so, as you may have gathered from my last few posts (and instagram posts – if you’re not following me yet, please join us on my faaaave social platform!), i have KITCHENS ON THE BRAIN. mainly, i am deciding between wood or tile floors, and gray or white cabinets. all will be revealed in my next post, but for now, here are some thoughts:

1. contrasting uppers and lowers (cabinets, people) are really in right now. as my newly selected contractor, shmulik (yes, that’s his name, and i love it) informed me, “the young people are really into dark on the bottom, light on the top…” that being said, my kitchen, while it has a window, doesn’t get a ton of natural light, so gray cabinets might be an issue.
2. it remains to be seen whether the hardwoods underneath the layers of linoleum on the kitchen floor are in good condition, okay condition, or absolutely horrible condition. tearing up the linoleum will somewhat guide my decision, but i am leaning towards tile – mostly just because it’s pretty, it makes a statement, and then i can post a hundred million pictures on the #ihavethisthingwithfloors hashtag.
3. i’m really feeling a country-ish kitchen with a couple of more “modern” touches. think subway tile and shaker-style cabinetry, but with slightly more modern hardware and lighting. i know for sure i want some reclaimed wood up in this hizzy, but i also know that i don’t want to go tooooo farmhouse because i’m, you know, in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the world.

so, with those three things in mind, here are some kitchens that are making my heart go boom boom.

i’ve had this one pinned for years – it’s an eclectic bohemian kitchen that obviously has way more space than mine, but it proves you can mix ‘country farmhouse’ with ‘down ass bohemian chick’ and still have it look good.

this kitchen gives me heart palpitations, even though the full marble backsplash is a bit modern for my taste. i mean, hello, look at that stove. think of all the marvelous things you could cook on that range. and the crisp white cabinets with beautiful brass hardware…i can’t get enough. i think i’m going to stay away from brass in my own kitchen, mostly because i worry that it’s too trendy and overdone and that in ten years, i’ll wish i’d done something slightly more classic.

this pantry shelf situation belongs to author jane green, and was featured in the nytimes a while back. it’s the inspiration for my “front wall” – the wall above the sink, where i don’t want any upper cabinets, and instead, just want giant reclaimed wood shelves that could easily have been chopped down from the trees in my imaginary backyard. all white dishes, giant glass canisters for all my baking goodies…SWOON. HONEY, I’M HOME!

these brass drum pendants are the stuff dreams are made of. unfortunately, you need both a big space and a big budget to bring them home – but they sure are nice to look at, aren’t they? i love love LOOOOVE these stools, and am on a hunt for low-priced versions of them. beyond the hints of brass, this kitchen is somewhat close to what i want: simple white cabinets, simple hardware, and marble countertops with stainless steel appliances.

it’s photos like this one that make me consider ebony hardwoods and moody gray cabinets. i loove this kitchen. i want to cook in this kitchen. it’s so unassuming and cozy. unfortunately, i don’t think i get enough natural light for cabinets this dark. but heyyy wood shelving and white subway tile backsplash!

what i would give for a wall of reclaimed brick. that’s all i’ll say. my building is wood and concrete, so brick isn’t in the cards for me, even once we start tearing down walls. alas, regular old sheetrock will have to do.

i love the symmetry of this space. i’m betting that middle area used to be a fireplace that the owners closed up – but building out the shelving around it works so well. it looks like most of this is decorative shelving, not everyday cups and glasses – but still, it’s beautiful. i also love the mirrored backsplash (can you see it back there?). the rich patina adds instant age to an otherwise modern space.

ah, grey cabinets and brass hardware. such a match made in heaven. but are they MY match made in heaven? this i do not know.

a small space with big style. simple shaker cabinets: check. simple black hardware: check. marble counters: check. great shelving: check. i want it all.

this room has dark hardwoods, but still feels SO BRIGHT. this is why i’m leaning towards white cabinetry – just look at all that light! also, these pendants are verrry similar to the ones i’m eyeing from schoolhouse electric. HOLLA.

white on white on white on wood. i like. i want my wood shelving to be a little knottier, funkier, and darker – to look like it’s lived a life before me – but otherwise, i am loving everything about this.

well, folks, there’s my inspiration. as you can see, despite my best efforts to be the kind of gal who goes for moody grey and brass (moody grass?), it turns out i’m the kind of gal who prefers the all white look with hints of wood.

that’s what she said.

stay tuned for my actual kitchen design plan, coming next week. and in the meantime, if you’ve got any sources, ideas, or thoughts, please do not hesitate to send them my way!

{photo: kate arends of wit & delight}

the time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things. of shoes – and ships! – and sealing wax, of TILE FLOORS AND THINGS.

that’s right, folks, today, we are talking tile floors (and hardwood ones, too, for a hot second), in an effort to help me make a decision on what to do with my soon to be kitchen.

it used to be that funky patterned tile was reserved for scene-y restaurants like gracias madre in LA, but more and more, i’ve been spotting it in the homes of mere mortals like myself.

now, i know what you’re thinking. tile? for kitchens? groundbreaking.

i get it. kitchen tile, regular old boring kitchen tile, is nothing to write home about. it’s decidedly blah, and as my mother so kindly reminded me, causes anything you drop on it to shatter into a million little pieces.

but encaustic tile (the funky, patterned stuff you see above) is a whole different ballgame. encaustic tiles are ceramic pieces in which the pattern is not a product of the glaze, but instead, of different colors of clay. in other words, each tile is an art piece.

{photo: jessica helgerson}

encaustic tile adds an instant cool factor to any space it graces. check out another shot of kate arends’ kitchen, below. instant cool.

would regular hardwoods be pretty in this space? of course. but the tile makes the kitchen POP.

i’ve had my eye on encaustic tile (and specifically, the cement tile shop, where kate bought her tile) for months now, but i wasn’t totally sold until i came across this kitchen, designed by jessica helgerson, a badass portland designer who is the QUEEN OF FIERCE AND PRETTY.

not to sound all design nerd, but i DIE FOR THIS SPACE. i love this kitchen like joanna gaines loves shiplap. the marriage of that incredible tile with the BLACK AND GOLD STOVE, along with that insane window seat, vintage wooden island, gold pendants…ugh, all of it gives me heart palpitations.

here it is from another angle. can you IMAGINE cooking on that stove? MOVE OVER MARTHA. anything you make on that amazing range would be spectacular, i just know it. obviously, ovens like that one are gajillions of dollars and way out of my price range, but hey, a girl can dream!

so, back to the tile situation. between kate’s kitchen, and the helgerson beauty above, i am officially SOLD ON TILE. that is, until i see a kitchen like this, with ebony hardwood.

hello, my pretty. i want to be cooking in you!

white cabinets + open shelving = swoon city. but if i’m being honest, my hardwoods (which, by the way, are hidden under 3 layers of fuggggly linoleum) aren’t nearly as beautiful as the herringbone floors above. they’re just regular old hardwood floors. sure, they’re original to my 1929 building, but they’re not exactly special.

you know what’s special? this tile. it’s cement tile shop’s “star” and it’s modern and classic and moroccan inspired all at once.

it’s also, coincidentally, what kate arends used in her kitchen, which, in case you needed a refresher, can be seen below.

i’m torn between “star” (above) and “agadir white” (below), a decidedly more moroccan style that i’m worried might look a bit busy on the floor. star has the benefit of a simpler design, but adgadir is such a statement piece that i’m tempted to go for it.

so, tell me. which would YOU choose? i’ve ordered samples of both, and cannot WAIT to see what they look like in person.