Renovating a kitchen can be a daunting task and may sound very overwhelming. So many choices to make from floors to backsplash, countertops to lights. One thing for sure, you want to make the most out of your budget and still want to have a great looking kitchen. Our kitchen belongs to a charming 1000 sqt ft rambler house property located in Lorton VA. Like many houses built in 1970 the kitchen was smaller and not efficient in terms of functionality and flow. This kitchen is 10ft by 11ft, almost a square. So how did we do it?
Here are some steps that will help you get a kitchen similar to ours:
Deciding the shape
To maximize the space, align most of your cabinets along the wall in an L shape configuration. This shape is more functional and gives more cabinets for storage. Here’s a tip, visit your local home depot designer desks. If you bring in your measurements they will provide you with a professional 3D free design! Also, the kitchen experts at Home Depot will sketch in all the appliances so you actually don’t make wrong measurements. Get a free quote on their selection of cabinets, watch and wait for sales.
Color Scheme
We love neutral colors because you can easily add more colors to your kitchen with cool accessories. For this Lorton kitchen, we went with white to create an eye impression of grandeur and brightness. To contrast all the white choose knobs and handles of darker color. Another contrast is also the hardwood dark brown bamboo that is water-resistant.
Floor Tiles or No floor Tiles?
NO tiles! Because the kitchen is small, tiling would section the space making this tiny place look even smaller. It would disturb the open concept by breaking the flow between the kitchen, the living room, and dining area… making it like on its own island separate from the rest of the house. Choose a floor that matches the rest of the house to keep the flow. Go for a hardwood floor like this hardwood bamboo. This material is scratch-resistant and water-resistant as well as friendlier on your wallet.
Island or No Island?
Yes, yes! Islands are a great way to add functionality in a kitchen, the versatile countertops can be used for all kinds of activities to preparing meals to doing homework or simply an extension of your table. This small kitchen has an island of 6ft by 3ft. It fills in the space between the dining room and kitchen without hindering the flow between living room and dining area. On your island fill the space with cabinets and drawers to add more storage.
Chic Countertops?
YES! Splurge some money on your countertops. In this kitchen, we have a white quartz countertop with gray veins. A granite countertop would have also worked for our design. This lighter color reflects the natural light and the recess light brightening the whole kitchen. Tips: get several quotes and look for local countertops companies. Ask about their inventory as they might have surplus which could lead you to refreshing discounts.
What About a Backsplash?
Backsplashes are not only easier to clean, but are a way to add texture and color. The key here is to choose something that you will not get tired of in 2 years! In this design, the subway tiles from Floor and Decor were the winner. Notice the very subtle impression that this backsplash plays on your eye. That’s because we mixed mat tiles and glossy tiles in a random pattern. Why random? To imitate a natural distribution and avoid repetition. So throw a dice to ensure the randomness and add fun in the making. For this project the proportion used were 5 glossy tiles for 2 matt tiles. To increase the “holalala!” factor we tiled up to the ceiling to create continuity and make an impression of grandeur just as we did with the flooring.
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