[Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Michaels Stores and we are honored to be Michaels Makers. All opinions and photography are our own and are not influenced by Michaels Stores]
Yes… you read that title right — Matt and I are gearing up for a full kitchen renovation that is hopefully going to start in the next two months (our goal is to be done by Christmas)! Let me tackle some of our most FAQ’s about the kitchen before I move on to today’s topic — finding kitchen inspiration.
- Am I feeling nervous about the mess? Extremely.
- Is it going to be hard living through a kitchen reno with a baby around? Definitely.
- Is it going to be overwhelming to do this while we’re back at work full-time? Very!
- Am I scared about the amount of work ahead? Ummm… yes, yes and YES!
- Are we crazy? We’ve officially lost our minds.
Now that we’re on the same page ((insert nervous laugh here)), let’s talk about where we are in the process and where we are headed with this exciting and very intimidating project ahead.
The “Plan”
The kitchen is the last large-scale renovation that we have planned in this house and by far, the most intimidating project I’ve tackled to date. We definitely plan on hiring a lot of it out because if I’m being completely honest, I’m not that advanced and I just don’t have the time it requires.
Being a full-time mom, full-time teacher, full-time blogger, wife, daughter, friend… I’m already a bit overwhelmed, throw in a kitchen without help and I’d lose my mind. I enjoy being busy, but I also realize that I’m only human, which means it’s time to call in some help (aka the professionals).
We do plan on helping along the way though! Right now our plan includes demoing the current kitchen, picking out every detail, doing all of the ordering, and coordinating all of the different contractors. When some of the big projects are done, we’ll jump back in and DIY some stuff — light fixtures, tile, organization items, etc.
Yes, I’ve Officially Lost My Mind
Oh, and did I mention that we’re going to be DIY-ing the bathroom off the kitchen during this madness? Yes, I’ve officially lost my mind, but I figure if the place is going to be up for grabs, let’s get as much done as we can. #sendhelp
I’ll be sharing all the plans, the timeline, the design details when we confirm them. My plan then is to do a weekly series until the kitchen/bathroom are done, much like Casey did on her recent bathroom renovation. But that’s a month or two away. Today, I wanted to first introduce you guys to the excitement/craziness that lies ahead and then leave you with some of the inspiration I’ve been using to identify the style I want to inject in our future kitchen.
Finding Kitchen Inspiration
I’m in the very early stages of brainstorming and I promise to share the exact process I have taken so far to get started on this large-scale project (and not feel completely overwhelmed). But to give you an idea of the kitchen inspiration that’s inspired me, here are some of the images that are driving my plans:
My hope is that the kitchen meshes with the rest of the house. I also want it to feel a lot lighter and brighter than it already does. And most importantly, I want it to feel like our style while functioning efficiently for our family. I’ve taken pieces of inspiration from each of these spaces to come up with a very tentative mood board for our new kitchen.
Putting Together A Mood board From Michaels
My hope is that this mood board, or at least the exercise of putting it together, will help me stay true to my vision and not get side-tracked by all of the GORGEOUS kitchens on Pinterest. I want to have a focused gameplan when it comes to the “vibe” of our future kitchen and Michaels helped me do that!
Have you seen Michaels new General Store Collection? If you’re a Fixer Upper fan, you’re going to love it! They have gorgeous glassware, aged metal pieces, classic enamel, and weathered finishes.
I was instantly drawn to the black and white. This timeless color scheme is definitely what I’m using to drive my kitchen renovation. I also love the unofficial hints of Joanna Gaines’ signature style in this line.
I chose some of my favorite pieces, like , , and , to add to my mood board. These few new pieces paired well with a few items I already had. This look came together and I instantly had more of a vision for my plans.
Try This At Home!
If you’re tackling a renovation soon, or heck… any room refresh, I would highly recommend using this exercise. Collecting items that bring inspiration and putting the items together was so helpful for me to start to focus. I even saved one of these photos to my phone and plan on referring to it as I start making more and more kitchen decisions. Plus, the few items I bought are being saved for when it’s time to start styling the NEW kitchen!
But I know that’s not for a little while. I promise to touch back soon when we really kick things off. Then I’ll share waaaaayyyy more details and bring you guys along every step of the way. Sound like a plan?!
Bridget
