Kitchen choices we keep coming back to, and how to make your own

Kitchens are where a lot of decisions pile up. Cabinets, counters, tile, appliances, lighting, and a hundred smaller things all have to get along. We've worked on a good number of them in the older Abilene homes we renovate, and the same handful of choices keep showing up. This isn't a sales pitch. It's a look at how we think through those decisions, in case it helps you with yours.

Cabinets: build to the room

Custom cabinets show up in several of our homes, including Elmwood, High Meadows and Brentwood Ranch. The reason is fit. Older houses rarely have kitchens that match standard sizes, and a cabinet built to the room uses space that stock boxes would waste. At Brentwood Ranch, custom cabinets and shelving carried into the living space too.

When you're choosing cabinets, think about what you actually store and how you cook. Deep drawers for pots. A spot for the things you reach for every day. Shelving that shows off what you want to show. Color matters less than layout, because you can repaint a door but you can't easily move a sink.

Countertops: predictable or one of a kind

We've used quartz countertops at Elmwood, Brentwood Ranch and Weavers, and granite at the Mid-Century Farmhouse. Quartz is an engineered stone, so the pattern is consistent and it typically needs less upkeep than some natural stones. Granite is natural, so every slab is different, and many people love that. Neither is wrong. The real question is whether you want predictable or one of a kind.

Ask to see a full slab, not a small sample. Veining and color shift across a big surface, and the sample in your hand can mislead you. Look at it in your own kitchen light before you commit.

Tile and texture: pick one thing to notice

Tile is where a kitchen gets its personality. We make designer tile selections in many of our homes, and at the Mid-Century Farmhouse we went with a classic subway tile backsplash. A patterned tile behind the range can turn a wall into a feature. Simple tile lets the cabinets and counters take the lead.

A useful test: pick the one element you want people to notice and let everything else support it. If the tile is busy, calm the counters. If the counters have strong veining, keep the tile quiet.

Texture keeps a kitchen from feeling like a catalog photo. We've used shiplap accent walls in the bathrooms at the Mid-Century Farmhouse, and a wood plank accent wall in the kitchen at Weavers. Wood adds warmth next to hard surfaces like stone and steel. Use it on one wall, though. If every surface has texture, none of it stands out.

Appliances and lighting: the quiet decisions

Stainless steel appliances went into High Meadows, Weavers and the Mid-Century Farmhouse. They pair with almost anything, they come in a wide range of sizes, and they don't tie a kitchen to one color trend. That said, appliance choice is mostly about how you cook. A big range isn't much help if you mostly use a microwave.

Lighting gets overlooked. At Elmwood we chose chic lighting, and we'd argue it deserves attention as early as the cabinets do. Layer it: overhead light for general work, focused light above the counters and island, and something softer for evenings. A beautiful kitchen with poor lighting looks flat.

How we'd decide, in order

In an older house the kitchen window, the ceiling height and the location of the plumbing can all set limits. Working with those instead of against them usually produces the best result. If you're planning a kitchen of your own, here's the order we'd suggest:

• Start with how you cook and who's in the room when you do.
• Choose the layout and cabinets first, since they're the hardest to change later.
• Pick counters and tile together, never alone.
• Settle lighting before the walls are closed up.
• Add texture last, in one place.

These are choices we've made in our own flips and kept coming back to, but your house and your family are different from ours. If you're curious about a house we've finished, or you have an older home you're thinking about selling, call (325) 261-3855 or email nikigrant89@gmail.com.