10 Design Elements I Love in My Kitchen

Hey y’all! Since remodeling our kitchen a year ago I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the space. It’s my favorite room in the house, cooking almost every meal for our family. I wanted to take the time today to share all the details about my top 10 design elements I love in my kitchen.

Note my kitchen isn’t huge, so when I was designing it, I had my mind set on function first. I think it turned out wonderfully! If you missed my first post about this space, including all of the finish/fixture/hardware details, check it out here: Kitchen Remodel Reveal + Details.

Below I’ve listed the design elements with more explanation and images to follow.

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1. Pantry Sliding Drawers – this is my most favorite design element of the kitchen. Items tend to get lost/forgotten in the back of shelves/pantry. Adding the sliding element to this space ensured I could see everything I have and use it! SO functional and I highly recommend. I have two mirroring cabinets on each side of the fridge/freezer. One for foods and the other for flatware, appliances, pot/pans. All are sliding!

2. Oversized Fridge & Freezer – trust me, you will never regret sizing up in a fridge and freezer. I learned this in my last build and especially now because I have kiddos. The more space the better. If you have the room, do it! My Sub Zero fridge is 36″ and the freezer is 24″. By far the best brand!

3. Pot Filler – I added this mid remodel and I’m SO glad I did. Not only is it a pretty interior addition with the touch of gold BUT it’s also very functional. I use it almost daily while cooking. This is the one I have.

4. Board Drawer – My cabinet maker had the great idea of creating this drawer for all my different sized boards. It simply slides out and contains all of them nicely. I use it for cutting boards and entertaining beauties. A great storage addition!

5. Farmhouse Sink – If you’re washing dishes frequently, I highly recommend a big apron front sink. I love that it’s one big bowl and it looks great. Just make sure you protect it with a grid. I find the ceramic scratches easily. I have a 36″ option from Shaws.

6. Deep Island Drawers – Utilizing every inch of the space was important. I added deep drawers to the island so I could gain as much storage as possible. It really worked out and I’m able to store all of the kiddos goodies, flatware, bowls, spice and more!

7. Quartzite Countertops & Backsplash – Selecting a hard and durable stone is key in a kitchen. In my opinion, a soft option like marble may look great, but it’s NOT functional. It will stain and chip easily. This is why I typically go with a quartzite or quartz. My kitchen is “mont blanc” quartzite. I also decided to use it on the backsplash for a more modern look and easy cleaning.

8. Prep Sink – this was a Luke (my husband) call and I was apprehensive. I had two reasons why I wasn’t sure about the second sink: [1] I didn’t want to take the space out of the island and [2] our farmhouse sink was so close. Would we even use it? We went ahead and added it and I’m SO happy we did! I use it numerous times throughout the day. In many instances I will be using the prep sink while Luke is doing dishes in the other. If you cook a lot and have the space, I’d recommend it!

9. Spice Drawer – the organized spice drawer is a nice addition to any kitchen a very doable. If you have a big enough drawer all you need are bamboo inserts to keep your jars nicely in place. I use these from Amazon. I love that I can easily see everything I have!

10. White Oak Cabinetry – boy oh boy am I glad I went with wood for the majority of my kitchen rather than paint grade cabinetry. If I could go back, I would probably opt to do the entire kitchen in white oak. Why oh why do I think that? Well… it wears SO much better. Yes, you spend more money up front but it is going to last longer. We’ve already had to have our painted cabinets touched up from wear and tear / dry weather. If you have kids, go with wood! I used Oak + Iron Customs for our custom cabinetry.

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