It all starts with ... inspiration

Of course the first steps in re-imagining our kitchen was to decide on what look we wanted.  Wanting to stay true to the 1920's era of our house and maximize our small space, we both agreed that simple, white cabinetry would be our best bet.  Some inspiration photos we liked on my new favorite procrastination tool, houzz.com 

Traditional Kitchen design by San Francisco Interior Designer Fiorella Design

Subway tiles, marble, oh my!

Traditional Kitchen design by San Francisco Architect Scheinholtz Associates

Traditional Kitchen design by Minneapolis Architect Murphy & Co. Design

Contemporary Kitchen design by Seattle Interior Designer Shuffle Interiors


We knew we would be keeping our base cabinets and liked the idea of painting them a light gray

Contemporary Kitchen design by Little Rock Interior Designer Tobi Fairley

Traditional Kitchen design by Houston Interior Designer Carla Aston | Interior Designer

Contemporary Kitchen design by Minneapolis Photographer Ehlen Creative Communications

Traditional Kitchen design by New York Architect Crisp Architects

Contemporary Kitchen design by Seattle Interior Designer Shuffle Interiors

Traditional Kitchen design

Traditional Kitchen design by New York Kitchen And Bath Brooks Custom

We also have found tons of inspiration in This Old House Magazine

This recent kitchen article was inspiring

I really love the wall color in this space!

Things we knew we liked:

•  a mix of classic/retro with some clean, modern touches - nothing TOO trendy, or TOO cookie-cutter
• whites and grays to not have TOO much contrast in our small space
• I wanted some marble somewhere! It's luxurious and classic.
• beadboard ceiling
• school house/retro lighting
• subway tile, but not just the basic white 3" x 6"
• marmoleum or hardwood flooring
• a focal area of backsplash