My husband and I have been back and forth over whether or not to renovate this house. It was a short sale. Thus, when we moved in, there was a lot of defered maintenance to take care of. We did a lot of that and made several aesthetic improvements over the last six years... We pulled out the old fireplace facade and retiled, the enormous entertainment center was pulled out and replaced with a sleek floating console, we've painted and replaced nasty carpet. The dining room had enormous mirrors which were removed and replaced with shelving and cabinets in the dining room were painted white. But with so much left to do (kitchen, bathrooms, yard, roof, windows) we wondered if we should cut and run or really go for it and fix the place up.

Since the reasons we bought the property are still sound reasons to invest in real estate (view, good schools, good bones and a cul-de-sac location), we have decided we are going to renovate. That means kitchen, baths and upgraded landscaping plus new windows and roof.

Here's how the kitchen looks right now:

Not hideous, but also not up to date. The house was built in 1996 which makes these cabinets and most appliances 22 years old this year. The doors no longer stay shut and hinges are broken and even a few of the drawer bottoms have dropped out recently. We did replace the back splash early on... it was the most hideous southwest tile you have ever seen.

So, where to start... well... I created a board on Pinterest the other day with inspiration of the direction I'd like to take. I'm thinking of mixing black and white cabinets with possibly some more colorful tile. While I decide, here are some incredibly inspiring kitchens that I've saved.

The following are from Devol Kitchens. I'm absolutely gah gah over this green one. If I could go full on Old World European I would. This is so gorgeous I could cry.

Would it totally freak you out if I did something like this? Because sigh...

I for real gasped when I saw the following kitchen from Vogue (although I will not be going with green cabinets simply because of resale value):

That's all my inspiration for now. We can't wait to get started here!

I suspect there are a few trends in kitchens coming up... My thoughts are we will see a lot of colorful tile, mix and match cabinets and countertops and the open shelving trend will continue. I also am 100% sure granite is dated.

Tell me in the comments your thoughts on the latest kitchen trends. I'd love to know what you think! Also... if you have done big renovations... I'd love your advice!