The Kitchen Spruce
Post Spruce — Crisp, Bright & Cheerful
Pre Spruce
Pre-Spruce: Dark & Disjointed
The open layout, high ceilings and huge skylight of the kitchen made it a great canvas to start with.
Although the cabinet doors had an interesting artistic finish to it, the dark colors against the white cabinet frames made the kitchen feel smaller, dark & disjointed.
Mid Spruce
Duo Tone Cabinets
A little paint goes a long way.
Already looking so much better!
The duo tone cabinets (white wall cabinets + light turquoise base cabinets) emphasizes the vertical space of the kitchen and draws your eyes up, making the space feel even more open.
Having the cabinet doors and frames in the same color creates a more modern, clean & cohesive look. The blue hues of the turquoise cabinets balances the warm tones of the cement countertops while also adding some cheer to the kitchen.
Design Tip
Using light colors on top + dark colors on the bottom in any space creates a visual illusion that makes the space feel taller.
Revamping the Light Fixture
The old light fixture had interesting details but would look better in a different color. I decided to sand it down and spray paint it gold — I LOVE spray painting.
I also wanted to automate the kitchen as much as possible. When your hands are sticky or you’re in the other room, flipping a light switch is just so much work. Solution? Smart LED light bulbs, with voice control via Alexa and Google Home.
How I like to use my smart LED lights:
Turn on and off the lights with a voice command (the obvious)
Save electricity by setting timers
Set routines so that lights turn on / off based on your location — I have Alexa welcome me home and turn on the lights for me when I arrive home
The lights are also multi-colored, can be set to warm or cool white light, dimmable and can be set to multiple scenes.
Confession: I have solo dance parties in my kitchen by telling Alexa “it’s time to dance.”
I LOVE home automation
Gold Finger — Adding Touches of Gold
Design Tip
Do mix coordinating knobs for an interesting & subtly eclectic look. Pick a color theme and go knob hunting! She digs hardware from Anthropologie & stocks up whenever there’s a deal.
More Kitchen Storage Please
The kitchen had ZERO drawers and needed more storage space.
I love to cook & my kitchen gadgets (and snacks) needed a place to call home. The space between the two windows was a perfect place to add additional shelving without being in the way. The FJÄLKINGE shelf unit with additional drawers was a perfect fit.
I used the white cabinet to create a focal point in the kitchen and was the perfect place to display glassware, cook books and other gold decor.
What’s in the drawers? All my dining ware. It’s easy to access and I loved that I could see everything in the drawer as soon as I opened it. I’m petite and sometimes having dining ware in cabinets makes it really hard to see / reach.
#VerticallyChallenged
I also organized all my plates and bowls in a way that would be pleasing to the eye when the drawers were open. Yes, I know, I might be OCD. Seeing the display of dining ware in the drawers brings me joy.
Design Tip
When organizing items in drawers, try grouping visually similar items together (by color, size, shape, etc). For a visually pleasing aesthetic, go from dark ⇢ light or large ⇢ small.
More Lights Please
I am the type of person who prefers natural day light. When that’s not available, the next best thing is lights with high lumens. Personally, cooking in a bright kitchen is much more my jam (who wants to accidentally cut a finger because you can’t see?)
The kitchen skylight thankfully allowed lots of natural light in the space but it’s dark under the cabinets. I added LED Strip Lights above and below the cabinets to light up the counters and to highlight the tall ceilings in the kitchen.
Under Cabinet LED Lights
Voice activated, tons of colors and syncs to music.
Features:
Smart RGB light strip — compatible with Alexa and Google Home (More on home automation in a future post)
Waterproof — in case of spillage and sink splashes
Tons of colors — over 16 million, including day light & warm light
Dimmable
Syncs with music — makes dancing in the kitchen while cooking (or not) so much fun!
Multi-scene application — set the mood with your custom colors and transitions. Great feature whether you’re replicating the sunset in your home or turning your space into a strobe-light filled discotheque.
Confession: I dance with my Dyson, in the kitchen, because I can.
Adding a Few Final Touches…
