How the Magic Happens – One Room Challenge Week 3

One Room Challenge

May 19

It's about that time during the One Room Challenge where I still feel like I have plenty of time...but the panic is starting to poke its head in. If you haven't read them already, head back to my room reveal and design plans posts. I promise the rest of this post will make more sense once you do. 😅

When we bought our condo in July last year, everything was brand new. The whole building had been converted from rental apartments to condos (I have a lot of #thoughts on buying in a gentrifying neighborhood, but I'll save those for later), and everything was new. But I hated basically all of the finishes the developer had chosen.

You might wonder, as Geoff's parents have, why we decided to buy a place that had been updated in a way that we didn't like. The short of it is that the DC housing market was already insanely competitive, with developers snapping up fixer-uppers and people willing to pay cash well above the asking price. And then Covid exacerbated everything. So fun, right? Rather than gut everything, I've been making little tweaks and modifications based on what's already here.

That brings us to the kitchen.

It was... fine. The original kitchen had stark white cabinets, brushed nickel hardware, and a wood-topped island that was way too big for the space. There was also not enough closed storage, and things felt generally inefficient. So in addition to improving the way it looks, a large portion of my project is dedicated to boosting functionality too.

Here's how the kitchen looked on the day we closed on our condo.

My budget is built on shoestrings and a prayer. That means I'm doing most of the work myself.

Labor costs add up quick, let me tell ya! A few weeks before we officially started, I attempted to remove our glass mosaic tile backsplash by myself. It was the first time I had really demo'd something, and I was nervous.

It took HOURS and several apologetic texts to my neighbors. I only made it through one section of wall, and it was clear that there was no way to salvage the drywall behind the tile. There were chunks of mastic (like cement) left behind in some spots, damaged drywall in others, and shards of glass everywhere. I had spent hours googling "how to remove glass mosaic backsplash" and it turns out I was rightfully nervous.

I hired someone to fix it.

This is the cool thing about DIY. If you get into a pinch and really can't figure out how to fix something, you do have the option of hiring out the work. If you're considering tackling a big DIY project, my learned-the-hard-way advice is to leave some room in your budget for the just-in-case labor costs you might incur.

The only other item I knew I needed to hire out was the electrical. Our condo already has recessed can lights, but wasn't wired for light fixtures. I found a great electrician through Thumbtack who did the job for $200 per light. Now I know that it's a bit odd to have fixtures installed at this early stage of a project. But it made sense to do before I re-tiled the backsplash – the electrician needed to get into the wall behind the original tile to wire the light above our sink (the one y'all helped me decide to center with the window!).

All of the new light fixtures are from Hudson Valley Lighting Group. HVLG is one of my ORC sponsors, and browsing through their collection of fixtures made me wish that I had like six other spaces to light. Everything is so cool! They have an extensive collection of fixtures that range from modern to traditional and beyond. I went with the Brigitte Chandelier in Old Bronze above the dining table, the Loris alabaster flush mount above the sink, and the Reba flush mount in Aged Brass in the entryway. The Reba paired with the arched entryway opening gives me big time Art Deco vibes, which is absolutely how I want my home to feel when I walk in. Many thanks to HVLG for sponsoring my lighting!

How the magic happens

Behind the apparent magic is a lot of hard work, mistakes, and in-over-my-headedness. My to-do list is ever-growing, but I firmly believe in celebrating small wins.

With that in mind, here's what I've accomplished so far:

Sold original, too-big island
Remove tile backsplash (plus the peel and stick tile I had covered it with)
Hire drywall guy to repair walls/finish removing tile
Electrician wired for three new overhead light fixtures
Ordered many things! Cabinet hardware, door hardware, dishwasher, counter stools, island cover panels, lighting, custom shade, and more
Met Dennis of Austen Morris Furniture, who measured for custom floating shelves. Excited to have this DC-based furniture maker's work in my house!!
Selected cabinet paint colors after much agonizing (iykyk)
Started to wrap the big steel beam!

Here's my to-do list:

The big guy: finish wrapping the steel beam and build out arched opening. This is the biggest DIY stretch for me.
Re-tile the backsplash. Make final decision about tile selection, placement and height
Remove upper cabinets from window wall, replace with floating shelves
Strip, sand and paint cabinets, doors, and touch up paint on walls and trim
Build out island updates, including new top and cover panels
Install new integrated dishwasher
Replace faucet, cabinet hardware, and doorknobs
Add inner cabinet hardware to boost functionality
Select and order art, accessories, and a kitchen rug
Find a home for the clutter that's been living in our dining area for months
Install new roman shades
Maybe add window trim?
Make upholstery decisions for the window bench
Make everything pretty in time for photos! 🤪

This is why I love the ORC – accountability! See how I'm on the hook now to get it all done? 😉 If you're not already following me on Instagram, you should really go fix that. Otherwise, you'll miss out on most of the fun, gritty behind-the-scenes work.

Lastly, I implore you to check in on the other ORC Featured Designers. All of their blogs are linked below, and it's really cool to see just how different our approaches are.