Today I have a post, I’ve been dying to share for literally years now! It’s my kitchen reveal, and it has taken over two years to get it finally finished to the point where I could take some photos to share with you all. It’s definitely been a work in progress for a very long time now, and ironically now that it’s all done, the house will actually be being sold very soon!
When I first bought my house, the kitchen was a major issue. It was very dated, being an original 1940’s kitchen. It was extremely solid, made from chunky looking wood, and so many unpractical and unusable cupboards. It even had the old flour bins that you pull out! It wasn’t exactly an inspiring place and it felt claustrophobic and dark (not to mention absolutely filthy!) I love a nice kitchen, and I knew that I wouldn’t be happy in the house unless it was replaced with an all new kitchen.
At first I liked the idea of a country kitchen, and toyed with the idea of buying a Bunnings flatpack kitchen. The problem with these is that they do feel and look quite cheap and you still need to get a builder or joiner to install them. They also only come in certain sizes, and since the kitchen wasn’t that right size, I’d actually lose a little bit of bench and cupboard space due to this. After contacting a local joiner, I realised that I could get a custom made kitchen that fitted in to the kitchen dimensions for the same price as a Bunnings kitchen. The custom built kitchens are so well made and there are so many different options to choose from.
I originally opted for a white kitchen with a wooden look Eurofinish bench top, however it turns out that the wooden bench top isn’t as hard wearing so decided to opt for something different. When I had been in the showroom choosing the bench top, I had spotted a stunning black marble look bench top, and paired with the white joinery it looked amazing. I both decided this was the way to go and opted for the matte look black marble. I also chose conical stainless steel handles which would match the Panasonic stainless steel appliances that went in to the kitchen.
The task of demolishing the old kitchen was huge and I’m very thankful for all of the hard work done by my dad! Pulling out benches, cupboards and even the old fireplace (which sounded like it would have been the worlds worst job to do!). All the old wall linings were removed, and batts put in the walls. At the same time, we had an electrician down to re-wire the whole house and also install better wiring in the kitchen. LED downlights that are recessed into the ceiling, were the best option as they give a nice sleek appearance. These give off so much light, and it’s that lovely bright white light.
Originally in the kitchen there was a hot water cylinder that was removed, and I had gas hot water installed instead. The water pressure at the property was shocking as it is tank water, and the gas hot water made a massive difference. Beforehand taking a shower was like having a watering can sprinkled on you, it’s now as good as town pressure. While it was expensive to do, it’s something that was well worth doing. The removal of the fireplace and hot water cylinder also allowed space to put in a huge big double pantry, which is seriously one of the most amazing features of the kitchen.
The colour I chose for the walls was Resene Quarter Rice Cake. It’s white with a very soft grey/green tinge. It’s very fresh and looks almost completely white in some lights. For the trim and ceilings I opted for the PPG Trade Pro Paint in White. I love how fresh the white walls and joinery look with the darker bench top and tiles. I’m a huge fan of greys and whites in houses as it feels so classic yet fresh, so this really is perfect!
I knew I wanted statement doors in the kitchen, so both doors heading out of the kitchen are painted in a soft green. The paint colour is Slender Pine by British Paints, and I love this colour so so much. It just adds a nice pop of colour, without being too bold and this is one of my favourite features of the kitchen.
For the flooring, I chose a Karndean Flooring wood look tile in the shade Rimu. It was getting this down that took all the time to finish off the kitchen! Everything else was done back in 2018, and unfortunately the floor just took so long to get down, due to a number of factors. I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of this flooring as I feel it’s a bit orange-toned and definitely doesn’t look like real rimu. I really wish I had chosen more of an ashy colour and I think this would have fitted the rest of the decor much better.
In terms of appliances, pretty much everything is Panasonic, except for the range hood which is Robin Hood. I have to say I’m a bit disappointed in the appliances that went in for a number of reasons. The range hood is super noisy (as in, can’t hear anything noisy – even on the first level), the oven is quite underpowered and takes ages to heat up, as does the stove top. The stove also fluctuates quite a bit in temperature, to the point where some things take forever to heat up and others boil over completely on the same temperature! I probably wouldn’t put Panasonic appliances in another kitchen as I’m pretty underwhelmed by them.
So that’s it, my classic white kitchen! I love the black and white combo and I feel like it’s pretty timeless and won’t really date. There are a few things I would have done differently if I did it again, but I’m sure anyone who renovates feels the same way! I hope someone else loves this kitchen as much as I did!
