Remodeling Our Kitchen {The Plan}

Something about our vacation made us want to come home and start remodeling our house! I am sure part of it is also the spring weather. We decided that we really needed to start doing some of the remodeling and updates to our home now since we don't know what the future holds for us. We could stay in Wyoming for years or we could only be here a few more. Our kitchen and bathrooms have to be updated if we want to make any money when we go to sell our house. Since we spend so much time in our kitchen we thought it would be the best place to start. Here are a few photos of our kitchen the way it looks currently...



Our appliances are all almond/off white colored and will be replaced with brand new white appliances.
We plan to donate them to the Restore American thrift store.
Goodbye fake brick wallpaper,...you will NOT be missed.



We plan to paint all of our cabinets a crisp white with the help of this tutorial from Young House Love.
Counter-tops are still kind of up in the air. We are leaning towards wood counters stained a darker shade.
We believe there are hardwood floors underneath the tile. *fingers crossed*


When it comes to decorating and designing a kitchen I tend to like ultra modern ones. I love all white kitchens with clean lines and chrome accents. Our house doesn't really have an contemporary feel. Since I have to think about resale I don't want to over do the modern style. I am still going to put modern touches but keep it simple. I am thinking about pale gray walls and decorating with chrome and turquoise accents. I want the space to have a bit of a 1950's vibe since the house was built in 1953. Here is my design board for my kitchen....


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I feel like everything I picked out goes well together, but I don't really know if it's any particular style? I love the big glass canisters! How cool would they be filled with coffee beans? Plus I can reuse jars that I have or find some thrifting and just buy chalkboard labels. The "Make Tea Not War" print I designed on Photoshop. I thought it would add a cute touch to the room. I am also leaning towards doing maybe artwork that is vegan related instead. I have so many ideas!! You may have noticed that there is white subway tile in some of the photos of the kitchens. I love white subway tile used as kitchen back-splashes. I think it's so classic and it never goes out of style. The paint color on my board is more of a beige gray. It may work better in my house since the living room (located next to the kitchen) is bright yellow. Here are some photos that I found inspiring...


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I love the contrast of wood counter-tops with white cabinets. The wood adds such a great warmth to the space. Plus if we do have the guts to tear up the vinyl flooring that is currently in the kitchen the counters would match the wood floors. I decided on painting the cabinets because they are in great condition. No need to tear them out and go buy new white cabinets. I am glad that we can reuse what we have. We also plan to revamp our current light fixture and maybe even the fan. We plan to do the kitchen remodel in this order:

Step 1: Tear down all wallpaper, patch walls and remove chair rail.
Step 2: Paint baseboards, window trim and walls
Step 3: Paint the kitchen cabinets
Step 4: Install new kitchen counters
Step 5: Do tile back-splash

We may replace all three windows as well. If we do the floor it will be later on. Appliances will be purchased last due to cost. Our stove and fridge work fine. I'm all about waiting to get something on sale or in the scratch and dent section if I can. Our new dishwasher is coming this week however! Since we cook a lot, the dishes really pile up on us. Can't wait to not have all the clutter laying around!


So what do you think? Any advise or suggestions? This is our second kitchen remodel so we are pretty excited!
See my Kitchen Inspiration board on Pinterest HERE.

Design Board: Master Bedroom in Our New House

Here is my first design board for our new home. I am focusing on the bedroom because it's a small room. Sadly we have a king size bed that I am NOT willing to get rid of right now! Having a king size bed is comfy, but a bit unpractical as far as space goes in a smaller sized bedroom. My decorating tastes have changed a bit. I used to NEVER like wood furniture and find myself drawn to it now. I'm not talking any tacky 1980's stuff! Vintage pieces that have character to them!! I have fallen in love with the idea of having a calm eclectic bedroom with touches of new and old pieces. Here is my design....


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The only thing on the board I didn't number was the "Don't Forget To Be Awesome" quote. I am going to design a print that says that or paint it on my closet doors really big. I know you are probably wondering about seeing actually pictures of the room. Well, I may save that for the before and after post. :) Keep you on the edge of your seat. HA. It's a sad day for me since I have fallen in love with West Elm bedding. SO EXPENSIVE! It may be the only expensive thing in the entire room though. The thing I am most excited about is the walls...



I think Cody should win a BEST HUSBAND OF THE YEAR AWARD, for letting me talk him into a pink bedroom. I think he is excited to see how the ombre paint effect turns out. Plus, he will be sleeping in the room most the time anyways. I convinced him that if there was any room in the house to let me paint pink, it should be the bedroom. He finally agree. YAY! I don't know what you would call the style of my design. Modern Eclectic Vintage Nature style???? (Probably not.) I can't wait to get started. We will be getting the keys VERY soon and the bedroom painting will probably be done before we actually physically move in. :) So what do you think???

Design Boards: Nursery Style

Years ago I had my own interior design business that specialized in decorating kids' rooms and nurseries. I think they are the most fun spaces to decorate. Since my urge to have a baby has kicked in, I wanted to throw some design boards together. Each board focuses on items from one store. I chose IKEA & Walmart this time around!

Design Board #1 \\ IKEA \\ Bold & Whimsical

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I like mixing more grown up decor with baby stuff.
I tend to like nurseries that aren't overly "baby" themed.
IKEA always has great stuff with bold fun patterns!
My favorite thing is the curtains!
They have tree limbs with little birdies on them! CUTE!

Design Board #2 \\ Walmart \\ Pink & Girly

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The crib on this design board is hands down my favorite and most affordable "modern" crib I can find.
When and if I do have a baby, that crib will be mine!
It also has great reviews!
I am also posting these design boards over on my baby blog, My Mod Baby!
I don't post over there much, but hope to change that in the future. :)



CONGRATS to KIM for winning the giveaway from Curio Design Studio! Thanks to all who entered and thanks to Allison for giving away one of her lovely designs!

Design Board - Tween Girl Room

Brenda emailed me seeking some help with some finishing touches for her daughter's bedroom. She already had painted the room a light turquoise and purchased the floral bedding from PB Teen. She wanted a bright cheerful space! The bedding was the inspiration. Here is what I came up with...

Design Board #1

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I picked out a mixture of colors and patterns. Since it's a "tween" room, I didn't pick many other flower accessories. I figured the bedding was enough. I wanted the room to look a little grown up. I love the inspiration life artwork! The DIY artwork (#10 on the board) was done by Tracy of Dollar & Sense Decor. It's printed paper decoupaged onto store bought canvases! I love this because its affordable, easy and you have so many color/pattern options. Brenda has a big blank wall with no artwork on it. Taking some of the art I picked out, adding some pink picture frames and doing some DIY artwork would fill it up! I love photo collage walls! They are simple to do and you can make them personal. For my second design board, I focused more on setting up a little desk area in the room. Also storage ideas...

Design Board #2

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Having an area where Brenda's daughter can sit and maybe color and draw would be nice. The lack shelves from IKEA are nice to hang over the desk to create an instant storage area. Great way to keep things organized. All these items will pop against the painted turquoise walls! How fun! Here are 3 examples of cute desk areas...


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I hope Brenda is inspired and she will be able to incorporate some my ideas into her decorating project!
Happy Decorating!

Design Boards - Suzanne's Living & Dining Area

Suzanne emailed me for help designing her living room and dining room area. Her home has an open floor plan and the rooms are side by side. She loves neutrals, goldish yellow tones and shades of turquoise. I picked a lot of things that reminded me of nature, then added some modern touches. I didn't want the room to be overly modern, so I picked an eclectic mixture of accessories. Design Board #1

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Pottery Barn Image | Ballard Design Birdcage

What I love about this look, is the possibilities are endless. There are so many discount home decor stores where you can find inexpensive decorative items! It's great to check all your local antique shops and thrift stores for old books, birdcages and lanterns that could be spray painted any color to match your color scheme. You save lots of money and it's fun to go hunt for treasures! My second design board for Suzanne's living room is a bit more modern...
Design Board #2
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Herringbone Wall Tutorial | Apothecary Jars

The first design board had a sectional couch and for the second board I picked a sofa and a chair option. Both sofas are able to be customized to any color that she would like. Suzanne is also considering painting a statement wall and I fell in love with the Herringbone painted wall above! I think it's so beautiful. Also, you know I love painted furniture! Suzanne is thinking about painting her TV stand and I think a sunny shade of yellow would be perfect to add a pop of color to her living room.

Dining Room Design Board
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I didn't have as many items to place on this board since I picked out so much for the other boards. Most of the decorative items I chose can be placed in either space. I thought birdcages hanging from the ceiling in a corner would be really cute. I love bright colored painted furniture. Suzanne already has a pine dining room set and china hutch, so it's up to her whether or not she wants to paint those pieces. If she doesn't paint, she could still add fabric or paper to the back of her cabinet to add a pop of color. Then just add color by painting the room or bright colored artwork. I also love plate walls! What a great way to add color and interest to a wall. You could go to yard sales and thrift shops to find a fun mixture to display. Probably my favorite piece on the board is the twig candle holder from Crate & Barrel. Wouldn't that be a great centerpiece on her dining room table? Goes well with the bird/nature theme of the design.
I really hope that Suzanne loves these designs and has a blast decorating!

Design Board - Jennifer's Living Room

Jennifer emailed me asking for some help with decorating her living room.  She defines her style as classic romantic.  She loves subway art, neutrals and chevron!  I chose a neutral color scheme based around her cream and black sofa.  Muted tones with touches of black, silver and gold accessories.... 
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  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16I picked out pretty things, but didn't want it to be overly girly.  She wanted her living room to also be family friendly!  I love the subway art below from Target.  I found some great links to subway art tutorials {HERE}.  I think it would be really fun for Jennifer to paint her own!
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 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15All the items are "new".  I really urge Jennifer to take my ideas to inspire her, but go to flea markets, antique shops, discount stores and thrifting to find items that are similar.  She really loves lots of family pictures.  I love picture frames from IKEA, Hobby Lobby, Michaels and sometimes the dollar store.  Spray paint does wonders for $1 picture frames!  Here is a mini board I designed for the wall behind her sofa.  It's a perfect wall to do a photo frame collage on.... 

  I love the floor to ceiling look of these photo frame collages...

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 I found some beautiful rooms on Decor Pad's website that I thought also might inspire Jennifer... I love the mixture of gold and silver, along with the wood sideboard. Also I love the fabric panels on either side of the sideboard. That would be a fun DIY project for Jennifer's living room. This living room is so pretty! I love the striped chairs and the room has such cute accessories. The room below I picked because of the collage wall of IKEA Ribba frames. These frames are so pretty with black and white photos in them. It's a great way to make an instant gallery wall! I also found some great prices on chevron rugs on Rugs.com. Jennifer could replace the rug on my design board with a bold chevron rug! I hope she has fun decorating her living room area! It's so fun when you have a blank slate to work with! Happy Decorating Jennifer!

Design Board - My Guest Bedroom {think green}

I have been dreaming up a design for My Guest Bedroom. I want to buy most of my stuff from antique shops and thrift stores. (minus the mattress and bedding. Gross.) I am not against buying a cool vintage bedspread or blanket if it's clean. I am obsessed with the color green {today} and being GREEN. I thought it would be cute and fun to kinda have that theme in the guest bedroom...
The bed frame is from IKEA. The pillow is from JcPenney. Everything else is just things I found doing google image searches for vintage items and earth related artwork. The bedding is from Macy's....
I love the crisp clean look of this bedding. I think it would be perfect to balance out all the bright accessories I would like to put into the room. The price on the other hand, NO!!! I could never spend that much on bedding. I am not wired that way. I think it's an easy look and style to duplicate on a shoe string budget. (It's just white!) I am sure I can find something at Ross, TJ Maxx or Home Goods. I decided that my vintage green curtains were a great inspiration piece for my design. Green looks good with so many colors, but I lean towards adding pops of yellow and aquas to the room. I think the color scheme will go well with vintage accessories and furniture.

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1 2 3I am sure kelly green and yellow is out of style this year. Seems like last year that is all you saw everywhere. Well lucky for me I don't follow design trends,...I follow what my heart desires. (You should 2!) As much as I want to stick to only shopping for things at thrift stores, I am sure I will find some cute little ceramic owl on a clearance rack at Pier 1! With all this said, I am going shopping today. The sun is out and it's way to nice to sit inside on my computer.

Design Board - Loren's Office / Guest Bedroom

Decorating one room to use for guests and as a home office is tricky! Loren needed some help with this dilemma! She lacked storage and organization. She already owned a futon and an office chair from IKEA.
I love the patterns and colors on the chair so I decided it would be a great inspiration piece for my design. Here is what I came up with....

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I added a dresser to the room so that guests have a place to put their clothes while visiting. Plus, it can just be used for extra storage when Loren doesn't have guests. I chose a computer armoire to hid clutter and provide better storage. A pretty bookcase to store baskets for the "not so pretty" stuff, but plenty of room for pretty picture frames and vases. When storage is an issue, I always suggest baskets or boxes on top of the furniture also! Sometimes you need to go all the way up to the ceiling! I also love LACK wall shelves from IKEA. An important thing about decorating to me is, hiding clutter and only displaying pretty things.

Happy Decorating Loren!

Design Board - Loren's Living & Dining Area

Loren emailed me needing some help and inspiration for her home. She just felt stuck and needed some ideas of how to finish her rooms. The first thing I wanted to do was help her with her living room area.
Loren loves her sofa and love seat, but kinda is sick of the brown. Well slip covers are very pricey, so I figure just add some color to brighten up the room!

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I could have picked out a million more things, but the design board started to look a little cramped! I love turquoise, green and brown together. I think it will not only brighten up Loren's living room, it really gives the room a sophisticated look. Loren's kitchen and dining area is open to her living room. Currently in her kitchen she has a "wine theme". My design board for her kitchen and dining area still has the wine theme, I just added a lot of COLOR....

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Loren has space above her kitchen cabinets to create a great display! I picked out some great vases and the Wine Tasting poster to put up there. Also, I picked out the glass decanter from Crate & Barrel. The decanter is priced at $40, but you can find decanters at thrift stores and antique shops for much cheaper! I am obsessed with the rug from Crate & Barrel! She could buy the runner for her kitchen or the 5X7 to put under her table and chairs.

I really hope these colors inspire Loren!
Happy Decorating!

Design Board - My Dining Area

If you follow my blog you know that I am having some serious decorating withdrawals. We get the keys to our new place on the 21st! I have only seen pictures of a different unit, not the actual one we are renting. That's all it took though to get my wheels turning. Currently we eat in our living room everynight! We need to buy some dining room chairs and unless I find some at a thrift shop I think I may have finally picked a set from Target. Here is a design board I put together for our new dining area....
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I love this color scheme. It probably is one of my favorites! I try not to decorate so matchy matchy, but I gotta say it's what my eye is drawl to. I can't help it! It's what works for me in my home. I am currently trying to decide if I am going to paint or not. If I do I will stick to accent walls probably, so it's easier to paint back when we move out. If you love turquoise and aqua blues, go check out Mandi's kitchen table she just painted over on her blog Vintage Revivals! It's amazing!

Design Board - Vintage Modern Nursery

Kimberly from Custom Nursery Art contacted me in need of some help! She is having her own baby, so instead of designing stuff for other people, she needs a design for herself! She loves the color scheme: Pink, Gray & Yellow! She also loves the color Turquoise, but was afraid if she used all these colors it may be a bit to much. Well, I never believe you can have to MUCH COLOR!!! You just have to find a way to make it work! The Design Board I came up with for Kimberly has touches of vintage items and of course anything I design has to have MODERN. Here is what I came up with...

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This design was tricky for me. I was determined to make it work! I started by visiting Kimberly's blog and looking at her nursery inspiration posts. I saw that she is drawn to striped walls. I found the picture of a room with gray and white painted stripes and thought of her right away. She could even just do this on one wall or if she wanted the ceiling.


The solid gray room above belongs to Erika Brechtel from Small Shop Studio. If Kimberly hasn't seen this nursery yet, she will fall in love with it! I saw the mirror and thought it would be great for Kimberly's Nursery. I don't know how she will feel about painting a vintage dresser pink, but I saw this one and I fell in love with the idea.


One thing Kimberly said she really wanted in her nursery was pattern. I saw the turquoise curtains and fell in love. It would give her a great pop of color! I thought a great way for her to pull her color scheme together would simply be frame fabric or scrapbook paper. Again, it would add more pattern! Kimberly is very creative! I think she will have a wonderful nursery once she gets all her ideas together and starts decorating.

Happy Decorating Kimberly! Hope I inspired you!
If you are interested in having me design a board for you go {HERE}

Design Board - Hollywood Glam

Amber emailed me about decorating her bedroom. She is moving into a new home and has a clean slate to work with. She fell in love with Frankie's Room from Wake Up Frankie. She asked me to give her ideas and suggestions on how she can make her new room look like Frankie's Room.


I love the colors and design of Frankie's Room. I selected decor and furniture that are very similar. The possibilities for decorating a room with such a pretty theme are endless. Frankie used some vintage and antique pieces in the room. I would definitely suggest shopping at flea markets, antique shops and thrift stores to find some great furniture and decorative items. Spray paint and painted furniture is perfect for a room like this. Here are my design boards below...
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I really hope that this inspires Amber! She could easily paint gold scrolls on her walls to get the same look as Frankie's Room. Decorating her room with a Hollywood Glam look is going to be so much fun! Happy Decorating Amber!

Design Board - Pink, Lime Green & Turquoise Room

Emily emailed me asking for some suggestions for her bedroom. Her dilemma is that she just painted her room lime green and turquoise a year ago. She really wants pink walls, but it is to soon to repaint her room. I think the best thing she can do it just add pink accessories to her decor. Lime green, turquoise and pink look great together!
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Emily told me that her current bedding is lime green and turquoise. I think the best thing for her to do is to get new bedding that has pink in it. The bedding above is my top pick for her space. I think the pink in the comforter really pops. By changing the bedding and adding pink accessories it is easy for Emily to change the look of her room. Here are a few more comforters sets that I thought Emily may like...
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Happy Decorating Emily!

DREAMING OF DECORATING

Cody and I are considering buying a home when we get stationed. We said we would never buy again after we owned our last home. We really had bad luck with it there for awhile. If we did buy, I think we would be a lot smarter this time. We aren't looking for a fixer upper, but we know since I like to decorate and every house we look at is NOT decorated well, we would someday install an IKEA kitchen. Here are some kitchens that are inspiring me right now...
Ikea Fans
Decor Pad
Ikea ImagesThis kitchen has white ADEL kitchen cabinets from IKEA. I would probably pick the ADEL cabinets for my kitchen because they are not ultra modern like my last kitchen. I wouldn't want it to be to contemporary for resale purposes in the future. Here is a design board I made of the look I would like for my next kitchen. I am digging turquoise, white, and yellow with pops of black and white.


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I picture white subway tile as a backsplash and I love the idea of painting the ceiling turquoise instead of the walls. Finding a cool piece of furniture to paint turquoise or maybe yellow would be really fun! I really want some funky black and white wallpaper somewhere in the room. Of course I love the yellow wallpaper by Jonathan Adler! I have been bitten by the decorating bug! I feel like I haven't designed something for myself in so long. The thought of owning my own place again and being able to PAINT THE WALLS is so exciting!!!! I really love the open look of this kitchen...
Archithings
Since I am 4'9" and can't reach anything in top cabinets anyways, maybe less of them would be better for me. If I don't use them anyways why have them? Not putting tons of top cabinets makes the room feel so much bigger. Oh, it's so fun to dream about decorating!