March 18, 2021
House of Kendel - Kitchen Reveal
Colour Featured: Strato
March 18, 2021
Colour Featured: Strato
Hi, I'm Kelsi, a "serial yes girl," never shying away from personal or professional opportunities. As a wife, mother, full-time speech-language pathologist, and a content creator for the past seven years, I wear many hats. I love sharing lifestyle content with my online community, including fashion, beauty, motherhood, and home renovations. But my true passion is making people laugh with my dry and sarcastic sense of humour.
We recently purchased a home with great bones, that was built in 1979. It checked all of our boxes when it came to location, square footage, and architectural features, but was in need of some serious cosmetic upgrades. The kitchen, dining room, and formal living area were all divided with walls, which we removed thanks to our amazing team, On The Mark Homes. We opened up the space and it instantly let in so much more natural light. We opted for large built in pantry cabinets in our dining area and an expansive island housing our microwave and beverage center. With the help of Superior Cabinets, our kitchen is so well designed, it flows and functions like a dream.
The Kitchen Before
Although I was born and raised on the Canadian prairies, I've always been a 'California Girl' at heart, so my inspiration for our project was a 'Coastal California' vibe. We have been spending a few weeks each winter in Southern California for the past decade and I was inspired to bring that So Cal feeling to our home. I selected warm, beachy tones to bring the inspiration to life. We chose light oak wood floors, off-white cabinetry, a stacked square tile backsplash, and of course our gorgeous HanStone quartz countertops. I wanted the space to feel warm and welcoming and we did just that!
The Kitchen After
Choosing HanStone Quartz was a no-brainer for us. We love supporting Canadian businesses, we knew we wanted quartz for it's quality, durability and longevity, and they just have so many options for colours and designs. I had seen so many gorgeous kitchens on Instagram who had used HanStone so I was confident they would have exactly what we were looking for. I wanted a crisp white base to compliment the other whites in the space, but with warm toned veining to tie in the wood post, floors, and shelves. Through my search for countertops, I found that cooler, grey, toned countertops are more readily available, with fewer warm-toned options. However, Hanstone had several beautiful options that fit our colour palette. Calacatta Gold and Strato were the front runners, and we ultimately decided on Strato for the movement the feathery veining creates. In order to be sure, we took a trip to FloForm Countertops in Saskatoon to view the slabs in person. The FloForm showroom is stunning, and it was very helpful to see the large slabs. Either option would have been beautiful in our space, though, Calacatta was just a little more bold.
Choosing HanStone Quartz was a no-brainer for us. We love supporting Canadian businesses, we knew we wanted quartz for it's quality, durability and longevity, and they just have so many options for colours and designs.
Kelsi Kendel
I am loving all of the simple, Scandinavian trends I am seeing. I love minimalistic designs that also have a warmth to them. I will always love the bright, airiness of a white kitchen, but I am really feeling all the wood accents that have made their way into design trends recently. I am also drawn to black, industrial accents and hardware.
Initially, I found the renovation process extremely stressful, but definitely got more used to it as the project progressed. You have to let go of control and ensure you can trust in your team and the process. Leave the work to the experts and focus on the fun parts, like the design process and watching the progress. Always keep your budget in mind as well, as it's easy to lose site of and small costs start to add up. Additionally, just know that nothing ever goes exactly as planned, so expect bumps in the road, additional costs, and extended timelines. Lastly, wine helps.
Make sure you check out Kelsi's Kitchen Renovation blog post and follow @kelsikendel on Instagram!
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