Kitchen Redesign

We've just begun the renovation of the kitchen. My dream is to have Sally Wheat's transported to my house. But I'm not sure that's a realistic aim. Below are a few "before" picks from when we initially walked through the house. Believe it or not, this kitchen is what sold me on the house. The promise of the kitchen, that is.

We've just had honed black granite installed to surround the cooktop. And honed carrara subway tiles (6" x 12") are on order for the walls. I think for the backsplash will do honed carrara in a tiny herringbone pattern.

The rest of the countertops will be butcher block from IKEA. We don't have it in the budget to do granite (or marble) everywhere. The next biggest decision to make is for the farmhouse sink. We have the space for a 36" sink. I'm pretty certain I want white fireclay (versus stainless). However, I just don't think I can justify spending $1000 for a sink at this point. I'm also paranoid that if I buy it online, I'll get one with a chip or crack and I'll have to return it. I think I'm going to go with the Domsjo double bowl sink from IKEA, a steal at $299. Maybe we'll go buy it tonight!

We are also testing paint colors, light grays and light green-grays. Our kitchen doesn't get a lot of natural light, but I'm worried if we go too light they'll be hard to keep clean. Decisions, decisions.