An Inside View Of Eden’s Personal Renovation
I’m in the midst of remodeling my house, and I’m so excited! We've lived here for nearly six years; what was initially meant to be a starter home has turned into a longer-term commitment than expected. With the 2% interest rate we secured, it’s hard to give up our great location.
If you follow my design business, you know that DIY isn't part of our typical branding or design aesthetic. In fact, I’m not great at DIY projects—I’d rather leave it to the experts. However, I didn’t quite have the budget for the high-end projects I usually design, so I had to be creative while making sure the home suited our neighborhood.
Here’s what we’re focusing on:
Kitchen: Initially, I thought we’d just update the countertops, paint the cabinets, and swap out the hardware. However, after pricing everything, it made more sense to get all new cabinets. We’re going with a dark wood island and sleek black countertops, while the rest of the kitchen will feature a neutral palette and white Caesarstone countertops. While I’d love marble, it's not practical for our family with two small children, so that will have to wait for our next home.
We’re also adding a new backsplash, hardware, shelves, and window coverings. We’re keeping our current appliances because, despite what design influencers show, a built-in refrigerator combo didn’t make sense for our small kitchen. Instead, we’ve expanded the island to double its size and added more storage since we don’t use it much with our small breakfast nook. Small details like a large single-basin sink and pull-out trash will make a big difference for us. We also added a custom hood to elevate the design.
Don’t you love this light? It brings a pretty softness to the space. The scalloped edges are trendy but I’m partial to them!
Rather than discarding the old cabinets, we gave them away, and I’m thrilled they found a new home. I’ll be sharing more about the renovation soon, but here’s a sneak peek of the 3D rendering. We should be wrapping things up soon, and I can’t wait! I didn’t anticipate being sink-less for two months and eating out losing its luster, so installing our countertops will be a huge relief.
After DIYing my home renovation, the value of professional service from a team on a design project has never been clearer to me. My husband and I have designed, purchased, scheduled, installed, and cleaned up this entire project ourselves. WITH SMALL CHILDREN! Doing so has taken up brain power, time, and energy we typically spend on our family and hobbies. The structured steps I usually follow to ensure a smooth project process for my clients have been overlooked in the chaos of managing this for myself. Silly and time-consuming mistakes have been made, slowing progress and taking up even more of my overdrawn energy to try and fix.
I can confidently say that hiring an interior designer to manage your project ensures that the joy and excitement about your space remains vibrant and undiminished. Don’t let that flame of wonder get snuffed out by drudgery! Book a consultation and let us do the heavy lifting while you enjoy watching your vision come to life.
Stay tuned for more updates on the rest of the house renovation!
XOXO
Eden Stringham