One Room Challenge: Week 2 – Moodboard, Fixtures, and Finishes!

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It’s week 2 of the Fall 2021 One Room Challenge and today I’m sharing all the fun little details that you’re going to see come to life over the next few weeks. If you missed my week 1 blog post, make sure you check it out by CLICKING HERE.

Designing this kitchen has been an emotional labor of love. Because I’m keeping the original kitchen footprint and making only “cosmetic” upgrades, I wanted to make sure this transformation is as purposeful and impactful as possible with the limitations I have in place.

After weeks of combing through inspirational photos and drafting a variety of ideas, I finally settled on all the finishes and fixtures for this moody and cozy kitchen!

Physical and Digital Moodboard

My digital moodboard really guides the direction of my design. Although I can visualize spaces well in my head, having a place where all my designs come to life really helps me commit to my final look. For my digital moodboard I pull together images and lay them out to mimic the room as best as I can. Although the colors of these cabinets is a little off, and I don’t have the exact paint color for the wall, I do believe this is still a great visualization of my goal for this space.

One of my most favorite days in a room transformation is when my samples and items start arriving. It’s when you get to determine if everything you’ve dreamed up in your head works together in real life, in your space, and with your natural lighting. There’s nothing quite like that special moment when what you’ve dreamed up in the digital realm begins to become tangible.

Fixtures and Finishes

Cabinet Doors

I started with the cabinets because I personally believe that they tend to be the focal point of most kitchens. I knew I wanted to stay away from white and natural wood and ultimately settled on shaker style cabinets that I’ll be building myself and painting my favorite green color, Fig Tree.

Wallpaper

I never thought I’d say this, but I love that wallpaper is really having a moment right now. Wallpaper can be bad but it can also be VERY good and I was determined to find a moody wallpaper to add a little fun and sophistication to the kitchen.

I’ll be using Eloise Short’s county flowers wallpaper from her collection with Milton and King. Her designs embody a grandmillennial style and I felt it was so fitting for a warm and cozy space. This vintage floral pattern mixed with the deep green background is a nice mix of old and new.

Tile and Flooring

I want my kitchen to feel cozy, calm, and welcoming and I felt one of the best ways to do that is to ensure that the tile and flooring embody those emotions. I’ll be using The Tile Shop’s Riad Tile in White for the kitchen backsplash and will be laying The Tile Shop’s Madera Luxury Vinyl SPC Floor Tile in the color Miel.

I’m sure you think it’s interesting that I would assign an emotion to tile, but the reality is that all fixtures and finishes in a home evoke emotion, whether we realize it or not.

The Riad Tile looks handmade and will add an artisanal feel to the space. Each 4″x4″ tile has a blend of tones and also bosts a variety of color and texture variations.

The Madera Vinyl SPC Flooring is a going to bring a warm color to the space while also providing us with the flooring durability our home has been lacking.

Lighting

Our kitchen is full of mid 2000’s can lights and really lacks any type of layering. I knew from the start that I wanted to add in layered lighting and I’m so happy that I’ll be adding in Kichler lighting which includes pendant lights, a sconce over the sink window, a chandelier in the dining nook, and LED tape light under the cabinets. The scone and pendant have an antique gold finish and the chandelier is matte black.

Cabinet Harware

It’s amazing to think how much time I spent picking out cabinet hardware but it was SO important to find the right knobs and pulls for the cabinets.

After searching through an unhealthy amount of knobs and pulls I came across the egg knobs and spindle pulls by Emtek and I immediately knew that they were exactly what my space needed. I was looking for a gold that wasn’t “too” gold and Emtek’s french antique finish that I’ll be using matches perfectly with my lighting.

Counters

My dream for counters is soapstone! Would it even be a “Pinch Plate Party” design if it didn’t include black somewhere? I love the look of soapstone and I love that it ages well. I’m still finalizing all of my countertop details and plan to share them with you soon.