Kitchen Brainstorming: Colorful, Vintage, Eclectic Vibes

In the few months I've lived at my new place, everything has been coming together quite well. The living room is done. The bedroom and office are near complete. The front room is a work-in-progress. The bathroom is a soon-to-be work-in-progress. And lastly, that'll leave me the kitchen / dining room. The three words I'd use to describe my vision: Colorful. Vintage. Eclectic.

Read on!

Here's a glimpse of my kitchen. It currently has white lower and upper cabinets (maybe from the 60's or 70's) and newer gray laminate counter tops. The drawer pulls are fancy little brass things. The sink is pretty basic. There's a nice big window over the sink with cute little shelves on either side. Before I moved in, my landlord replaced the fluorescent overhead light fixture with brushed steel track lighting. The floor is white linoleum; the ceiling and walls are white, too. There's a a pantry door nearby, which is currently painted red.

With a foot of snow outside (and more coming today) it's hard to think that springtime is just around the corner. But the more I plan, the more prepared I'll be once warm weather hits and I can tackle this kitchen projects. I saved the kitchen for last because I really wanted to live with it for a while and brainstorm before making any brash decisions. 

As I surf Pinterest, one kitchen that really caught my eye and sums up my favorite kitchen design elements is this one:

• Lower and upper cabinets painted a different color. 
  I see this done a lot with black lowers and white uppers, but it's more "my style" to do color down below. 
• Dark, neutral counter tops.
  I'm a renter, so there's no way I'm replacing the counter tops. Plus, I don't mind the gray laminate. It lends contrast and that's what I'm going after.
• Subway tile.
  So this kitchen doesn't have actual subway tile, but a similar look is there in the square tiles. I especially like the darker grout.
• Hooded drawer pulls.
  There's just something I love about shiny, brushed steel or chrome hooded drawer pulls.
• Open shelving / glass door cabinets.
  I adore the look. And while I don't have glass door cupboards, I do have those cute little corner shelves around my windows.

So you see, there's a lot I love about this kitchen. The one thing I don't like is the lack of other colors. I'm not an all neutrals with one splash of color kinda girl. In fact, I'd be using the teal of those lower cabinets as a neutral, too – a backdrop for brighter pops of orange, red, and lime green.

Starting from the bottom, I've already got a dining table and chairs. It's really similar to the retro dining set here: white table top, chrome edges and legs, and lime green vinyl chairs. It's definitely got that vintage burger joint to it and while I've toyed around with the idea of getting an old farmhouse table and metal chairs, I can't seem to part with the retro vibes just yet.

I also already have a rug. It's a big faux brick rug that feels great under the feet and takes up a nice amount of floor in the spacious room. Plus, with all the cool colors I'll be bringing in, the shades of brown and orange will help balance things out and warm things up.

Years ago, a former tenant stuck ivy/floral decals on the drawers and doors of the upper and lower cabinets. Years later, they're no longer stickers but stuck. I'll be scraping those off and priming the cabinets. Then, I plan on painting the lower cabinets a lovely shade of rich teal and replacing the brass hardware with shiny hooded drawer pulls.

The track lighting that my landlord installed will be staying. It's nice and bright, plus the brushed steel will compliment the hooded drawer pulls, metal sink, and chrome table. I want to hang flowy white cafe curtains on the kitchen window to keep things light, bright, and airy. 

The walls and upper cabinets will be getting a fresh coat of crisp white paint. And just above the sink, I'd like to do a little section of subway tile for a backsplash. When it comes to accessories, I'm not restricting myself to a color scheme. I already have so many cool kitchen things in a variety of colors (a red tea kettle, turquoise toaster, lime green canisters, orange pots and pans) that I just can't start from scratch. Plus, I like how all the bright colors will pop against the white, gray, and dark teal.

I'm so excited to get started! :D

What do you think? Any ideas to add?

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