Dream Kitchen?

I have had white cabinets for 32 years (original and remodeled) and still love them. If you love that look then go with it. Keep in mind that what the trend is today will be outdated in 10 years. For that reason it's best to go with what you love and will be happy with.

10 years ago we remodeled to the studs (had original 1958 kitchen still). The cabinets are white shaker, the island is Azul Bahia granite and the perimeter cabinets are a soft ivory. The backsplash is made of diamond shaped handpainted tiles, mainly a creamy white with accent tiles of navy blue.

I would get those fancy extra cabinets like ones for cookie sheets, trash cans/recycle cans, spice drawer, those ones that open like a dresser drawer for pots and pans.  A lighted pantry with a frosted glass door.  One cabinet that is either open or clear glass.  Extra tall cabinets.  

A water thing behind the stove.. pot filler I think it is called. 

That's off the top of my mind. 

Do what makes you happy. Don’t worry about what others will think or if it will be “dated”. Every choice, even neutral choices, are considered dated at some point. Think if all that mid century modern that people couldn’t wait to rip out in the 80-90s. Now it’s hip and being reinstalled or brought back to life.

I have always loved a white kitchen, even back when they were not in style. When we built our first “new” house in the mid-90s our interior was all pale gray and white trim. My kitchen had white cabinets and I had to pay a premium to get white appliances. This was at the height of beige, beige, beige.

We remodeled our kitchen two years ago and I have white cabinets and marble look quartz and white subway tile. It’s a lot of white, but I love the brightness and it looks clean. My walls are a medium blue, but I can repaint anytime and not worry about wood tones clashing with paint color.

Quartz is different from the Corian she has. I recently had some navy sharpie bleed onto the quartz counter from a thawing piece of meat. It came out with a little bleach. Can't tell it was ever there.  

Definitely do some research into the types of countertops available to learn the pros/cons of each.  One trend I'm seeing is wood countertops.  I love that look but know I am not interested in the maintenance to keep them pristine, so it's a pass for me.  You have to match the material to your lifestyle.

Sing it. Kool Aid, red Jello (really any color of Jello), red grape juice and especially coffee are the bane of my existence. My DH dumps his coffee dregs in the white kitchen sink every.freaking.day. and *never* rinses it down. I have given up trying to keep that damn white sink looking clean.

No white cabinets. Maybe blue.

Lots and lots and lots of space for Le Creuset and Fiestaware.

Soft close cabinets.

Lots of counter space.

Lots of plugs.

Super nice gas range with 6 burners.

Deep sink.

I love white cabinets, but not white countertops. I think I would go with something like a butcher block, or wood, or even cement or something different. I love subway tile, any color. The other things I would want in my dream kitchen is a farmhouse sink, a dishwasher (yea, I don't have on), a gas stove, an island with built in plug ins, lots of storage, though I have that now. Windows and a sill to put plants on.

I am a very practical person, so my opinions reflect that.

Just because you have lots of extra $$ doesn't mean you have to spend a great deal. In other words, don't buy something expensive unless that is something that is a must have unless there is not another option for a more reasonable price.

For example, when we redid our kitchen last summer, I started out looking at granite and quartz counters. After having the Peas weigh in and listening to the suggestions of Corian and other man made surfaces, I ended up with a formica countertop that everyone who has seen it commented how they love my granite counter and are surprised when they actually touch it and see that it is not.

I also didn't worry about resale value because we aren't planning on moving anytime in the foreseeable future and fancy counters would not have increased the value of our that much.

Also, if you want white cabinets why don't you paint the ones you already have IF they are solid wood.

We have lived in so many different places and the newer cabinets just didn't appeal as much as the older ones, maybe they just seem sturdier.

I wanted to keep our solid wood (maple) cabinets and just restain them. The doors came out beautiful but the facings did not take the stain as well, the color was very uneven and blotchy, could have been age (50+ years old) or the type of hardwoods used.

So DH suggested we paint the cabinet facings and leave the doors stained. We painted them a medium to dark blue grey color and the doors really pop against it. It looks up to date but not too modern for the age of the house.

My best (practical) advice is to spend some time getting all of your ideas/wants/needs down on paper and prioritize them. Also get an idea of what you want the finished kitchen to look like.

HOWEVER, that vision shouldn't be set in stone. You may have to be flexible in case something doesn't work, isn't available or some other issue --and there is usually something that comes up --that will change the final outcome.

Also be sure to set a ballpark budget. Don't be stingy but at the same time ask yourself if there is something elsewhere in the house you might want to spend $$ on.

Lastly, understand that that a redo won't happen overnight. There are lots of Pea stories about how a six week project turned into several months. FYI a DIY doesn't mean it will happen any faster, LOL.

I have quartz (white with veining) and they clean up very nicely. Clorox clean up (with bleach) and no stains. DS typically leaves a ring of red juice somewhere. I also have a white farmhouse sink and it stays bright white with a little Barkeepers Friend.

I have sustainable bamboo cabinetry with white quart counters.

I love my stainless farmhouse sink.

I love my industrial 6 burner stove / oven combo.

I wish I’d wrapped my island in the quartz.

I wish I had a steam oven.

I wish I had a larger pantry with pull out drawers.

I love my matching kitchen table. I put the white quartz as the table and put the table on wheels with locks.

I have no backsplash because I have no upper cabinets, just windows on one side and walls of cabinets on the other. I took a narrow wall and tiled the entire wall from counter height to the skylight. I used square glass mosaic tile in gold.

I had a similar kitchen, maple cabs, lamininate. Here is a before picture:





Here is what it looks like now, I painted the cabs white, and the island is a dark gray (I think it reads blue due to our walls) put on hardware. We got quartz countertops. No backsplash yet!



this was before the hardware



after hardware!

When we redid out kitchen, DH wanted a dark espresso color for the cabinets and I wanted white. Our contractor pointed out how much more dust and grime showed on the darker color. It was enough to convince DH. 

We did the perimeter cabinets white and the island espresso. Both have quartz tops with a veined taupe on the perimeter and white on the island. If we were redoing it today, I'd do a deep blue island.

FWIW, I like to use the island as a buffet so didn't want any appliances or the sink on it so it is kept pretty bare other than a vase and napkin holder most days. It does have plugs of both sides which gets used regularly.

The backsplash is the place to add color and/or pattern and/or texture IMHO. Add tons of plugs!

Except for a couple of corner cabinets, all the lowers are drawers. 

Enjoy getting the kitchen of your dreams!

ETA great refresh of your space, Bridget in MD!

I have done two kitchen remodels in the last few years.
* More efficient storage (all drawers in your lowers!) will easily double your storage capabilities.
* Almost every kitchen could have a better layout. Look for one that focuses on “zones” (prep zone, cleanup zone, cooking zone) rather than the outdated triangle.
* Plan out what you’re putting where. Don’t just put in random sizes, because you will, invariably, end up with wasted space.
* Think forward... not just what you want now, but what you’ll need in the future. All of our dishes, for example, are in lower cabinet drawers. It was handy with little kids, but it’s also a better idea for aging in place. Same for pulls versus knobs, and wider aisles… anticipate that you may lose dexterity or mobility down the road, and plan accordingly.
* Design-wise, choose a star, and let everything else quietly support it. If you have a quieter counter, you can go bold on the backsplash. If your floor makes a statement, go understated everywhere else. Regardless, there *will* be a point where you question all of your choices and worry you went wrong. Don’t panic, just give it some time.

Now, some things I really love about my kitchen:
* Two dishwashers. I *really* had to talk DH into it, but he agrees now that it’s, by far, the best decision we made for our kitchen. I know it seems weirdly excessive, but we use them constantly. (No one thinks twice about a double wall oven, and that is only used a few times a year!)
* Mixed appliances. Don’t think you need a “suite,” instead get the best appliance for each application. You don’t expect an auto manufacturer to make the best truck and also the best sports car, do you? Same for appliances… some excel in one thing but not another.
* An efficient layout. My kitchen is pretty big, but it works fantastic whether I’m cooking alone or have 15 people in there.
* My backsplash tile. It’s a handmade Moroccan zellige, and it was definitely a splurge for us, but it still makes me very, very happy.

I had wood countertops in the first kitchen. We didn’t have any issues with the counters, and I have four kids, so we weren’t exactly babying it. I’m friends with the people who live there now, and they are still in perfect shape.

I have white quartz in this house and it’s also great. We do a lot of baking here (my daughter made red velvet cupcakes a couple of days ago) and we’ve never had anything stain it.