Say hello to our (almost) done KITCHEN! GAHHH!!! I'm so excited to have one of the first completed and 'adult' rooms in the house since I moved to the UK three years ago. As many of you know, I moved into the house that Adam owned. It was a total bachelor pad and in many ways a blank canvas. Unfortunately, I sold, gave away, or put my Boston apartment in storage. So it was less a combining of two lives and more a fresh slate in terms of style and furniture. After a lot of 'are we going to stay in this house?', we decided to stay put and start making the whole house more us! A bit ambitious doing the kitchen first, am I right?! 

We decided very quickly that we would work with the original structure of the kitchen for resale of the home and to make sure we were staying within our budget. You can see our initial brainstorm here on the blog (aka when I went to Ikea and wanted all the things) and my kitchen Pinterest inspo here. These were both so helpful to do and helped me come up with my basic game plan for the kitchen. 

THE DIY PROCESS 

I am not gonna lie here. The DIY process of this project took a whole year. We physically bought the kitchen last year and did all of the work ourselves, including the demo. On reflection, we both agreed we wouldn't have it any other way! OF COURSE, it took forever, we fought, we tiled at 1 AM, and we found out who is better at spackling (cough, it is NOT ME!). However, it was such fun to learn how to do new things and it pushed us out of our comfort zone. We also learned how to work as a team and make big project/financial decisions. We love to cook together and we have such a sense of pride when we are working and creating in this new space.  

Above are some of the demo shot we took and sent off to prove we were working really hard! We had a lot of help from Adam's family to check on the electrical and help us install the WORLD'S heaviest sink!! So a quick thank you to them.

COLOR + DESIGN

I designed this color scheme in August last year and I knew the floor was gonna have such a shazam moment. I did have a split second when we installed about six tiles and I freaked that I was about to make such a crap looking floor! We were so deep into the project and I didn't want them to be too much ya know?! Adam was just like, we are doing it. I'm so glad he did and he trusted my design 100% in that moment. 

For the most part, I wanted to have neutrals and black and white so artwork and accessories could really shine and change out. Adam had a couple elements of the kitchen he really wanted (the double sink and oak counters). I am so glad he was passionate about certain aspects so I could combine them with my own. I think it makes the kitchen really casual and warm. You have that feeling of just being 'home' when you walk in. 

And that is it! I am so excited to share this with you guys. I canceled a lot of weekend plans to tile and make cabinets and it was all worth it! Let me know what you think in the comments below. And if you are just now starting the journey, I so want to see your kitchen and demo pics! 

IKEA KITCHEN 

Bodbyn Kitchen Cabinets | Kitchen Sink | Stove Hob | Oven | Kitchen Counters

Extractor Fan | Black + White Floor Tiles | Subway Wall Tiles | Drawer Knobs 

RANDOM KITCHEN STUFF

Succulent Hanger | Assorted Plants | Window Diffuser | Splatter Plates 

Spoon Rest | Olive Oil Holders | Kitchen Aid | Recipe Book Holder | Coffee Cups 

Muffin Plate | Mint Push Board | Ceramic Sparrows