If you want to give yourself a whole lot of trouble, try designing your kitchen yourself! Ok, so I’m joking (a little!); it is doable, but it’s a major pain in the neck having to think of the million and one things that come with redoing a kitchen. So I thought I would share my experience, including the ups and downs we encountered along the way.
First, it’s important to realize that the kitchen is the heart of a home—it’s where we spend hours cooking and cleaning (mostly cleaning!) as a family, celebrating with friends, enjoying happy hour. . . it’s a place of gathering. The kitchen is a home’s “happy” place, and that’s what me and my boyfriend Antoine kept in mind while designing ours.
Antoine comes from a family of five children, so we knew right away we needed lots of room just to accommodate them! I wanted to stick with the “modern farmhouse” vibe felt throughout the rest of the house. When I think “modern farmhouse”, I picture white cabinets, glass-pane doors, black and gold details, a ceramic sink, etc. And those are exactly the choices we made! I don’t regret a single thing . . . this really is my dream kitchen!
That being said, now that I’ve had time to really experience my kitchen, I can confidently say there are some things I wouldn’t change and definitely recommend, while there are other things I didn’t think of at the time, or that I would improve slightly post-design.
Pantry
If I had to do it over again, I would definitely opt for a walk-in pantry. Yes, it’s a luxury, but it’s a super practical one! Not only is a walk-in pantry great for organizing all your food, it’s also the ideal place to store small appliances you would rather not have clutter up the counter.
Bread drawer
We didn’t think of installing a designated space or drawer where we could hide the bread and toaster, which in hindsight would have been a good idea.
Recycling
A larger recycling area would also have been practical. It’s crazy just how much goes into our recycling every week! Don’t get me wrong—having to empty the bin every day is no big deal, but I would have preferred a larger bin to begin with.
Ceramic sink
A white ceramic sink is beautiful . . . but that’s it! It chips and dirties easily, and is definitely one of the main elements I would change.
Large island
The 4 x 8 kitchen island is one of my favourite things about our kitchen, and I really recommend installing one if you have the space. We opted for a wood/quartz combo and it’s brilliant!
Storage
At first we though we had too much storage, but believe me when I say, there’s never enough storage in a kitchen! We had cabinet boxes installed in both directions under the island . . . super practical.
And finally, I recommend hiring a design specialist who will make sure no detail is overlooked and that the final result meets your needs and makes your life that much easier!
