I dropped by Home Depot the other day to pick up some countertop samples and happened to see a display for Thomasville cabinets. I think they may have exactly what I want...and with only a 3-week turnaround.
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| Blythe cabinets by Thomasville in chocolate cherry thomasvillecabinets.com |
This pantry/refrigerator arrangement from the Thomasville website is exactly what I had drawn for one side of the kitchen, complete with a built-in desk/bar to the right, just like this photo shows. The opposite side of the galley will have the sink, dishwasher, stove and food prep counter space.
The last time I had a new countertop installed was nearly 20 years ago, and I chose Corian, which was a fairly new product at the time. I was so pleased with it that I think I'll probably go with it again...or Hi-Macs, which is essentially the same type product. I like the fact that it's a solid material and can be sanded and buffed if scratched or stained. From my previous experience, however, I found it to be almost impervious to damage. It has apparently stood the test of time, and I'm sure it's even better than it was when I bought it back in 1995.
I've chosen black appliances and probably will use the same slate tile with a lot of black in it that I used for the recent bathroom redo. I am looking at countertop colors that will pick up the lighter and more neutral colors in the tile. I've been hitting Home Depots all over town, politely taking a small handful of free Corian samples at each location. Nobody likes a greedy old woman who barges in to one store and demands a cartload of sample, right?
I think I've found an Ikea piece that will work for the bathroom vanity. It's their standard "black brown" of Expedit fame and is close to the color of the Thomasville cabinets. I plan to use an Expedit unit for storage in the bathroom, leaving some of the shelves open and also using some of the inserts with doors and drawers.
The countertop front runner so far is a Corian color called Tundra. A color called Warm Soapstone looks good with the tile too, but I think it's a bit dark. I'm going to have a 4' x 7' walk-in shower with a textured concrete floor. In addition to black and rust, the tile has a lot of a grayish concrete color in it. I plan to use a Kelly-Moore paint in a grayish brown color called Meadow Brook throughout the apartment along with matte black faucets and light fixtures, so I think it could be a good choice, but I'm still at the "how-many-times-can-I-look-at-these-samples-without-setting-my-hair-on-fire" stage. Who knows what I'll choose when it's down to the wire?
The countertop front runner so far is a Corian color called Tundra. A color called Warm Soapstone looks good with the tile too, but I think it's a bit dark. I'm going to have a 4' x 7' walk-in shower with a textured concrete floor. In addition to black and rust, the tile has a lot of a grayish concrete color in it. I plan to use a Kelly-Moore paint in a grayish brown color called Meadow Brook throughout the apartment along with matte black faucets and light fixtures, so I think it could be a good choice, but I'm still at the "how-many-times-can-I-look-at-these-samples-without-setting-my-hair-on-fire" stage. Who knows what I'll choose when it's down to the wire?
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| Tile for kitchen, bathroom and laundry room |
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| Kelly Moore Meadow Brook paint |
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| Corian Tundra |
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| Corian Warm Soapstone |
I like Tundra! ...if that helps, the kitchen and bathroom are sounding just perfect! Don't be afraid to sleep on it too :)
ReplyDeleteOh, believe me, I'm not only sleeping on all these choices, I'm eating and breathing them. Can you say "totally immersed"? :) I carry around a huge bag of countertop, paint, sink and flooring samples, moving them around like puzzle pieces to try every conceivable combination. I sat up till almost 3 a.m. just looking at doors online.
DeleteI'm sure, even after I've moved in, there will be things I wish I'd done another way, but it won't be because I made a hasty decision. It's starting to come down to the wire, though, because of lead times on cabinet and countertop fabrication, so I'm going to have to make a final decision as soon as the carpenters finish framing.
Getting strange looks from people with all the clanging sounds coming from your handbag? LOL :)
DeleteThose are great choices, Dana, love your cabinets! I spent a lot of time finding the right cabinets too, over here white is really big, alongside lighter colored woods. It was hard to find what I wanted, but I hope it will be worth the effort! Your choices of countertop and colors are great too! My neighbours just got a beautiful corian countertop. For me, it was either that or stone. I chose a composite which is similar to Caecarstone or Silestone, with over 90% stone, in white. I'm so excited to see both our kitchens done, what a treat that big reveal will be!
ReplyDeleteWhen my daughter redid the kitchen in her previous home, she went with Silestone and loved it. I had mentioned to someone in a comment on another post that I have to keep reminding myself that I have to look ahead to the day I sell this house and not put too much money into this construction, even though it will be my apartment. From a practical standpoint, I know by putting a full kitchen and bathroom in it, I'm already spending more money than I'll ever get out of it when I sell someday, so I'm having to be frugal whenever possible.
DeleteI'm also trying to create a look in the apartment that is similar to that of the house, which has slate floors and oak hardwood floors. If I were a potential buyer, it would be jarring to walk from the house into an apartment that's a totally different style. I have a maple vanity in the bathroom in the house that was installed by the previous owner, and the tile I chose for that redo looks fine with it, so I'll still get a quote from Ikea on lighter cabinets at the same time I get a quote on the dark Thomasville ones.
Your kitchen sounds like it's going to be beautiful. I can tell from your blog photos that you have exquisite taste, so I'm looking forward to seeing your reveal.
Looked at Ikea cabinets too, but they are limited in the sizes available. Perhaps the glass block grout joints could match the floor joint color giving it almost a Japanese screen look.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good idea. I'm using a dark gray grout, and that would create a different...possibly updated...look.
DeleteMaybe even using dark wood trim around the sides and smaller trim over the grout joints, you could always use velcro to attach it, and if you don't like it remove it.
ReplyDeleteOf course, by then end of the day and a dozen conversations with my contractor and glass stores, I have abandoned the glass blocks entirely. I'm so fickle!
DeleteFunny the very first thing I thought when I saw the kitchen image was the Brady Bunch kitchen. Not a bad thing I like the the dark flat panels.
ReplyDeleteI just put in Corian in the Rain Cloud Color. We have original MCM slab cabinets in a dark stain. I have pictures on my blog if you are interested in looking at the combination.
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