They say kitchens are the heart of the home, and mine certainly are. I love imagining and planning kitchens—again and again. If it’s any surprise, I’ve rarely left a kitchen untouched. Our first condo kitchen was the closest we came to leaving it as-is; newlyweds with no DIY skills or budget, we even disguised a burn mark on the white laminate counter with White Out. It may sound funny now, but it worked — the counter looked better than when we moved in. Improving a space, even in small ways, has always been my goal.
Over the years our kitchens have had modest updates—paint, new knobs, wallpaper—or bigger changes like countertops, sinks, floors, and appliances. Some rooms received full makeovers. You might remember when we renovated the builder-grade kitchen in our Craftsman-style home and gave it a fresh personality. That remodel was one of my favorites.
We also transformed our last kitchen from top to bottom, a project that was featured in Better Homes & Gardens Small Space Decorating. Designing that compact galley kitchen was so satisfying—it functioned beautifully and felt like a dream to work in.
Many readers have asked whether we’ll remodel the kitchen in our new house. Above is a photo I took when we moved in; the previous owners left some furniture and accessories, which made the space feel welcoming right away. I’ll be sharing updated photos as we settle in.
Thankfully this kitchen was well cared for and already quite charming, so there was no rush to renovate. I prefer to live in a space for a while to understand how we use it before making changes. Now that we’ve settled, ideas are starting to flow and I’m enjoying the process of dreaming and planning.
We’re grateful the previous owners added character—built-ins, box beams, wallpaper, and custom blinds—that gave us a wonderful head start. The rest of the house has charm as well, so we feel fortunate to move in with such a strong foundation. I’ve been in touch with the former owner, who’s delighted we love the home; it’s been fun to swap ideas with her.
Every day my husband and I pause and say, “can you believe we live here?” We are deeply grateful. The house feels like a lived-in vacation spot—a beach house we’re lucky to call home. We expect it to be our forever home, and we plan to care for it accordingly.
Making this home comfortable and welcoming for our family is important. Though we’re empty nesters, I work from home and my parents have moved in with us, along with our pups—so it’s far from empty. We want this house to be a gathering place for our growing family, and that influences our planning and design choices.
The house is modest in size—around 2,000 square feet on a small lot—and I love that. It has enough room for our needs without excess, and its limitations spark creativity. I enjoy designing homes that are “just right” for their families, and I look forward to adding more personality and character here.
So, in short—yes, I’ve started dreaming about the kitchen again. It took a few weeks to settle in, but ideas are already forming that feel right for this home. I’m excited to share the plans and inspiration as they develop.
I’ve enjoyed discussing ideas with my mom—she and my dad have remodeled many homes and she loves dreaming about spaces almost as much as I do. I can’t wait to share our ideas with other home lovers.
Stay tuned to The Inspired Room and our social channels. I’ll be posting photos and updates about the kitchen, the adjoining dining area, and other remodeling ideas—both inside and out. I’ll also share inspiration you can save or use for your own home.
More Posts on The Inspired Room:
If you’re catching up, you can find more posts about our new house in the site’s new house category. If you missed it, I also wrote a “Goodbye, House, You’ve Been Good to Us” post that shares many photos of our previous home before we moved.