Second Step In A Worry-Free Kitchen Renovation

At the end of this post, leave a comment for a chance to win $100 Visa gift card.

Welcome to part two of my series titled, "Four Steps To a Worry-Free Kitchen Makeover."  As a design professional, I know firsthand that for many homeowners the thought of a kitchen renovation is accompanied by anxiety over all the decisions that need to be made.  I'm teaming up with Sub-Zero and Wolf to share tips for each stage of a kitchen renovation to help put your worries to rest.  Recently, I shared that the first step to a worry-free makeover is to define your goals.  If you missed that post, please click here.  Today's post will address the second step, finding inspiration and applying it to your new kitchen design.  

Working with hundreds of clients, I know that choosing the style of a brand new space is not always easy.  To help clients that are struggling with this, I start by learning as much as I can about their everyday lives.  Then I can begin to zero in on a design style that complements their life style.  I may ask if they have a place that makes them feel the most happy.  Most times, there is a special place and using it as inspiration for their new space results in a design that they love for a very long time.  

To demonstrate this concept, I designed a custom kitchen (inspiration board shown above) inspired by my favorite vacation spot. After I was finished with the project, I looked at the inspiration board and thought: I don't think I would ever want to leave this kitchen (except to go back on vacation).  Let's take a look at my vacation photos as I explain how our trips to the cottage translated into this kitchen design…

Our vacations in northern Michigan are a great escape from the grind of our everyday schedules.  They are relaxing, refreshing and good for the spirit.  My goal was to have this kitchen evoke these same emotions.  To achieve that I went for a casual, light hearted, family friendly, nautical flavored design that depicts colors and textures of the lake.  The vintage sailboat pictured above is anchored near the end of our dock.  It was my color inspiration for this design.  I used the palette of crisp white, navy, red and dark espresso colored stain to guide my selections throughout the new space. 

This photo of the front of a white speed boat we rented inspired me to choose white cabinetry and silver finishes.  Shiny silver elements were applied to the design through lighting, cabinet hardware, faucets, and stainless steel appliances.  Weathered wood accents reminiscent of the old dock were brought in through weathered woven barstools and storage baskets.

If this kitchen was really going remind me of our family vacations, it was very important that it was extremely family friendly.  I kept the kids in mind with every selection.  

I provided simple solutions that give little ones easy access to snacks and drinks.  I also incorporated appliances that would make a busy mom's life so much easier, leaving her with more time to enjoy her family.

With all the shiny new finishes, it was important to add a little time worn character to the design.  Art was an easy way to do this.  This photo I shot of an old boat hoist while at the cottage last year inspired my art selections. 

 These vintage replica oars and oversized compass rose art were perfect.  

 Up north Michigan cottages are filled with kitschy art and vintage signs.  I found alternatives that remind me of "up-north" typography art, but are a little larger in scale.  Like this EAT sign.

To bring in a true sense of our northern Michigan beach, I selected a gorgeous pebble tile for the back splash.  This stone reminds me of the white stones found in our sand and all the hours my boys spend skipping them across the water. 

To really make the white cabinetry and pebble tile back splash stand out, I selected a high contrast wall color.  Paint is the easiest and most inexpensive way to bring drama to a space.  I pulled three beautiful shades of gray based navy for the walls from photos of our beloved lake.

This is a great example of a how a favorite place can become inspiration for a new kitchen design.  I took my family vacation and turned it into a brand new kitchen.  If you are considering a kitchen makeover, but you are stuck on choosing a style direction, using your everyday life to find inspiration could be a great starting point for your design.  It doesn't have to be a place or a destination; it could be any aspect of your life that makes you feel happy.  

Creating a style board (either on your own or with the help of a design professional) can help you visualize how your selections will look together.  Once your design board is finished, if you are still unsure of your space will look in the end, no worries!  There are many resources available to give you the confidence you need to move forward with your design.   By visiting a site like Houzz.com and conducting a search using simple key words that describe your inspiration, you can view dozens of real life kitchens designed by professionals with product selections or design style similar to yours.  This gives you an instant visual and can help you decide what you like and dislike.

For example, I went to Houzz.com and typed "nautical kitchen" into the search bar.  This beautiful kitchen was one of the results.  It has similar finishes to the selections I made (white cabinetry, nickel pendant lights and hardware):

Traditional Kitchen by Atlanta Interior Designers & Decorators Brian Watford ID

Enlisting the help of a kitchen design professional is hands down the easiest way to put your worries to rest.  Finding a kitchen designer is easier than it has ever been.  The Sub-Zero Wolf site can help you find a kitchen design professional in your area.  It's also a fantastic resource for every stage of a kitchen renovation.  Visiting Sub-Zero Wolf you can read about kitchen trends, view an extensive kitchen photo gallery,  request a customized kitchen design starter kit, view a designer video series and more.  Also, be sure to check out Sub-Zero's Pinterest page and Wolf's Pinterest page, which features several different design boards for even more inspiration. Stay tuned for the next post in my series. The third step to a worry free makeover is finalizing your plan and executing it!

  In the meantime... For a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, tell me what part of your life could inspire your new kitchen design?

Sweepstakes Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 5/22-6/19.
Be sure to visit the Sub-Zero and Wolf  brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!