Omnivore loving vegan, gluten-free & beverage recipes
Sara is an architectural designer turned work-at-home Mom. She lives in New Jersey by way of New England and New York, with her husband and 3 kids under 8. She loves design, being creative, and spending time with family and friends. She loves checking out local businesses and eats and being apart of the local farm to table community. Continue Reading
Are you looking for some refreshing drink to beat out the hot summer heat or do you just want to try a few new dishes on the grill for July?
Summer is the season for outdoor gatherings, and what better way to celebrate than with delicious food? Memorial Day is a perfect opportunity to kick off the summer season with mouth-watering dishes that will please your family and friends. Whether you're hosting a BBQ or picnic, having some tasty recipes in your arsenal is always a good idea. In this article, we've rounded up some of our favorite Memorial Day recipes that are easy to make and sure to impress. From grilling classics to refreshing sides and desserts, you'll find plenty of inspiration to make your summer gatherings unforgettable.
This Iced Cashew Milk Latte has creamy, cold cashew milk and chilled espresso served with ice and optional sweetener of choice. (makes 1 serving)
Are you looking for ways to show your mother how much you appreciate her this Mother’s Day? There’s no better way to express your love and gratitude than by cooking her a delicious meal. Whether your mom has a sweet tooth or prefers savory dishes, there are plenty of options to choose from. We will be sharing some of the most mouth-watering and easy-to-make Mother’s Day recipes that will make her feel extra special. Put on your apron, roll up your sleeves, and let’s get cooking!
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Kitchen Renovation Lowe's Design Scheme - 24 photos including drawings and renderings of our current Kitchen Renovation design scheme from Lowe's! I also include what we want to do for our back splash, possible counter tops and 2 base cabinet colors.
Hello Everyone! There is so much to talk about in this Kitchen Renovation update. First off, I have a ton of photos of samples to show you of what we are considering for our back splash, counter tops and base cabinet colors. I wanted to get photos of everything because I plan to give these samples back this week and we HAVE to make a decision by May 18th on the materials. Awesomely, I was able to take photos of them against our New Tile Floor!
Towards the end of this post, I have drawings and renderings of our kitchen scheme, yay! The scheme may change slightly from what I include in this post but the design concept of having one "kitchen wall" along the end of the house will stay the same.
1. White subway tile (top) sample, "Blanco Maple" (14) counter top sample and Thermofoil "Stone" by Shenandoah
The large, white subway tile back splash is pretty much set because that will go with anything we choose. We plan to tile the back splash ourselves.
2. White subway tile (top), "Frosted Wind" Quartz by Allen + Roth and Thermofoil “Stone” by Shenandoah
#2 (above) is the combination that I chose before but now we are
3. White subway tile (top) sample, 3 quartz samples from left to right: Blanco Zeus Extreme, “Blanco Maple” (14) and Gris Expo (middle) & Thermofoil “Stone” by Shenandoah (bottom)
4. White subway tile (top) sample, 3 quartz samples from left to right: Blanco Zeus Extreme, “Blanco Maple” (14) and Gris Expo (middle) and Linen Thermofoil base cabinet sample (bottom)
5. White subway tile (top) sample, "Frosted Wind" Quartz by Allen + Roth (middle) and Linen Thermofoil base cabinet sample (bottom)
6. All the samples, mentioned above against our new tile floor ("San Juan Azul" Porcelain Tile, 4 x 8 inch)
We have been washing and wiping our new tile floor to get rid of excess grout and still have yet to "de-haze" it with a de-hazing solution. It's definitely more clean here than in our last post about the new tile floor.
7. All the samples, mentioned above against our new tile floor ("San Juan Azul" Porcelain Tile, 4 x 8 inch)
The grey counter top is not really in the running but I brought it home just to have a comparison. Eric thought it was cool at one point because it looks similar to concrete in color.
8. Samples
We are shying away from the white cabinets now even though we love the look of a all white bright kitchen. We just worry about keeping it clean even though this cabinet is supposed to be easy to clean. We have cold feet about the white!
9. Samples
10. Samples
The all-white counter top sample, it's called, "Blanco Zeus Extreme", I personally feel looks like it could be laminate and I am not crazy about it. Eric likes it but to me, it has no interest and seems sterile and cold and boring (I am being blunt). To someone else, that's totally fine if they like it, it's just that I like to have a little interest in the counter top surface. Plus, perhaps the grey will help "hide" some dirt, although, I realize that anything light is not going to "hide the dirt" like a sand or darker color will but a white/light kitchen is what we are going for aesthetically. I will just have a handy counter top cleaning caddy under the sink (Ooo, that could be a good DIY for the blog...)
11. Samples
The "Frosted Wind, " a quartz Allen + Roth counter top (engineered stone) is actually what we ordered last week. We can change the counter top which Eric is lobbying for because he's not crazy about it. I love it because it looks like marble (I love the look of marble). He doesn't like it because he knows it's not marble and thinks it's kinda faux like trying to be marble, at least that's my interpretation of his reasoning. This is tough, it's tough when we differ about materials. I feel like I will be the one interfacing with the counter top the most and it's really important to me. I don't know we will see how it goes....kitchen drama!
12. “Frosted Wind” Quartz by Allen + Roth
Oh, "Frosted Wind," how I love thee!
13. Blanco Zeus Extreme Quartz
Boo! (I apologize for all these sample pictures, really, even for me this is excessive but I HAVE to be sure...)
14. Samples
I took these pictures to really study the scenarios because it's such a big decisions and I want to be sure myself. I should take pictures of food on the samples with my 50 mm lens to test them further...
15. “Blanco Maple” (14) counter top sample
This "Blanco Maple" is the only other contender that I would consider because at least it has some interest. It's one of Eric's favorites. Who knew a husband could get so interested in counter tops; what a surprised to me 🙁
16. White subway tile and Stone Thermofoil cabinet with 15. “Blanco Maple” (14) counter top sample
So this could be a possible scenario (above), I just don't want to feel resentment if we order something and I really don't like it. Who wants to feel that way? I will have to stare at it for at least the next 20 years 😐 Definitely, have to take some food photos on the the 2 contenders. I don't know, why can't we just stick with Frosted Wind???
17. White subway tile, “Frosted Wind” Quartz by Allen + Roth and Thermofoil “Stone” by Shenandoah
Okay, I've aired enough grievances. I am eternally grateful to have an opportunity to make a kitchen space which I use to our family's liking - that is a blessing.
18. White subway tile, “Frosted Wind” Quartz by Allen + Roth and Thermofoil “Stone” by Shenandoah with San Juan Azul tile floor
19. 18. White subway tile, “Frosted Wind” Quartz by Allen + Roth and Thermofoil “Stone” by Shenandoah with San Juan Azul tile floor - my current top pick
This is the sink that Eric found and I thought it was cool too, so we ordered it last week. I like it because it's durable stainless steel, large enough for washing pot and pans and also a farmhouse style with a modern flair.
20. The kitchen sink we ordered from Lowe's 36 x 22.25 inch Stainless Steel with fixtures ($506.91)
Here are the PRELIMINARY design renderings! These are not the final ones. We have yet to do the finals and on Monday, they will come out to do measurements now that the new tile floor is in before we order the base cabinets.
The renderings do not show the white subway tile back splash or the lighting (which just went in today!). Also, the sink fixture is not the same as the one that we ordered this past week (above). We are also undecided about the hood we are getting. The windows are not exactly correct too. Just keep those things in mind when you are looking these renderings/drawings over.
Front View Render Line Drawing
Gail from the the kitchen design department at Lowe's has been so nice throughout this whole process. I worked with her in creating this scheme. She used 20/20 software for these renderings/drawings and I was impressed with how fast she put them together. Gail has really been a joy to work with and took a lot of the stress out of this process. And you guys, remember, I worked as an architectural designer. It's really good to have someone else work on a project with you because it helps to have that perspective and personally, I just prefer collaborating and working with other people as opposed to working in a vacuum.
21. Front View Render Line Drawing
We have thought about doing open shelves above the base cabinets, perhaps in wood to tie in with the wood beams and wood tile threshold.
Plan with Measurements
We do not plan to have an island though a few people we know think we should. I think people get the idea that island are the thing to have because they are in like every kitchen ad there is. I would rather have something that is movable that we can move aside. Neither Eric or I are huge fans of islands, so we didn't plan for one. Our old kitchen had a peninsula and we felt like is disrupted the flow of the house. Who knows? Maybe we will change our minds someday but we are excited to have an open kitchen.
22. Plan with Measurements
These measurements need to be confirmed and we might change some of the units in the base cabinets slightly.
Front View Render
It's a very simple kitchen with plenty of counter top space. I am a little concerned about having enough space to store things. I have de-cluttered a lot of my kitchen possessions and even still am a little worried. What makes me less worried is that we still have 2 large industrial shelves that we can use in a room off the kitchen and we will probably do some open upper shelves down the road.
23. Front View Render
Plan View Render Line Drawing
In this plan view rendering, it has my "fantasy refrigerator" as this point we are not replacing our refrigerator since it works find (it's just old) but I hope to in the future at some point with a larger and more energy efficient model.
24. Plan View Render Line Drawing
If I think of anything else, I will update this post. You guys, with every kitchen renovation post I share, we are inching closer and closer to a finished (I'll take a functioning kitchen at this point!) kitchen! Thanks for sticking with me and listening to my "kitchen therapy sessions" (and suffering through all those counter top samples!) 🙂
Thank you for following along with our Kitchen Renovation, I'm looking forward to sharing our next updates (hint: they include lighting, as in our actual new lights!) 🙂
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What do you think about the different samples? Let me know in the comments below! Best, ~Sara ☺
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candy ranshaw says
thats interesting i have that same floor tile in my laundry room in a herringbone pattern it is a floor and decor product. i used it also as a the cove molding. there was never a dehazing process. we used the grout recommended by F and D. tile is fabulous looking.
Sara Maniez says
Thank you for sharing!