Rating My Reno - Kitchen
I’m continuing my main floor renovation evaluation and moving to the kitchen. I think it’s good to review my choices and see what if anything I’d like to change or do differently in future projects. For the most part I’m still really pleased with my choices.
Counter Tops: Exceed Expectations
I love the light veining in the dark grigio quartz. They are easy to keep clean and they don’t stain. With the mostly white kitchen the dark countertops help create some depth.
Sink: Exceed Expectations
Our Franke fireclay apron front sink has held up extremely well. There is one very small nick in it but we have not been super careful with it. The finish still looks amazing and it is easy to make sparkling white with a little scrubbing and baking soda. I would highly recommend Franke sinks.
Tile: Exceed Expectations
The gray brick veneer tile continues to be a favourite of all our selections. The variation in the tile and the fantastic installation makes it look like real brick.
Appliances: Meets Expectations
I would say we made the decision on our appliances too quickly. I love the look of our Kitchenaid package with the dishwasher being the true workhorse of them. It is virtually silent and we’ve never had any issues with it. The counter depth fridge holds more than I thought it would but we do have to store some things in our basement fridge, mostly because we have a dog that eats raw and we need to freeze or refrigerate his food. The induction range was an adjustment but now I don’t think I could ever live without it. However I don’t love the design of the stovetop - it’s a little hard to keep clean and the controls are in a bit of an odd spot. I wish there was a gas/induction combination. We have a convection/conventional oven but I’ve always used the conventional.
Cabinetry: Exceeds Expectations
The cabinetry has held up extremely well. Again we are not super careful with our cabinets. There are a few dents here and there but overall they still look like new. The construction of the dovetailed drawers and all the other components have been top notch.
Lighting: Meets Expectations
I still love the globe pendants we chose but overall my inexperience at the time shows. I wish we would have done wall sconces for task lighting. We didn’t do a complete lighting plan in our kitchen design and the pendants were added in at the very end. This is not something I overlook ever again!
Flooring: Exceeds Expectations
There is a common thread there - we are not super careful with our floors. We have a very large active dog and love to run and chase and slide. We have Lauzon engineered white oak hardwood with a titanium finish and while there are some scratches there are not noticeable and the floors still look amazing!
Overall Layout: Meets Expectations
We made a conscious decision to have our dining table in our kitchen. There wasn’t space to do a more separate dining area. There are a few issues - the chandelier over the dining table is a bit too big for the space and the location of the light is not quite right. One project in the future is to move the location so the dining table is more centered in the room. We did add a movable island work table and I would like to enhance this a bit too for better storage. Again without any actual experience as a designer at the time I did the best with the knowledge I had. I would make better decisions now and I’m looking forward to designing the small kitchen space in our basement.
