Hello sweet friends, I am so happy to welcome March in as February was not fun. I am still scrambling to post on borrowed computers since the accident. So bear with me if the format is not quite perfect. I was able to cobble this post together with photos from my phone, past blog posts, and product images. So today, let’s look at the Kitchen Renovation Week 7 Lighting and Countertops.
Need to catch up?
Here are Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, and Week 6.
Kitchen Renovation Week 7 Lighting and Countertops
For me, lighting is one of the most important elements when designing a well-functioning kitchen.
When chopping/dicing ingredients and cooking with heat if you do not have good lighting to see what you are doing there is the potential for accidents.
When we first moved into Storybook Cottage the lighting was not really sufficient.
The two very dated “Tuscan Inspired” heavy wrought iron light fixtures provided the majority of the light.
We did try to sell these fixtures on Facebook marketplace but there were no takers. (No surprise.) But after marking them “Free” they did go to a new home. I just wanted to make sure they did not end up in the landfill.
The previous homeowners had also added under cabinet lighting. It wasn’t pretty, but it did help. However, it needed to go because it was not up to our county’s safety codes. (Exposed wires, particularly when placed near a sink, are a no-no.)
The new under cabinet direct mount lighting is correctly installed and provides clean, beautiful white light.
For the ceiling, the Week 2 post discussed that we made the decision to eliminate the dated square ceiling lights and the big light fixture over the peninsula. The patch job was done by using the vintage beadboard we removed from the bay window area.
Many readers remarked that they had never realized what a gorgeous ceiling the kitchen had. I so agree!
In the above photo, you can also see four circular holes in the ceiling.
They were filled in with Halo 6 inch canless recessed LED lights. I was a bit concerned that just four of these would not be enough light. But our kitchen has never been brighter! It’s a lovely
An Uplifting Chandelier
As I continued to keep that gorgeous ceiling in mind I started looking for a new chandelier for the small dining nook. I wanted something classical/old world yet still felt warm and welcoming. I did not want it to be visually heavy.
I spent hours, if not days, looking at page after page of lighting fixtures. Nothing was quite right. It was either not the right finish, too expensive. etc.,
When my eyes finally rested on this gorgeous gem the heavens parted and the angels sang.
I will have a link for you soon!
Mr. Decor hung it up for me on Valentine’s Day. Truly a perfect gift!
I think it’s a good time to say that we paid for all of these fixtures ourselves. Nothing was given or discounted to us. I have provided affiliate links to the above products in case you are also searching for lighting. If you click on the links I may receive a small commission. Given the amount of time I spent searching for the lighting, I think this is a win-win for everyone.
Over The Sink
Continuing my vision for a lovely old-world French kitchen I wanted something special for over the sink. Again, I spent days searching for the perfect fixture. I wanted a turn-of-the-century look with a milk glass shade. It also needed to marry with the other metals I was using. I finally found Olde Brick Lighting which creates handcrafted fixtures. I ordered the Thetford (Opal) Adjustable Arm Sconce in antique brass. The workmanship is superb.
Lovely Quartz Countertops
Back in 2015 we did a mini kitchen upgrade and installed Corian countertops. It was a look that fit our budget and worked well for a while.
In Week 1 I shared that our Corian sink had rust spots that could not be removed.
My friend Michelle had recently installed a quartz countertop that I fell in love with. So I began looking at quartz.
Quartz countertops are made from ground-up particles of stone that are bound together with plastic resins. It gives the look of a natural stone countertop, such as marble, but at a much lower price point.
From a green Earth aspect, I like that 90 % of the materials that form the base of quartz countertops are all waste by-products of other quarrying or manufacturing processes.
I settled on Alpine Ashley. It has the look of a warm marble with both gold/tan and grey veining. I wanted a bit of the tan/gold as we were keeping our existing tile kitchen flooring.
We are in the home stretch now. Next week I will be participating in A Stroll Thru Life’s Spring Home Tour. I’ll be giving sneak peeks of the kitchen then.
I hope to see you on Friday. (Fingers crossed.)
Laura
Great job, Laura. And I was totally with you on the search for light fixtures. In previous home make overs the biggest frustration was finding lighting that gave the look I wanted. Seems what I had envisioned was not made. There was always that fear that I would have to compromise my vision. Lots of looking and frustration always accompanied that search. And I totally get the skies parting and angels singing reference. Once I was at the store (pre internet days) about to purchase a compromise when someone else walked in to return my perfect fixture! I had the sales person void my purchase and bought the return. It was an angels singing moment.
This is so exciting! Lovr the fixture and that’s my type of romantic valentine gift.
I can’t wait to see this finished
It’s coming along quite nicely!
I hate looking for light fixtures so I don’t look. And live with the ones I don’t like! What a huge job — but oh, it’s coming along so well! And the cupboards look great.
I am so looking forward to seeing your “welcome home” kitchen reveal. The fixtures you have shared with us are beautiful and timeless. I hope your breath of relief is coming soon and that you are recovered from your fall. ❤️
Laura,
I truly admire both of the lighting fixtures you chose. They are perfect and I can see the quality and love the simple, but elegant design. These are timeless and classic; they will never look dated. I’m already wondering if you will hang a garland of evergreen, next winter, on the fixture that is going over the table. I was thinking of looking at that with a snow-covered background through the window. Now, I’m not sure you get snow where you live in Texas. My knowledge of Texas is very limited. I’ve only been there twice and for a short time. I have your cabinets and now I’m inspired to paint my white in this new-to-me home. The countertops here are black which I don’t care for at all. I have a whole house to re-do and with the higher cost of everything I don’t know if new countertops are in my budget. I have to put new floors in the entire house. And, just as I thought might happen but I was hoping wouldn’t, the furnace needs to be replaced.