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Writer's pictureNaomi Stein
May 11, 20166 min read

One Room Challenge {Cottage Kitchen} Week 6

{Originally Published May 11, 2016}

REJOICE.  We have reached the end of the One Room Challenge!  I would like to personally thank and congratulate you guys who have been following along the past 5 weeks as I’ve renovated my cottage kitchen.  For those who are just popping in today, your timing is perfect— scroll down below for for major Before & After action.


Catch Up on My One Room Challenge Kitchen Renovation

We demolished my old kitchen 30 days ago and it’s been a intense, crazy ride to get to the finished room today.   Of course the preparation of this project started well before the official start of the Challenge.  I wrote the first edit of my cabinetry order back on February 24th and I’ve been planning, pinning and dreaming about the space for months… years really.  Seeing it transform from jumbled thoughts in my head into a reality has been truly magical.  I feel so lucky that this is my kitchen.  It’s functional, it’s glamorous, it’s modern, yet it still feels charming.  And it’s a lot of fun too.  I love my kitchen.

I still have a hard time believing that this was my kitchen six weeks ago…

And this is the kitchen today . . .

Renovation Fast Facts // I kept the flooring, island, pendants lights and range hood and updated the rest of the appliances, perimeter cabinets, countertops and backsplash tile.  We also added architectural elements like crown moulding and shiplap and new stools and window treatments to finish the room.

The shiplap (technically a plank wall) is EVERYTHING.  I love how it finishes off the space and makes it feel so much larger and more dynamic.  I had initially planned on a rug and art for this room but in the end I really felt like less was more.

Obviously I went bold with my orange and leopard counter stools.  I love the timelessness of my black and white kitchen, but I really needed a fun moment. I can’t thank my friend, Melissa, enough for painting them for me.  I knew from the start I wanted something a little surprising for my stools.  It’s low commitment, high reward.  In 6 months if I’m so over orange, I’ll just beg Melissa to paint them a new color for me :-)

A last minute addition to the room was the shade on my back door, made with Pierre Frey’s “Arty.”  I just love the watercolor brushstroke fabric.  The modern pattern makes for a fun juxtaposition against the plank wall.  It will be easy for me to mix in yellow, blue, pink or red accents because this fabric has it all.  The black ball trim at the bottom is just ridiculous.  Ridiculously good if you ask me.


BEFORE & AFTER

What I love about this kitchen is its bones are neutral and timeless.  Black and White rules in here.  I’m so glad I went for the black Kitchen Aid refrigerator.  It ties in nicely with the base cabinets and I’m still obsessed with the handles.

A favorite element for me is that we “built-in” the full depth refrigerator.  I specified a 28″ deep refrigerator end panel and pulled out the wall cabinet above to be flush.  We also spaced the base cabinets 2″ off the wall so that the countertops are just a little extra deep.

I love my “china cabinets” over the sink.  Those who have been following along know that I ordered these cabinets with glass doors, but they arrived with mirrored doors.  I toyed with the idea of using the mirrored doors (hides the mess inside!), but in the end, I trusted my first instinct which was glass doors with mirrored backs.  The mirror back reflects light and expands the space without the weird effect of staring at my reflection while doing the dishes.  And most importantly, it allows my custom gold trim to shine!!  George fabricated this simple trim for my doors and it adds just the perfect touch of glam.

Also, I was debating back and forth between large or small glass knobs.  In the end I chose neither.  Sadly, the glass knobs distorted my face upside down in in a creepy way.  It felt less vintage, more fun house mirror.  These undersized brass knobs felt just right and let the other elements shine.

I have no problem displaying my dishes and glasses.  Once this kitchen gets used and abused, they probably wont ever be stacked this neatly again.  That’s OK, I still think this wall will look great and I prefer the glass as opposed to a solid door.  I think that would have made this small room feel more crowded and closed in.


BEFORE & AFTER

BOOM, MARBLE EVERYWHERE.  I love love love my full wall of marble subway tile.  And thank goodness I do, because I sure gave my tile guy, Kevin a lot of grief over “too gray” tiles.  Trust me- marble tile can look a lot darker when setting.  Once it dries and is grouted it’s a whole different ball game.   I think the variation is perfect.

George came up with the idea to dress up my Ikea range hood with a little stainless trim.  I debated back and forth between stainless and gold for the hood trim.  My end reasoning was this… I have two categories: Appliances and Cabinets.  Cabinets are black and have gold hardware.  The appliances are black with stainless.  Therefore stainless on the hood felt most consistent.


I have these extra deep window ledges that I chose to top with the same quartz as my counters.  It’s the perfect spot for my herb garden, which makes me ridiculously happy.  Now I just need to cook more.  Or serve cocktails with Basil and Rosemary.

My counrtertops are Arctic White Quartz- double thick with a mitred edge.  Oh baby I love these.

My large glass knobs did find a home on this little drawer base.  Obviously I feel no need to match my cabinet hardware.  It’s all about coordinating, not matching.

Another fave detail is the marble wrapped into the window jambs.

Thank you to Lowe’s for their generously providing this budget friendly subway tile.

Hello, new efficient cabinets!!

BEFORE & AFTER


My Dash and Albert Rhapsody rug found a happy home in my dining room.  It bridges the gap perfectly between my kitchen and living room and adds a little warmth to this space.  I love that I can see it from pretty much any spot on the first floor.  (Yes, my house is that small.)

Thank you to DecoratorsBest for providing the beautiful fabrics that I turned into pillows.  I love the little repeat of leopard from the counter stools and the pop or red-orange in the ikat.

My Minted art ended up finding a home in the living room and I really love it here.  I chose the ballerina  by Zanne Bedore and Rachael chose the birds by Donna Rosner.  I think they make for a dreamy pair.

If you’ve been going Gaga for the peeks of my chandelier, here it is in all it’s glory.  It’s the Calypso by Crystorama and it’s everything I dreamed of and more.  The teardrop crystals are stunning and look extra dynamic when lit.  I love the substance it brings to my glass dining table.  The styling is vintage yet modern and it felt like the perfect compliment to my kitchen design.  Me Loves.


Catch Up on My One Room Challenge Kitchen Renovation


This renovation never would have happened without my amazing extended Design Manifest team.  A lot of people have told me I’m bold for taking on a project of this size in only six weeks, but I can’t take the credit for this alone.  So thank you to the following talented folks for upping my game… First and foremost, my father, my mentor, my cabinetry setter, Andrew Stein.    Our carpenter, Angelo Iannitelli.  My assistant and right hand, Rachael Herman.  My metalsmith, creative collaborator and cheerleader, George of Coldren Design. Plus Kevin of Love Tile and Marble, Bryan of Buono Construction Group, Dan Curran Builder, Katie of Kieffer’s Appliances, AAA Hellenic, Bill Gordon Painting and Vince D’Angelo Plumbing.  (Plus our intern Chrissy!)  It really does take a village to renovate a kitchen.


And finally a HUGE Thank you to Linda for organizing the One Room Challenge and the amazing sponsors listed below.  This space wouldn’t have happened without your support.  The ORC is a LOT of hard work, but it’s also ridiculously fun for me.  I’m just so honored and grateful to do what I love, improve my own home and be able to share it all with you.  It’s pretty cool.

PLANK WALL (“SHIPLAP”)- LOWE’S

MARBLE SUBWAY TILE – LOWE’S

COUNTER STOOLS- all modern

LEOPARD FABRIC- DECORATORSBEST

IKAT FABRIC – DECORATORS BEST

KITCHEN SINK- LOWE’S

DINING ROOM CHANDELIER- CRYSTORAMA

DINING ROOM RUG- DECORATORSBEST

PINK STRIPED PILLOWS (DINING ROOM)- MINTED

BALLERNIA PHOTOGRAPHY – MINTED

BLACKBIRDS PHOTOGRAPHY – MINTED


I really hope you enjoyed the tour! 

Please let me know what you think. Your comments really are everything to me :-)

Personally, I love being in the space.  I’m seriously sitting in this kitchen feeling giddy right now.  It’s amazing how an environment can influence our mood and lifestyle.  

This is why I love being a designer.

I’m working on a full source list that I will post next week.

For those who like to nerd out, I’m also planning a second kitchen post that goes into more detail about design elements- like how I chose to mix cabinetry, hardware, plus essential measurements to keep in mind.

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19 Reveals to Go.  Make time to check out the fellow participant’s room reveals below.  SO much talent in this group it just blows me away.

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