It’s been a bit since a DIY post on here, but trust me I have been busy! When we moved into our first house just after Christmas 2021 there was a LONG list of all of the updates, upgrades, and details that I wanted to accomplish asap. But of course, you can only do so much at a time, so much yourself, and so much on a budget. So verrrrry slowly I’ve been spending late nights after my little one is down and stealing moments here and there while we have sitters or family to help to make what changes I can. The biggest is of course in our kitchen!
Brian and I decided that our interior design style is a mix of Modern Victorian (me) and Spanish colonial (him), which comes with a unique set of challenges — color being the biggest. But there are many items we can agree on! Dark wood tones, molding & craftsman details, and contrast. An all-white kitchen was definitely not the dream kitchen for us!
Kitchen Design Inspiration
The Before Photos
And I mean before. These are listing photos, taken of the house as we bought it before we de-popcorned ceilings, removed and patched over the rectangle fluorescents, installed recessed lighting throughout the living room and kitchen, and painted every single wall in the new house a gorgeous warm white tone to get rid of that weird yellow beige.
In Progress
This is by no means the finished product yet, but it’s come a long way from the washed out white and blue-grey countertops. I still need to install the drawer pulls, we’re considering replacing the upper cabinet doors with glass-fronts, building a second level of small upper cabinets with , and maybe removing the sink-framing upper cabinets entirely.
New wall and ceiling paint: Seed Pearl in Matte from the Home Depot
Cabinet paint: Dark Everglade
Marble contact paper for the countertops from Amazon: Marble Wallpaper Peel and Stick Countertops for Kitchen Removable Gold White Counter Top Stick Paper Matte Thick Countertop Shelf Liner Paper
What’s Next and Still on My Wishlist
Cup drawer pulls! I’ve ordered 2 sets from Doorcorner.com and they weren’t quite the right color. But they’re customers service is amazing! These champagne cup pulls at Home Depot are close to what I’m looking for, but at this point I’m going to have go in-person to a local interior design or hardware shop to pick just the right color.
Butcher block counter for the island.
Either a pocket door or barn door for the combo pantry-laundry room. Ideally, an old wood door with a window or glass feature.
Eventually, replacing the countertops with true granite or quartz in the same color tone once we are 100% set on the configuration.
And now, a poll!
Would you build out a fabulous vent hood above the stove top (losing those two upper cabinets)? Or remove the cabinets by the sink, replacing them with soem gorgeous open shelves? Let me know in the comments!
