Welcome back friends! Well here we are – summer has officially drawn to a close and with the cooler temperatures comes that inevitable urge to get back into project mode. We still have a mile-long list of to-dos and projects yet to be completed before the house will feel like it’s anywhere close to being ‘done.’  but the number one question we get asked is: “So is your house done now?”, followed closely by “What’s still left to be done on the house?” or “What project are you working on next?”

Well today we’re officially answering those questions!  I’m going to assume you read the title of this post so by now you already know that we’re participating in another One Room Challenge. If you’re new here, essentially the ORC is a bi-annual blogger event hosted by Linda of Calling It Home where designers & DIYers from far and wide endeavor to transform one space in 6 weeks time. Each week, the participants document their progress & share their ideas, sources, & design inspiration in real-time. This will be our 4th time participating and in fact, every one of the “finished” spaces in our home have come as a result.

Our Master Bath Retreat | Our Modern Industrial Family Room | Our Modern Rustic Master Bedroom

But enough of the back story, let’s get down to business….

The heart of the home

People always say that the kitchen is the heat of a home and for us it certainly rings true. There’s a reason that it was the first space we unpacked & got fully set up on that first night when we moved into the Dreamhouse 2 years ago.

It’s where I start most of my days making breakfasts & school lunches. It’s always my first stop when I get home. It’s the place where friends & family congregate as we entertain, often hovering around the island while we make last minute preparations.

You might be thinking that a home that’s barely 2 years old would be the last place in need of a kitchen makeover. In most cases you’d probably be right.  I mean looking at this photo from the morning after we moved in, even I can a can say it’s already pretty great.

But is it our dream kitchen?? Not quite yet.

When we were in the thick of building the house, the priority was just getting it complete enough for us to move in. We focused our energies and budget on the things that mattered most – first and foremost making sure the layout was right for our needs. From there we put our money into the big ticket items & things we knew would be difficult to upgrade later (cabinetry, flooring, appliances, etc.) Our overall plan for the kitchen since then hasn’t changed much. The bones are there, now it’s time to bring it to life.

The Design: Elements of a kitchen makeover

Our kitchen design features a combination of high gloss white & walnut grey cabinetry which gives us the sleek, modern aesthetic we love. However, much like in our family room, we’ll pair those clean lines with some custom wood elements, industrial lighting, stone countertops & of course a pop of colour to add warmth & texture.

We’ve created a mood board to help visualize how it’ll all come together.

What do you think?  This is probably one of the smallest transformations we’ve taken on for the ORC, but I definitely think it’ll have a big impact and really elevate our kitchen from one that’s strictly functional to the kitchen we’ve been dreaming of all along.

Be sure to check back next week for an update! We’ll get more into the details of our to-do list, photos of where we’re at and breakdown how exactly we’ll be tackling this kitchen makeover.

Also – don’t forget to check out what all the other amazing featured and guest bloggers are up to over at Calling it home.

Until next week friends!