{kitchen design notes}
here are a few quick inspiration boards with random ideas i have for the kitchen. i need to get my hands on some floor plans, i don't have the measurements so i cannot even begin to get an accurate picture until i have numbers. i'm very numbers oriented, it frustrates me to not have the floor plans in my hot little hands right now.
but black walls in my kitchen... i don't know. i really don't know. i love white. but i feel like white and my color palette of yellow, turquoise, pink, lime, etc. is a bit overplayed right now. it's everywhere. i don't want my home to look like everyone else, i want it to look like me. but unfortunately my style is also one that i'm seeing everywhere right now as the 'hot new look'. i'm not big on deep dark walls. but i adore jewel tones and pastels. gosh what a conflict. there's this very edgy girl living in me - very modern, and then there's this romantic bohemian side that loves white and bright colors and lots and lots of handmade and vintage finds.
{inspiration}
{design ideas}
- wallpaper: either only do the left wall or do the whole kitchen. I'm thinking the whole kitchen. i've long loved cole & son's cow parsley in yellow. it's happy and graphic but also yellow feels fresh and energetic, a feeling that is perfect for a kitchen space. maybe this wallpaper or something like it. hmmm.
- appliances: i would like to go with white appliances. since most appliances in german apartments are about 1/2 the size of u.s. ones, i should be able to fit everything i need along the right wall. fingers crossed.
- cabinetry: right side - mostly appliances and a built in unit with a countertop. the upper cabinetry should be white as well, i'm thinking of white with glass so that the room feels wider but also because i love how it looks. hmmm. left side: another built in unit with a counter top so i have plenty of prep surface for baking, and over it three white shelves (open) where I can place colorful cookbooks, stack dish towels, etc. OR i may opt for an antique cupboard and paint it white, adding ceramic knobs and wallpaper to the interior.
- flooring: this is new tile, so it will stay as is. a few throw rugs to warm it up of course.
- windows: i do not want drapes or much at all on this window, but the thought of something crisp and tailored interests me. perhaps a cotton canvas roman shade in pure white with a yellow grosgrain trim on 3 sides. or maybe i can find a tiny printed fabric. i want to install the shade close to the ceiling to add height.
- furniture: i'd like to add a small metal table with a few chairs to this room to fit in front of the window.
- lighting: a pendant light in the middle of the room should provide enough lighting, though i'd like to add a metal clip lamp (something vintage, chrome perhaps, or black) to a shelf on the left wall to illuminate the prep surface as well. the pendant should be white but add some texture to the room so i'm thinking of a norm pendant or something along the lines of those artichoke lights.
- storage: the cabinetry i plan to put along the left wall (lower) will be where i store pots, pans, cleaning supplies, etc. this is a vacation home so i don't imagine needing as much.
but black walls in my kitchen... i don't know. i really don't know. i love white. but i feel like white and my color palette of yellow, turquoise, pink, lime, etc. is a bit overplayed right now. it's everywhere. i don't want my home to look like everyone else, i want it to look like me. but unfortunately my style is also one that i'm seeing everywhere right now as the 'hot new look'. i'm not big on deep dark walls. but i adore jewel tones and pastels. gosh what a conflict. there's this very edgy girl living in me - very modern, and then there's this romantic bohemian side that loves white and bright colors and lots and lots of handmade and vintage finds.
Comments
Trina
la la lovely
one word of advice: our kitchen looks about the same size and our german stovetop doesn't have an external exhaust fan. We hardly ever fry anything, but we have a ton of grease build-up that I'm always scrubbing against on our cupboards. Open shelving items also frequently need to hit the dishwasher, and curtains washed. It's my big pet peeve about our kitchen! I hope you'll get to have an external exhaust!
So exited!
The sales men almost dropped off the chair, hearing that we look for a black kitchen. He stated that 90 % of their sold kitchen`s are white. Which made an excellent point for me not to have white :))
I`m sure you will find the right color for your kitchen too.Whatever it will be, it will be gorgeous, I`m sure!
I, too, love many different colors and styles and can relate when you talk about having a hard time deciding. You sound like the voice in my head that says, "Oh, but I could do this! Or this! Or THAT!"
I agree with the second poster, above, who said this is your second home, so why not take chances? I like the black wall!
I love so many styles, and I've often told my hubby I need 4 homes to decorate an urban loft, a scandinavian farmhouse, a traditional french tidewater style house and a beachside cottage. Instead I have none of the above and just make it all work. Love that door!
I choose the same cole and son wallpaper for our left hand wall as you did. I adore yellow. But as our plans have evolved we are now going for a black, grey and silver kitchen with some hot coloured accents. I plan to keep the cole and son cow parsley paper but in the dark grey-ish or black and white colour way - exicitng!
I'd love to get a kitchen from 'Plain English' which wil really suit the age of the house, but I think we'll get a carpenter to make us one similar as they are prohibitively expensive.
http://www.plainenglishdesign.co.uk/
The many choices that can inspire, I have been on this white kick as of late and using pops of color in the accessories, I had painted my kitchen really dark last year and actaully tired quickly wanting to change it, but the difference here is I think you get so much more light beaming through. Like many said before I think since it is a vacation home you should give it a try.
I actually remember being drawn to this image from a few years ago? Which promted me to paint my daughters closet doors with chaulkboard paint.
Another thing is yes yes on the open shelving:)
This describes me perfectly too! Love your kitchen ideas, can't wait to see how it looks!
Geneviève
Blessings and Hugs,
S