Kitchen Inspiration after a hurricane

My cousin lives up in NY and hurricane Irene KO'd their house. Suckola. Everyone in the family is okay, so they are left rebuilding.  She is having kitchen design issues. ie she's so overwhelmed she doesn't want to design it.  Totally understandable. Plus she has a new baby and a 3 year old!

Here are some pics:

yes, their fridge floated away.

In steps me...and pinterest :)

I did this drawing in paint...I do not have mad skills in the 3D computer drawing department...I can draw by hand though :)

The Cabinets

She wants cherry cabinets, so here are some pics for those:

I love the modern pulls on these, it looks sleek and easy to wipe :)

I would go with crown moulding on the top it looks more finished and polished.  

When choosing new cabinetry go with cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling so there is no wasted space!
The layout can basically stay the same, but she wanted to add an island.  Which she has tons of room for!

Inspiration for G on my drawing:

This island would be superb!

not quite this long, but the seating and the counter are fabulous.

Inspiration for F on my drawing:

She is wanting the refrigerator built in with some kind of pantry. Totally agree!

This would be great, bc you could have the fridge built in and the microwave off the counter...I hate microwaves!

Cabinets like these that go floor to ceiling double for storage and a pantry.

another wall of cabinets and drawers :)  These are custom, but Home Depot and Lowe's can just butt their cabinets together to make arrangements like these.

Home depot sells tall pantry units that can be sat next to each other to get  this look.

Inspiration for A on my drawing:

Beside the stove area in her hurricane pic, it looked like an additional little bit of counter.  I would cut that out and put something like these up:

I actually own these and I love them!!

Inspiration for B on my drawing:

I think this would be a cute place for a chalkboard message board and a chair.

I love the runner in this too!  Need to DIY one of those for my kitchen!!

Inspiration for C on my drawing:

I would use this area for keys, dog leash, mail sorting and such,

Inspiration for D on my drawing:

Hanging coats for guests or the kids.

Inspiration for H on my drawing:

Open over the stove, maybe a big clock or some shelves.

This also has the counter to ceiling subway tile.

Inspiration for E on my drawing:

The hutch area and the bamboo blinds

Counter tops

I would go with granite or solid surface on the majority and maybe butcher block from IKEA for the island (only do this if the cabinets are painted white or something other than wood.)  I wouldn't put wood counter on wood cabinets.  I personally like white countertops because they are so bright on the cherry cabinets.  You can also put granite or marble tile counters in, this is more affordable than solid granite and waaaayyyy cheaper than solid marble.  I am doing this in my own kitchen.  I scored some cheap stuff from craigslist.  Concrete is also a fabulous choice for counters and you can DIY that one!

BTW, Craigslist usually has whole kitchen sets for way cheaper than Home Depot.

The backsplash is where you can put some personality.  I LOVE subway tile!  Some pics above have the subway tile, it's classic and easy to clean.

I also like the planked look of these pictures:

Above the sink shelves:

Love the huge light!  You could totally make something like this out of a crappy light and some picture frames!  I did!

Lighting:

love the barn lights and the island in this one!  The counter on it is painted and all
the wear and tear would just show character!

I actually love all the lights in the pics, so any of those would be fine.  You could also get a cheap chandelier off craigslist or from Habitat for Humanity or Goodwill and spray paint it.

All of these inspiration images were found on Pinterest


Hope all this helped Tiff!
-Make your life beautiful!