Designing a Beach Bungalow Part 5: The Kitchen

So if you have been following along you have seen the other spaces that I have designed for the beach house I am dreaming up. Today's focus will be on the kitchen. It's the heart of the house, right? I envision that the kitchen be open to both the dining area and the family room. Because I think big open spaces are perfect for a vacation home. Here is an inspiration photo from the blog House of Turquoise that I found via Pinterest. It was designed by Kerry Hanson.

What I love about this kitchen, is the mix of white and gray cabinets, the stools, the light fixtures, the windows, and the backsplash. I really could envision something similar in a beach house. So I took inspiration from this photo, and I came up with this design.

I'll start with the wall color. I figured you would not see that much of it, by the time the cabinets and backsplash are in, but I like having a little hint of the aqua. 

I think the color Retiring Blue by Sherwin Williams would be nice.

The cabinets I would like to see painted white with no glaze, just clean and crisp. I would put these fun knobs from Anthropologie on all the doors. I may have to brush them with a little silver paint on the metal part. 

Then I would put cup pulls on all the drawers.

I would make sure to have some glass cabinet fronts. I think it's great to have a place to display pretty dishes and serving pieces.

I like the design of the kitchen island, I would probably put a really light quartzite on it. We have that on our island in our kitchen, and I love it. It looks like marble, but it does not stain, and holds up beautifully to all the day to day usage it gets. Here is an example of a slab I might choose.

I would opt for a farmhouse sink. I love my farmhouse sink. It is a classic addition to any kitchen.

The faucet I like has a vintage feel. I would select a chrome finish. You can shop local retailers for different faucet options. There are so many out there. My only advice is to not get something really cheap. Invest in a good brand like Kohler or Mohen, because you want something that is going to last a long time. Sometimes you get what you pay for. ;)

Love these glass dome light fixtures from Grandinroad. I think two of these over the gray island would be great.

Seriously, I think, my favorite part of the kitchen would be these stools from Serena and Lily. I actually am trying to convince my best friend that she needs them for her new kitchen. If you haven't noticed, I am really in to kelly green lately, I almost love it as much as aqua. And the two of them together is pure perfection.

I would use a simple white subway tile. I love how these have a beveled edge. They are clean, classic, and timeless.

The rug is from Urban Outfitters. They have a great selection of rugs at reasonable prices. 

I love the idea of having baskets in the kitchen too. They are not only resourceful to use for storage, but they add a pretty layer of texture to the space. So I have this idea to purchase some plan tight woven baskets and then painting them to look like these.

There you have it! I could probably write another post about all these dishes and accessories I would use. Of course I would have some vintage hobnail dishes on display in the glass cabinets, since I love collecting them.

Here is my mood board for the family room space, so that you can see how nicely the rooms compliment one another.

Hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend! Now I really wish this beach house I designed was real so that I could go spend the holiday weekend there. :)

Until next time.....

XO~Gretchen