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You are here: Home / All Archives / 6 Elements to a Kitchen That Make It Timeless

6 Elements to a Kitchen That Make It Timeless

All Archives, Home Decor    ·    April 8, 2015

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy here.
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This post is in partnership with CliqStudios.  I’m thrilled to work with a brand that I 1 million percent believe in.
We have lived in our home for almost eight years.  The kitchen has never really been my taste.  It started out with pine-ish cabinets and off white paint.  We made it worse with a green paint that we chose a few years ago.  (after I researched online like crazy – such a bummer!)   When I realized that my kitchen renovation might really be happening (!!!), I went straight to Pinterest.   I knew that I wanted something me or us, but I also didn’t want a kitchen that would go out of style in two years.

6 Elements that make a kitchen timeless www.thirtyhandmadedays.com

So I poured through pictures, posts and asked everyone I knew for opinions on what they liked and didn’t like in their kitchen.  I found some consistencies in what would make a kitchen timeless and went with those in the hopes of adding fun details that can be switched out according to my taste and current trends.  Here are the 6 elements that make a kitchen timeless: 

Source

Shaker cabinets
As soon as I started planning I knew that we had to get shaker cabinets.    They are classy, streamlined, gorgeous.  When our white shaker cabinets arrived from CliqStudios, my heart skipped a beat.  We chose the Dayton in white.  Nothing could have prepared me for the drastic change they made as the old cabinets came out and the new ones went in.  Shaker style has stood the test of time and I feel confident we made the right choice.  See below for more info on the process of putting the new cabinets in.  


Kitchen featuring subway tiles from CliqStudios
Amazing kitchen with subway tiles featured from CliqStudios

Tile and backsplash
The previous owner of our house had the granite go all the way up as backsplash.  I couldn’t stand it.  It was placed weird and make the kitchen feel even darker.  I love the look of subway tile and love the brightness of white so that’s what we went with.  It is beautiful!

Source

Sink
Farmhouse sinks are more talked about these days than they have been over the years.  There is still some debate on this one.  But if you look back in design books, they have been around for a very long time.  And they won’t be going away anytime soon.  We took a little bit of a risk in getting a stainless steel one (Josh’s choice) so the jury is still out on that one.

Good use of neutrals featured from CliqStudiosGood use of neutrals featured from CliqStudios

Use of neutrals
My instinct is to go with tons of color all over the place.  But that will make for a very weird kitchen in 5-10 years.  Seafoam green was all the rage in 1992 and then went away and now is back now labeled more as a minty green.  But for a good 15+ years it would’ve been terrible in a kitchen.  I chose neutral bones to the kitchen and then will add in pops of color that can be switched out.  A fun rug, cute hand towels and wall art are great places to take risks.

Drawer pulls from CliqStudiosPulls featured on cabinetry from CliqStudios

Handles and pulls
Oh how this gave me heart ache.  Both Josh and I love cup pulls.  They are classic and pretty.  They aren’t too feminine or masculine.  We both agreed on using them as much as possible. Where we didn’t agree was on handles or knobs.  I wanted knobs, he wanted handles.  In the end, guess who won? One of the deciding factors was that if we did knobs we could easily trade them out over time, handles would be harder to change.  There are so many different sizes and looks that knobs were the more classic choice.

I love love love Kim from TomKat’s redo on her vacation home.  She used “white ice” granite similar to what we found. 

Countertops
I really had my heart set on marble.  Oh how pretty that would’ve been.  But after talking to several people I realized that marble was not only expensive, it’s really impractical with kids and especially in a kitchen.  Darn.  I researched more and more until I found a granite that only is pretty and neutral but will be durable.   When picking out your countertops make sure to go to the yard.  We were given a few samples to look at and I didn’t love any of them.  I’m so glad that I made the trip twice to the yard to be 100% positive that we were getting what we wanted.  It is in and it is gorgeous!

 

DIY - Above Fridge Tray Divider

Genius idea from Remodelando la Casa

 Bonus: Smart storage
Working with the space you have, make smart storage decisions.  This will help you enjoy your space for years and years to come.  Think about how you use the kitchen and make choices based on what you will actually use.  This above the fridge tray divider is dreamy.  I’d love to put my cookie sheets there. Perfect!

If you are considering a kitchen remodel, you need to grab this free e-book from CliqStudios to make sure you are making a good investment.
Get a free e-book from CliqStudios

In my first kitchen post, I shared 5 things to consider in a remodel.   It was the start of this series to show the progress of this big undertaking. Today’s post focuses on how to make it timeless.  My #1 that I mentioned was cabinets.

30days Kitchen Redo Before

I was so excited when our cabinets from CliqStudios arrived.  Little did I know how much our house (and life) would be turned upside down.  In the end, it’s been SO worth it.  I can hardly wait to show the final pics!  Our contractor was very impressed with the cabinets.  He went on and on about how he’s installed several other cabinets (from places that shall remain nameless) that split and break and are a pain to work with.  He must have mentioned the quality of the cabinets ten times.  He talked about the joints and the soft close several times.
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Amazing CliqStudios cabinets - shaker style

Just from the before pictures you can see how much brighter the kitchen looks with cabinets only partially installed.  There were several things to consider in how we wanted the kitchen to function.  I talked it over with our CliqStudios designer and ultimately decided to stick with the basic bones of our kitchen and to adjust how the cabinets were laid out.  It was the right decision.

Kitchen Redo from 30daysblog with cabinets from CliqStudios via www.thirtyhandmadedays.com

After installing all of the cabinets, our contractor added molding to finish it off.  I’ll be sharing a before and after post to show the amazing transformation in an upcoming post. I wish I had better pictures but because of the darkness of the kitchen before, it was hard to capture.  If you’re dying to see some afters of the kitchen you can check it out on Instagram.
What do you think makes a kitchen timeless?

 This post is part of a series sponsored by CliqStudios.   

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Comments

  1. Avatar for MiqueJean | DelightfulRepast.com says

    April 14, 2015 at 12:18 pm

    Mique, lovely choices! I always tell people they’ll never regret paying more for well-made, quality cabinetry; cut corners elsewhere. I know people with cheap cabinets who hate them every day, several times a day! When I remodeled 8 years ago, I chose quartz countertops for a whole host of reasons, and I still love them. It’s always good to aim for a “timeless” look, I think.

  2. Avatar for MiqueMiss @ Miss in the Kitchen says

    April 11, 2015 at 8:14 am

    We are just starting on a new house and I am loving your choices for your remodel. I’m off to check out Clique Studio for more inspiration!

  3. Avatar for MiqueSusan - ofeverymoment says

    April 10, 2015 at 2:00 pm

    Thank you for publishing this post! We are facing a remodel soon, and I am excited for the final product, but not the process. You offer some really wonderful tips, and I am pinning this for future reference. I will be curious as to how you like your stainless farmhouse sink. My husband and I both want that size and shape of sink – he wants stainless, but I am worried about scratches and water stains on it. Any thoughts?

  4. Avatar for MiqueKristen says

    April 9, 2015 at 9:36 am

    Adore the clock in your kitchen (and the granite is gorgeous!!!). Would you mind sharing where it came from?? Many thanks for all your blogs…you are really helping get this momma organized!!

  5. Avatar for Miquestephanie says

    April 9, 2015 at 8:33 am

    I can’t wait to see the finished kitchen Mique! And I am excited to hear of this company ’cause we will be moving (hopefully soon!) and I have yet to see a kitchen I love in all the houses we’ve seen. I’m pretty sure whatever I buy is going to have some projects for us!

  6. Avatar for MiqueSandra Roberts says

    April 9, 2015 at 6:13 am

    It’s like the difference between night and day! What an enormous change that’s totally worth it. The farmhouse sink has a couple of extra great functions as well. You can soak huge pots in it, wash unusually large items completely (some people do their pets- not that I’m recommending that in your dream kitchen!), and you can put large stock pots and rice cookers inside while they are plugged in for the extra safety factor (its great in case an electrical device decides to fritz out as you have contained any chance of a kitchen fire and believe you me I have seen two go up in flames before so its a great safety measure). Your kitchen is a large investment, and for resale value of a home it is one that adds more value than you can imagine. I love your kitchen. I can imagine what waking up to it in the morning must be like. -Sandra from Canada.

  7. Avatar for MiqueBecca says

    April 8, 2015 at 8:39 pm

    These are GORGEOUS!! Totally love the cabinets!!

  8. Avatar for MiqueAmy Huntley says

    April 8, 2015 at 8:33 pm

    Absolutely beautiful! Love all of it!

  9. Avatar for MiqueTidyMom says

    April 8, 2015 at 10:52 am

    I’ve been enjoying following your kitchen progress Mique – we just purchased our home 2 months ago (our first home purchase in 29 yrs of marriage!) and the kitchen is the room first on my list that I would like to update. I originally thought about updating with out replacing our cabinets (or painting them) – they are a dark cherry, but oh how I would LOVE to have white ;) . I feel like no matter what I do, if I keep the dark cherry cabinets, my kitchen will still be a little “dated”

    Can’t wait to see your reveal!!

    • Avatar for MiqueMique says

      April 8, 2015 at 7:47 pm

      Cheryl I’m so so happy for you and your home purchase! So exciting. The kitchen was a huge undertaking but the end result is my dream kitchen. It’s been a long time coming and it sounds like it’s been the same for you. I knew that in order for our kitchen to look brighter and bigger (we are lucky that we have a large space to begin with), we needed to go white. It was for sure the right choice. I hope it works out for you with white! You should look into CliqStudios – they are dreamy! xo

  10. Avatar for Mique[email protected] says

    April 8, 2015 at 9:54 am

    I’m absolutely in love!! Those cabinets are looking amazing!!! So happy for you. :)

    • Avatar for MiqueMique says

      April 8, 2015 at 7:45 pm

      Thanks Jen! You have to come visit. ;)

  11. Avatar for MiqueDesiree @The36thAvenue says

    April 8, 2015 at 9:05 am

    I can’t wait to see your kitchen all done… So exciting!

    • Avatar for MiqueMique says

      April 8, 2015 at 7:45 pm

      Thanks Desiree- I’m so excited to share it!

  12. Avatar for MiqueChrissy says

    April 8, 2015 at 6:58 am

    It’s going to look amazing! I can’t wait to see the final photos!

    • Avatar for MiqueMique says

      April 8, 2015 at 7:44 pm

      Yay! Thanks Chrissy!

  13. Avatar for MiqueAmy says

    April 8, 2015 at 6:51 am

    Great tips! And those cabinets… to die for!!

    • Avatar for MiqueMique says

      April 8, 2015 at 7:44 pm

      I am in love with them! So amazing. Thanks Amy!

  14. Avatar for MiqueKelly says

    April 8, 2015 at 6:46 am

    Ohhhh I cannot wait to see the “after” photo! I’m so glad to hear that you picked a farmhouse sink! I think they will go perfectly with your cupboards and cabinets!

    • Avatar for MiqueMique says

      April 8, 2015 at 7:44 pm

      I’m excited to share the after. So fun! Farmhouse sink is my favorite. Thanks Kelly!

  15. Avatar for Mique[email protected] says

    April 8, 2015 at 6:41 am

    I am so excited for you and your knew kitchen. Can’t wait to see it totally done!! I totally agree with your six points.

    • Avatar for MiqueMique says

      April 8, 2015 at 7:42 pm

      Thanks Leigh Anne! It’s pretty exciting… and glad you agree with my points.

  16. Avatar for MiqueSkye says

    April 8, 2015 at 6:40 am

    I cannot wait to see the kitchen all finished! I love white cabinets – I think they are so perfect for any home and make it so much brighter!

    • Avatar for MiqueMique says

      April 8, 2015 at 7:41 pm

      Thanks Skye! I am in love with my white. It for sure makes everything way brighter!

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    April 16, 2015 at 2:48 pm

    […] Elements for a Timeless Kitchen at 30 Handmade Days […]

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(Like Mickey!) I started 30days several years ago as my idea file. After 9 years and thousands of ideas, I realize I’ll never be able to check them all off my list.

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