It's DONNNEEEEEE! Our light grey kitchen is complete after an extensive remodel, and I'm so excited to share!

Well, it's been a long long long process, but I'm excited to share that our light grey kitchen is complete and I love it even more than I expected.

A little background, we had NO PLANS to remodel our kitchen…..but due to extensive water damage, we ended up having to redo our entire downstairs – – kitchen, living room, dining room, entryway, laundry area and guest bathroom.  It's been about 7 months start to finish with….NO KITCHEN the whole time.  But, it's so fun to see my kitchen inspiration come to life!

Here we are.  Before we started, our house was dark and…..brown.  It felt outdated, and wasn't really our style.  We decided to make SOME structural changes, and then to change the ENTIRE color scheme.  Our goal? Light, bright, and timeless.  We didn't want anything that was SO trendy that we'd regret it a few years down the road.

Light Grey Kitchen: The Completed Remodel

First decisions we made? Color scheme.  We decided on light hardwood floors (yup, actual hardwood) and I still can't believe how much they open up the space.  Our other massive change? We rotated our kitchen island.  The old island was HUGE (and had range in the island).  We decided to switch to a traditional range and stove, to shrink and rotate the island and….I love the layout so so so much more!  Our counters are in a similar layout otherwise, but we switched from a brown, spotted look to a nice white marbled design.  The lighter countertops make everything look bigger, and they're VERY easy to clean (bonus).

A few HUGE additions to the kitchen island? These details made the whole light grey kitchen much more functional and enjoyable to use.

• Sharp Built-In Smart Convection Microwave Drawer (30 inch): We didn't even realize that a microwave drawer was a THING until we started researching appliances.  But, once we'd seen one….it was a must have.  Ours is built into the kitchen island and, it's a GAME changer.  I love that the kitchen looks less cluttered, and it's so so so easy to use.  HIGHLY RECOMMEND (and a lot of you did too when I asked about them on IG stories). Sharp offers both a 24 and a 30 inch size, we opted for the larger size that can fit a full casserole dish for reheating!

• Pull Out Trash Drawer:  Our contractor suggested building in a trash and recycling drawer, and we are so happy we did.  It's really nice to not have a trash can sitting out, and adds to the nice streamlined look of the kitchen.

One of the things that has shocked me the most? What a difference changing the COLOR of our cabinets made.  For the most part, the layout is the same (we shifted things around a bit but it's the same amount of wall space).  But the change between brown cabinets and the light dove grey color we chose? MIND BLOWING.  For reference, we got dove grey shaker cabinets built and they're a classic, timeless look.

Appliances were a huge debate for us.  For awhile, I wanted the super trendy white and rose gold appliances I saw all over the internet.  But after a lot of discussion…..we decided to go with stainless steel Cafe Appliances.  I have a feeling in the long run, we'll be happier.  I would have gotten sick of the other color and it didn't really vibe with the rest of our light grey kitchen.

Now, let's talk about our farmhouse sink.  This was a MUST have for me.  But, I wanted something a bit unique.  Most farmhouse sinks have one large cavity.  But, I wanted two.  One for the disposal and one for a dish drain.  Elkay made my farmhouse sink dreams come true.  I love love love this fireclay sink and we decided to go a little edgy with the black faucet.  I think it really adds a little extra to the whole space.

Now, let's talk about the other black elements of the kitchen.  They're what make it truly unique.  We worked with Battle Creek Hardware to pick all the kitchen hardware and it was the most amazing experience.  Tina, the owner of Battle Creek Hardware is truly an expert.  She helped us to navigate the choice of hardware, and made suggestions that she thought would fit our style.  She even did a mock up for us and helped us pick the perfect matte black hardware. Interested in their stunning hardware? You can use code LIPGLOSS for 15% off!

The other black element? Our pendant lights.  Funny story, we actually originally ordered these lights in tan.  The day after they shipped, we changed our minds and decided we wanted black pendant lights.  We felt like they'd add more of an edge to our light grey kitchen.  So for a couple days we had both in the house.  The lights are pretty in both colors, but I'm so glad we chose the black ones.

All in all? From the cabinets to the black kitchen hardware…..we love our light grey kitchen, and are so glad we made the choices we did!