Kitchen Design

We are starting the process of designing our kitchen. Even typing that, I feel immense pressure for some reason. Maybe it's because I know it's the focal point of our home. Currently in our rental, our kitchen is a small square that only two people can comfortably be in at a time and there is approximately two square feet of countertop space that is usable for prepping meals. We are constantly kicking the kids' plastic step stool around so we can get into cupboards. I often hear the sound of it scratching along the floor in my dreams. Also, our dog won't enter the kitchen because it is a step down from the dining area and he doesn't like the floor.

Needless to say, I'm excited about a space we can all comfortably be in, but I do think I feel the pressure to make it just that. Plus, I'm an indecisive perfectionist, so renovating a house is really keeping me up at night.

Our first design: Last spring, we had a design appointment with a rather high end kitchen manufacturer that has (excuse me, HAD - another story for another day) a showroom on our high street. It was a great experience, and of course, beautiful kitchen but the price tag was hefty, so ultimately not in the cards for us when there are so many other elements to also account for in the renovation.

Our second design: Last week, we met with a big kitchen supplier for a free design appointment. I will be honest; the online reviews are very mixed, and the bad ones are enough to make you run the other way, so I was leery going in. On the other hand, there are still thousands of people who purchase kitchens from them every year. Plus, they are on the lower end cost-wise, so it was at least worth checking out.

Even though I went into it open-minded (by my standards anyway), it quickly became wildly overwhelming with the designer giving me a judgmental laugh when I was struggling to make a decision.

Nothing was really catching my eye under the harsh lighting, and the style I had my eye on apparently only came in 4 colors, none of which appealed to me. Our designer quickly ran through the color options in each style, trying to cater to a few pictures I showed her but offering no real advice except "we can do that but it is going to be a lot more expensive".

By the time we sat down at her desk to actually start designing the layout, I had no idea what cabinets we had settled on, and I had internally reached shut down mode so I couldn't even bring myself to ask.

It only got worse from there. Everything was looking so much different that I had pictured, and the limited size offerings of cabinets eliminated a couple of the key elements I wanted in the kitchen like wall lights flanking the extractor hood.

By the end of the appointment, I could tell she was trying to get a feel for whether or not we were going to make a deposit in the next couple of weeks. When we said no, we weren't in a huge rush so she could follow up with us in about a month, she ended the appointment stating the two hours were up. She hadn't even designed the pantry at that point.

I left in such a terrible mood. Poor Nick, I spent the rest of the day spiraling and not even wanting to talk about the house. Heck, I didn't even want to own the house anymore.

I pulled myself together over the weekend, and I was able to come back down to the reality that I don't have to choose them. It is just one option among many.

Our third design: To further the excitement, I made another design appointment at a different kitchen company for the following Monday. Another big chain with slightly better reviews, and our builder actually set us up with a particular designer he has worked with before. Things like that always make me feel more at ease. If different people in different parts of our project know each other then I am less likely to have to be the middleman all the time.

This appointment was much, much better. I felt it as soon as I walked in. I was drawn toward a couple of cabinet colors, and as I opened and closed all of the cabinets in the showroom I found myself smiling instead of looking for fault.

The designer immediately made me feel at ease. We were in a beautiful meeting room with nice lighting (unlike the harsh fluorescents of the other one). She just gathered notes at this appointment, taking time to look at the drawings I had done myself, and she will be getting back to us in a few days with the actual design and price. I sat through the appointment with excited anxiety instead of thoughts of feigning a phone call to get up and leave like I was doing at the other one. When we left, I was actually smiling, and I went home wanting to dig out my paint and tile samples.

That's the up-to-date kitchen saga. Still waiting on the design from the third place, cautiously bracing myself for a higher price tag.

On a design note, I thought I wanted a light and bright kitchen this whole time, maybe a light sage green or dusty blue, but the last few weeks I have done a 180. I am drawn towards a dark blue with an earthy red island. We'll see how it comes out on the design, but I'll post my amateur mockup below to see what you think. Feel free to hop over to my Instagram (@tracislondonlife) and let me know!