several heavy pots and pans are stored here and in another pullout shelf in the island.
Don't judge me!  I LOVE these Ware Ever pots!  The skillets are newer but I just couldn't part with my old friends!!
Thanks for stopping by.  I'll be sharing our "favorites" every couple of weeks.  My hope is these posts will be helpful to anyone remodeling or building a new home.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

                                                                                      Zenda





Linking to:

Share Your Style
Share Your Cup
Home Matters
Dishing It and Digging It
Sweet Inspiration Party
Amaze Me Monday
Make It Pretty Monday
Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays At Our House
The Scoop

13 comments:

Julie's Creative Lifestyle said...

Your kitchen is beautiful and I love the white and black. The pull out cabinets are great too and so neat! I'm so happy for you.

Kim said...

Your kitchen and dining room is the most beautiful space. There are so many fabulous features. I love the little drawer under the stove with all your cooking 'bits' at hand. Love the lights and the colour of the kitchen is just right. What a fantastic space is the island bench, with all that space for food preparations with the sink close by. The dining chairs are gorgeous and the beautiful dresser is the perfect finishing decorating touch. I think if I had such a beautiful room, I would never want to leave. I would imagine this room is the perfect entertainment space. I wait with eager anticipation, Zenda, to see what beautiful room you next show us.

Alycia Nichols said...

Color me a bright shade of Envious Green!!! I have wanted deep drawers in place of cabinets FOREVER!!! The convenience and ease is unbeatable, especially with my bending and lifting limitations. I think I am going to have to ruffle some feathers around here and INSIST that several cabinets undergo a change this Spring or Summer when I’m back on ky feet and able to reorganize the kitchen. Thanks for showing the inside of the drawers as this will help make my case!

Rosie M. said...

Bravo, Zenda, for all the choices you made to create a perfect home come true. I love your kitchen and dining area and can't wait to see the other spaces you are going to showcase. Your holidays must have been so much fun!
Rosie @ The Magic Hutch

A Crafty Mix said...

I would love my tupperware storage area to look so neat but I'm afraid I'm still one of those poor souls that needs to crawl around looking for matching lids and bottoms. I wonder if they also join those lost socks somewhere on a desert island. Love your kitchen Zenda, it looks so functional.

Creations By Cindy said...

I’m in love with your kitchen and everything about speaks “welcome “. Wish i could enjoy a cup of coffee or tea with you in that beautiful kitchen . Hugs and blessings , Cindy

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

Zenda, your new home truly is beautiful! I especially love your kitchen. So fun to have it built just for you and your hubby. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann

Pam Richardson said...

What a beautiful kitchen that is functional and welcoming! Great job!

Mary K. said...

Your home is beautiful and it is also great to have so much storage space in your kitchen. Zenda I lived in a home with a nice big kitchen but now I've moved and I bet my kitchen is smaller than your closet.

Kathryn Griffin said...

I simply adore your kitchen! Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing. You are one of the features at the Make it Pretty party at The Dedicated House. Here is the link to this week's shindig. http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/make-pretty-monday-week-240/ Happy week to you! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

Shannon@Belle Bleu Interiors said...

Zenda, your kitchen is just gorgeous! I dream of having a kitchen like yours. I know that you must really love your space. I had quartz at my previous home, and I loved it. I miss my old kitchen, and we are saving our pennies in hopes of remodeling the kitchen of the home we just purchased. Enjoy the rest of your week!!!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Zenda, I love your new kitchen! I especially like that your cabinets go all the way up to the ceiling. When we remodeled our kitchen, I went with quartz countertops because of the low/no-maintenance and I couldn't be happier. Perfect for all my dough- (pie, croissant, yeast, cookie, pasta, etc) rolling!

Anonymous said...

Great post.