This post contains references to gifted products from One Room Challenge Sponsors including Emtek, Ryobi, Kichler, The Tile Shop, and Milton & King. This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

It’s week 8 of the one room challenge! Do you know what that means? It means that It’s reveal day for my space!

The last 8 weeks have been insane (to say the least). I set out to turn my 2000s kitchen into a cozy, moody, and inviting space and I think that I’ve done what I set out to do! Before we go into the reveal, I want to remind you of what this space looked like when I started this project. Our 2000s kitchen had stained wood cabinets, large subway tile backsplash, speckled granite, and orange-y engineered wood flooring. There was nothing wrong with the kitchen, per say, but I was ready to turn our kitchen into a statement piece.

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So, the moment you’ve been waiting for, the FULL REVEAL of our newly updated kitchen!

I put literal blood, sweat, and tears into this kitchen and I couldn’t be happier with the final result! I made a lot of changes in this kitchen and I want to walk you through each one! 

Cabinets and Cabinet Doors

I wanted a bold color and classic style for my cabinet doors. I’ve been wanting to paint my cabinets the color Fig Tree for years and this makeover seemed like the perfect time. I got Fig Tree color matched at Sherwin Williams and used their Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel in a satin finish. Durability was the most important factor for me when selecting a paint and I was willing to pay a little more for the right formula. 

I built my shaker cabinets door from scratch using my pocket hole jig and my Ryobi router, drill, sander, and circular saw. In total I made a combination of 42 cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Previously the upper cabinets stopped about a foot from the ceiling, so I also built additional cabinet boxes to bring the cabinets all the way to the ceiling. This added in more storage and give the illusion that my ceilings are higher. Although it was a lot of time and energy, I’m happy with how the cabinet boxes and doors turned out and it was much more cost effective than buying.

Flooring

Although I did love having wood floors I didn’t like the stain color and they just weren’t as practical as what our family needs. We have a toddler and a dog and needed flooring that could withstand everything our family puts our floors through. I opted for the Luxury Vinyl SPC flooring from The Tile Shop. I like that this flooring gives us the look of modern wider plank flooring with the added durability and waterproofing that comes with Vinyl floor tiles. I installed the flooring myself and the click and lock feature made assembly pretty straight forward.

Lighting

Lighting was a very important part of this project. We previously had only recessed lighting in the kitchen and a single under cabinet light. I really wanted to change the mood of the space and lighting was a huge part of that. I removed two recessed lights in the bay window area and replaced them with a single chandelier by Kichler. I also replaced the recessed light over the sink with a wall sconce.

We never had pendants over the island so we added in those as an additional layer and to bring a spotlight to that area of the kitchen. And finally, the LED strip light under the cabinets and open shelving makes a HUGE difference. Lighting can make or break a space and the Kichler lighting we used is a huge part of what makes this space so warm and inviting.

Counters

I’ve never been a fan of the speckled granite in our kitchen and I’ve had my eyes on soapstone for a while so I knew it was the perfect natural stone for the kitchen. I purchased my soapstone counters through The Home Depot. I love the natural white and gold veining in my slab and it ties in with the light fixtures and cabinet hardware. I’ve seen a lot of white marble and white quartz trending so I wanted to go a slightly different route than what’s common in so many kitchens. 

Wallpaper

I never thought I would be adding wallpaper to my house but I did it and I love the results. I used the Milton and King paste the wall wallpaper in the pattern County Flowers. I can’t say enough good things about the quality of the paper and how easy it was to install. I prepped my walls with a dark green tinted primer and from there I rolled on the adhesive and then added the paper. This pattern works so well in my kitchen and I love how nicely the green of the wallpaper matches the green in my cabinets. 

Cabinet Hardware

I can’t even count how many different knobs and pulls I looked at before settling on mine. There are so many options out there and it’s hard to even know where to start. I knew that I wanted a more traditional style and I ended up going with the Emtek egg knobs and spindle drawer pulls in the antique gold finish. They’re traditional with just enough flair to really stand out.

ou can also tell that they’re quality when you hold them in your hand, they have a nice weight to them and the finish is beautiful. They took my classic shaker cabinets and elevated them to really fit in the space.

Backsplash

This backsplash is the icing on the cake in this kitchen! These Riad tiles by The Tile Shop were the last thing to be installed into the space and they’re what tied everything together. I love how perfectly imperfect they are — they have a subtle pattern and texture to them and the unfinished edges help soften up the room. Although the tiles are white I love that there’s a variety of “whites” within each box that add so much dimension that you don’t get from other white square tiles. I grouted with an antique white unsanded grout. 

Sink

I don’t think people put the care and attention into sink selection as they should. It was important for me to find the perfect sink and faucet for our home. We previously had a double bowl sink so it was hard to wash large pots, pans, and cookie sheets. The solution to this was switching to a single bowl sink. I went with a 33 inch undermount quartz single bowl sink by Elkay in the color black. It’s a beautiful sink that is wide and deep enough to hold all the dirty dishes we go through each day and it also provides the durability I was looking for in a sink (this one is UV resistant and this is important since our sink sits just below a window).

I still can’t believe that this kitchen is OUR kitchen in OUR home! I’ve loved our home from the moment we moved in, but there’s just something so special about customizing your home and truly making it your favorite place to be. This kitchen is truly the kitchen I’ve always wanted and I’m proud to say I did most of it myself (with the exception of electrical and floor removal).  I learned a lot in the process and I’m so thankful that I won’t have to take on another kitchen removed for a long time. 

Furniture

Although I loved our previous table and chairs I wanted to upgrade to something that made better sense for our family. We had a white table and cloth chairs and it was impossible to keep the chairs clean with a toddler, and the white table top stained too easily. I upgraded us to solid wood chairs and a black table. I wanted to bring in a slightly modern flare with the table, but keep things traditional with the chairs. They contrast well with each other and help keep the moodiness of the space.

I also added in a small side table to function as a plant stand! I love that it fits perfectly into the space between the cabinet and the bay window.

Kitchen Acessories and Styling

I love art in a kitchen but the way that my kitchen is set up, there actually aren’t any walls available for hanging art. So Idecided to hand the art directly on the tile! This art is an original sketch by the artist Shannon Emmanuel. I love that it’s a small yet impactful conversation piece. Check out her art and see the buttons below for links to all of my styling items for the kitchen.

Sponsors

I am so thankful I had the opportunity to partner with so many sponsors for this project. It’s because of them that I was able to turn my kitchen dreams into a reality!

• Lighting – Kichler
• Wallpaper – Milton and King
• Counters – The Home Depot
• Tools – Ryobi: https://www.ryobitools.com/
• Cabinet Hardware – Emtek
• Sink – Elkay
• Art – Shannon Emmanuel Art
• Tile – The Tile Shop
• Flooring – The Tile Shop