Kitchen Refresh Plans

This post is a sponsored collaboration with Lowe’s Home Improvement: As always all opinions are 100% truthful and my own

You have been hearing me talk about it for months now. Over on Instagram stories it is the topic of my day, but, I am excited to finally share my Kitchen Refresh Plans and a few design tips I learned along the way. But first, lets get down to the gorgeous before photos of my chocolate on chocolate on beige current kitchen situation.

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Kitchen Refresh Plans

When I started my kitchen refresh plans I knew it would begin at Lowe’s. Lowe’s truly give you every excuse to start a kitchen refresh right now. By shopping at Lowe’s, you can get 5% off with your Lowe’s Advantage Card, free shipping for MyLowe’s Customers and Lowe’s has a Price Match Guarantee Policy.

The Kitchen Refresh Plans With Lowe’s Include:

• Silestone Calacatta Classic Countertops
• Counter-Form Butcher Block Countertops
• Silestone Calacatta Classic Full Height Backsplash
• Elida Ceramica Hand Crafted White 3-in x 8-in Brick Tile Backsplash
• Kohler Whitehaven White Single Basin Farmhouse Sink  
• All New Samsung Appliances: You can read all about my appliance selections here.

One Kitchen TWO Designs

That’s right, I wanted to create my dream kitchen and I didn’t want to worry about trends, I wanted to worry about timeless design. Also, I have the longest galley kitchen and I am not breaking down walls to create a larger space, remember, it’s just a kitchen refresh. That is why I decided to divide my kitchen into almost two spaces. The “butlers” area and the main kitchen. Of course, unifying them with color and metals.

Silestone Calacatta Classic / Counter – Form Uniblock Butcher Block / Elida Ceramica Hand Crafted Tiles / Valspar Noir / Valspar Ultra White

Design Tips For Your Kitchen Refresh Plans

1 – Measure / Measure / and Measure again. Lowe’s provided me with my sketch grid. I began in pencil and after my third measure, I traced it with black marker and took it with me to my initial countertop consult with Kathy.

2 – Farmhouse Sink: If you are working with existing cabinetry, don’t let that stop you from your plans. For example, I wanted the Kohler Whitehaven Farmhouse sink and some say that you cannot get a farmhouse sink if you are keeping existing under cabinets. NOT TRUE: it will take a little craftsmanship, but we will just cut down the cabinets, sand, and paint them.

3 – Quartz countertop: I cook almost every night with my 3 children always around, from completing homework in the kitchen to helping me cook. I wanted countertops that would not stress me out if Little Lucy drops cranberry juice on it or accidently draws on it while coloring. Now that Silestone is sold at Lowe’s it is very easy to see larger samples and request a sample to take home with you to finalize your design.

4 – Quartz Backsplash: If there is anything that can outdate a kitchen it is the backsplash. Square tiles, subway tiles, glass tiles, hexagon shapes etc. I knew that I cannot be updating my kitchen every 5-7 years. For that reason, I wanted a timeless backsplash and easy maintenance. Less grout lines to worry about and easier cleanup. For that reason, I opted for a full height matching quartz backsplash.

5 – BIG QUARTZ TIP: If you plan on having countertop and backsplash quartz, keep them both 2cm or 3cm. Do not mix. Because then it will come from two different lots/slabs and not match.

6 – Edging: Again, keeping with the timeless feel of the kitchen, I simply opted for eased edging with a couple radius corners. Nothing too crazy.

7 – You must have your sink and faucets on hand when they come to measure for your slabs AND A LIST OF QUESTIONS: this is your chance to ask anything. Can I go see the slab? Where will the seams be? I want less seams? etc etc

8 – Butcher Block: My home is almost 100 years old and butcher block seemed liked the perfect way to pay it respect. And I always loved how butcher block makes a space feel warm, and again, TIMELESS. It will also bring down your quarts countertop costs 😉 Butcher Block comes in uniblock, which is long continuous strips (most common), Ecoblock typical cutting board look, and End grain, which looks likes a lot of little squares. I opted for the uniblock to give it a more countertop than cutting board look.

9 – Butcher Block Stains: I opted for a lighter rustic maple finish because this will be with black cabinets in a smaller space. If I had a lot of natural lighting, I might have gone with walnut, a darker stain. But, I was nervous for the space to feel too dark.

10 – Don’t be scared to mix it up. I wanted to divide up my kitchen and I finally decided, I am going to mix it up. Even if it is not a norm. Below you can see my current space and what will go where.

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