Guess what? This is the second time that I have been a
Guest Participant in the
One Room Challenge and this will be my biggest home project yet! For the next 6 weeks I am going to
RENOVATE my outdated
KITCHEN and
share
the
entire
design
process!
To learn more information about the
ORC,
to
register as a
Guest Participant, or to check out the other participants/designers room transformations, visit
oneroomchallenge.com . You can also follow the
ORC on Instagram
@oneroomchallenge #oneroomchallenge #bhgorc.
We have lived in our home for exactly 13 years this month. At the time, this was the best option on the market and met our families needs. But no house is perfect and since the day we purchased it, I have desperately wanted to paint the kitchen cabinets. My husband, Charles, on the other hand thought the tan walls, khaki counters, cinnamon maple cabinets and orange oak floors all looked “fine” together. Ummm.... not so much. So over a decade later he finally gave in. I guess my wife negotiating skills aren’t that good. Lol. Despite all of that, I finally get the
KITCHEN makeover I’ve been dreaming about for years! Yay!!!
Since we first moved in, the only updates I have made is painting the walls twice and swapping out different bar stools. Here is the “
BEFORE” picture of the kitchen. It's basically a boring beige nightmare!
Although I have been thinking about this renovation for a really long time, until recently I didn’t think about how many BIG decisions we were going to have to make...
How much money to spend?
How can we save some money?
What can stay?
What absolutely has to go?
Which projects can we do ourselves?
Which projects must we hire professionals?
How many weeks will it take?
How will our family live in this chaos?
Here are the basic answers to all those questions...
Budget: $10,000
Timeline: 6 - 8 weeks
In order to save money, some items will stay but get mini makeovers, I will be taking advantage of any sales going on, look into competitor price matching and also mail-in rebates if possible. Although the
One Room Challenge is only for 6 weeks, the last couple weeks have been spent picking out finishes, getting advice from professionals and ordering the items that take a long time to get delivered or need to be scheduled for installation ahead of time. That way I can stay on schedule. Below are samples of the finishes we chose from Home Depot. The color scheme will mostly be blue, white, black, gray and chrome silver.
The cabinets are going to get a painted facelift, wood floors will get touched up for now, wall color will stay the same because it was recently painted and I still like the hardware so we will be reusing the existing knobs. The laminate countertops will be replaced with a stone product. We currently don't have a backsplash so that will be a nice addition instead of painted drywall that doesn't clean very easily. The appliances are outdated and I don't like the look of silver stainless steel anymore so those will all be switched out to new matte black ones. The current faucet leaks water and the sink was just a cheap builder grade one so those will both get replaced. The island is a little small so I'm going to expand it's size by placing a counter height table in front of it for casual dining. Recently we purchased new stools, so I decided to order two more for additional seating. Also my kitchen is small so it needs to be way more organized, decluttered and I need to figure out better storage solutions.
PROJECT PLANS:
DIY Projects:
- Paint Cabinets
- Repair Wood Floors
- Install Tile Backsplash
- Assemble Stools
- Wall Already Painted
- Install Microwave, Sink and Faucet
- Repair Ceiling Damage
- Assemble Kitchen Table
- Put Hardware Back On
- Decorate
PRO Projects:
- Install Countertops
- Install Stove, Fridge and Dishwasher
DESIGN PLAN:
I spent months researching
KITCHEN DESIGN inspiration online and inside magazines. To be honest, I started with a completely different vision in the beginning but since I’m married, there is another opinion to consider so unfortunately some compromises had to be made. But in the end, we made decisions that will make both of us happy and I know it’s going to look beautiful and be much more functional for our family.
I put together a
DESIGN BOARD so you can get an idea of our vision for the space. Keep in mind that this is just
INSPIRATION and some details may have to slightly change throughout the process.
DESIGN BOARD PRODUCT SOURCES:
Target - Cactus Jar, Cactus Shakers, Faux Cactus, Stool, Carpet Runner
World Market - Counter Height Table
Home Depot - Counters, Backsplash Tile, Sink, Faucet, Appliances, Paint
Kohl’s - Textiles
KITCHEN INSPIRATION:
 |
| PHOTO SOURCE: @studiodearborn (Instagram) Designer: Sarah Robertson |
 |
| PHOTO SOURCE: @studiodearborn (Instagram) Designer: Sarah Robertson |
 |
| PHOTO SOURCE: @nestinteriorskc (Instagram) Designer: Nest Interiors |
 |
| PHOTO SOURCE: @nestinteriorskc (Instagram) Designer: Nest Interiors |
Guest Participant for:
One Room Challenge | ORC |
@oneroomchallenge | #oneroomchallenge
Better Homes and Gardens (Official Media Partner) | BHG |
@betterhomesandgardens | #bhgorc
To get
SNEAK PEEK pics and videos, visit
@thecreativeorchard on Instagram! Stay tuned for more updates next week!
The Creative Orchard’s ORC KITCHEN RENOVATION progress...
Another issue I am experiencing is, after living with the “tidal” BLUE color on the bottom cabinets for a few weeks, I’m NOT in love with it. It doesn't really go well with my other home decor. Don’t get me wrong, it is a beautiful BRIGHT BLUE. But I had envisioned more of a denim or navy BLUE with more grayish tones. When you view this particular shade of BLUE in the direct sunlight during the day, it looks very intense. Basically, I made a BIG mistake choosing this color and now I have to repaint ALL the lower cabinets AGAIN! I’m so frustrated and annoyed with myself but I know if I don’t fix my mistake, it will bother me every day. Although, it will cost less than $30 for paint, unfortunately I have to waste more my time which I’m running out of. I recommend purchasing a small paint sample instead of just relying on a tiny paper swatch. Lesson learned!
Guest Participant for:
