Willens Reno {Part 2}

Hi friends!

I hope you are having a great weekend! I wanted to recap the middle part of our renovation for you today! Here are more of the details as things were coming together during our project.

Three of the most important parts of our kitchen renovation were the 1. the backsplash, 2. the hood and 3. the renovated bookcases. I spent a lot of time drawing out these ideas during construction so that Josh knew exactly what I was envisioning.

OOOHHHKKKAAYYY the backsplash!!! I will be the first person to say that I obsessed about this detail. I searched and searched for backsplash tile that I loved but everything that I was coming up with was outrageously expensive and honestly too trendy. I came across a picture of a scalloped backsplash and I fell in love ANDDD it was a fraction of the cost of what the fancy tile was! I drew the scalloped edge on the wall and the fabricator came and shot it with their lasers when they came to measure for the countertops. After it was shot we were able to edit the design to make sure it was perfect before they cut the slab. I love how it turned out!

We decided to continue the scalloped, curving shape on the hood. Josh and his carpenters hadn’t built a hood in this shape before so we decided to test it out at our house. We spent a lot of time on the measurements and process of how to build it and I am so impressed with the work they did! We opted to paint it the same color as the cabinets and accent it with brass. The brass trim is a little DIY that the carpenters helped with also. I did a ton of research and figured out that you can purchase parts to make a lamp and that’s what we used as the strapping on the hood. You can purchase this from a fancy suppliers but we accomplished the look for a fraction of the price!

We opted for sconces flanking the range and I purchased these from CB2 and I am crazy about them. They have metal scalloped shades and they are prefect for a kitchen - they can be wiped down easily! I think for $200 they are excellent quality and I highly recommend them.

Here are the bookcases after they were rebuilt to accommodate the TV and entertainment equipment AND the hardwood floors refinished. This picture shows where we laced in the old hardwoods with the new prior to sanding and refinishing - you can’t even tell! :)

I wanted to hide the cable box and antique speakers but I knew that we needed for the remote to communicate with the box so I found this screen that would protect & hide the speakers yet let sound out and the allow us to change the channel with the doors closed. If you are reading this you probably know I love clovers and this screen was $20 at Home Depot (I used 2 pieces) however it was a muted gold color. I simply spray painted the screen and our carpenter made the doors to fit the bookcases an installed the screen for me.

As I am sure you have gathered, behind our kitchen we had a very awkward, long narrow laundry room that was wasted space. We turned that space into a laundry and powder room. The powder room is what our guests use when they come over so we wanted it to be very jazzy!! Here is the marble tile, marble trim, wallpaper and sconces installed. We opted for simple fixtures and sconces because we felt like the sparkle wallpaper was quite the statement!

Here is the other half of the awkward space… the long awaited laundry room! We added this window and I am so glad we did. I love the light that comes in during the day. This is obviously a small room but I am happy with how we used the space - we literally used every single inch! The cabinet on the left houses the cat’s litter box and also serves as a great place for folding.

Well…. we are almost at the end!!! From start to finish our renovation took about 4.5 months, it would have been faster if I had been a paying homeowner haha!