Behind the Scenes of a Beautiful Tuscan Kitchen Refresh

Do you remember a moment when you felt so excited about something that you couldn’t wait to share the news? When you got engaged? Welcomed your first (or second) child? Received that long-awaited promotion? Were you bursting at the seams, eager to share the news with everyone?

Well, the topic we have for you today might not be a big of a life event, but it comes fairly close… the reveal of a gorgeous kitchen refresh we just completed in timeless Tuscan style. Safe to say we were dreaming of a good Chianti the whole time.

In fact, we were so anxious that we couldn’t even wait for the professional photos to come in. Steve and I grabbed our iPhones and started snapping away. And, you guessed it, we’re sharing it with you pronto!

So let’s uncork this beautiful project and talk details...

Goals for the Project:

While many of our projects are full remodels where we gut a room (or a whole home) and start from scratch, this job was a more modest refresh. Many of the components of the kitchen were still in great shape. The space just needed a little attention to bring it up to date and make the homeowners fall in love with the room again.

In conversation with the couple, we set some aesthetic and functional goals:

1. Brighten up the kitchen

The existing countertop was very dark granite and the backsplash absorbed the kitchen light, making the space feel dimly lit. We knew a light-colored countertop would be just the thing to reflect light in the space and make it all feel brighter.

2. Install a new cooktop & Farmhouse style sink

The old cooktop was 12+ years old and way past due for an upgrade... and the sink wasn’t too far off that either. It was chipped and frustrating for our clients. They dreamed of a single-bowl, farmhouse style sink in stainless steel.

3. Include a water filter in the design

The husband of this duo (and, like Steve, the one who does most of the cooking) requested a filter for both beverages as well as meal preparation. Steve can attest that a water filter is a handy feature to have around!

4. Preserve Certain Elements

Because of the large size of the house and the open floor plan, painting the walls would have been a huge undertaking, so it was decided early on to keep the existing paint color and work within the same color scheme. 

Tuscan Kitchen Refresh: Before & After

New Cambria Quartz Counters

We knew that the dark granite countertops had to go. Finding a replacement wasn’t quite as simple a decision. (Remember this post about choosing the perfect materials for your countertops?)

Before: The old granite countertops were too dark for the space and fought aesthetically with the gorgeous solid mahogany countertop above. The dark tones and matte finish of the backsplash absorbed light, leaving the kitchen feeling dim and small.

We were tasked with finding materials that would update the kitchen, but also smoothly transition into other parts of the house. Since the adjacent family room is full of rich brown and cream tones, we knew we had to avoid countertops with gray hues. Additionally, the bar height countertop (which was staying) was a solid mahogany, so that had to be taken into consideration as well.

So we chose…

Cambria quartz!

After: These lighter Cambria countertops, with a background that leans toward cream, brightened the space considerably and blended seamlessly with the cream colored cabinets as well. (Note that the backsplash hadn’t been installed yet... but just wait, the finished product gets even better.)

After: The veining in shades of taupe, gold, and tobacco worked beautifully with the solid mahogany bar top as well as the other wood tones in the house. The mahogany and gorgeous veining really stand out and look beautiful!

New Kitchen sink

Before: The old white, divided porcelain sink was cumbersome and inefficient for the homeowners.

Over the years, it had also started to chip and had simply become a bit of an eyesore that stood out because of its stark contrast with the black counters.

After: We chose a stainless steel single bowl sink which is convenient, durable, and very easy to clean. It also paired beautifully with the other stainless steel appliances and didn’t take anything away from the stunning veined countertops.

Although not installed at the time of the photo, we added a new touch control faucet as well as an Insta-hot dispenser connected to a water filter under the sink.  

Note: The Insta hot is a personal appliance favorite of mine. It dispenses hot water on demand, and the model we installed in this project also dispenses cold. As a tea drinker, instant hot water for my morning tea is not a luxury, but a necessity.

New Countertop Backsplash

As promised, the new backsplash is the perfect pairing with the Cambria quartz and mahogany countertops.

After: For the new backsplash, we selected a subway tile with a handmade, hand-glazed look. The tile color was just cream enough to blend with the veining colors of the Cambria countertops, and matched well with the walls. The size was 3” x 9” and we used a soft natural color grout to accent the cracking colors.

It also has a slightly vintage feel, which keeps the Tuscan traditional alive. And see how the light plays off of the shiny finish? It might be difficult to see in the photo, but this upgrade alone made the kitchen feel much brighter.

New Oven Backsplash

In addition, the kitchen has a cherry stained hood and cooktop base with a lovely patina. As a designer, I didn’t dream of touching that, and the owners were glad, as it was (and still is) one of their favorite elements of the kitchen. 

That said, the outdated diamond pattern tile with a matte finish didn’t do this kitchen any favors.

Before: The dark backsplash absorbed light and created a dark backdrop for cooking. Definitely not ideal for meal preparation or for overall aesthetics. We need some brightness!

After: We used the traditional running brick pattern for the entirety of the backsplash, but then we added a feature area under the hood with a beautiful trimmed out herringbone pattern. It has an updated but slightly rustic feel that works perfectly with the Tuscan aesthetic. 

After: Notice how polished the kitchen looks trimmed with matching tile? In this case, we used the pencil trim to outline the feature area above the cooktop as well as the entirety of the backsplash along the outer walls.

Design Tip: When designing a backsplash, always look for tile that offers identical trim pieces.

Paint the Kitchen Cabinets 

While it is important to note that poor quality, damaged cabinets are never worth the effort to paint and restore, these homeowners’ cabinets were anything but. They were in great shape, the drawers and doors worked well, and the couple had even changed out the hardware recently.

With the hardware already in place and high-quality cabinets to work with, all we had to do was select the appropriate paint color for their Tuscan style kitchen and do the work to refresh the cabinetry exteriors.

Before: It might be hard to tell the difference between the cabinets in these photos (especially since we didn’t change out the hardware)... but take note of where the light hits the cabinets. The old cabinets had a yellow undertone that made the kitchen feel worn out and tired instead of new and welcoming.

After: We chose to repaint the cabinets in Sherwin Williams Shoji White. This paint had just enough cream color to blend with the other selected finishes while still brightening up the cabinetry and the kitchen as a whole. 

We sprayed the cabinets on-site with a commercial grade lacquer paint, but sent the doors off to the painters’ shop for finishing. From the first step of roughing up the cabinets, to priming, and then to painting, refinishing these cabinets was a 3-day process. Much faster than getting new ones!

Design Tip: When repainting cabinets I cannot emphasize enough how important the preparation is. Kitchen cabinets are used carelessly and consistently, so the finish should be the best you can find and afford. Poor prep always leads to a poor result, which can be chipping (or worse) as the finish comes off.

Improve Lighting

For times when natural light isn’t an option, we wanted to make sure there was plenty of task lighting for our clients to cook and prepare meals.

After: We installed new LED under-cabinet lights. This improved the lighting in the kitchen immensely. Not only did it add light overall, but it increased the brightness given off by the new backsplash tile and lighter countertops as well.

After: The old overhead lights were rather yellow in cast and made the entire kitchen feel dated. By adding under-cabinet lighting, even without the overhead lights on, the kitchen feels bright and fresh.

New Cooktop

Since the old cooktop was more than 12 years old, it was time to replace it and upgrade to…

…a Thermador 5 burner gas cooktop, which we think is a wise investment on the homeowners’ part! It’s beautiful, functional, and matches the other stainless steel appliances. Paired with the herringbone backsplash feature, this portion of the kitchen makes a luxurious statement.

(Selecting appliances is one of the kitchen FAQs we mentioned here.)

Happy Clients & joyful lives at home

If you think we were excited to share this with you, you should ask our clients! They are thrilled. 

We took their dated traditional kitchen and turned it into a Tuscan masterpiece that not only fits perfectly with their existing home decor, but also breathes new life into the home overall.

If you’re ready for a kitchen refresh (or a larger renovation), we can’t wait to help. Contact us here and let’s transform your space into a place you feel excited to call home!

Warmly,
Sarah