This was my first attempt at doing an inspiration board, and (thanks to Savannah’s advice!) I think it went pretty well. I had tried using this website called imagespark.com that lets you create 2 free moodboards, but I didn’t have any luck transferring said moodboard over to the bog so I opted to use powerpoint instead. Basically I just moved the photos into a powerpoint slide, and then saved the slide as pictures and voila!
Hopefully this gives you a better idea of the final look that we’re shooting for. The fabric swatches pictured are for the roman shades and the bench cushion. I still haven’t ordered the fabric, but I’m pretty sure those are the two I’m going to go with. I’m thinking the larger print will go on the windows and the striped fabric will be for the bench cushion.
We decided to go with white subway tile for the backsplash (shocking, right) because it’s beautiful and cheap. What else can I say? The price per tile is only 20 cents so that puts the price per square ft at about $1.68 which seems like a pretty good deal to me. Due to the affordability, we decided to install the tile all the way up to the ceiling on the wall with open shelving– this is the wall to the right of the sink. The other wall will have it under the cabinets (like a normal backsplash) and then all the way up to the ceiling behind the range hood. We’ve never installed tile before, but I’m really hoping it’s not too hard. Chelsea over at This Fresh Fossil posted a great tutorial about installing subway tile a couple of weeks ago so I’m going to head back over there to refresh my memory on the steps and materials. Her backsplash looks fabulous by the way if you want to check it out.
As I’m typing, Jimmee is installing the last of the cabinet doors!! I feel like we should have a champagne toast to celebrate the last door (and the fact that we only have one very small pile of IKEA things left in our living room!!!). I’ve been living with those boxes for way too long!
A Date with Design 
Girl, I LOVE this inspiration board! So happy Powerpoint worked so well. That’s how I’ve been making The French Bouquet inspiration boards and I believe Zinke Design does as well (great fashion and event design inspiration- http://www.zinkedesign.wordpress.com). It’s simple, fun, and makes for a great bit of inspiration when decorating.
I love the colors you picked for the kitchen. Those patterns are major heart-worthy. LOVE them! I think the stripes on the bench is great, with the French-like pattern for the curtains. Brilliant! I think the subway tiles is a great option. They look great, cheap, and you can then extend them as you are going to since they are so cheap. We have those and they’re easy to keep clean, they make the kitchen look fresh and bright, and hey, in the event you want to switch things up in the future and refresh, 20 cents a tile to remove and replace won’t be a heart breaker. :)
Awesome job on the board and I really can’t wait to see the progress. Oooo I bet you’re so excited to get in there and whip up a batch of icy peach margarita and some delicious spinach quiche this summer. Mmmm :) Hugs!!
Thanks so much for the tips on how to make the board!! It was so much easier than the moodboard site that I tried using! :) I’ll have to check out the Zinke design site- I’ve never been there. I’m really hoping that we’ll have the countertop in next week because that means we can finally cook a meal in there!!!
Your inspiration board looks great! I <3 that lime green! And yay for getting those cabinets done! :) I'm so excited to see your kitchen coming to life! Good call on taking the tile up to the ceiling – it will be gorgeous and impressive. Are you going to tile all the way to ceiling behind the range hood, too?
Thanks for the shout-out! And I don't think you guys will have too much trouble with tiling a backsplash, considering all the other amazing feats you've done! :) If you have any questions, though, feel free to ask!
~Chelsea
Thanks Chelsea! We’re planning on tiling up to the ceiling behind the range hood at the moment so we’ll see how it goes. We’re going to need a lot of tile, but we figured we might as well go all out. I’ll definitely check in with you if we have a question.