Guys… we survived a 6 month kitchen renovation! I’ll say it louder for the people in the back… WE SURVIVED A SIX MONTH KITCHEN RENOVATION! Watching our taupe transitional kitchen come together was a total blast for me. I could have done without the construction zone and constant eating out, but being able to reach a beer from the fridge while sitting on the couch had its perks ha!
Now I get to share a beautiful round up of all the materials and decor we used to create a kitchen of my dreams!
From the classic taupe (not white) kitchen cabinets to the interplay of mixed metals, we’ll dive into all the sources, from big to small that we used in our transitional taupe kitchen.
We’ll highlight all the big ticket items while uncovering the charming little details that might be less obvious. Join me as we navigate the intersection of classic charm and modern flair, as we curate a palette of inspiration for your dream kitchen!
Taupe Kitchen Cabinets:
I knew I wanted light cabinetry, but feel like white has been a bit overdone recently. A great neutral alternative that I found was taupe! I love how timeless it is while still adding a little warmth.
As much as I love inset cabinetry, it certainly wasn’t in the budget. So overlay it was! Luckily, we found a cabinet line, Kitchen Cabinet Distributors, which was recommended by our contractor that has a beautiful taupe color called Sand. It’s the perfect greige color and actually REALLY similar to the Behr Sculptor Clay color we have in other places in the house.
This color makes for a great transitional kitchen cabinet color because of how versatile and classic it is.
Quartz counter tops & backsplash:
For those of you that actually use your kitchen and need a durable countertop, I highly recommend quartz! For a durable, chip-proof, stain resistant material, this Calacatta Gold from TVS was our winner!
I talk more about why we decided on quartz and details on how we extended it up as our behind the stove backsplash in my Quartz Backsplash blog post.
Aged brass cabinet pulls & knobs:
To compliment the warmth of the taupe cabinets I knew I wanted brass knobs and pulls. Ultimately, it came down to aged brass vs polished brass. I loved the worn look of the aged brass and these Sussex Cabinet Knobs & Mercer Pulls ended up coordinating really nicely with lighting fixtures that we’ll talk about in a little bit.
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Custom vent hood:
Our semi-custom hood is from Archways & Ceilings in their Arcadia style. This company was a dream to work with! Their pre-fabricated hood frames were a breeze to put together. They will customize any shape, size or style you could possibly dream up and ship it directly to you! It came with clear assembly instructions for a frame perfect for YOU.
We opted to drywall and paint it, but I’m still thinking I might take a stab at some Roman Clay to add a little texture.
Lighting sources:
I really didn’t want anything matchy-matchy in our kitchen, down to the lighting sources. I wanted to coordinate the lighting fixture finishes with the cabinet hardware, so I stuck with aged brass. Keeping the metals consistent throughout the fixtures harmonizes the look and gives a little freedom for mixing and matching fixture styles.
If you’re wondering the best way to light a space like a kitchen be sure to check out the blog post link below. I share all the details on how to pick the best lighting for your spaces and explain kelvins, watts vs lumens and how to use them.
Sconces:
I saw these sconces in Bre’s kitchen at Brepurposed and knew I had to have them. I reached out to Light Works Design Co. The owner, Michael, was kind enough to gift a Cast Brass Hardwire Cafe Sconce. Michael was an absolute gem to work with! He takes so much pride in his work and vintage lighting is clearly his passion.
Pendants
I have to admit, the pendant selection was the HARDEST decision in our entire kitchen. I know it seems silly, but it felt like the window into our kitchen. It’s what you see from the dining and living room so the pressure was on.
I finally made the decision on these Hinkley Oliver Pendants from Lumens. Jury is still out… I have to see how they look with the dining room chandelier (which is still on back order).
Picture light
Over the open shelves I couldn’t picture anything except a picture light! It’s the perfect little elegant accessory over the soffit and lights up the custom hutch (or shelves or whatever you want to call) it so beautifully!
We went with Visual Comfort’s Cabinet Maker’s Light which was a slight spurge, but SO WORTH IT!
Semi-flush mount light:
Over the window we designed a light source for a small semi-flush light. Keeping with the aged brass finish I threw in a little white material to keep the area over the window looking light. This Bruno Marashlian Halophane 8 Inch 1 Light Semi Flush Mount by Innovations Lighting fits the space perfectly.
Walnut shelving:
One of my favorite features of our kitchen is definitely the open shelves with brass gallery rails. I have a whole separate blog post if you’re curious how we decided and execution this design. Would you believe this little nook used to be a bifold pantry? I know… I still can’t believe it!
Long term plan is to add cabinetry in our dining room which is adjacent to the kitchen. I envisioned walnut colored cabinetry so really wanted to incorporate a walnut feature in the kitchen to help tie the spaces together.
Knowing I wanted to use the same cabinet line, we actually used cabinet side panelling material from KCD cabinets with plans to use this same Kodiak color in our dining room down the road.
Brass gallery rails:
The brass gallery rails and posts were a charming little cherry on top of the open shelving wall feature.
Brass gallery rails and posts are from Paxton Hardware. They were a bit pricey, but for a major focal point of the kitchen I was perfectly ok with a little splurge.
Polished nickel plumbing fixtures:
Plumbing fixtures is where I brought in the concept of mixed metals. For tips on How to Mix Metals in the Kitchen for an effortless, lived in look be sure to read my blog post where I share all my thoughts on how to do this beautifully.
To contrast all of the warmth in the space, we went with polished nickel plumbing fixtures. This included a bridge faucet and pot filler from Vintage Tub. We were lucky enough to have Vintage Tub sponsor these details of the kitchen. Check out the sponsored post below on these beautiful statement fixtures.
LVP Flooring:
We used Coretec’s Waddington Oak throughout out upstairs hallway and primary bedroom which we have loved. Seemed like a natural decision to extend the same durable flooring throughout the downstairs during our recent kitchen/downstairs renovation.
Kitchen Decor (or similar):
In conclusion, the marriage of taupe cabinets and mixed metals in our transitional kitchen design offers a harmonious blend of sophistication and versatility. Through the interplay of warm taupe cabinet materials, walnut accents and the sheen of various metal finishes, this design scheme is elegant and will outlast all the trends.
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Girl Behind the Blog
I’m Jess, the creator of Oak & Grain. A mid-west girl at heart who now resides in Raleigh, NC. I love finding old things and giving them new purpose by way of refinishing or incorporating unexpected, overlooked thrift store finds in the modern home. I work full-time in medicine and I love dipping into my creative side and in the process, keeping my sanity. Follow me on Instagram and YouTube to see more behind the scenes action.