Functional Family Kitchen Renovation: Visiting The Showroom

Last week, my husband and I went to AyA Kitchens & Baths for our kitchen consultation. We got to see our professional design layout — after weeks of gathering inspiration to prepare for our kitchen project, it was exciting to see it all come to life at the showroom.

Before our appointment started, I walked around the showroom and was able to get up close to see the kitchens they had on display. It was also great to see exactly which finishes we could consider, and what kind of gadgets we could build in. (I was excited when I saw the Franke apron sink on display, which is exactly like the style I’ve been eying online!)

Like many families, kitchen space is an ongoing issue for us; we loved to see that there were so many space-conscious designs to choose from. Although I love going online for inspiration, nothing compares to seeing something in person.

Here are some pictures I took from our visit:

I love the moss green cabinets and brass hardware in this kitchen. It looks fantastic alongside the rustic tractor stools.

The brass faucet is gorgeous, and definitely something I want to add to my wish list.

This kitchen is more contemporary than I would like, but I want to keep this countertop and ceiling-height marble backsplash in mind for my own design.

This is the Franke sink I have been eyeing for our space. It’s nice and big — perfect for a busy family. 

Our design consultation with Sandra at AyA allowed us to review our wish list and go over the photos we brought in. She encouraged us to think about our kitchen even more thoroughly than we had been: Would we like a preparation sink? What about storage beside the banquette to maximize that wall space?

Sandra made it clear to us from the start that there are no stupid questions and no limit to the number of tweaks we can make when it comes to getting our dream kitchen. Best of all, we trust that she’ll steer us in the right direction if we are making a mistake.

Here are some of the functional elements she recommended, all of which we decided to add in:

Built-in garbage to free up floor space. This will make a big difference in our small space, both aesthetically and functionally.

This brilliant feature is called a “magic corner.” My husband loved this one. By having the pull-out, we can actually see what is in the back of the cupboard and utilize all of the space.

I didn’t think I would want a built-in dishwasher, but once I saw them in the showroom, it was quickly added to the wish list!

After going over — and adding to — our wish list with us, Sandra walked us through the cabinet styles that best fit our shaker-style vision.

There were so many options to choose from!

Much to our delight, choosing the cabinet colour was easy; we fell in love with a rich grey called Anthracite. Not only do we think it will add handsome character to the room, it also looks like it will hold up against the wear and tear in our busy space.

After looking at cabinet colours, we couldn’t help but jump ahead to countertops as well.

There was a much bigger selection in the showroom than I had anticipated. In fact, they have an entire room dedicated to counter top choices:

They have everything from quartz to granite, and Corian to marble. And so many shades to choose from.

The design recommendations we received from our consultation with AyA Kitchens & Baths has maximized our space more than we ever thought possible. My husband and I have gone through every inch to make sure we have a place for everything. We’ve even made large-scale printouts of the plans and hand-wrote what will go where, cross-checking the design against our notes and list of needs.

The final verdict? We love it! Now, armed with our detailed design plan, we’re ready to move forward with our renovation.

Next stop: demolition time!

Click here to read Jennifer’s first renovation blog post.

Photos: Jennifer Mader