My Creative Blog [Search results for kitchen renovation] 

When Jess and I saw this tiny galley kitchen, we knew we had to help! It's the kind of space that most people on a budget would call"hopeless" because it's really, really tiny and everything was dated. Thankfully, we really love a challenge, so we headed to Matt and Linda's to give them a colorful kitchen renovation for under $1200! To watch this full episode online, click HERE.

Matt and Linda are a great couple and this kitchen makeover meant a lot to them because they have a family of four using the kitchen, but also because Linda owns her own baking business out of their home.

She was the one responsible for all of the amazing desserts and decor at our premiere party. If you're local and in need of any desserts, you have to check her out. Frog Prince Cake & Cookie Design

Take a peek at these before pictures… does this look like a kitchen for a woman that spends a ton of a time cooking and baking?

Two things made the biggest difference in this space… Paint & Opening up the wall. Here's a rundown of all the changes we made to this space.

Painted Cabinets, Counters, & Appliances Paint is one of the least expensive and high impact things you can do to a space. We painted the cabinets a crisp, semi-gloss white and added new hardware. The counters were painted using a Rustoleum paint just for laminate. The appliances we coated with a stainless steel appliance spray paint. We'll give you the full rundown later this week. Flooring- The flooring project we did in this space could be one of my favorite DIYs of 2013 so far! I can't believe how amazing the effect was! We'll share all the details later this week on the blog, but who would have imagined that peel and stick vinyl tile could look this amazing!

Faux Subway Tile Renovating an entire kitchen for $1200 is tricky, so rather than installing subway tile we painted it! It took a LONG time, and I might have gotten a few grey hairs in the process, but it looked amazing in the end! (Full tutorial coming this week!)

Opening the Kitchen Wall This kitchen is tiny and we couldn't change the footprint, but we wanted it to feel bigger and less closed off from the rest of the house, so we removed the top half of the left wall. Instantly, the kitchen seemed twice the size!

Add Open Shelving Once the wall was down, we really didn't want to put the cabinets back up, because it would make the space seem closed off again. Instead, we purchased inexpensive Ikea floating shelves and displayed their dishes added lots of fun colorful accessories.

Create Additional Workspace We never like to waste anything, so rather than just getting rid of the cabinets we removed, we used them as base cabinets in the dining room. All we had to do was build a counter using inexpensive pine, and for almost no cost, we created a huge workspace and kept all of their storage!

Lighting and Window Mirror We added a fun pendant light and backed an old window with a mirror to add more light to the room. We love using old windows to decorate a space. This really helped make this tiny space feel larger!

DIY Bake Marquee Sign This was Linda's favorite project in the space. It was really simple to make, but added such a fun pop to the room! Jess will be back with the full tutorial later this week!

Fun Accessories Of course we added lots accessories to complete the space. We don't have a full source list, but most of the items were from Homegoods and Ikea! We really keep our eyes open for clearance and sale items!

This kitchen took a lot of hard work. All of the projects saved us big time budget-wise, but required some serious (wo)man hours. We were SO excited with how it turned out and actually, we were even more excited with how happy the homeowners were!

Our first Knock It Off kitchen renovation was a huge success and we can't wait to tackle another one! Kitchens are usually the most expensive rooms in a home, and to think we did an entire kitchen and dining room for about the cost some people spend just on countertops alone makes us pretty sure that Knocking It Off was the best route to go!!
Check back later this week for all of the tutorials! To watch this full episode online, click HERE.

When we bought our 18th century home fourteen years ago never in my wildest imagination did I think it would take so long to remodel my kitchen. Being both a Yankee and a New Englander we don't believe in waste and using things until they literally fall apart. I hated my kitchen and nearly dropped to my knees in thanks when my stove finally became a fire hazard. So when the husband said lets remodel the kitchen images of grandeur floated through my head''.

I dreamed of high ceilings and clean open spaces''.image via Bill Litchfield

I dreamed of tons of cabinet space and seating area....image via Steve Giannetti, Brooke's husband, from Velvet & Linen (I'm in love with this kitchen just move it into my house please!)

I dreamed of large windows with lots of natural light....image via Belgian Pearls

Lots and lots of light!....image via Bill Litchfield

I dreamed of using natural materials....image via Chateau Domingue

I dreamed of using stone....image via Cote de Texas

Image via Chateau Domingue

I dreamed of clean lines....image via A Life's Design

I dreamed of stainless steel appliances....image via Darryl Carter , love, LOVE this kitchen!
But then reality crept into my world and my dream bubble popped and I was faced with the kitchen from my nightmares! The reality is I have a kitchen that's only 16' x 14', a whole 224 square feet with 8' 2' ceilings, the lowest ceiling height that could be found in my house. It's one of those quirks of an 18th century house.

The kitchen did have semi custom built cabinets and corian counters but it had a lot of issues. White counter tops are not my thing, neither is an electric stove with only two burners. No back splash around the sink or the stove. The microwave above the stove would get really hot when I cooked, it being digital you can imagine how well it worked after a few shots of heat. That refrigerator couldn't hold the makings for a Thanksgiving meal. The faucet had this annoying drip for years on end let alone it didn't reach into the middle of the sink just that one little corner and no sprayer!
The floors were badly worn, wood floors should never be allowed in a hard working kitchen. We made the mistake of using our kitchen as a giant crate for our brand new puppy and he choose to do a little decorating himself'...look at the wall'nice huh? Sheet rock paper ripped off and the sheet rock and baseboards chewed. DO NOT USE YOUR KITCHEN AS A PUPPY CRATE! And I hated the country look but felt tied to it for some reason. Probably because of the elements in the kitchen felt so country.

I had a few restrictions when it came to designing my new kitchen''.I wasn't allowed to bump walls out in hopes of gaining space, the kitchen is not as wide as my house and I could have gained ten feet in width had I moved those walls. Since we have harsh cold winters we had to have a wood stove for warmth. I wasn't allowed to change the windows out since they were original to the house and not drafty believe it or not. And our Golden Dylan needed his area. Other then that I had a free hand and boy was I excited!

After 14 years of waiting for my ugly kitchen to give out our renovation of it is finally complete! The blinds are hung, decoration in place and everything is new and clean. It wasn't without some tears, the husbands not mine, think cost, but it was a hard fought battle and I wouldn't go back for anything. The dust left a bit to be desired along with the noise and I don't mind saying the shock of seeing my kitchen gutted down to dirt took my breath away!

My wish list was mostly met, wish list, but with a room only 16' x 14', six openings with doors and windows, and a wood stove that had to stay for warmth my grandeur ideas of clean open spaces was bumped off immediately. But that's OK I was happy to work within my limitations.
Those aren't the same cabinets just the same simple shaker style. We thought we would be able to keep the old cabinets since they were nice but when our contractors started taking them down they completely fell apart. Nice fronts but the rest were cheaply put together obviously to save on cost along the way.

Before

After
With such a small kitchen we wanted to keep everything simple so as not to overwhelm the space such as using clear pendent lights so the eye travels through. We went with the wolf stove /sub zero refrigerator package because we liked that the refrigerator is in the same line as the cabinets, it doesn't bump out into the room by a couple of inches like most refrigerators. This is where the husbands' tears came into play since showrooms don't place price tags on these appliances for a reason!
While I would have preferred an antique tiered console/table as my kitchen island I hate seeing microwave ovens and all the things that go with cooking out in the open let alone they get dusty. This island is perfect to hide all those things and gives me more working counter space.

We went with soapstone tile since it's durable enough for an eighty pound bouncing golden retriever. The slightest scratch is simply sanded out with a piece of fine sandpaper but so far that hasn't been needed. Laying the floor tiles in a long straight stretch helped to make the room look more elongated to the eye. The floor couldn't be sealed since it changes the color from shades of gray to black but it cleans up beautifully. We put radiant heat underneath that I love but the dog, not so much!

Before

After
Since our kitchen has the lowest ceiling in our home of 8' 2' we wanted to make the room seem taller. We did that by playing with perspectives and tricking the eye into thinking the ceiling was higher so we played with the different height of cabinets to make the room seem more expansive. We were able to do that because the refrigerator was so tall, the sink window sash goes right to the ceiling and the small pantry on the other end is tall. We had to keep the same configuration because of all the openings but hey it works.

I absolutely love my new bridge faucet from American Standard here since it reaches into the middle of the sink unlike the one that originally came with this kitchen and it has a sprayer!

Before

After
Our kitchen really came down to the use of materials to give it a new look. Since we had enough of the black soapstone, used on the counters, we used a slab for the hearth under the wood stove. We pile wood in an antique copper bin during the winter and used to ding the old walls so we thought it would be a great idea to pull the flooring tiles up on the lower part of the wall around the wood stove giving it a European flavor. That's a 16th century Italian wine vessel hanging over in that corner that I purchased from Michael Trapp here. I love green and tried to use touches of it throughout our kitchen.

After table and chairs
Gone are the antique table and chairs and in its place a small more solid table from restoration hardware that unfortunately they no longer sell. This table was actually sold as a hall table and is only 30' in diameter, plenty of room for two people to have dinner. The chairs from pottery barn here were kept open to let light pass through. Thankfully gone are the fabric roman shades from the windows and in their place custom made bamboo blinds from Smith and Noble here that are much easier to keep clean.

Before

After
I love this dishwasher from Fisher Paykel that has two drawers! It simply makes sense for us since we're a two people family, dog bowls don't go in there. I don't like dirty dishes hanging about for a week and since the drawers run independently from one another that is no longer an issue.
I've added a few antique pieces, a cappuccino machine and voile, new kitchen! Gone is the clutter and somebody else's design ideas. Absolutely everything in our kitchen is new right down to the wood stove. After all these years I've made my kitchen my own and the ride has been so worth it!

Did I ever mention that I'm impulsive? And that I'm really good at convincing my hubs that the impulse is a good one? Well, I am. Such is the case with our kitchen remodel. I have, of course, been thinking about creating a more open kitchen, one that flows easily into the dining/living room, but it was sort of a spur of the moment decision to tackle that project the week before Christmas! . All of this was inspired by our oven breaking down. We needed a new oven, so why not remodel the kitchen while we're at it??!! Yes, I am crazy. However, I couldn't be more excited about this project, especially since it's the first full-blown remodel my hubs and I have ever done! We're totally newbies at this, but I'm fully confident we can handle it. And we know several DIY"experts" that we can call with questions. I keep telling my hubs that unless we burn the house down, there's nothing we can't fix. Can you tell that I'm an optimist?
Disclaimer: This is going to be one long, ongoing project that will probably take several months to completely finish. I'll be walking you through all the nitty-gritty details, ala Young House Love, so don't expect the"After" photos next week!: )

Here's a peek at our kitchen BEFORE:

That's the dining room beyond the kitchen. See how closed off it feels? That doorway could not be any more narrow!

This wall is getting a MAJOR makeover. You won't even recognize it- I promise!

That hole there is where the oven used to be. It now has another home!

And now, the view into the kitchen from the dining room. The first thing we did was take down that huge mirror. We're so lazy that we didn't ever take that thing down when we painted the room. We just painted around it (in our defense, it's HEAVY, and was really, really attached to the wall). Then we measured and marked and measured again where we wanted to take the wall out. We didn't really use any scientific methods here- we just planned according to what looked good to us, and also where the studs were located. (I've highlighted our sketch below so you can see it better:)

Then, it was demo time! The hubs took his drywall saw and started cutting away.

Oops! There was a major heating duct running right through the middle of our opening! Gah! I'm pretty sure that my hubs was less than thrilled with me at this point (and that's putting it nicely). Lesson learned: do some research, like cutting a small hole in the wall to see what's in there first, before knocking down the entire wall. Luckily for us, after some brainstorming, we realized that this duct could be cut down and redirected (more on that in a minute).

Demolition is not glamorous. In fact, it's gross, messy and downright ugly. You might even find mouse droppings everywhere, along with the home they've made in your insulation. Makes me gag just thinking about it.

We took out that unbelievably-foul-it-makes-me-want-to-throw-up insulation and got to work cutting the duct with a sawzall. We called in the big guns, aka, my father-in-law, to help since he just remodeled his kitchen and it's ah-mazing! At first we just cut it to the height of the half-wall while we decided what we wanted to do from there, but then we decided to remove the entire duct and redirect the vent into the dining room.

Kevin took the old ductwork and reconfigured it to shoot the heat into the dining room, then installed it back where it was, but facing the opposite direction into the dining room!.

The next step was rebuilding the half-wall to make it sturdy. The wall that we removed is a not a load-bearing wall, so it was ok to take it out. Definitely check with someone who knows whether a wall is load-bearing or not before removing it! For whatever reason, this wall had (2) 2x4 studs backed up to each other (for extra support maybe?), so he re-installed new studs with braces in between them. Then came the drywall- an exciting step for me because you really start to see what it's going to look like!

Of course, we still have to add corner bead, spackle, sand and paint the wall, and add a piece of decorative wood that will act as the countertop to the wall. Phew! The list of things is overwhelming, but the important thing is, we're making progress!: ) So here's where it stands right now: (and yes, you're getting a glimpse of the few other changes we've made, but I'm saving those for another post so this one doesn't become the longest post you've ever read and are not that interested in; ):

It already makes a HUGE difference in how the two spaces feel, and I can tell that we'll be using our dining room in a whole different way in the future.

It makes the kitchen so much larger, it's nuts. Woohoo! I can't wait to get to the fun stuff- decorating!
So, tell me, have you ever remodeled a kitchen? Do you have any tried and true tips we should know?

And oh yes, this is getting pretty annoying:

Ahhhhhh…I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Well, kinda. Our kitchen renovation that I've chronicled here, here, here and here, is done…for now! You may remember that it all started like this:

Ugh. That's a sad picture, people. It's not sad anymore, though, just look at it now in all it's *almost* finished glory!

Seriously, that is one big difference! I am absolutely crazy about our open shelves, new kitchen layout and big opening to the dining room. (Although I REALLY wish I made some sort of effort to clean up our dining room before snapping pics! Bad blogger!) I've been decorating and undecorating the shelves for weeks now, and I'm pretty happy with them, so I figured it was about time I shared. This is how they look right now, but I can absolutely guarantee you that they won't stay this way forever, since I crave change after about 4 days of anything staying the same.

The blue and green add just the right pop to my otherwise serene color scheme. I really do love the contrast of the fancy stencil with the trendy aqua blue accents. So fun! Those two round pie plates were wedding gifts, but they're only hanging out there until I can find a tray or something that I love- the blues just aren't perfectly spot on.

Up close and personal:

You've already seen the printable I made, but the plate right next to it is from the Pottery Barn Outlet. Can't get enough of that thing. That and the bird (from Joann's) are the only new things I bought for the shelves. Everything else was gathered from around the house- you got to work with what you have sometimes, right? Ok, I lied. I forgot that I bought this blue vase at a flea market this weekend for $4, and the mugs came from Ikea.

I have been scouring the stores to find dish towels that I liked and that matched the kitchen, and couldn't find anything that wasn't chevron (no offense to all you chevron-lovers out there, but I'm just not on that bandwagon!), but I found this one at Kmart! Yes, I was shocked too.: ) Cute, cute, cute!

I'm showing you this picture of all our mail for two reasons: 1) I just got this mail sorter from Kmart and it's a lifesaver. Really. All that stuff used to just lay on my counter making my already frazzled brain even more frazzled (if that's possible), and 2) See that uncovered outlet? I didn't even realize it didn't have a cover on it until I looked at this picture. It's so ridiculous what you get used to living with, and then start to ignore. *Fingers crossed that that baby EVER gets a cover.*

Here's a view of the other side of the kitchen:

We finally cut and hung two more open shelves to house our microwave. I gotta tell you, I so enjoy the extra space on the counters now that thing is off of it. So roomy! And if you're wondering about that crack in the counter, it's there because we moved a cabinet and it's counter from it's original spot on the other side of the fridge. It'll stay like that until we upgrade our countertops, and then it'll be seamless. Technically, I could hide the seam using a painting method a friend told me about, but, honestly, there are so many other things I'd rather be doing with my time.; )

I'm thrilled that, after 8 years of marriage, I can finally easily access my china. What a nice surprise to see that it actually works really well with my damask stencil and the colors in the kitchen. Woohoo for happy accidents!

Oh yes! I almost forgot that we installed this new light fixture above the window, and it's stinkin' awesome. Forget about all the additional light it gives off, it's adorable!

***Update: Several people have asked where I got this light. It's Allen + Roth from Lowes.

And finally, a view from the hall. I'm contemplating adding simple, wooden blinds to the window because it seems a bit bare. Anyone have thoughts about that? Should I or shouldn't I?

So now I've promised my husband that I'll tackle only really easy projects that don't involve him for a while.: ) I think this room has come a long way, and it just feels so much more like me. After a few annoying touchups on paint, fixing some broken tile and installing one more light switch, this pretty baby will be complete. Phew! Next week I'll show you what I finally decided about the curtain situation on the other side of the room.

Next on my agenda? A dining room redesign! I can't wait to show you what I have up my sleeve.

So, what's your favorite part about my new kitchen? Color scheme, open shelving, white cabinets, something else entirely?

Linking up to: Tutorials & Tips

Phew! Can you believe that 2012 is over already? We are gearing up for an unbelievably awesome 2013 filled with lots of fun and exciting things for this little blog (we'll share those with you tomorrow!), but we thought we'd take some time to round up our favorite projects from each month in 2012. Take a look, let us know what you think, and pin it if you like it!

January Monica's Fav: I loved going green in 2012! Not really in the earthy-crunchy way, but by adding a pop of color to my collection of ornate frames. These Green Granny Frames had a fun impact on my dining room!

Jess's Fav: I breathed some new life into our New and Improved Entryway by adding a striped accent wall and a big gallery wall.

February:
Jess' Fav: This project injected what can only be called Stencil Happiness into my kitchen renovation. Thanks to an awesome stencil from Royal Design Studio, my kitchen now has style for miles!

Monica's Fav: I took a bit of a risk and got personal with all of you by sharing my Game of Love Perfect Valentine's Gift. You ladies sure loved it, because it became our #1 post of 2012! Stay tuned for this year's version- it'll be on the blog on Monday!

Since 2012 was a leap year, I get to add another for February! This post went live on 2/29 and it's such a time saver in our house! Once a Month Sandwiches

March
Jess' Fav: This Giant Shaped Frame is by far my favorite project from 2012! I'm pretty sure there is no better way to dress up your wall for this crazy low price. This is a big impact project, people. *I also have to nominate this one too! Jess and I had no idea how successful this project was going to be when we created it- we sure love Staples Prints! -Mon*

Monica's Fav: I love the BIG impact my Chevron Wall made in my kitchen. It's packed with personality and was pretty easy to paint!

April
Jess' Fav: My hubs and I surprised my daughter with this Playhouse Loft Bed for her fourth birthday. It was totally worth it, because she and my son play in it all the time. I'm all for a DIY project that keeps the kids happy and occupied! *wink*

Monica's Fav: My Front Door got a major face lift with a super cool color and house numbers that are so my style!

May
Jess' Fav: We started our kitchen renovation in December and were finally ready to do the big Kitchen Reveal in May. Of course, I'm still tweaking it, but this room makes me super happy. It's filled with tons of DIYs like painting the cabinets, stenciling the wall, making a fabric shade pendant light, painting color-blocked curtains and adding a fab rug.

Monica's Fav: Warm weather meant it was time for some outdoor projects! I loved how simple and inexpensive these DIY Planters were. Even now, they have winter pansies and look great on my front porch!

June Jess's Fav: I love the ability to customize things and this Fabric Floorcloth let me create the perfect mat for my entryway!

Monica's Fav: Jess and I completed our Super-Fab Guest Room Makover. We loved everything from the shutter headboard, fun accessories, and of course the houndstooth stenciled wall! We also had a blogger's dream come true when Young House Love featured our makeover!

July
Jess: My son turned 2 this month so I showed you how I made his custom invitations using digital scrapbook paper and picmonkey. How to Make Custom Printables became one of our top posts- you guys obviously love free things!: )

Monica's Fav: While we were busy finishing up our patio project, I also worked on an Outdoor Furniture Upcycle

August
Jess' Fav: We took our house exterior from boring to awesome by painting the front door and shutters. Hello Curb Appeal!

Monica's Fav: August was when I pulled off a birthday surprise for my hubs with a Garage Mudroom Makover I'm still loving the organization and how it's actually functional for this family of 6!

September
Jess: It's a tie! I just can't decide between Stenciled Faux-Tile Fireplace & Planked Wall with Exposed"Stud' Shelves. Both of these guys transformed the room and I'm in love with them!

Monica's Fav: I went a little outside the box with my Shut the Front Door — Foyer Update. It's still one of my favorite things in my house.

October Jess: Our dining room has been slowly undergoing a transformation and my refinished dining table fits perfectly in the new space! Refinished Dining Room Table

Monica's Fav: In October, we had our DIY Patio Reveal! It was a HUGE DIY project, but we saved tons of money doing it ourselves and the end result was pretty awesome!

November
Jess's Fav: I love Mr. Berkus and didn't think he would mind me knocking off one of the items from his new line- the Rope-Wrapped Hurricane Vase. Want to know a secret? I like mine better.: )

Monica's Fav: During a road trip to visit one of my best gal pals, I whipped up a Fireplace Makeover in her new house. It's a super-simple way to get rid of that brass fast!

December
Jess: This project was honestly a surprise to me. It came out so much better than I ever thought it would! The Wood Slice Wreath is the perfect winter decoration.

Monica's Fav: Just in time for Christmas Jess and I made this Illuminated Silhouette Art. It looked great next to my Christmas tree, and now I'll be swapping out the silhouette for a lovey-dovey Valentine's quote!

One thing that stands out to us the most this year is how thankful we are for YOU! We so appreciate your comments, emails and faithful visits to our blog. Here's to another crazy, fun year!

New here? You can check out our kitchen demolition here.

Imagine with me for a minute…See this soffit?

Imagine with me that that soffit is no longer there. There would be no interruption from the countertops to the ceiling, and as a result, the ceiling would seem so much higher. Nice, right? It would be so open and clean.

I could hang the cabinets from the ceiling, which would increase the space between them and the countertop. You with me? Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Ok, good. Because here goes:

First we removed all the upper cabinets (and by"we", I most definitely mean my hubs). We were amazed at what we found behind those cabinets- apparently the homeowners before us did their own DIY with painted tiles, framed by a sharpie marker! Plus, there's a vent that was hooked up to the microwave that we realized we need to take care of, as well.

I did loads of research on removing soffits, since this is our first big demo/remodel, and everyone said the same thing: make a small hole in the drywall and check to see if there is any wiring or pipes behind the soffit. In a lot of cases, soffits have no real structural function, but are there so you could hang cabinets from them. If you notice, new construction homes almost never have soffits in the kitchen. Luckily for us, there is a recessed light in our soffit, so we were able to remove it and get a good view into the interior of the soffit.

Since it's a pretty small hole, we stuck our small digital camera up in the soffit and took a few pictures in each direction to make sure all was clear. It worked like a charm and I was thrilled to see that there wasn't anything there but insulation!

Also, a bunch of people said that soffits aren't always made of drywall, but could also be plywood, which is why we weren't afraid when we saw this:

So, we kept on ripping things out (while trying hard to ignore the mouse droppings- Eew!) Then, when we were all done, my hubs said he thought that maybe this big beam in the front might be load-bearing beam that runs along the entire length of the back of the house. Ahhhhh!!! Noooooo!!!!

This is when we called in the experts, ie: my father-in-law and my parent's genius handyman, Robert. While we waited for them to come, I spent a few days trying to decide how I felt about have no upper cabinets.

I decided that I really liked it, but after stewing over it, I also came to the conclusion that it wasn't really practical for us since I removed the upper cabinets on the other side of the kitchen. My new plan for this side of the kitchen is a combination of cabinets and open shelving that I'll share with you as we get closer to it. (Believe me, LOTS has to happen before that).My hubs also spackled the wall, and painted it the new gray/tan in anticipation of the next step.

Well, you guessed it, we did find out that the beam was load-bearing like my hubs suspected and needed to stay in place. So, (and this is so sad, and yes, I know my hubs is a saint!) my hubs went to work drywalling the soffit back in, with the help of Mo's husband, Eric. Poor guy. But, we were able to remove the recessed lighting kit and install a pendant light kit. Woohoo! I can't wait to pick that baby out!

Even though we had a really big I'll be trying to make it up to my hubs for a long time minor setback, we did make some progress elsewhere. When we moved the oven to the other side of the kitchen and slid the fridge in it's place, we were left with this small cabinet space to the left. It was not functional at all, and it really made that side look disjointed.

We removed the counter from the wall, and then moved the whole thing over to the other side of the refridgerator, giving us more counter space to the right.

There is, of course, a crack between the two countertops, that, we're told can easiliy be masked with some paint that matches the counter brushed on the crack and then wiped away. You'll still notice it, but it won't scream out at you, and we don't plan on keeping this countertop forever (hopefully not past this year!). Here's where we are right now:

I have to admit that my 3 year old took this picture, but what can I say? She has a good eye!
Ok, take a deep breath. That's all for now.: )

This past Sunday I attended a baby shower for my older sister at her mother-in-law's house in Lititz, PA. If you don't know where Lititz is, it's right in beautiful Lancaster County. Honestly, if I had to move out of Bucks County, you could find me in Lancaster. I really love the charm and old-world feel. Anyway, Mrs. W. (the mom-in-law) has lived in the same house her entire life, with the exception of only six years. It's a lovely old farmhouse that has undergone several renovations. One such renovation occurred in the seventies, and transformed the house into one with wood paneling and shag carpet. In the nineties, however, the W's started making some changes to update the look, while trying to preserve the good bones of the farmhouse. This wasn't easy, since the previous renovation had gotten rid of the great deep-silled windows and some of the other important historical pieces. That brings us to three years ago, when Mrs. W. decided she had enough with the small, enclosed rooms and decided she would knock down some walls to form what is now her gorgeous kitchen. This is where my kitchen envy comes in. Just take a look for yourselves:

The house has high ceilings- I don't know, maybe 10 feet high- which just adds to the spaciousness of the kitchen. I couldn't get enough of the stove area, the hood above it and the mantle/shelf mounted to the hood. And the backsplash is beautiful as well.

There are soooo many cabinets, so there's plenty of room to store all your dinnerware, your neighbor's dinnerware, their friend's china and a small child. Also, check out the double wall ovens! {Swoon} I have no need for double ovens since I try my hardest to never have to bake anything, but it's still swoon-worthy as far as nice kitchens go.

On the opposite wall of the work area and across the kitchen, there are these gorgeous built-ins. They honesetly look like big, beautiful pieces of furniture.

Here's a glimpse of the entire length of the kitchen, including the 10 foot-ish island in the middle.

You may wonder why I would take a picture of the sink, but did you happen to notice that it's copper??!! So cool!

The entry has a copper-paneling ceiling which was fabulous, as well. I had to stop taking pictures because I feared that the W family might think I was crazy and I didn't want to be the cause of any issues between my sister and their in-laws. That would not be good.

On a side note, check out these adorable cupcakes that my sister's sister-in-law made for the baby shower. She made chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing and vanilla cupcakes with white chocolate icing, both of which were delicious. The cupcake toppers came from here and were the perfect addition since they were going with a safari-theme.

Too cute!

Have you ever wanted to take pictures of other people's houses, or am I the only strange one?

I am on a mission. A mission to make my house feel somewhat normal, organized and beautiful in the midst of our kitchen renovation. I am failing miserably, by the way, if you were curious about the state of my mission. But still, I'm plugging away. While my hubs has been working diligently on our kitchen in his very rare spare time, I have been busy trying to impart a bit of character into our entryway. Last time you saw it, it looked like this: 

I love the giant letter"J" that I found at Home Goods, but the whole vibe of the space was just feeling off and, I hate to say it, boring. As you know, I love neutrals and think they can be warm and welcoming and interesting all at the same time, but if they're not used well, they can be plain, old boring. I decided to add some interest to that wall with the"J", since it's the one staring you in the face when you walk in the front door. I tossed around a bunch of ideas like adding our names around the letter, making it a gallery wall, stenciling and so on, but I just kept coming back over and over again to stripes. So, stripes it is. Plus, last week I shared that I was starting a gallery wall of white frames on the wall leading into the kitchen. Obviously, I have lost my mind, and can't find my way out of the million projects that keep accumulating in my head. But that's another story for another time.

I started by gathering all the frames I had laying around the house (and ok, confession: there are several walls in my house that are naked now that I took the frames from them), and decided on a layout. There is no real trick to this, but if you need help getting started, check out these gallery wall layout templates.

Then grab the cutest guy you know, and get to work. I wanted to see my frames on the wall before I spray-painted them white. I actually lived with the arrangement for a few days before I did anything to make sure that it was exactly how I wanted it. Fixing a nail hole is super-easy, so I wasn't too concerned about the possibility of me not liking it and having to repair a bunch of holes. To each, his own, I always say. 

And just so you know: it's never too early to teach your kids how to DIY.

Time to spray-paint! (Between this gallery wall and our Nate Show projects, I think my nickname should now be Captain Spraypaints-Alot or Wonder-Painter, or Super-Sprayer. You get the idea.)

So do you want to see it? Here's my new, not-boring-in-my-humble-opinion entryway!

Ignore the wonky lighting and wierd shadows- I missed good sunlight hours today!

This is the view from the kitchen, and yes, you are getting a peek at my new stencil, which is currently my most favorite thing ever.

I got these cute, little prints for free at Sprik Space. They come in a bunch of great colors!
And I absolutely can't wait to show you what I have planned for that big space above the stairs (you know, the one that still houses my remaining Christmas decor. Just keepin' it real, folks.)

What's your opinion of neutrals? Love them or hate them?

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I hope you had the chance to check out Red Letter Word's gorgeous new Hymn Collection. If not, you really should! There's no better way to add meaningful art into your home.

I need this in my house ASAP. What a great reminder of what's really important.
Have an awesome day!

Today's a Seriously Important Day: Happy 30th Birthday Jess!

(Kev and Jess at the"decades" prom we went to last year- they looked awesome!) Let me just tell you that I officially have the best friend ever. Jess is hands down, my favorite person in the world. She's confident, strong, dedicated to her family, friends, and most importantly her faith and having her in my life for the last 13 years has made it all that much better. So here's to 30 Jess, I can't wait to see what this decade has in store for you. Love ya- have an awesome day! ***********************************************************************

So every once in a while I have a pretty cool, unique idea… trust me, it doesn’t happen all that often, but when it does I pretty much love it. The stenciled wall panels in our Nate Show room were one of those rare times. If you haven’t seen the room yet, here she is in all of her fuzzy, screen shot taken from a video glory.

We were walking through the thrift store and saw a roll of this black paper stuff. I didn’t know what it was at first, but then I thought way back when and remembered putting a new roof on my parents’ house with a high school boyfriend (ah, the crazy things teenage girls will do to impress boys. Eric couldn’t pay me enough to get on a roof now!)… Anyhow, I remembered it was like the paper that you put under shingles. Tar Paper it’s called.

This is where the random awesome idea part comes in… I immediately stopping seeing this as roofing material, and I saw it as a canvas-like material for some fabulous high-end-meets-industrial-art. Jess sort of wasn’t quite sure about my plan, but being the wonderful BFF that she is, she trusted me and encouraged me to go for it. Here’s how I turned this roll into art. We had just gotten the stencil in the mail from Royal Design Studio for Jess’ kitchen renovation. Remember, she used it here:

The first step was to simply figure out the size of my panels, I knew I wanted two stenciled images on each panel. Once I had them cut to size I rolled on two coats of semi-gloss navy paint. I was worried it wouldn’t take the paint well, but it worked like a charm. No primer needed- score one for the lazy DIYer! Once they were really dry, it was time to stencil. Stenciling 4 images was a cake-walk compared to Jess’ kitchen. It took me about 15 minutes to complete both panels. I used DecoArt metalic gold paint and it needed about two coats to really get the pop we wanted.

Did you notice all the gold on the stencil when Jess posted about her kitchen? It was a mini spoiler alert!

One additional thing I’m crushing on and could have added to my crush post are grommets. I have been using them as much as I can lately. I pretty much can make an argument that everything is better with grommets! We added them to this piece to give it a finished look and also play off of the industrial nature of the tar paper.

These are grommeting tools. The funny thing is that no matter how many times I use it, I have to think pretty hard to get it all lined up correctly. Once you do, it’s a piece of cake.

There she is… I’m pretty sure it’s the prettiest a piece of tar paper has ever looked. She’s like the Miss America of roofing materials. (It got a tad wrinkled when it was shipped back to us after the show, but it really does stay nice and flat on the wall)

I was really thrilled with how they looked in the room and wow, look what Nate was saying during this part of the show…

Oh, you didn’t hear him say that?… weird. Must have been a glitch with your TV. (hehe) The bottom line here is that ANYTHING, literally anything can be turned into art and it doesn’t need to cost a million bucks to be fabulous. This was $10 tar paper (for a whole roll, I could make about 50 more with what I have left) and it was beautiful enough for Nate Berkus.
So who’s going to their local roofing supply store today? Ha! Actually, next week I’ll share another awesome project I used tar paper for. It’s a pretty cool one and saved me a ton of moolah!

It's true- most people have heard of vinyl peel and stick tile. We both have used it in our homes in the past. But, what's also true, is that most people have never thought to create an awesome herringbone pattern with that tile! These tiles are ridiculously easy to cut which makes it the perfect material to go crazy with pattern! We have to say that this floor is one of our favorite projects to date- we transformed this dated floor into an expensive, slate-look-alike.

To say this flooring was dated would be the under-statement of the year. It was yellow and green and oh so bad! Even though the kitchen was tiny, we didn't have enough money or time to go with real slate tile.

Instead, we got our DIY on… Lowe's sells lots of vinyl peel and stick tile and while it does actually look like stone, when installed the traditional way it looks good, but doesn't have a big wow factor…

So, we had an idea… This flooring comes in 18x18 tiles- we decided to cut each tile down into three 6" strips per tile. Vinyl flooring cuts easily with a utility knife- Just score it and then fold it to divide.

We cut down all of our tile into strips and then measured to find the center point of the floor. We used a chalk line to snap a guide for us to follow.
Then, to give it a unique and high-end look, we laid the tile in a herringbone pattern. You just make"L's" over and over again. It's one of the easiest patterns to do!

How's that for a before and after?? And, honestly… these pics don't even do it justice! You definitely have to watch this segment of the episode! (Here)

I honestly was amazed and how good we made inexpensive vinyl look. It's like it was all dressed up for prom or something! Fancy!

Changing out the flooring played a big part in making this tiny kitchen renovation complete! No one would ever guess that this flooring was installed with some of the cheapest materials on the market! Changing the shape of the tile and the installation layout gave us amazing style, without the expensive price tag!

Hey all! Since we're already three-quarters of the way through 2012, we thought it would be really fun to look back at our most popular posts so far this year. We have so many projects up our sleeves for this upcoming Fall and Winter, but it's encouraging to know that we've already accomplished so much in our homes in the last nine months!
One of the biggest changes in Jessica's living room was her labor-of-love fireplace makeover using a honeycomb stencil from Royal Design Studio.

Another big statement piece that got rave reviews was the Gigantic Framed Photo we created for under $20. Seriously, this project was super easy and is a show-stopper!

Outside, Jess added some much-needed curb appeal to her house by painting her shutters and front door a happy blue, and Monica's front door facelift and tiered planters finally have the outside of her house reflecting her style.

Jess' kitchen was a major priority the past few months. She knocked down a wall, added a gorgeous wall stencil and painted the cabinets during her Kitchen Renovation.

And Monica made an impromptu decision to add a bold Chevron Accent Wall in hers…

We both went nuts with DIY rugs and saved ourselves a bundle in the process!

Stenciled Outdoor Rug

DIY Fabric Floorcloth

Monica showed how she's not afraid to design it how she likes it and added some serious personality to her foyer.

Monica's Foyer Tour

We were pretty thrilled that together we were able to pull off a surprise garage mudroom makeover!

Garage Mudroom Makeover

You know we like to keep it real here, and Monica kept it really real with her now-you-know-way more-than-you-want-to-about-her-love-life Game of Love.

Game of Love Tutorial

And finally, we're getting ready to share some awesome pumpkin ideas for 2012, but if you're itching to get started with your Fall decorations, check out our fab pumpkins from last year!

Thanks for hanging out with us so far this year! We have SO much more in store, and can't wait to share it all with you.: ) And don't forget that Monica is in the running to be the New Face of Proctor & Gamble Home! Please head over and vote for her. You can vote once a day, now through October 3rd. We know voting things can be a pain, but this one is simple and man, winning would Rock our World! So thanks so much!
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House of Smiths DIY Chevron Rug

If you read home blogs at all, you will not be able to avoid the very popular trend of using chevron in decorating. What is chevron, you ask? Chevron is a zig-zag line pattern, sort of like a simplified herringbone. It is absolutely popping up everywhere- from curtains to rugs, to desktops and backspashes! It's a very bold choice and makes a big statement in design.

modern dining room design by other metros media and blogs Made By Girl

traditional kitchen design by dc metro interior designer Paula Grace Designs, Inc.
Notice the chevron pattern in the backsplash?

eclectic dining room design by atlanta architect Blount Architectual and Interior Design

Even my absolute favorite home decor store, Pottery Barn, has jumped on the chevron bandwagon!

DIY Chevron Art

I, for one (and I may be the ONLY one), am not a fan of chevron. {Gulp} I confess that you will not find many geometric, modern patterns in my home. Mostly you'll see paisley or stripes- a little bit more classic in my humble opinion. But if you are digging the chevron, there is no shortage of DIY projects out there in blogland!

What's your opinion?
Are you a Chevron Lover or Hater like me?

While perusing the Internet looking for a certain antique item for my new kitchen I remembered Michael Trapp Antiques and web site Here. While browsing his pages I had a look at his profile and was very surprised to find a little box right below his picture. Michael Trapp is a garden and interior designer extraordinaire, theatrical designer, antiques dealer, and trendsetter, who is well known on the east coast, is selling his amazing home in Sharon, Connecticut.

View of the house before renovation
Perched on the edge of a cliff with spectacular views of the Berkshires foothills sat an unassuming 3000 square foot bungalow style house that Michael purchased for $365,000 in 2003 and set about creating a little magic.

View of the house after renovation with landscaping, stonewalls, steps and cobblestone walkway. Notice the color of the house and trim.

View of the dining room, notice the wall color, with a 19th century Spanish chandelier, the teak chairs are sold on his web site. The dining room and living room face out to the deck so the windows and French doors were all elongated to capture the view.

The antique French limestone table base and the fabulous 18th century flooring from Burgundy are all available on Michaels' web site.

The 900 square foot deck that runs the length of the house brings those captivating views home! This picture was obviously taken in the fall since the leaves are changing. Now do you understand why someone with so much talent bought such a house?

The living room is outfitted with eight dead birch trees, while an unusual decorating statement inside they would have been worse outside for a garden designer. Upon arriving for the front yard Michael found they were diseased and dying so he brought them inside. The living room is bigger in height then width so he needed something to make the scale more human like without blocking the light coming inside.

The other side of the living room noticed how Michael used black paint to mimic wainscoting on the lower half of the walls. He has another variety of tree hanging above the large clam shell, an orange tree. I love all the antique frames on the wall, sometimes they make more of a statement empty.

The master bath is tiled with late 19th/early 20th Century Spanish glazed concrete tile that are available on Michaels' site in three different colors. The sinks are all carved stone.

In the bedroom, a pre-Rafaelita painting of St. Sebastian is framed on either side with finials from a Samuel McIntire house. You can see Michaels' love of antique architectural pieces in the side tables and throughout the house.

The floors are all inlaid 18th century French Terra cotta tiles from Burgundy all outlined with bands of dark stained wood.
Michael was able to open the house up and bring the light and outside in blurring the line between the two. If you're interested in seeing a wonderful slide show featuring this house go Here.
If you're interested in seeing Michaels' shop with attached gardens and house go Cote de Texas Joni did a wonderful spread not to be believed.
Oh, if you're interested I did buy my new kitchen a little something from Michaels' shop here....

a 16th century Italian wine vessel
Happy Shopping!

Before I write anything else, I first need to say that yes, I am crazy. If you follow us on facebook, then you might have seen that my hubs and I started a major renovation to our kitchen this past weekend. (To others it is a major project. In my head, it seems minor! However, my hubs begs to differ. Ha!) Why did I do this the week before Christmas, you ask? Right about now, I'm asking myself the same thing! But really, my hubs works a lot, so we have limited time to do projects together, and this past Sunday, we were child-free until late in the day, so after church, we maximized our"free time", and got moving! Plus, we just got a new oven, and I knew that relocating appliances was in my long-term plans, so why wait?!

I'm so excited to finish this project, but realistically, it's going to take us a loooong time to do everything I want to do in our kitchen. I'm super excited that we got the process started, though, and will, of course, keep you updated!
Please tell me I'm not the only one to have started a major home project the week before Christmas!