Kitchen Cabinet Planning & Remodel Update

Our kitchen remodel is moving right along. Since last week, we got down and dirty with some demolition and worked a lot on kitchen cabinet planning, which was pretty darn exciting.

Demo Update

Over the weekend, we tore out the entire island and most of the back wall and started on the overhead built-0ut. There was a lot of ugly tile to demo.

That’s pretty much where we ended after two days of demo and completely filling up our dumpster. We have another dumpster on the way and this weekend we should be able to knock out the remainder of the back wall/wall oven/microwave and upper build-out.

The next step is the demolition of the floors, which we’re hiring out for. It’s just too difficult and time-consuming for us because of the way they were installed, so we’ll leave it to the pros who can do it in 1 – 1.5 days. (The floors extend into the dining room on the right, as well as the hallway and entry, so it’s not just what you see here.) After the floors are removed, we have to install a gas line for our new range and move the sink plumbing about 3 feet (closer to the back wall).… Read more

Design, Kitchen, Our Home
July 9, 2018

Farmhouse Kitchen Remodel Project Introduction!

We have lived in our house two years and we’re finally going to embark upon the most exciting project yet…our farmhouse kitchen remodel!!! Remember when I outlined our planned projects for 2018? I was hopeful for a kitchen reno but I wasn’t sure it would happen this year but IT IS folks and I am pumped! I have avoided sharing any peeks of the kitchen because it is so, so bad. But that all ends today! I’m sharing the current (sad) state of the kitchen, some inspiration for the design of our new farmhouse kitchen and some material and finish options I’m leaning toward. As part of the kitchen reno, we’re also reconfiguring the area off the kitchen which includes the powder room, pantry, and the office nook that will likely become a small mudroom. We’re also hoping to make a change to the way we access the attic above the kitchen and replacing all of the flooring that extends all the way into the dining room. Detailed plans for the powder room, mudroom and pantry will come later – today it’s all about the kitchen!… Read more

Checking in…

Hiya, friends! It’s been a while since I have blogged (I miss it!) so I wanted to touch base with you and just give ya a little heads up about why that is and whats been going on over here.

Design Work vs. Blogging

I feel so lucky to be taking on more design clients, but with that comes less time for blogging and I haven’t found the balance yet. I want to be able to do both, the blog has been my priority from the start so I need to figure it out. There’s a lot of day-to-day behind the scenes design stuff going on that I typically don’t share until the client project is finished, but I’d like to figure out a way to blog more about the process and bring you along for the ride.

(This shot is from the most recently wrapped client project, my friend Rana’s photography studio.)

Stylistic Shift

Aside from client design work, I’ve been experiencing a little bit of a creative rut lately in terms of blogging. Or maybe it’s that I’m expending so much work and creativity into the client work that my creative gas tank is running a little empty when it comes time to brainstorm blog topics.… Read more

Our Finished Staircase with Horizontal Stair Railing!!

After living months and months (years?) without any railings on our two staircases or the second story of our house (not recommended BTW), I’m thrilled to report our staircase renovation is finally complete! Today I’m sharing all of the details on the staircase reno and horizontal stair railing.

We went through a lot of considerations before pulling the trigger on anything related to the staircase. We debated cable railing, tiling the risers, vertical vs horizontal railings, tread coverings, etc. It consumed hours of research and I even thought we could DIY some or maybe even all of the project. In the end, we hired everything out! Staircase work is meticulous and it was definitely the right decision to bring in the professionals.

Check out that sexy before photo! When we bought the house, the second story and the stairs themselves were covered with nasty, old carpet and the railings were orange-y colored wood that I knew had to go. Shortly after buying the house we had new hardwood floors installed in the downstairs living area and entire upstairs.… Read more

A Contemporary Photography Studio Makeover

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see our disclosure policy.

Last fall my sweet friend Rana of Roohi Photography went and got herself a new, spacious studio space and I’m flattered that she asked me to help with the design. Her new and improved contemporary photography studio has been finished for a while but we just recently got around to photographing it, so today I’m finally showing it off!!

a contemporary photography studio

The studio is about 900 sq ft total and is divided into two equally sized rooms. The front room has a full wall of floor to ceiling windows that provide amazing natural light. We divided the room into two zones, a comfy lounge area with a mounted TV for client consultations and presentations, and a more formal area with a dining table and cafe chairs. contemporary photography studio

The change that made the biggest impact in the makeover was replacing the ceiling tiles. The old ones were basic office ceiling tiles (you know the ones) but replacing them with these traditional style white tiles really elevated the space and gave it a polished look.… Read more

A Surprise Rustic Backyard Party for my Hubby!

If you follow me on Instagram then you may know that a couple of weeks ago I hosted a surprise rustic backyard party for my hubby’s 35th birthday. I started planning a few months ago and keeping the secret was BRUTAL and exhausting! The One Room Challenge back patio makeover was partly a disguise so I could have a reason to hurry him along to help me finish the patio in time for the party!! The joke’s on him! 🙂 About 10 family members flew in from up north as well as friends from South Carolina and Kentucky totaling about 50 guests. We successfully kept it a secret and when he pulled in the driveway home from work, he was completely shocked! I love planning a good surprise, and this one is my best yet!

Here are some fun shots from the day taken by my amazing photographer friend Ashlee!

Waiting impatiently for his arrival! The money shot! Look at that face! Too surprised to close the car door 😉 That’s his mamma he’s hugging there. Be still my heart. … Read more

Backyard Patio Design REVEAL!!! One Room Challenge Week 6

I’m so excited! It’s the final week of the One Room Challenge and time to REVEAL our rustic modern backyard patio design! This challenge was more difficult than last years guest room makeover. We were down to the wire this time around and the landscaping really took a lot out of us! But, alas, it was so worth it. We’ve been enjoying the patio more than ever and have already put the space to good use.

If you’d like to see the weekly progress updates, check them out here: week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4 and week 5.

Here it is! Our rustic modern backyard patio design! All the sources are at the end of the post.

The pallet board ceiling really makes an impact in the space! It adds warmth, texture and a dose of rustic which I offset with the modern, clean-lined furniture.

I am so glad I decided to paint the exterior of all those doors! The sage green is so calming and pops nicely off the white brick. Speaking of, I did a blog post on the amazing product that made painting these doors super easy.… Read more

The Details About Our DIY Rock Landscaping

For our One Room Challenge patio makeover, we started landscaping along the house. If you recall from our 2018 project list, landscaping was something we planned to get to this year. We assumed we’d hire out but when the One Room Challenge forced us to get a move on the nasty weed beds beside the patio, we DIYed it and it wasn’t so bad…well, besides shoveling all those heavy rocks out of the truck. That was bad. Nonetheless, we successfully started our DIY rock landscaping so I today I’m sharing all the details.

First things first, I am not a fan of mulch and we prefer rocks. While I love flowers, I prefer a simplistic landscaping look that doesn’t include a lot of flowers. Here are a couple inspiration images to give you an idea.

Via / Via

Here is where we started! The “flower beds” had been washed out and overrun with weeds.

The first task in our DIY rock landscaping journey was to get rid of all those weeds.

Next, we had to add some topsoil and mulch.… Read more

The Easy Way to Paint French Doors you Need to Know About

If you’ve been following along with our patio makeover for the One Room Challenge, then you know that I painted the two sets of french doors and the single side door going that goes out to our patio. All of those doors are gridded doors with 15 glass panels, you know the ones. I was dreading painting the doors…that is, until I discovered an easy way to paint french doors!

I speak from experience when I say that painting french doors is a pain in the butt. You have to either tape off the glass on each window grid, which is super annoying, time-consuming and doesn’t always prevent the paint from bleeding onto the glass, or you just paint the grids getting as little as possible on the glass and scraping it off with a razor blade after it dries. Having painted the interior of all of those french doors, I know that either way is not fun. This time around, I did a little research and discovered a pretty cool product that offers an easy way to paint french doors.… Read more

One Room Challenge Patio Week 5…SO MUCH PROGRESS!

Our One Room Challenge patio has come so far since last week! If you follow me on Instagram, then you know we’ve been super busy and that the space is actually done and we photographed it yesterday! I’ll have to wait for the reveal images until next week but for now, here’s what we’ve accomplished since the last update.

First of all, we finally cleared all of hubby’s tools out and pressure washed the cement floor. I was hoping the pressure washing would remove the stains but that wasn’t the case so we ended up having to paint the floor, which was an extra step we didn’t plan for. one room challenge patio makeover

one room challenge patio floor painting

First, we sealed the floor and then painted it with concrete paint. Like I mentioned before, we have plans to eventually add a pool off of the patio so we’ll cover the patio floor in whatever pavers we install around the pool so that it’s a seamless transition. For now, I decided to keep the concrete floor clean and simple. one room challenge patio floor

Painting the floor made a huge difference and even though it was an extra step we didn’t anticipate, it was totally necessary and worth it.… Read more

Enter your keyword

Demo Update

Design Work vs. Blogging

Stylistic Shift