If you’ve ever done a renovation you’ll know just how painful it is to make decisions! We spent a year planning our kitchen renovation down to every little detail. Here are the top 14 kitchen features that I LOVE and recommend if you’re doing a kitchen renovation or build of your own!
There is no doubt about it, our kitchen is the heart of our house! Charles and I both love to cook and entertain and without fail, everyone gathers in the kitchen, right? Of course I also work (and essentials live) in the kitchen as a food blogger, so wanted to make sure that no detail was missed.
Here are some pictures of our kitchen part way through the renovation. There’s nothing that will test a marriage more than a renovation! We made it to the other side (whew)! Grab a cup of coffee and cozy on up on the couch, this is a long one!
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Our hard work paid off… we LOVE the space! I shared some of the sources in our Kitchen Reveal this summer but I wanted to dive a little deeper into the small details that make a difference to us and that I feel are worth the investment. Here are the key elements that turned our kitchen from good to great along with a little video kitchen tour below!
Integrated Fridges
The first thing we absolutely love about our kitchen are the panelled integrated fridges (integrated is when they come without a face, and get covered with door panels instead). The big brass appliance handles from Emtek match the rest of our kitchen cup pulls and knobs and are something we adore! We have two Fisher & Paykel fridges with pull out freezers (I’ll never go back to a freezer on the top).
Oversized Kitchen Island
Let’s be honest, whenever people come over they ALWAYS hang out in the kitchen, right? Knowing this, along with how open our space was, we wanted to make the island the true centrepiece of our house. We used quartz because of it’s durability and colour and chose a thicker surface for the island (the counters are standard thickness) to make it stand out. It was more expensive but a good move. We went with the Silestone Eternal Statuario which has a light veining in it similar to marble but very soft. I LOVE it!
Drawer Dishwashers
Also built into our island are stacking drawer dishwashers. They can operate independently so on the rare occasion I only have a few dishes to do, I can get one started! It’s a really great feature. Our dishwashers are from Fisher and Paykel as well and I recommend them.
Roll Out Garbage and Recycling Bins
I wanted to make sure that our garbage can and recycling was in a spot that was super convenient (ie: not under the sink). We ended up working it into the kitchen island using a rollout system (again, Norelco’s work), which was perfect! It is the spot where we do our prep, which makes clean up a breeze!
Farmhouse Sink
If given the option of a having a divider in your sink (vs one big sink), I 100% recommend it! We have one larger sink on the left with a smaller on the right which allows me to do things like wash dishes on one side and wash vegetables or drain pasta in the other. Our sink is from Kohler as is our Artifacts faucet (in polished nickel).
Roll Out Spice Racks
We cook A LOT, and my pet peeve has always been where do you keep those darned spices? It’s so nice to have the spices in a place where I can easily see them all, totally organized and at our fingertips for when we are cooking. One thing to note: storing your spices next to a heat source (like we do) decreases the shelf life of the spices. Norelco installed these as a part of our cabinet install (they are amazing if you are looking to get new cabinets).
Knife Drawer
Good knives deserve a good home… but I’ve never been a fan of the knife blocks or the magnetic strip to ‘hang’ your knives on. Enter this knife drawer. Norelco sourced this for us and it is PERFECT. The drawer itself is a bit wider than an average cutlery drawer, leaving us space for the built in knife block and other sharp objects beside it. HIGHLY recommend!
Pot Filler
I didn’t think I would use our Kohler Artifacts pot filler as much as I do. It’s really awesome when you have a large pot to fill up that you don’t want to wrestle over from the sink to the stove. It’s definitely something you need to plan ahead (plumbing), but we get a ton of use out of it!
Glass Cabinet Fronts
I waffled on whether to go with glass cabinets beside the stove or not. At the very last minute I decided to go for it (they are more expensive), and I’m sooo happy I did! The glass visually breaks up the space and gives me a place to display all of my white dishes (which we use on the daily). They do need more regular cleaning given that they are beside the stove but I wouldn’t change a thing. Norelco designed our cabinets and helped sooo much with the layout: our kitchen wouldn’t be nearly the same without them, I love how detailed they were and they stand by their work.
Space Between the Island and Stove
Ok, this is something I NEVER would have thought of, but given how many builds and renovations Charles has done (he is a general contractor), he insisted that we put a 6′ space between the island (that houses our dishwashers) and the other side that has the stove to allow us more working space. It was brilliant. Zero traffic jams or issues with having the dishwasher and oven open at the same time. Something to consider.
Deep Drawers and Roll Out Shelves
I wasn’t sure what to do for bowl, pan and pot storage, so went with a combination of deep drawer storage (under the knife drawer) for mixing bowls and baking dishes and added in a separate cupboard to the left with roll out shelves to store pots and pans. I think it works well!
Hiden Cupbards Under the Island
Ok, I think this feature is BRILLIANT. It costs a bit more, but integrating storage into your island where it would otherwise just be dead space is so valuable, especially if you are already strapped for storage. We have hidden cupboards where the stools sit that store rarely used items like the waffle maker, popcorn maker, tortilla press…. check out the video to see them.
Oversized Pendants & Mixed Metals
When our pendants arrived I kind of freaked out – they looked MASSIVE. I contemplated sending them back but am so happy I didn’t! They frame the space and add to the look of mixed metals which I love! I don’t think there are any rules in this department, but I wanted to keep everything warm (ie: brass with polished nickel which is warmer than chrome).
Built In Cutlery Drawer
Gone are those annoying cutlery drawer inserts that slide around and are never big enough to accommodate all the cutlery! This simple design is where it’s at – again, the handy work of Norelco!
Here’s a video tour of our kitchen showing you all these spaces and design tricks that made the world of difference for us!
Some of the items referenced in this post were gifted to us for the purpose of the renovation. All opinions are my own!
Thanks for sharing, I love you kitchen! We’re building a house in a couple months and these tips are super helpful!! Just one question – how do you like having the sink in the island? We plan to have a large island as well and I want the sink on it but my fiancé disagrees and I see many mixed reviews online. Any feedback to convince him I’m right would be much appreciated! 😉
Hi Mary! I love having the sink in the island! It is so handy and I prefer it over having the stove on the island for safety.
My thoughts exactly! Thank you!!
Hi could you tell me the style number of your Kohler kitchen sink thank you
Hi I don’t have the style number unfortunately but it is the farmhouse one with the two sinks in it the right one is smaller!
I have recently bought your cookbook. I have really been enjoying i. I remember you mentioning on an instagram post that some of the recipes had some incorrect measurements. I am wondering if the pierogi recipe was one of them? I spent a very frustrating night trying to make the dough for them. To be honest if there are some measurement mistakes why is there not somewhere on a website to find that information? As you can imagine it was very frustrating. But the cookbook is amazing and we are really enjoying it.
Hi Tanya! I am so sorry to hear, yes the pierogi recipe is one of them. You can find all updates to recipes on our cookbook page on the website it’s in the top menu bar or you can find it at http://www.fraicheliving.com/cookbook
Timeless taste. Love it all.
Thanks Lara!
What a beautiful kitchen and love the hidden storage in your island! Your fridge is huge and looks like I would need a step stool to get to the top shelf!
Love your kitchen! I’m renovating parts of my kitchen but jealous you could do it all from scratch! Can’t not wait to see the pantry!!!!
Your kitchen is my inspiration! What size emtek cup pulls did you use?
Thanks Diana it is the 4″ ones!
Hi! Are your Emtek pulls antique French brass or polished brass?
Thanks so much!
Hi Anna, they are French brass!
I am so excited to purchase your cookbook…running out to Barnes & Noble to pick it up today!! We are also building and close to finishing but debating on drawer pulls/knobs at the moment. Would you mind sharing where yours are from? Thank you!
I’m so sorry – I did find the source for your cabinet hardware in your video. I should have watched that first 🙂 Thank you!!
I’m glad you found it! We love the hardware!
I am in love with your kitchen! We are currently building and your kitchen is my go to for inspiration. Can you share the color of your cabinets?
they are cloud white!
Hi
Thank you for posting your kitchen video for us. I noticed some of the shelves or drawers are “white melanin”.
What made you choose this over solid wood?
Are your cabinets custom made and in “real WOOD quality like Maple” and painted Cloud White” or did you use high quality MDF?
We are in the process of re-doing our whole kitchen in June and I hear you about all the challenges with your hubby :). I am in the same boat :).
Thank you for your kind attention
Vasso
Hi Vasso yes they are made of real wood but painted Simply White. Enjoy the renovation!
Hello,
Wondering what size subway tile for the backsplash you went with and where you purchased it from. Thanks!
Hi Lauren it is 4×8.5″ and it’s from Fireclay Tile
Can you tell me what size subway tiles you used? 🙂
Hi Amanda it is 4×8.5″
Hi there… love love love your kitchen! What colour grout did you use with the backsplash tile?
Hi Erica, we used alabaster!
Hi Tori! LOVE your kitchen. We are about to start a kitchen reno and trying to think through all of the details. Do you have a photo for what that tall cupboard/pantry to the left of your stove looks like inside? We’re thinking of doing something similar and would appreciate some ideas on what to store in there/how to design it. Thanks so much!
Where did you get your kitchen stools for the counter?
Hey Sam! They are from Wayfair, but aren’t sold anymore. You can see some similar ones HERE. Tori
Hi Tory,
I would love to know if you went for white melamine cupboard boxes and drawers including the built in cutlery dividers? Or did you go for birch ply boxes or hard rock maple drawer and cabinet boxes. Just wondering which would look best in our new kitchen? Our new cabinets will be white painted maple doors.
Nancy
Hi Nancy! Sorry for the delay – we did the white melamine ones and I’m happy but it’s a personal preference! I think the wood would look beautiful too.
Hi Tori,
Could you please tell what colour of BM paint you used for your kitchen cabinets?:) We are renovating in Penticton.
Hi Nancy! We used Benjamin Moore Simply White – it was colour matched by Norelco (highly recommend them)
Can you please tell me what width you picked for cap pulls and the knobs.
Hi Debbie, it is the 4″ cap pulls and the smaller size of the knobs out of the 2 options they give!
You kitchen is stunning. I love every detail. Thought out to perfection. I recently bought two huge over size pendents and my first thought was they are to big. Can you tell me the size you used. Is it the large or the extra large. I looked on your link and I’m thinking large. Thank you in advance for considering a reply.
Hi Penny! Thanks so much I believe mine are the 17″! Happy holidays!
Love everything, can you please tell me where I can find the long handles on your refrigerator. Can you also tell me how long they are. Thank you in advance.
Hi Patty! They are from Emtek! Unlacquered brass.
Hi Tori!
Can you please share the kitchen island dimensions by chance?
Hey Kelsey! For sure. The island is 95 inches long and 5 ft wide.
Good evening!
The kitchen is stunning!
May I ask, I’m looking for the hardware style name from Emtek? The handles and pulls?
Thank you! Thank you!
Stephanie
Hi Stephanie thank you! I put them in this post here!
https://fraicheliving.com/top-6-questions-about-our-home/
Is your island 3cm? We can pick between 2cm and 3 cm slabs. Did you add any to the bottom to make it look thicker?
Hi! Thanks for sharing all these details! I’m curious to hear how your white wood hood has held up. We’re getting ready to reno our kitchen, and the cabinet designer has advised me that it will be really tough to maintain and nearly impossible to repaint a wood hood. I’d love to hear about your experience as someone who obviously cooks a lot!
Hi Chelsea! You just reminded me that I really need to clean mine! It has been a bit tricky with the grease situation on the inside – of course the hood fan draws up the fumes, and it has discoloured it a bit on the inside bits. Nothing major but worth mentioning!
Happy holidays to you and your family!
Tori
Hi! Are your pulls the unlaquered or polished brass? Thanks!
Hi they are laquered in this kitchen my office one is unlacquered!
Absolutely beautiful kitchen (like everything you do!). Quick question about the colour of your cabinets. In the comments, one reply said they were Cloud White, and another said Simply White.
Also, did you use polished nickel for your door hardware throughout the house?
We are currently building a house, and I am agonizing over mixing too many metals!
Thank you for any tips you can pass along – and keep up the great work!