One Room Challenge Kitchen Week 3

It’s week three of the One Room Challenge and well, it’s been a rough few days. This is the point of the renovation where we’re prepping the inside of the walls for drywall so it doesn’t look like much is happening (though really important work is definitely getting done). Plus our basement flooded- ugh. I’ll go over that and lots of fun stuff below!

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Floor Plan / Interior Window / Mood Boards / Stairs Plan

one room challenge kitchen week 3

demo is done!

We finally finished tearing out all the old stuff! The floor was installed really well (too well?) with approximately 12 nails per square foot. So when all the floor was gone, it was a big celebration over here.

above is the impossible to remove sub floor and two layers on linoleum

We also decided to expand the opening to the kitchen from the living room. It used to be a narrow doorway, but we expanded it to the wall and ceiling. Yay for more light coming in! Plus, this means I can add corbels and beams like I did in Florida.

plumbing

On Thursday we had a few plumbers come and do some work. The biggest thing they did was move a pipe that went through the cabinets. 

It was able to be removed completely! The pipes used to run outside the walls. This pushed out the cabinets 6″. Those have been re-routed which means that we now have 6 more inches of floor space!!!

the flood

On Saturday morning, I woke up at 6:30 am to the sound of water in the kitchen. Turns out, an old pipe had burst and flooded the basement. We had about 3-4 inches of water covering the floor. A lot of things were ruined. It was sad and stressful and a lot of work to move everything out of the basement to our backyard to dry out.

There were lots of little miracles- like it was a sunny day. Plus, Utah has very dry air so things dried quickly. My mother in law was already planning on watching my son so he could have fun while we worked. She dropped off some fans to help the basement dry out. The plumber was able to come and fix things. My sister bought us lunch so we could clean up instead of cook. So many things to be grateful for!

Even though it was stressful and NOT how I wanted to spend my weekend, we now have a very organized and pared down basement, so there is a bright side.

electrical

We spent a good part of Tuesday prepping for the electrician to arrive. This means that we figured out exactly where the chandelier and outlets will go. My husband even made templates of the cabinets with paper that we taped to the studs.

It took time, but it helped us walk through the layout and problem solve any issues. For example, I had planned on the dining table being center in the room, but it made the kitchen feel crowded. 

The rug and boards in the picture below are supposed to represent the table 😉

Then, moving the table to the wall, the kitchen has much more space. Plus, the extendable table I ordered can open fully and we’ll be able to seat 10!!! Sure, it’ll be cramped on the rare occasion that we try to seat that many. But doesn’t that make for a good party?!

For me, it feels like a huge improvement over our last table that sat 4. Now with this new kitchen layout, it looks like I’m bringing back the banquette seating! I’m evidently a huge fan since this is the forth time in a row doing it.

shopping!

For this room, I’m teaming up with eBay to make the room extra special. This is a dream since I’ll be able to fill the room with a good combination of vintage and new items! I thought I’d share a few of the things that are on their way that I’m really excited about!

I found the cutest pair of Staffordshire dogs in white and gold! They’ll sit on the mantle and I think they’ll look so cute and iconic! 

For the dining table, I’m thinking of decorating it with a set of three pink ginger jars. Blue and white vessels like this are a super classic look so I think the pink will be a fresh spin on that look.

One of my favorite motifs is a bow- it’s girly and sweet. So when I found these brass bow knobs, I thought they’d be perfect for the upper cabinets! They’re on their way from India and my fingers are crossed that they’ll arrive in time for the reveal. These are sourced from the eBay store Perilla Home.

Fireplace

I was originally planning on buying a moveable electric fireplace and plugging it in where I wanted it in the kitchen. But my husband said it would be a lost opportunity. Might as well frame in and make a custom one since the door is open!

Since his idea was much better (though, it is more work), I bought a recessed electric fireplace. We’ll frame this out and then build a custom fireplace surround. The fireplace is from the eBay store Extra Sale Store.

The inspiration for the mantle we’ll build comes from a house in England. I figure that it looks simple enough to replicate. I am very excited for this element!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by E l l e (@elle_the_home_bird)

 

When sharing about the kitchen fireplace, one person voiced the concern that it’d make the kitchen too hot. But it’ll be electric and you can just turn on the light in that case. 

To be honest, winter is a hard time mentally for me so I’m planning elements that’ll make it feel cozy instead of desolate and depressing. Can’t you imagine decorating cookies at the table with a fireplace going?! 

dining table seating

One thing I’ve been thinking about is the perfect dining chairs. I ended up ordering two of these white bamboo dining chairs–

I figure they’ll be perfect for the two chairs on the ends. I’m still trying to find coordinating side chairs (though I’m thinking about getting these and painting them white). 

For the settee, I’m debating between using the bench I already have (shown above). Or, I could order a pink tufted settee off eBay. I like that the settee has such fun lines and would protect the wallpaper from sticky hands better. Though the bench I have would be easier to clean. Which would you choose?

settee from the eBay store VirVentures

As a third option, I also am considering this more modern pink bench (this one is from the eBay store HomeSquare)-

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Hopefully by next week we’ll have tile and dry wall. Things are moving and I just can’t wait to get to the fun part. Like hanging wallpaper!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the dining seating! Also, what item that I shared this week are you most excited?

 

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