DIY Diary // 05

A Mood Board for the Kitchen

Now that I'm not traveling every weekend, I'm dedicating my free time to getting our house the way I've always dreamed it could be. First order of business is the kitchen.

Even though we just purchased our little space back in January, we've actually been living here for almost 2 years. We rented before we owned and when the opportunity to buy came about, we decided it made sense for a lot of reasons. Even though I'm not under any illusions that we'll stay here forever (Ben and I would both like to explore living in other parts of the country), I still want to make our home a place that I love...because you never know, we might end up being here awhile, or at least until we can't live with sharing a single bathroom.

So the kitchen...before we moved in, everything was renovated, so we have the typical stainless steel appliances and granite countertops that developers assume everyone wants in their kitchen. Sadly, I'm not everyone. The color choice is not ideal and the room generally feels bland. But, the cost of renovating it again is not something we can afford to do right now (not to mention, I hate the idea of creating so much waste), so I have to find a way to make it work...and I think I finally have.

A few months ago, I came across this styled shoot and fell in love. Like deep in love. So much, in fact, it started to manifest itself in a lot of my design choices. And one day, while I was staring at the granite countertop that I almost despise, it came to me. I could use those colors in our kitchen. It would work...and maybe turn a room that I thought I would always have to deal with into a place that I could love.

We started last weekend by painting a wall (you cannot imagine my excitement over being able to paint...it's liberating to be able to have your own walls to douse in any and every color imaginable...this is the joy of being an adult). And it makes me like it better already. There's still a lot of work to do; I'm going to attempt to build some shelving so we have some more storage for various kitchen necessities. This may or may not go well, based on this past week's adventures, but hopefully I've passed my bout of bad luck with drywall and molly bolts, and maybe, just maybe, this project will move smoothly. I'll keep you posted on that one.

Here's a photo of what the kitchen looks like right now...and yes, my next project after the shelves will be to do something about the UFO hanging off the ceiling. It is another reason I need a dislike button.

In addition, I will take any and all advice on how to keep this from happening. And trust me, I've tried telling him to get off the table. The result is this look...

Sometimes we can't have everything we want, but when you can DIY, you might be able to work with the kitchen (or whichever room) you have to make it a place you'll love. Make a mood board inspired by a photograph or piece of art you heart...see where it takes you :0).

Photo sources here.