Modern Craftsman Kitchen

Modern Craftsman Kitchen

UPDATE 2023

We have lived here for 10 years now, and I can honestly say the kitchen cabinets are holding up very well (especially considering we are raising 3 kids here). 

Even being white cabinets, they look pretty good after all these years. No fading at all, just the typically jammy handprints and coffee drips from normal family life. They wipe up easily. There have been a few water spills over the years that have warped the baseboards (MDF) and hopefully this summer we will replace those affected but honestly no one sees them as they are under the cabinets in the toe kick part.

The stove has held up well, just need one burner element replaced. Fridge, oven and built in microwave are also fingers crossed holding up well. The dishwasher needed to be replaced last year, after 9 good years of daily use, the motor gave out. 

I would say one of the only negatives would be the cabinet under the sink has gotten some water damage and is showing some wear and tear. We love our apron front black sink but sometimes the water goes over the edge and drips down the front, like it could with any sink, but I think with the apron front, we don't notice it to wipe it up right away. 

Still love the dark gray wall color (Sherwin Williams 7669 Summit Gray)

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Since moving into the house about 8 weeks ago, the kitchen has been one of our favorite rooms. We have so much storage and so much space to prep food and cook. The kitchen can easily accommodate many people around the island. We still haven't filled many of the shelves and drawers!

The kitchen cabinets are a shaker style cabinet from Aristokraft. The door style for the white cabinets are called Winstead and the darker brown cabinets are Sinclair. We love how the wood floors warm up the modern feel of the kitchen.

The kitchen is very open from the dining room to allow for easy entertaining and socializing while preparing a meal. We have a large island with two ceramic pendants and a large bank of windows on the East wall.

One of the favorite areas of the kitchen would have to be the stove top that is almost like a fireplace hearth the way it surrounds the cooking area. We had always wanted a two tone kitchen, utilizing white cabinets as well as darker wood cabinets. Originally we had thought about darker cabinets for all the base cabinets and white for the uppers but we decided we liked more of the white and used the darker cabinets more sparingly.

To the left and right of the stove top we have a 12 inch counter top area and shallow cabinets up above. For the left side we have a simple spice rack and up above in the cabinet we have baking supplies.

We tried to keep the crown mouldings very simple in the kitchen to reflect the shaker cabinet style and craftsman heritage of our home. As we mentioned before our handles are all stainless steel pulls from IKEA. Their sleek profile fits in the kitchen very well and they were inexpensive at $7.99 for a two pack.

On either side of the stove top we have two cabinets the pull out and house all our cooking oils and spices. These cabinets are actually base cabinets with the toe kicks on the bottom cut off. This is the only area of the kitchen where the back splash tile goes all the way up the wall. We also have an exhaust fan and lighting up underneath the cabinet above the stove top.

This is the view of the kitchen when you walk in through the mudroom and pantry area. If you turned to the right you would walk towards the dining room. The island has been used almost everyday for food prep and since we don't have the dining room table we have been eating at the island too (while standing mind you, since we don't really have room for stools).

Next to the fridge we have a long area of counter top and prep space. We have been using it mostly for breakfast prep and the toaster sits over here most days. We have really enjoyed the back splash, it was the perfect style and color for our kitchen. The tile is made by Bliss, the color is Iceland and it has stone, matte and clear glass and white marble.

 We found these awesome jars at Target for storing the flour and sugar. I love that these glass jars have a wide mouth at the top that makes scooping out of them really easy. They were one of the first accessories I bought for the new kitchen and they are functional and good looking!

In planning the kitchen we originally thought about having small cabinets on what is now the wall of windows. We are very glad we went with just windows on the East wall. We have plenty of storage in the kitchen (especially with the island and our walk in pantry). We just love how much light comes in and our beautiful view outside.

On the East wall we have our dishwasher and our amazing black cast iron farmhouse sink. The sink is by Kohler and will probably out live our great-great grand children! We have loved having this sink as part of our kitchen. Our only complaint is that because it is in a shiny black finish, it shows water spots like crazy. The only cure seems to be wiping out the sink each time you use it (not going to happen!)

In a few years when we finish the detached garage, the windows in the kitchen will look on the garage. We also have a really nice view of wildflowers and shrubs just beyond the driveway. Very enjoyable to look out when doing dishes and see so much wildlife and beauty.

We chose a stainless-steel goose neck faucet by Delta for the kitchen sink. It swivels to reach each side of the sink and the nozzle pulls out for even more reach. It has been a great detail in the kitchen and has been really handy for cleaning large pans and reach to the counter to fill a big pot of water.

There she is in all her white glossy cabinet glory! We have loved every minute in this kitchen so far and can't wait to make many memories with family and friends as we host parties and gatherings for many years.

Updated: our paint color for the kitchen: Summit Grey by Sherwin Williams. SW7669

If you have any questions on our finishes, colors or anything about the kitchen, please feel free to leave a comment.