Greystone Kitchen Remodel Design Plan, Moodboard + Before Images

The kitchen remodel at the Greystone House is just about finished, and today I’m sharing all the details, including before images, elevation drawings, design moodboard, 3-D renderings, my design process, progress photos, links to sources, and more!

Buckle in; today’s post is chockfull of helpful information. I plan to divide this information into a series, where each post will focus on a more specific topic, for example:

• How to get the best deals on appliances;
• A guide to hardware placement;
• How to choose a kitchen sink,
• How to design a built-in range hood;
• Clearance guidelines to keep in mind when designing a kitchen;
• All you need to know about LVP flooring;
• A comparison of countertop materials;
• How to design a kitchen island;
• How to design an appliance garage;
• Kitchen upgrades to splurge on;
• How to design custom kitchen shelves;
• and more!

Would you find that helpful? Let me know in the comments which topics are of most interest to you, so I can be sure to concentrate on those in the next couple weeks!

Before Images

To begin, let’s look at how the kitchen looked before. In case you missed it, you can tour the Greystone House in all of its “before” glory.

Can you believe we’ve been working on this house for exactly a year?! Wow, times flies when you’re balancing multiple renovations at the same time… Of all the properties we’re managing at the moment, the Greystone House is our last remodel. We have no concrete plans, really, of what we’ll do next. So I’m excited at the possibility of some downtime to rest, travel and recoup our energy levels.

The Greystone House was built in 2007 with basic, builder-grade finishes and hasn’t been updated since then. With its 3,300+ square feet and the massive open-concept living area, there was lots of room for improvement. The kitchen, being the heart of the home, needed to be special: elevated in its design to feel luxurious, but also relaxed enough for stand up to everyday use.

If you recall, I debated quite some time whether to keep and resurface existing cabinets or to demo and install new ones. New cabinets won at the end. Ultimately, the reason behind that decision is that this house is in a higher price bracket, so we wanted to make sure we were using quality, high-end materials throughout.

Furthermore, installing new cabinets would give us the chance to alter the layout – and I’m so happy with that decision! The original layout wasn’t terrible, but there was room for improvement – and improve it we did.

Elevation Drawings

Symmetry is a big factor in spaces I design, so I really wanted the range side to be symmetrical. I added an appliance garage in the left corner to balance out the fridge on the right, and shifted the rest of the cabinets a couple inches to the right in order to fit 24″ drawer bases around the range.

I eliminated most of the upper cabinets on the side of the sink to create a feeling of openness. To make up for the loss in storage space, I added a double pantry at the end of the cabinets on the side of the sink.

Of course, one of the biggest additions was the 8-foot kitchen island with enough space to comfortably fit 4 stools.

Above you can see the kitchen elevation: 1) the range side, the sink side, and the island front.

I am thinking to paint the beadboard either “Agreeable Gray” or “Accessible Beige” by Sherwin Williams. Hopefully in the next couple of days I can get samples of both and make that final decision.

What do you think of the off-white backsplash? My intention is to add warmth to the otherwise white space. Having an off-white backsplash makes the space more visually interesting, whereas all-white feels a little flat. Which do you prefer: an all-white kitchen or one with a taupe backsplash?

Design Moodboard

Now, let’s talk about the pretty details. Below you can see most of the finishes I chose for the new Greystone House kitchen, along with my thought process behind each one.

BLANCO Kitchen Faucet | Brass Cabinet Cup Pull | Brass Vintage Cabinet Latch | Brass Cabinet Knob | “Agreeable Gray” by Sherwin Williams for the backsplash | Beadboard Backsplash | Carrara Select Quartz (similar) | Floating Shelves | Brass Gallery Rail | Whirlpool 4-Door Refrigerator | GE Slide-In Electric Range | GE Stainless Steel Dishwasher | Black and Brass Pendant Light | Brass Curved Arm Sconce | Range Hood Insert | BLANCO Single-Basin PRECIS Sink | LVP Flooring in “Brown Ash”

Cabinets

As with all of our investment properties, I wanted white kitchen cabinets. While the idea of a taupe kitchen sounds appealing in theory, when time comes to making a decision I always return to tried-and-true classics.

White kitchens are classic and timeless, if done right. Taupe and mushroom cabinets, although incredibly pretty, are a huge design trend at the moment, and that fact makes me hesitate putting taupe cabinets in an investment property. If you’re anything like me, you’ll get tired of a color real quick. White, on the other hand, is a tried-and-true choice that will never lose its appeal or go out of style. Besides, white cabinets have a wider appeal, which is a factor we have to keep at the forefront of every design decision since this is an investment property that we’ll ultimately be selling.

I don’t have much specific information on the cabinets; our contractor has a long-standing relationship with a supplier in North Carolina. I can, however, tell you that they are soft-closing, solid wood cabinets that are higher quality than our previous supplier.

Floors

The floors in the Greystone House was another drawn-out debate. We ended up choosing 7″ luxury vinyl plank (LVP) for the entire house, except for the tile in the bathrooms. The exact product name is Home Decorators Collection Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring in Brown Ash. They are on the right in the photo below.

So, why LVP? As I mentioned earlier, the Greystone House is quite massive, and considering the cost of real hardwood floors, we were looking at spending approximately $50,000 just for flooring. In this scenario, that sort of investment did not make financial sense.

Engineered hardwood was another option, but 1) we wanted something that was waterproof for the lower level, 2) we did not want to deal with the impossible feat of color-matching different types of flooring, and 3) with the upper level being open concept, we needed something that could be installed in the entire living area with no transitions. So with those factors in mind, LVP was the best choice.

I plan to share an entire post discussing the differences between LVP, hardwood and engineered hardwood, so stay tuned for that!

Hardware Finishes

You already know my love for combining brass and chrome, and that’s what I intend to do in the Greystone House kitchen, too. Brass and chrome create such a nice contrast when paired together. This combination makes the kitchen feel more visually interesting and multi-layered.

I’m introducing the chrome through the faucet, juxtaposing it against brass lighting and cabinet hardware, which I’m partnering with Belwith Keeler to showcase in this design.

Faucet and Sink

Both the kitchen faucet and the sink are part of a collaboration I’m working on with BLANCO, which I’ll share more on soon.

Have you heard of this luxury German brand? I first discovered it when renovating our very first house in 2015. In fact, I used the BLANCO PRECIS sink for our first kitchen renovation and even wrote a detailed review on it.

BLANCO’s semi-pro EMPRESSA faucet is another work of art that deserves its own post. The EMPRESSA collection, inspired by German wine country, is characterized by signature details such as vintage wine press handles and an innovative pull-down, dual-spray spout. It is the perfect example of classic European design infused with modern features and functionality. Inspired by faucets used in professional, commercial kitchens, this pull-down faucet is the ultimate mix of luxury and performance. My favorite features include the high spout, the high-pressure head, and the well-designed, magnetized docking arms. Like I said, you’ll hear more about this dynamic duo when I share the kitchen reveal tour, so stay tuned for that!

Paint Color

The wall paint color throughout the entire Greystone House, including the kitchen, is “Chantilly Lace” by Benjamin Moore, which we got color-matched at a local Farrell Calhoun store. It’s the most pure white paint you can get, without any sort of undertones, although sometimes I do notice a slight green undertone if the light is just right. Regardless, it’s a beautiful white paint – another tried-and-true element. I’ve previously mentioned the advantages of painting the entire house one color, but it bears repeating: Do it!

Backsplash

For the backsplash I chose traditionally elegant beadboard that I plan to have painted “Agreeable Gray” by SW. Beadboard as a backsplash material in the kitchen is such a staple in old European kitchens. It adds the perfect dose of quaint charm to the space. Painting it greige (a mix of gray and beige) will add warmth to the space.

Countertops

Choosing a countertop material was quite the process on this remodel. I really, really wanted marble. But after much (so much!) researching, debating and polling, I knew I had to choose quartz. While my dream home will most definitely one day have marble kitchen counters, I’m very aware that most people are hesitant to have marble in the kitchen. The general consensus is that most people prefer marble in theory, but ultimately quartz is the more practical choice that most would prefer in their dream kitchen.

In the photo above you can see our top two choices, along with the poll results from Instagram. The top option is the one we ultimately went with: Carrara Select quartz. The bottom was my favorite marble option: Carrara marble.

Carrara Select quartz is also the same stone we installed in the Greenfield kitchen. As you may have guessed by the name, it is made to look like Carrara marble. You can read all about quartz countertops in a post I shared last August.

One detail I’m especially excited about is the custom cutout backsplash to be installed behind the sink. I’ve loved this charming detail for quite some time, and I’m excited to finally incorporate it into one of our designs. Not only is it practical, but it’s also an inexpensive way to elevate the design of your kitchen.

3-D Kitchen Renderings

In conclusion, I’d like to share some 3-D kitchen renderings, which are always everyone’s favorite part. Keep in mind, not all of the rendering finishes reflect the actual materials. But it really gives you a sense of the space and how everything flows together.

Do you have any questions, comments, concerns? Do you have a kitchen renovation in your plans? Anything specific you want to see or learn about the kitchen renovation process?

Looking for more Greystone House posts? Check out the following:

• Introducing the Greystone House + My Preliminary Plans
• Greystone Guest Bathroom Design Plans
• Greystone Downstairs Bathroom Design Plan