HHello and happy new year! Are you all back from the holidays? It must be time for another kitchen update, because I’ve been getting lots of emails asking when I’ll reveal the kitchen. I’m grateful so many of you are excited—I am too. Thanks for your patience. I’ve also had readers worried they might have missed the reveal.
I haven’t shared the final reveal yet because it still isn’t finished. I know—it’s taking longer than I expected. What I thought would be a small remodel has stretched out, but we’re getting closer.
Most of the cabinets were painted right before Christmas, along with the family room walls, trim, and some horizontal planking in the hall. One open cabinet in the kitchen still needed interior finishing before it could be painted.
That cabinet has now been completed and all the hardware installed, but I had to wait for the painters to return after the holidays to finish the final coat. You can spot a glimpse of the lower cabinets in the photo above, which I also used in the post about the new wood floors. It’s looking good!
That’s often how renovations go—one task depends on another, so reaching the finish line takes time.
The good news is the painters will return Tuesday to paint the kitchen cabinet and to finish filling and painting the rest of the wainscoting through the entry. We didn’t have enough time before the holidays to complete all of it, so that’s on the schedule for next week.
Apologies for the poor photo of the wainscoting and the lack of new update images, but the point is clear: there’s still finishing work and paint to be done in both the kitchen and on the new wainscoting before those areas can be officially revealed as finished.
So what is left in the kitchen besides paint?
– I’m still deciding on the kitchen island. I’m a slow thinker and working with a tight budget means balancing my ideal design with what I already have. I wanted to wait until after the kitchen was painted so I can choose an island that fits the overall vibe of the kitchen and the house rather than picking something in isolation.
– I’m installing two new ceiling lights in the kitchen. I’m really excited about them and hope to show them soon—maybe this week if all goes well.
– Blinds for the kitchen and family room windows are ready to be installed. I’m also planning to look for curtain panels for the family room to add warmth, color, and layered texture. I’m considering new chairs for the family room, but those will probably wait until later.
For now I’m enjoying the small tasks and tweaks that come after a renovation. Those little projects are my favorite part.
I had hoped to get more organized, post my Home Goals for the year, set up a command center for the new year (we just rehung ours in the little kitchen hall and I’ll share that soon), and photograph a few items around the house to kick off the year. But I was a bit overambitious—those plans didn’t all happen.
My son went back to school today after a long break, so I imagined today would be the day to dive into everything. Instead I got sidetracked with cleaning, putting away Christmas decorations, and dealing with leftover remodeling clutter. And, to be honest, I got caught up in Downton Abbey.
So are you back to routines and school yet after the holidays?
I’ll give myself a little more time to get back into the swing of things. There’s always tomorrow, right?