This post is sponsored by Mohawk Flooring.
If you’re new here, last June we began a kitchen remodel. We’re not finished yet, but we’ve made steady progress. Although the work began on a bit of a whim, it followed a long period of consideration. We’ve lived in this house for nearly four years, so we had plenty of time to decide what we wanted and needed from the space. After being patient, we’re now excited to be nearing the homestretch.
Everything we’re updating is part of a larger plan to live more intentionally in our home. We’ve set clear goals for this stage of family life and are making changes that support how we want to live: decluttering, rearranging rooms, and improving what we can within our budget.
I’ve always wanted to stay in one house long enough to shape it from top to bottom exactly how I envision it. After moving so often in the past, finally being able to make these long-dreamed-of changes — and with no immediate plans to move — feels incredible. These updates are for us, not for future owners.
I keep pinching myself because it feels so good to be at this point.
Our kitchen and family room form one open area, but the old cabinetry and varied flooring made the space feel chopped up and smaller than it needed to be. The kitchen layout made it awkward for the three of us — my two daughters and me — to work there at the same time, and it created bottlenecks when we hosted larger groups.
Here’s a summary of what we’ve done so far:
- We removed the breakfast bar and the cabinets that divided the room.
- We closed the dusty gap above the cabinets with a small built-in adjustment.
- We installed new subway tile, a new sink, and white quartz countertops.
- A new range hood and faucet were added, and the tile was grouted.
- We chose a two-tone cabinet color scheme and are waiting on the painter to complete it.
- We have an unfinished island that’s ready to be painted and finished.
- We painted the walls and planned the trim and fireplace updates for the family room.
Since I last wrote, we’ve also added new light fixtures and started a pantry makeover. Beyond the family kitchen area, we’re working through other rooms too, including our master bedroom, as part of an overall effort to get our home into better shape for our family.
To truly finish this series of projects this year — one of our goals is to complete what we start — we needed to address the flooring in the remaining areas. New hardwood floors we had installed last spring transformed parts of the house, so finishing the rest of the main level will bring cohesion and a refreshed feel throughout.
Our remaining floors were showing wear from dogs, daily life, and renovation work. They no longer reflected the look we wanted for a connected main floor. From the front door through the back of the house, we prefer one consistent, easy-to-maintain flooring surface to create a better visual flow instead of fragmenting the space with different materials.
A few weeks ago I was contacted by Mohawk about partnering on a flooring project. It felt like perfect timing — we had the need and they had options. This partnership will help us finish the remaining flooring projects and resolve some of the problem areas we’ve been dealing with.
The Mohawk collaboration is underway, and I’m thrilled to finally complete these projects — it will feel like a brand new house without moving. I’ll share details about the new floors and answer reader questions in upcoming posts.
Have you replaced flooring in your home?
I’m participating in Mohawk’s “Floors Me, as Told by Bloggers” program. As always, all opinions and experiences are my own.