WHOA! OMG! I’m doing this again? What? How’d this happen?
As most of you know… I just finished the One Room Challenge this past fall… and I had so much fun reimagining what was once a small, unused room into a third bedroom (bunk beds!) for guests!
It was a blast to create and design… and I had a rock star team that had to produce quite a bit of custom work in just a few short weeks.
… but here’s the deal! It puts the house in quite a bit of disarray and even with the generosity of sponsors… it still costs money!
So even though I KNEW I wanted to be a part of the challenge again… I was thinking that a full year in between would be a good bet.
… and then I got the email from Linda… who thought she sent me the invitation, but realized she forgot, and then wondered why I hadn’t responded, and then got a hold of me, and before I even knew it, I had said yes, and my husband said WHAAAAAT???
Yep. I’m spontaneous like that.
… and what I knew most… was that although I love my sweet little 1920’s kitchen… I also knew that I couldn’t take the grey linoleum floor that the developer had installed ANY LONGER.
So it’s really this floor’s fault (a pedicure would be nice too… I’ll make sure to get that done for the final photos).
… because when you know you can work with some stellar people to get some beautiful new tile, it snowball’s into one hundred other ideas to update the space!
Let’s talk some details!
The original cabinets are staying.
I toyed with the idea of removing the uppers to create open shelving, but with minimal square feet, I just don’t have enough space to ADD storage elsewhere. The insides of the upper cabinets are pretty organized and I wouldn’t mind showing off my collection of dishware, but it just didn’t make much sense.
I also LOVE these original cabinets, and it would feel a bit sacrilegious to rip them out.
So they will get a nice new coat of paint and shiny new hardware!
Here’s the other side of the kitchen.
From the wall behind the “desk” to the cabinets on the other side pictured above… it’s only six feet.
The wood piece and pole were here when we moved in, and I added the shelves.
It’s all coming down and I will be custom building something similar in theory… but just MUCH prettier 🙂 .
This view gives you a better idea of the width of the space. It’s pretty tight!
As with every other room in this house… what I need to address most is function and storage… so that is what you will be seeing in this challenge!
… but of course with some flair and a few surprises!
As you walk through the kitchen and to the left… you enter the “mud room/disaster zone”.
I have tried multiple shoe storage solutions, but everything just ends up in a big messy shit show.
I think if I could just have a new floor and make this spot actually WORK… that would be enough to put me on CLOUD 9! One Room Challenge success!
Turn to the left again, and we have the stackable washer/dryer (not pictured), and the coat rack and pantry. #reallife
Keep walking and go around the corner, and you reach our back staircase. This staircase is is actually the one we use every day, because it is located closest to the street and where our cars are parked.
I have a GORGEOUS front entry (to be revealed soon), but this is where skateboards, sand, clumps of mud from football cleats, and everything dirty enters the house…
It was covered in a grey/green industrial carpet (by the original developer), which we just pulled up (and my contractor said half of Zuma beach resided)…
… to reveal the original one hundred year old stairs that were in surprisingly good condition.
Hang on to your hats folks, because it’s here that I’m going to get CRAY CRAY, and give a little “nod” to my West Adams hood.
Are you ready?
I sure as hell am. Especially now that my refrigerator is in my dining room for the next six weeks (conveniently positioned next to my work area for happy hour).
Pull up a chair and grab a glass of wine… I’m going to need one!
… and with that glass of wine… make sure you to check out the other amazingly talented designers listed below, also featured this Spring! I am so inspired by each and every one of them… so show them some love!
At Home With Ashley | Casey Keasler | Dorsey Designs | The Farmhouse Project | Home Made by Carmona  House of Funk | House of Jade Interiors | House Seven Design | House That Lars Built | Inspired by Charm | Jana Bek | Jessica Brigham | Kelly Golightly | Murphy Deesign | The Pink Pagoda | Sarah Gunn | Sherry Hart Designs | Sugar & Cloth | Veronica Solomon | Vintage Revivals | Media Partner BH&G | TM by ORC
View Next in Series: One Room Challenge Spring 2019: Week 2!
