I think I have a problem because when I saw this kitchen my first thought was aw…I wish I had a cute window over my sink. I suppose the grass is always greener somewhere else, but I do really like the layout of the kitchen and I think you have so much going for it already.

The first problem I see are that the cabinets don’t touch the ceiling. Short ceilings + short cabinets = small feeling. This is the main culprit for that “dingey” look you are talking about (also the floor tile and wall color). If you are planning a full kitchen renovation I think we would be better off to scrap the upper cabinets and get some larger ones but if it’s not in the budget I think just shifting those cabinet boxes up and filling the remaining space between the upper cabinets and the ceiling with MDF boards and crown would work like a charm to at least give the illusion of larger cabinets.

The other problem I wanted to help address was to give you guys a place to sit and chat about your days while one of you is cooking. I love that you and your husband take turns preparing meals and the idea of relaxing at your own kitchen bar while y’all enjoy each other’s company was at the top of my priority list when creating the new space.

Here are the other ideas I have for your kitchen with specific colors and products you could use to guide you in the right direction.

• Paint the upper cabinets Sherwin Williams Pure White

• Paint the lower cabinets Sherwin Williams Functional Gray

• Engineered white quartz countertops with slight veining

• Granite composite kitchen sink - if you haven’t heard of these please believe me when I tell you this sink changed my life

• Main subway tiled backsplash - Restore Beveled 3x6 Bright White Subway Tile

• Range accent tile - Sublimity Daphne White Balance Mosaic

• Central light fixture

• Sconce over the window

• Brass Faucet - this one has a pulldown so it’s functional and stylish

• Cabinet Hardware

• Cafe Curtains

• Move the microwave over the range instead of taking up countertop space - another idea (if y’all are the kind of people who don’t use a microwave everyday) is to move it to our brand new walk-in pantry and let it live there for when you need it

• Close in the old laundry space and add a door to create a large walk-in pantry space

• Repaint the walls Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White - I’ve carried this color throughout the other two spaces as well

• Peninsula bar and workspace - with these added lower cabinets I would take advantage of the additional space by adding a trash drawer to help yourselves out and avoid another problem area with a floating trash bin out in the open or in the pantry

As I was considering all the factors I knew y’all wanted to spend more of the budget on the master bathroom so I made sure to keep the gas where it was located, fridge with the water line needed to stay in place and the sink and dishwasher made sense to keep where they are. Hopefully by leaving those utilities where they currently exist it will allow you to spend more of the budget and energy on the pretty things.