Spring 2020 One Room Challenge - Week 4

The Foundation - Part II

Welcome back!  It's Week 4 and we've reached the halfway mark of the One Room Challenge.  Today I thought I'd dig in to a few more of the selections for my kitchen project.  I've had the opportunity to work with some amazing sponsors, who have been generous enough to offer their products and discounts for this project.  Needless to say, I am beyond grateful.  

Countertops were one of my number one priorities, so I was pretty stoked when Stoneworks LTD in Charlotte agreed to come along as a sponsor of project.  The staff and team there were amazing and didn't hesitate to help me make the right decision in a pretty tight timeline (prior to the tile going in).  

From the start, I knew I wanted to go with quartz.  The look was what I wanted, but also the durability is hard to beat.  It was just a matter of which of the many options to go with.

Since I had to consider the warmth of the cabinetry in my selection, I ended up going with
MSI's Calcutta Arno. 

Seeing the selection on this HUGE screen definitely sealed the deal!

This selection had a clean fresh feel but the veining added a bit of warmth at the same time.  We did an eased edge and 3/4" outside radius.  It was the first thing that went in and boy did it make a big difference. So fresh and so clean, clean.  😆

I'd been wanting to extend the island counter to create bar seating since I moved in 13 years ago, so this little addition was long over due. 

Speaking of the island...It was the only cabinetry that I intended to paint.  I love the idea of a island painted in a contrasting color.  I decided on another neutral that's in line with the wall color.  With so much color being added with tile and drapery, I felt like a neutral was the way to go.  

Sherwin-Willams' Moth Wing was saturated enough, without being overpowering.  

Before the project officially began, I knew I wanted to be strategic about working with and highlighting other small business owners.  I've connected with so many local talented artisans on social media over the years, many of whom we use in our client projects as well.  For this one, I tapped local decorative painter, Alicia Slayton of Organize. Create. Decorate. 

Alicia brought not only her cabinet painting skills, but also a few great ideas on sprucing things up.  She suggested we add beadboard to the island surround and cap off the cabinets with crown molding to add a more finished touch.  Both VERY good ideas.  

I absolutely LOVE how the cabinet turned out.  The color is perfection and the beadboard totally finishes it off.  

You may be eyeing that gorgeous hardware in the photo above. 

Schaub Fonce Collection
2" Matte Black/Satin Brass Cabinet T-Knob and 6" Matte Black/Satin Brass Cabinet Pull

I don't blame you one bit.  It's amazing!  Schaub and Company is one of the official sponsors of the One Room Challenge and they offer an amazing assortment of beautiful cabinetry hardware.  I knew keeping my honey oak cabinets would require me going more bold on the hardware.  Originally, I figured I'd go with simple brass but it didn't take long for me to find that brass hardware almost just faded away.  Black made much more of an impact and was also in the plan in a couple other places.  Black has this grounding affect that I like in projects.  In a project that's full of color, that can also serve as a place for the eye to land among the bold pops of color.  I decided on smaller T-knob for the drawers and 6" pulls (4" center to center) for the doors.  Of course, I had to add a little brass to 

dress things up.  

Yes please! It's so amazing how hardware can REALLY make a big difference.  My cabinets immediately felt more modern with the addition of the black.  Schaub and Company for the WIN!!

Next up were the more functional pieces like my sink and faucet.  You'd be surprised how many choices there are here.  

Thankfully Build.com offers a variety of styles and brands to choose from in one place, making it super easy to narrow the selections.  As an official ORC sponsor, they were super helpful in offering up options to pair with my new quartz countertops.  After a little "market research" (i.e. asking friends),  I decided on cast iron for the sink. I tend to like white and bright when possible and the cast iron just says clean to me.  I'd scoped out the Kohler Iron Tones 33" Drop In Double Basin Cast Iron Kitchen Sink at Stoneworks while shopping for counters and kinda fell in love with it.  

Lucky for me, Build.com had it stocked and ready to go!  

Finding a faucet proved a little more difficult.  I needed to not only decide on the look, but also how I wanted it to function.  I opted for a touch sensor one with a pull down sprayer option.  I love that the 

 Delta Trinsic Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet with On/Off Touch Activation, Magnetic Docking Spray Head is clean and simple and comes in the most beautiful champagne bronze finish that's almost identical to my appliance hardware (getting to that part soon).  With the faucet selected, I then opted to finish off the sink with the matching Delta 3-1/2" Basket Strainer and the Delta Classic 4-1/2" Brass Flange and Disposal Stopper.  

Funny enough, my plumber was super impressed with these. 😁

Rounding out the hardware in the space were the drapery rods and hardware.  Obviously this is an item we use in nearly all of our client projects, so I realize the importance of drapery hardware.  I'd been stalking Helser Brothers for a while and had recently reached out to get a trade account set up to begin sourcing their products for our client projects.   I thought I'd reach out to see if they'd be willing to help me with my ORC project and much to my delight, they agreed!!

Helser Brothers
 Metro Rod and Bauhaus Crystal Finial 

Clean and modern was what I was looking for and the Metro collection delivered just that.  I capped off the brass rod with a Bauhaus crystal finial and wowza!

They are EXACTLY what I wanted...only nicer.  

Last up, but certainly not least, are the appliances.  I was honestly in a little bit of denial concerning my existing appliances.  See, when you're not a big cook, new appliances rank pretty darn low on the priority list.  However, I realize that it's hard to pull off a kitchen makeover with sad appliances.  So....

If I was going to have to spring for new ones, I was definitely getting what I wanted.  I've loved 

GE's Cafe appliances since I first saw them, so I decided to reach out.   They agreed to work with me and I selected a new fridge, microwave, range and dishwasher from their smart series.  

Y'all, I'm in love! 

While they did sit in my living room for weeks during the height of the Stay-at-Home order, when they were finally installed and I was able to use them, I couldn't have been more delighted.  I went with the matte white collection.  If you know me, you know I'm not much for following the masses so there was no way I was getting stainless "just because".  I love the idea of white appliances for several reasons:

1.) They work with the vibe and style of my home (fresh, cozy and cottage-like)

2.) They reflect light and I need a much in my house as possible.  

3.) The Cafe series comes standard with this amazing brushed bronze hardware (and can also be customized).  

The dishwasher, range and fridge are all Cafe Smart appliances and can be paired with your smart phone to operate when you're not in the kitchen.  Whoa! 

I'm not gonna lie, I love the fact that my phone tells me when my dishwasher is low on Jet Dry and when my range is finished preheating.  Gotta love that, right? 

Well, that's all for now.  I know that was a LOT!  Stay tuned until next week when I'm sharing all things pretty!  

Check out the other featured designers here:

A Glass of Bovino | Beginning in the Middle | Beth Diana Smith | Clark + Aldine | Coco & Jack

Deeply Southern Home| Design Maze | Dwell by Cheryl | Erika Ward | Home Made by Carmona

House of Hipsters | Hunted Interior | Kandrac & Kole | Kate Pearce | Katrina Blair | Liz Kamarul

Veneer Designs | Rambling Renovators | Renovation Husbands | Studio Plumb | Media BH&G