Well, I decided to make my come back to the blog with a BIG project. As you might know, I have had a lot of health issues the last couple of months and I’ve mostly been in bed or on the sofa due to two surgeries less than two weeks apart. The second surgery was a hysterectomy just two weeks ago. But, my body is starting to heal and I’m VERY ready to get back to work. So, I decided to go big and join the One Room Challenge this Spring as a guest and makeover our kitchen. Because I am not physically 100% and have another month or so of recovery, I will be hiring some trades to demo, install countertops and lay tile. My DIYing body and strength is not quite there yet, so I need some help. But there is soooo much painting and I’ll be tackling that.

I have been a fan girl of the ORC for a long time, but timing was always off to join in. But, I’m not making any excuses this time, so I’ve registered to be a guest participant. And I’m really looking forward to following along and watching all the amazing designers take on their rooms. Some of my all time favorite bloggers are in this Spring’s line up. I’m so excited to start on our kitchen. This Summer will be our 3rd year in this house, and I spend so much time in that kitchen

This is not a total gut job by any means, it’s really just some cosmetic updates. So, I feel like 6 weeks is doable. The cabinets are in really great condition, they just need a fresh coat of paint and some new hardware and hinges. The countertops and backsplash definitely need to go though. I know it looks like I have granite countertops, but in fact, they are just 12×12 granite tiles and with tile comes GROAT. And groat lines on countertops are the WORST! The groat lines are literally magnets for crumbs, dirt and grime. I feel like I’m ALWAYS cleaning them. And rolling out cookies or pastry dough is terrible. I really can’t wait to have one solid, seamless work surface.

Ok, let’s talk design. I have a look that I’m definitely after. I have always love painted cabinets and feel like they work with my 1918 Craftsman. But, I already had an all-white cabinets before (in our first house), so I’m ready to try something new. I want the kitchen to feel classic and timeless, but I want to play with a trend as well. I still like the look of darker lower cabinets and white uppers. For the last couple of years I’ve thought that I would probably paint the lowers black or charcoal, but I’ve also considered a dark green or olive color as well (this is a topic I’ll go even more into detail about).

I tore this image out of a Rejuvenation catalogue a couple years ago because it really had all the elements of color, texture, pattern that I was looking for. And I still LOVE it, so I’m using it as my inspiration for this kitchen makeover.

The to-do list is pretty long, but I think we can move through it in the next 6 weeks. Right now I’m trying to lock down a counter top fabricator and installer and also someone to install the tile. I’ve gotten a few quotes and from my previous experience, I’m not going with the most inexpensive quote, I’m trusting my gut and going with quote of the contractor that seemed to be the most knowledgable. While I love to save money and really do believe you get what you pay for when hiring trades.

To-Do List:

• demo countertops + backsplash
• demo tile floors
• replace countertops
• replace backsplash
• install tile floor
• replace cabinet hardware
• replace cabinet hinges
• repaint back door
• replace 2 wall sconces
• replace ceiling fan and light fixture
• paint ceiling
• paint lower cabinets black or dark green
• paint upper cabinets white
• paint walls white
• select and order sink and prep sink
• select and order faucets
• cut large butcher block for work surface
• source and hang art
• source rug for under sink and back door
• replace switch plates and outlets

Here’s a few beautiful black lower and white upper kitchen for inspiration. It’s sharp, right?

first row – 1 // 2 // 3 second row – 1 // 2 // 3 third row – 1 // 2 // 3

Ok, here’s some BEFORE pictures so that you can see what we are working with.

I’m sure I’ll be sharing a lot of behind the scenes over on Instagram stories. I think this is going to be a fun adventure.